August 2007

Corrib12

I'm asking again whether anyone has experience of these cars. The providers on this site offer some great deals and I may go for one but need convincing in two areas. First, the driver's seat seems a bit on the small size and lacking in thigh support for a taller driver. It could be very tiring on a long journey, I think. Secondly, all the road tests say the diesel Fusions tend to be rattly, as though the soundproofing isn't as good as it could be. Again, that's tiresome on long runs. Any feedback appreciated! Read more

tyro

the salespeople don't even want to know about Drive the Deal prices


That wouldn't be M&D on Harbour Road, would it?

Last time I was looking to buy from them, I found the salesman pretty inflexible, but the salesman at M&D in Elgin was a bit more amenable.
milkyjoe

I'm sure this has been covered before but what really gets my goat is people who pull up on double yellow lines then stick their hazard lights on, i notice this a lot more in a particular part of town the newspaper and local news program like to call it the"golden mile". I prefer to call it the " golden ball ache"

Edited to change the subject header and remove some potentially offensive commentsPG Read more

RaineMan

Someone near a friend of mine is allowed to bring their company van home overnight/weekend. The guy seems to use it for running around, parking anywhere and putting on the emergency flashers! People probably assume he's dealing with an emergency rather than being selfish and inconsiderate.

sirdave

Hi all, I need to go & pick up 2 people with 2 babies - about 8 old months from gatwick. Knowing nothing about this sort of thing it looks like I need to get 2 extra seats of some sort.

Do I really need these for a one off trip ?, I looked on a rospa website that looked confusing but it said a hire vehicle did not need child restraints, so I could hire a car the same as mine & all would be ok

Am i just getting myself in trouble for helping out?

Read more

isisalar

The lunacy is of course that said infants and their parents have flown around the world somewhat restrained by nothing more than a primitive lapbelt.what's the survival rate in plane crashes?

valhalla

A garage local to me is selling a Qx. Its the 3ltr SEL Auto on an N plate.
Has anyone any experience of the big Nissan?
Anything in particular i should look for please? Its done 102k but is in mint condition with all the toys working. Its up at £1000.
I took it out for a spin yesterday and its the most comfortable car i've driven. What kind of mpg should i expect? It would be used for my commute from Mansfield to Burton on Trent( only twice a week-i work away from home)
Thanks for any help.
jon


I know they're good but they didn't name them twice ! - Subject line re-written to elaborate on the question asked - PU Read more

J Bonington Jagworth

Here's another nice one.. :-)

tinyurl.com/645e7s

Oldgreyfox

I have been told I have a noisy crankshaft damper and that it should be repaired. Can anyone tell me what this is and what is entailed in repairing it. Read more

kimisit

I had crankshaft damper replaced on my 2000 CRV less than 2 months ago, along with various belts, hoses, and radiator, at the cost of nearly $1600 at local mechanic shop that I had been recommended to and trusted. The engine light had come on. I agreed to all recommended repairs. Up until then, I had every scheduled maintenance and agreed to all services recommended by Honda, done at Honda, save one oil change and a brake job. The other day, the car stalled and I had it towed to the same mechanic. He called and told me the engine seized, crankshaft isn't even turning, and can't tell me why until they take it apart and check. I asked didn't they just replace the crankshaft, he said, "No, the damper. The problem with the crankshaft would be internal. The damper is on the outside."
Should I have this investigated further? I'm afraid to have them replace the engine ($2500) if they are not good mechanics to begin with. I'm surprised that the engine would seize after I had maintained it so well and it only has about 130K miles on it. Should I go to B.A.R.? I don't feel knowledgeable enough to challenge this situation but I also don't want to be taken advantage of and dump more money into the car nor lose it completely. In addition to the new parts aforementioned, it also has new front rotors and tires, so I've put over $2000 into it less then 2 months ago. Basically, I want to know if this mechanic could be responsible for the engine seizing and what I could do to prove it?

Thank you for any response.

Kimisit

Clanger

M25 a couple of weeks ago. I am towing the caravan in lane 1 clockwise near junction 14. Traffic is grinding to a halt behind a stationary car ahead in lane 2 connected by a slack tow-rope to an AA van in lane 1. Lots of fraught last-minute lane changing going on and some cars using the hard shoulder to undertake the obstruction. I have left it way too late to change lanes and pass so am planning to wait. As I approach, the driver of the dead car is just getting in the driving seat and the AA chap has stopped a car undertaking him on the hard shoulder. Some finger-wagging and shouting is going on; then the undertaking car rockets away on the shoulder in a spray of dirt. AA man points at me, holds his hand up in a "halt" gesture, then indicates 2 minutes with his fingers. I switch on the hazards and I have enough room to ease the outfit over so it's blocking most of the hard shoulder and most of lane 1. The AA man tows the dead car from lane 2 onto the hard shoulder and gives me a cheery wave. I have helped a little bit. Caravans are some use after all! Never want to be an AA man, though.
Hawkeye
-----------------------------
Stranger in a strange land Read more

stuartl

installer, the point I was making was that in traffic moving at less than 20mph he was in a perfectly safe place. The only hazard was being caused by the AA man speeding down the hard shoulder (I would estimate over 50 mph).

catcher

My car recently developed the feel through the steering at low speed as if one of the wheels was buckled, the steering wheel would move side to side. As one of the front tyres was also showing considerable wear on the inside edge I decided to get the tracking checked and have two new tyres fitted to the front, even though one of them had plenty of tread left (I prefer to change tyres in pairs).
When the fitter removed the 'good' tyre I was horrified to see that it had a serious 'bleb' on the inside wall, so bad that it looked like a sausage stuck to the tyre going almost all the way round the circumference. (Not that it necessarily means anything but it was a well-known branded tyre)

I know that it is recomended that tyre condition is checked regularly but it's easy not to bother checking the inside wall. I will certainly be making a point of checking them more regularly from now on. Read more

stuartl

I posted on here a few months back about a suitable welder for me to buy but my needs have changed.

I have a 1979 MGB so will need a good welder!
I have the option of welding inside or outside so am looking for a suitable MIG welder.
Machine Mart have always served me well in the past and I quite fancy one of their gasless MIGS. Any suggestions?

Thanks, Stuart Read more

stuartl

Hi Bellboy.

All good advice, thanks. The 4 o'clock rule also applies to me in my work as a bathroom installer with regards to blowtorch work. I bought the MG to restore and whilst I consider it a good 2 previous owner example I am not going to shy away from doing whats needed. I certainly wouldn't consider a re-shell.

All of the interior will be removed prior to any welding and the appropriate precautions taken regarding fuel and brake lines.

steveo3002

my father owns a 04 city rover, 19k miles ( dont start on me...i told him no)

ive been using it to run my mother around while dads ill, i find it impossible to pull away without kangerooing with a cold engine...its slightly better when hot but still a bind to drive

is there any common faults that cause this?

another thing...the power delivery is notchy /uneven , is that a characteristic on these ? maybe i expect too much comparing it to our 19yr old polo lol Read more

bell boy

they need servicing? :-oooooooooooooo ;-)

waldenyid2007

I have a Ghia with the 1.6 Zetec S Engine. After sorting out the initial overheating problem it had when I first bought it (thanks in no small part to the members of this site), it has been a great little car with no problems. Today, i drove it to work and back and it was fine as usual.

About half hour ago, I decided to pop out in it and for the first 10 minutes of the journey the car was as normal. I was doing 60-70 down a country lane and all seemed fine. Then i had to slow down and when I started to speed up again i felt the car judder slightly and seemingly lose power. I carried on for a maybe 1/4 of a mile but it seemed to be getting worse. Finally, the engine fault light started flashing so i pulled up in the village I was conveniently driving through at the time.

The car didn't overheat and there were no other warning lights. I looked in the ford manual and it said that if the engine fault light flashed whilst driving i should slow down immediately and get a ford dealer to look at it. Fair enough, thats probably what i will do. I left the car there, and got a taxi home.

I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on what may have caused this before I get the car looked at tomorrow. Any advice/wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Matt.

{No need to include car make / model within the subject header anymore as the choices you make from the drop down menu will do that for you. Header amended to remove info - DD} Read more

waldenyid2007

Lol that would be nice, but hes in London until tomorrow so unfortunately not. I don't have cover myself - figured I could always use his but yeah like i said hes not here today. Should be fine anyways. Quite a posh little estate i parked up in. If not, you know what they say... pink fluffy dice happens.