March 2007
At Aldis next week "Evesham NavCam 6400 at £119.99 "
Has anyone got one or any opinion ? Read more
Remember the dodgem cars at the fair?
I noticed something on the M1 yesterday, fat and tall, with four `headlights` receeding past me in traffic....
My initial thought was of a giant dodgem car reversing, or some sort of joke car, but I caught a glimpse of `Golf` on what obviously must have been the back end despite four white reflector lamps the size of headlights. Bigger and taller than an easily recognisable `normal` golf that went past a moment later.
Was this actually some form of Golf or perhaps a joke modified rear end of some other car? Read more
I followed one yesterday - I thought it was a Minibus !
hello, soon i will be joining her majestys forces and as such need to reduce my collection of cars down to one to keep. basically there are 3 options, a, keep my mgf vvc and supercharge it, b, keep my bmw e34 525ise and turbocharge that or c, sell both of them and buy a celica gt.
basically as i won't need to drive so much anymore i want something that will be fun for when i do have the time, im unsure about the mgf on a practical front, it's great to drive and i love it and im sure i could get a full bergen in it but outside of that it is not much use when i go home and see friends and stuff (generally designated driver on night out) but should i get rid of a decent car that ticks the boxes on the can't give friends a lift front when that may only be a handful of times a year? the bmw again i do love and it is definately the practical option but at the same time is slightly bland but other than that is a great car just not got quite the same fun factor as the mgf but again could happily live with it. option c is ive always liked the mid nineties shaped celica, they have a good spec and are relatively quick, hopefully get a gt4 funds allowing and again im sure id be equally at home in one.
so in my situation or as a second car/weekend car which would you choose? a, b or c? all based on the idea they are finished so all turbo/schargers are fitted and running right and reliabilty isn't a huge factor just enjoyability?
cheers
chris
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I have owned and serviced VW Passats for the last 10 years and having become aware of the fall off in quality in the period up to 1996, decided to give Ford a try. My 99 LX Mondeo is streets ahead in terms of performance and finish. But.....a stupid question.... It can't be that hard to find, but I have spent more time than I care to admit (the neighbours are begining to talk) trying to locate the oil filter on my 2.0 Duratec. The manual does not help much (not the same since they started printing them on recycled woodchip). Can anyone post a link to a photo/diagram, or give a simple explanation. Any help appreciated.
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You will also need to remove the auxillary belt cover, but that's only a couple of screws after removing the OSF wheel.
The oil filter will then be clearly seen!
We are going to France in April. The journey will be from Richmond, North Yorkshire to just South of Troyes. There's very little difference in mileage to our destination from Zeebrugge, Le Havre or Calais. I used to enjoy motoring in France but haven't been since 2001. Are there any changes in attitude I should be aware of? Do I need a GB plate? Are the French Police as intolerant of GPS systems as they used to be of speed trap warning devices? Do they know the difference?
What is the backroom's preferred method of crossing/tunelling - speed vs. cost? How much is diesel in France?
What do backroomers think? All comments and thoughts welcome!
So many questions ...
TIA
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land Read more
Spare lightbulbs: as I understand it (from HJ, iirc) it is not a legal requirement to carry spare bulbs. The reason for carrying them is that if you have a blown bulb, the police can pull you over. At THAT point it is an offence if you cannot replace the blown bulb.
Priorité a droite. This tends IME to apply most often in (very) small towns. No bad thing to drive cautiously in such areas. You tend to notice it when you are waiting to turn out into a more main road, and cannot understand why the car approaching on your left (along the main road) has come to a stand still.
Somebody referred to the red-topped posts at the side of a road. My own understanding is that red-topped posts equate to a stop/give way sign for the side road. Personally I have never come across a situation where priorité a droite has been on an open road with a 90kph limit.
One thing to look for is that the 50kph speed limit in villages is not generally specifically signed. However, a village name sign with a red border has the same effect. (If the name sign is coupled with a 70 speed-limit sign, then do 70, obviously.)
If coming from Yorkshire, then I'd go from Hull. The M1 is a constant car park these days with the widening that is going on.
I have a Punto 55 and i have checked all the wiring and i have no spark at spark plugs and no fuel at carburettor and i also have an irritating clicking from the white relay mounted on the bulk head. Does anyone know what the problem is i would appreciate any help with this matter. Read more
Decent auto electrician will be able to help you out.
No one will post up how to by pass the immobiliser on a public forum & if they did it would soon get removed anyway. {Too right it will - DD}
Hi all - I will be doing the above journey with the wife and kids in a few weeks time and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the best route there and back. We need to be in Blackpool by about 2pm on the Monday so I'm wondering how long this journey is likely to take and where might be a good place to take a short refreshment break en route? We will be leaving at about 10am on the Friday.
Cheers ! Read more
We do get congestion but it's all about timing - try getting from Fleetwood to the M55 at 8am, or into Manchester on the M61/M60.
Blackpool in the week is never that busy - all the car parking capacity is for the weekend trippers and the Illuminations.
As for the driving - I don't know about disciplined, I would say there's more of a zombie tendency. There isn't much aggression but there's usually somebody in front doing 10mph below the speed limit! There's so many speed cameras that it's just not worth the bother - driving's disciplined, but just a tad boring.
Hello Fellow Backroomers.
I have a quick question.
What is the best method of cleaning the rear heated window without breaking the lines?
I have to admit I know its wrong but I have used Mr Muscle and it fogs up after a few uses of the rear heated screen.
--
(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters Read more
Another vote for Autoglym here.
my vectra keeps cutting out when i change down to second or when in first just cuts out to the piont where i have to start the car again....when in second gear i can sometimes catch it on the clutch....the abs & tc lights are on all the time and my speedo doesn't work....i have been to three different garages where they have put the car on a diagnotics machine but because the speedo isn't working the car cann't be read....has anybody got any ideas apart from blowing it up....thanks fiona Read more
I doubt very much its the ABS ECU faulty, most likely just a sensor gone down.
Find a decent garage / person with the correct kit that can scan the ABS system.
The fact that you have lost the speedo, the ABS & TC warning lights are coming on & the engine cuts out on approaching junctions doesn't take a genius to work out whats wrong & what to do next.
Loss of speed sensor info wont on most cars normally store a engine ECU fault code but if its the later type system that has done away with the speed sensor on top of the gearbox it will log a fault code in the ABS system.
hello all , I was reading a magazine today which stated that under the road safety act 2006 it will be illegal 'soon' to use units that detect gatso,radar or laser based detctors.
Having spent several hundred pounds recently buying a Road angel device I now find i can't use it!
Has anyone else obtained any info on this? Thanks Read more
Ravenger - obviously it depends on where you come up in court. Aldershot is probably a centre of middle class bigotry where they regret the end of hanging and the birch and the magistrates doubtless reflect these views!
Browse
That is my experience too. When I contacted them about impossible voice directions I got a very poor response that did not even come close to dealing with the problem.