June 2007
hi, just wondering what, or which type of engine flush i should use, i want to do an oil/filter change and as i got some hydraulic tappet sounds in my mk4 golf ( 1400cc ) im told this would do the trick to quiet them down abit, but with so many on the shelf is there a recomended flush or are they simply all the same?
thanks Read more
Vehicle is 150,000 miles 5 dr 1.9 TDI PD 2001MY
Driving to work this morning, the indicator "clicker" kept on clicking after the direction indicator switch had been returned to its central off position.
The extra clicks are in a sort of random sequence, and do not appear to be lighting up the external flasher lamps. The dash panel arrows are not being lit either.
Conditions were damp, and headlights on.
The extra clicks eventally subside, until the next indication of directiion change is made. Seems to be very repeatable.
I should point out that I do use the indicators a lot, so could have worn something out? (I've owned the vehcile from new)
Any suggestions very welcome Read more
Glad to hear you got it fixed - I (and the garages) also assumed that the hazard switch was the problem and that the indicator switch burnt out as a result...
T minus 63 minutes and counting.
ECHR judgement in the case of Francis and O'Halleron on whether Section 172 form infringes human rights to be announce today at 9.30am.
If it goes with them then Speed Cameras are in trouble.
dvd
Thread title changed to make it more obvious what it's about - PG Read more
Here is a cut and paste of a recently circulated document:
On Friday 29 June, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg published its
ruling in relation to the above case.
The case concerned the requirement that may be imposed under section 172 of the
Road Traffic Act 1988 for the registered keeper of a vehicle to identify the person driving at the time of an alleged road traffic offence to which the section applies. Mr O?Halloran and Mr Francis, supported by Liberty, argued that this requirement infringed the right to a fair trial under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The court rejected their claim and ruled that there was no breach of human rights, a
ruling which leaves the UK legislation unaffected.
Please continue to use section 172 as normal.
So there you have it!!
--
Fullchat
Moved in here to keep it warm - PU
Chaps
I have just renewed the road tax on my van and was charged £175.00
the van is a Ford KA 1.3 Petrol reg. July 03
The VED is in three bands ;
Euro III at £175.00
Euro IV (reg 1/3/03 to 31/12/06) at £115.00
Euro IV (reg after 31/12/07) at £175.00
Question ; what is Euro III or IV and who decides, and where is it written?
ie: is not on the MOT, is not on the Log Book, so just pick the higher band!
£60.00 is not a fortune. "snipped - potentially offensive comment removed - PU"
many thanks in anticipation of a refund
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Is it registered as a commercial vehicle-ie. VAT not paid.?
Quick question for any ICE experts out there.
My Astra has a Sony Xplod XR-CA630X stereo fitted (aftermarket) with a 6 CD changer attached.
Recently the radio bit has stopped working. When you try and scroll through the functions, it will only offer the CD player and cassette as options. Anyone got any idea as to why this might be the case? CD changer and cassette still work fine.
I haven´t tried anything just yet (including resetting the unit). Could the ariel lead have fallen out the back, or something? Thought I would ask here first.
Thanks in advance,
Barchettaman Read more
Cheers Andy.
Reset the unit, now working perfectly.
Moral - RTFM
whats the lastest offers from makro ?
Does Makro sell Castrol Magnatec 10/40w
TIA Read more
Thank you, Aprilia (how embarassing, not to have heard of them )
Since when did it become a legal obligation for any medium goods vehicle used to take a category C1 driving test to have ABS? Apparently I can't take the test in our lorry because it doesn't have ABS.
Questions:
1. How do you implement ABS on an air-driven braking system, or are small lorries all hydraulic now?
2. Is ABS now a standard fitting in lorries?
3. Does it actually make any difference to controlling the lorry in an emergency stop given the size of the vehicle? Read more
1. Like the other replies have stated, ABS works on pneumatics in very much the same way as hydraulics, in fact the ABS are very similar as their basic principle is to reduce the force being applied to the brake that is detected as being 'locked up'. I think most small lorries (7.5 tonners) have full air brake systems nowadays whereas in the olden days it was quite normal to have 'air over hydraulic' sytems such as local yokel's Bedford has where the air pressure applied by the foot valve is then converted into hydraulic pressure through a master cyclinder before operating the brakes in the conventional hydraulic fashion. In fact the last 7.5 ton trucks that I can remember still using this 'old hat' method of air over hydraulic was the Iveco 75E15 range up until a few years ago.
2. ABS is a fairly standard fitting in lorries now, just as it is in the range of new cars that you can buy. It has been used on the big lorries (such as artics) for quite a number of years and the vast majority of trailers used on the roads today are also ABS equiped. A lot of the bigs trucks also have traction control systems (often referred to as ASR - acceleration skid reduction) which uses some of the ABS components to detect which wheel is loosing traction.
3. I can also conclude that it does make a good difference in stopping the vehicle in an emergency with this technology on board. If you have ever had a truck sliding up the road with its wheels locked then you will know that it is a scary experience. Whereas with ABS fitted it makes the skid more managable although hearing the a wheel lock and the ABS releasing the air pressure to counter-act it every half second can come as a shock.
First new baby on the way and looking to upgrade the wheels. (I can only run the one car and do sub 6k per year.)The wife is set on getting an 05 plate SAAB 9-3- convertible . We were both very enthusiastic about the test drive and the 5 stars from NCAP. Less keen about the latest JD Power results.
Anyway, I think the whole idea is probably bonkers because that boot with the hood up isn't going to accommodate all the gear that goes with a sprog, not least a decent buggy chassis. And then there is the soft top/safety issue.
But of course I may be wrong. Does anyone out there have any experience of running a 9-3, or indeed any other 4 seat convertible as their only car with a new baby?
Views gratefully accepted
Read more
The 9-3 Cab is a tricky car to get into the back of at the best of times with the roof up, even though the front seats move on the rails the access is still relatively small and I wouldn't like to have to strap a child in the back.
The other issue I've found is that anyone sat in the back can't hear a normal volume conversation being held in the front due to the wind noise at the back of the hood. They are pretty refined for a rag top in the front, but the back isn't so quiet. This may be a problem if you want to comfort the baby without taking your eyes off the road.
Saw my first R8 today. HJ's review is at:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=274
Not too sure if I am impressed by the bodywork - looked rather too much like an overgrown TT. Sounded great though.
BIG Read more
I was in Prague at the beggining of May and driving around the main town road was 7 (seven) R8's all in convoy. Stoopping at the give way's, then tearing off one after the other. Great sounds !
Following the theme of threads talking about cars people drove in the era of flares and perms I wondered for those with long enough memories what would your take be looking from a 1970s perspective on the current car industry and car trends?
What are the surprises in terms of makes, models, success stories, things that u did not expect to disappear?
To me (and this is someone who was a nipper in the 70s but car mad) the big things I noticed were:
1) Big change in the cars driven by the middle classes - the large peugeot 504 estates /volvos 240s/260s which were the staple of every public school car park then seem to have almost all been supplanted by German makes...large sensible French cars seem to have died out...same with the Granada/Opel Ricord types. People in the sensible middle classes seem to be shelling out alot more money on status cars now...not the car as sensible utility any more.
2) rise and rise of the Germans premium makes and there amazing ability to get people to part with their cash.
3) The fact that the major French makes are still in existence...even though they seem to have given quite alot of ground to other makes...
4) The lack of a wholesale shift to buying Japanese cars as some were predicting in the 80s.
5) Volvo and Saab relatively appearing to be losing ground compared to their strong position/identity in the 70s/80s.
6) The massive advances in diesel technology...remember my Dad's 504GLD which u could here from 200 m away....
Anyone else's perspective?
Read more
And as well as the sheer number of car owners these days - ie most working adults even if they have almost a minimum wage job or work part time you also notice
a) that really as a reflection of the relatively low cost of motoring relative to 35 years ago a much smaller proportion of people running bangers or cars that are being nursed along. Quite a few youngsters now go straight into owning a brand new car and never buy used and never go thru the old banger phase. Likewise u see alot of two car families near me who have 2 under 24 mth old cars on the drive or who swap them even more often than that. .
and
b) a much larger proportion of the population is not just driving a car but what they perceive as a premium make and never making do with something cheaper. People in their 20s buying BMWs etc...which again 35 years ago would have been much much rarer. Certainly I remember in the 70s the correlation of car to house size/value was fairly linear...now alot more people in more "ordinary areas" are driving £15-30k cars...somehow?
Browse
have same problem on rover 416 100k with magantec
willl use cheaper oil form gsf next oil change
magantec cost too much now in handier 4l can !!