August 2007
Been hidden for now - haven't got the time to edit it now, will do so later and the thread will re-appear in accordance with the site policies.... Read more
Yesterday afternoon on the motorway. The rain had stopped but considerable standing water remained on the carriageway and the spray off all vehicles was considerable, even at 60mph.
So I'm travelling along minding my own (about 60mph) keeping a look out for potential aqua-planing spots etc... and the usual 80mph+ crew are bombing down the motorway.
Now there is nobody in front in my lane as far as the eye can see but each one of these coffin dodgers wastes no time pulling back into lane one once they have overtaken me. Cue a blizzard of spray, poor visibility and wipers going crazy for me.
Why don't these idiots keep out in lane 2 for a little longer and then pull in? These speeders weren't under any pressure to pull back in it and would appear they just don't think.
Is this just me???
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I had heard in the past that the government was considering making radar detectors - the type that detect radar and laser transmissions - illegal. I have a Valentine 1, and my local car audio fitters thought that it might now be illegal.
Anyone know for sure?
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I stand corrected most honourable sir.
hi guys
is it true the cambelt requires changing every 40,000 miles? also is it best to change everything at this time ie tensioners and pump belt too? and what should i exspect this to cost me?
the car is a 2001 y reg 1.8 tdi focus estate!
thanks for any info!
variant details edited into the subject line..PU Read more
Mmmmmm! Think I'll talk it over with the chap at the local garage.He's Ford trained and I trust him,used him for years.
Thanks for your comments,much appreciated.
YOU HAVE NO CAR INSURANCE FOR PERSONAL INJURIES
CAUSED BY WILD DEER!
Ha! you say, wild Deer are not a threat.
In the UK over 250 motorist's are injured each year by wild deer collision on our roads! 5 are also killed annually!DEFRA states that the wild deer population will double in ten years thus causing even more injuries!
I have now started a petition at No10 Downing St to change this. Please click on this link and vote.
petitions.pm.gov.uk/DEER-COLLISIONS/
My proposal is to ensure The Motorists Insurance Bureau
covers injuries caused by Wild Deer Collisions to the same degree as it does now with the uninsured drivers and untraced drivers problem.
This insurance anomaly has to be changed as I have personally found out!
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As has been said this has very little to do with car insurance and an
awful lot to do with personal accident insurance.
SNIPQUOTE! ONCE AGAIN
then why if you are hit by an uninsured driver you are covered, this is life insurance? If you were hit by an uninsured driver you would instantly expect your personal injuries to be covered. So why not a deer? Defra states that deer population will double in the next ten years, so the collisions will not? eh!
My mates 206 sometimes refuses to start. Turn the key - all ignition lights show - turn it againto start and nothing happens - not even a flicker from the starter. Can return to the car later on and it starts perfectly - any ideas please? Read more
Logically the first place to start is the battery, check the terminals are clean and tight, then check the earth connection to the chassis, make sure it is clean and not loose. If that doesn't do it try borrowing another battery, make sure its rated the same i. e. amps, if that solves the problem buy a new battery.
If none of that works, try the Alternator connections to make sure they are clean and tight.
If all that fails you really need an auto electrician, it could be a number of things.
Good Luck.
Hi all,
I have a BMW 535I on a G Plate the car is overheating badley, when you drive the temperature is ok but on tickover it boils up and the needle goes into the red. I have had the head pressure tested and a new head gasket fitted Plus a new Thermostat , the water pump has been checked and is ok .
I have tried filling the cooling system useing a proffesional device that removes all of the air. When it does overheat all the pipes go hard due to the pressure. the heater works fine so i am at a loss as to what it can be.
Any advise. Temp
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You must have spent quite a bit on this already (head job etc!).
Anyway, given what you have spent I would swap out the viscous coupling and the waterpump - they are not expensive and they're easy jobs.
Also check out the little pipe that runs from the top of the thermostat housing to the header tank - it can get blocked and stops the system bleeding properly - if you get an airlock around the thermo housing then it will inhibit flow.
Pipes going hard could be head gasket leak - are you sure is not blowing again? Look for bubbles in header. A lot of these M30/35 BMW heads go porous or have small cracks in them.
My insurance co wanted to write off my 5 yr Renault Megane, the settlement they offered us was not enough, we would have been left with nothing due to outstanding finance, we choose to go down the road of reclaim salvage, we felt damage was not enough to totalled, water damage to gear box, we were told 18% would be deducted from our settlement. we were told this by 3 different people in insurance company, a week after our car had been put in garage to be repaired by insurance payout, we were informed that the insurance company were going to pay our finance company, without informing us. luckily through a lot of sweat and pleading we persuaded the finance company to let us keep settlement as long as we continued to pay finance. has anyone been in a similar situation or done a reclaim salvage themselves.
Slight tweak to subject line - PU Read more
Hi,
My Clio engine is playing up. It is misfiring on cylinder 1. My local garage has checked leads, replaced spark plugs, swapped coils 1 & 3 for 2 & 4. Then checked for compression, checked injectors for fuel and finally removed head, where a fault in inlet manifold gasket was found. Reassembled engine with new gasket in inlet and head gasket, BUT still misfiring. Can this be electronic, as the garage does not have diagnostic gear? Read more
With a 10y/o car, don't bother with a Renault dealer, take it to any independent with diagnostic equipment. I would've said ask your existing garage where to take it, but they do sound pretty clueless if they hadn't considered an electrical fault to begin with, especially after swapping coils around. Ask around your work colleagues, or failing that, resort to Yellow Pages.
Spent a few days down in Dorset, only about 70 miles door to door though lots of winding roads, on the way down I was stuck for literally about 20 mins about 5 cars back from a hay wagon doing 15 to 20 mph, so in that 20 mins we, a queue of perhaps 20 vehicles, did about 5 or 6 miles when we might have done about 15 miles! How much collective time was wasted? What was the knock on effect in congestion terms? All because the driver could be bothered to pull over for perhaps a minute in every 10 to let some vehicles past.
On the return I was following two cars both towing caravans, they were it seemed together, I was not behind them for too long though could have overtaken and been on my way much more speedily if only the driver of the second one had left enough of a gap to allow an overtaking car to pull-in in between so as to be able to overtake them in two bites.
Rather frustrating both! Read more
This year, due to the small windows of fine weather, I think we should forgive farm vehicles getting in the hay/crops. These have to be bailed in dry weather (damp hay etc grows fungus) and if you have numerous acres of hay to get in, the forecast is for more rain, then you are driven to move it under shelter quickly - otherwise you have to buy in feed and bedding come the winter. This happened a few years ago and thousands of bales of hay had to be brought down to the south from elsewhere which then doubled++ the cost. Yes, more disruption on the roads as the vehicles to move the hay were vast!
Browse
Blimey, here were folk actually exercising proper lane discipline (cf all the past - and no doubt future - posts about middle lane hoggers), and you're compaining!
I agree that overtakers often move back in front of me sooner than I'd wish, but that happens in the dry as well as the wet...