July 2007
Have other backroomers noticed an increasing number of oncoming vehicles rounding bends with a wheel or more on 'your' side of the road? I decided to learn how to ride a motorbike last year and really had to learn to watch out for this!
Maybe my memory is playing tricks, but I've never had cause to notice it in the last 15 years or so.
No particular group of motorist seems culpable - it could just as easily be an OAP in a Montego or a young female in a RAV4.....
BTW, I'm not talking about 'straightening' a series of bends with good forward visibility, but rather the taking of 'blind' bends....... Read more
Not long bought a Berlingo van,and the washer pump wasn't working on it.
No problem,thinks I,I'll give my local GSF a ring,as I'm sure they'll be cheaper than the local Citroen dealer.
Rung them up,and got quoted a price of around £14 for the part,which they say was a genuine one,so just out of curiosity,I ring the local dealer,and he quotes me about £11 for the same piece.
Guess who got my business?
Now I know it's only £3,but it just goes to show you,that it always pays to make a call first. Read more
The last 2 occasions the VW dealer that I use have have been cheaper for oil and brake pads.
If the engine was overfilled with engine oil to say 1.5 lites to much would this cause it to over rev and throw a con rod through the side of the block. if so why would this happen Read more
659 FBE - Excellent summary, I should have thought of the crankcase breather system and the effects of splash.
A few years ago I heard of a large truck engine running away on the test bed at a factory we supplied parts to; when it blew up the flywheel went through the roof and landed a fair few yards away, pity no-one had a camcorder handy (or maybe they did but had taken cover)
Following on from my post re 4x4s, I've started the search.
Now, I've seen a 99 Patrol 2.8 GR SE I think the spec is. It looks so tidy it looks like its been clocked... Its got 157K on the clock, but looks more like 57K. Is this likely to be a good buy? Anyone any experience in running these??? MPG??
Your comments on the Patrol please. HJs usually very indepth car-by-car breakdown doesn't really list any negatives!!
Read more
Painfully underpowered.
Kia are giving away a Kia Carens if you have five kids........
Sounds too good to be true?
Well yes!
You have to have 5 babies (all at the one time) by the end of the year!!
Chances are they will not give a car away as the last Quintuplets in the UK are now 5/6 yrs old! Read more
We've got two with enough of a gap between them for breathing space...
Not planning anymore but five in one go would be a bit much for the old ticker to cope with.
Kia Carens wouldn't be big enough, I'd be in the market for a minibus.
98 A6. Today although the display light to tell you the door is open and 'OK' once the engine is running the display appears totally blank. I note the car was rather hot due to sunshine. Any Ideas. Regards Peter Read more
Update. I used the Test Botton and it showed all the symbols normally associated with the display in sequence than on completion the display came on as normal, no problem. Regards Peter
My son took our 1996 Megane 1.4 to the station this morning, and while manouevring into a parking space it died with no warning. I went over and tried to restart it (as he had) and it was as dead as a dodo. Called out the breakdown people, who turned the key and.....it started straight away. The theory is that it was the immobiliser. Never having had this problem before in the three years I've had it, I'm looking for some advice, experience, or comments as to whether it's likely to happen again, and whether there is some magic cure (like a specific connection that I can check) that can cure it. I usually park it in the same car park every weekday, so I don't suspect a transmitting device (e.g. mobile phone mast) which has activated the immobilser.
Any ideas? Read more
The oil's fine, changed it about 2 months ago - and I keep an eye on the water ;-) Thanks for the tip.
It's been a good car, no probs apart from the odd bit of wear and tear, taken a bit of stick from my son when he was learning to drive but it lived through it!
Hi, i brought a 1991 1.9 Gti in Feb to rescue it from a scrap yard, it was a total wreck but now it is getting there. Saturday gone i was spending some time finishing the last little lighting problems that i had in order to put it through the MOT, chuffed that everything was working right i took it out round the block to give it a run, all was fine. It Idles lumpy as hell but the guy before put a £700 fast road cam in it so it hasn't worried me at all, that was until now! I got it back and turned it off. When i went to put it back in the garage i turned the key and not much happened. The starter does move, i put a screwdriver on the casing and tried to make sure the starter moved, the alternator moves but not much and that's it. It won't turn at all so i checked the battery, Brand new so no issues there, battery connections, brand new, immobiliser connections, all sound, engine earth, sound, 12v supply to starter, sound, fuse board (the fuses are fine and nothing smells) so I'm stumped!! I even went to the hassle of rocking the car in gear and bump starting it in case the starter had jammed but it made no difference. I have water, oil and fuel and non of them are in the wrong holes, i can't see what else it may be?
Any help would be brilliant, i want it finished!!!
Cheers - Mike Read more
Will the engine turn over by hand with a spanner/socket on the crankshaft nut?
Ok as some of you know i am trying to get this car of mine fixed. i now have all the problems theoreticly sorted, im just waiting till pay day to get them done.
The one that i am now stuck on is overheating. At first the temp gauge on the instrument panel would not move. I bought a new sender/sensor that the radiator hoses go into and fitted, and now the gauge is working.
The problem now is that the gauge needle does not sit properly at half way and goes up to 110 degrees. It does not go up any further, just sits on that temp.
can anyone help AGAIN. Read more
I only paid a couple of quid for the part from breakers. The car is going to the mechanic for a service so i will get him to sort it all out. Thanks for your help Dox.Once this is all done i am just gonna get rid of the damn thing.
cheers
There is a section of road near to where I live where a 20mph zone ends and a 30 begins. After the 30, it returns to a 20 zone.
All very well... except the 30mph section is three feet long.
On an adjacent road, the 30mph section is ten feet long.
Well done Southwark. Read more
Andy ! - in the style of Peter Kay "Howwww dare youuu" and sniipped - PU Mod.
andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
Browse
Driving is an art. It is very time consuming to master.
As a scooter rider since 16 years of age, and now riding motorbikes and cars, I have indeed noticed in London especially the quality of driving has fallen dramatically. It is probably caused by a number of things, but generally London drivers are more aggressive, which is probably caused by the fact there is more traffic and heart rates rise with this.
I think driving and riding is a skill. When we learn to drive, we do as the rule books state. This is because of lack of experience.
But as an advanced driver, I use my own judgement now. For example, I will straighten a bend only if I can see very far ahead, and if I know the road well. Or if I see a person on the motorway behind me driving fast, I will look around me to make sure I have an escape route, or even put my hazard lights on.
So it is an art: we create new ways to be safer; We choose which gear to rev ratio to use once we now where we gain the most power advantage;
And amazingly, owning a 125cc motorcycle and 650cc motorcycle, I really can't see a huge difference between the two (except of course the power difference.)