September 2007
Hi
i've got a 1999 BMW 316i. Just recently i have noticed that when driving at high speeds there is excessive noise from the front left wheel and passengers have said it vibrates? Also when i brake from high speeds the steering wheel begins to shudder. I think this is do with wheel alignment and possibly wheel bearing problems. Can anyone shed any light?
thanks Read more
This may be moved to the dreaded "I have a Question"
Anyone know if "Disabled Parking Permits" (Blue Badge) are Legal in BC and Alberta in Canada for use.
I've tried various Gov. Depts here and Canada, but no one gives an answer only links or Email addresses.
I know they a system like ours, but as I asked would ours be Legal.
Thanks
Moving to IHAQ...no only joking, its motoring related ! - PU Read more
Well done. I was thinking about this in work today.
spare tyre is 155x65x14. others are 165x60x14 ineed to new front tyres. what i would normaly do is buy one and pair with spare. so do iput the 155 on the front or the back?
this is a VAUXHALL agila . might as well make the spare tyre on optional extra. this is just a nonsence Read more
Most are these days! No warning in the book though.
Golfer Colin Montgomerie has had a speeding charge against him dropped after a mistake by police. The sportsman was accused of speeding at 88mph on the M80 at Dunipace, near Falkirk, on 24 February.
Mr Montgomerie was reportedly driving a Lexus when it was snapped by a mobile speed camera on the 70mph road. His trial at Falkirk District Court was abandoned when it emerged officers in his home town of Surrey had failed to serve him with a summons.
Mr Montgomerie, 44, did not appear at the hearing on Tuesday.
Procurator fiscal depute Neil Bowie said the case had been treated as "not called".
Celebrity clients
Under Scots law, the prosecution has six months from the date of an alleged motoring offence to serve a summons on an accused.
If they do not do so, the case is "time barred" and fails.
The case marks the second time that Mr Montgomerie has eluded a speeding charge in three years.
In September 2004 he was accused of driving at 96mph on the A3, near his Surrey home.
The case collapsed after one of the arresting police officers failed to turn up at court for the case.
Mr Montgomerie's solicitor, Nick Freeman, was known for his success in using legal technicalities to get celebrity clients, including Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham, acquitted for driving offences.
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conservativehome.blogs.com/torydiary/2007/09/green...l
I guess this is to encourage people to stop driving. Once they've done that, we can all be packed into flats with no parking spaces. Read more
And they wonder why the far right is making gains!
Because there's nothing else right of centre! Thanks to political correctness, being labelled "right wing" is now undesirable, because of a vague link to fascism. Of course, communism wasn't responsible for any deaths or suffering(!!)
I already buy nearly everything from the supermarket because my local supermarket is closer than the local town centre. The petrol is also 2p/litre cheaper than elsewhere. I think they'd have a bit of difficulty implementing their plans in my town, because the town-centre parking is also free.
I am toying with the idea of a new mondeo, having run a 1.8 TDCI Focus for 3.5 years.
Having had a number of engine issues with my current diesel Focus, namely DMF, starter motor, injectors and auxillary belt tensioner I am wondering whether another diesel is a good idea or not, particularly when the last time I was at the Ford dealership the Service Manager said "great engines these TDCI's as long as they are in warranty, after that get rid of it"!
I would probably look to keep the car for 5 years and do upto 15k a year.
Petrol wise it would probably be the 2.5 turbo. Diesel wise either the current 140bhp TDCI or maybe wait for the PSA twin turbo.
I know I can't escape the DMF as both petrol and diesel have it. But do the Euro IV diesels have EOLYS or something similar to replace in my potential 5 years of ownership?
Any views or opinions on the old petrol v diesel debate?
If you look at it with an economical head on, the potential 4 grand saving in fuel over 5 years says it all! Read more
From the road tests I've read, the 2.5 petrol is great fun to drive but very thirsty, whereas one of the few criticisms of the 2.0 TDCI is that it isn't very fast. That's a lot of car for 140 bhp.
There is I believe a 2.2 TDCI engine on the way, but I'm not sure when. Someone will be along and tell us with any luck. That may be the 'PSA twin-turbo' that Steve mentions - sounds worth waiting for.
Whilst in Turin at the weekend there was a display of the new fiat 500. A lovely young lady with legs that went on forever, allowed me inside to fidddle about.
What a cracking looking car. This, Mr BMW man, is how to do Retro. UNlike the new mini, Fiat have captured the spirit of the old 500 superbly. Sure its bigger, than the old one, but all the styling cues of the old one have been carried over, including the inside where plastics have been cleverly made to look like painted metal dashboard. Plenty of room for my 6 foot limbs, comfortable driving postion. ONly room for small kidiwinks int he seat behind unless I sat with my kness round my ears. Small boot, but bigger than it looks.
They had the old 500 side by side with the new. It diodnt actually look that much bigger ( but I know it is - its an optical illusion)
All in all Its gorgeous.
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< Ex RF, Ex TVM > Read more
2 out of 3 may be good (reliable and well built - who needs a dealer ?!)
Last weekend four of us went out for the evening but the driver stayed on the fruit juice. We stopped on the way home for a carry-out meal and our driver, kindly, offered to go and order up the food leaving three of us rather worse for wear having a slurred conversation and listening to the cd player with the keys still in the ignition. It occurred to me the next day, could one or indeed all of us have been done for being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle which although stationary, was otherwise on the road? Read more
as long as it's not freely accessable by Joe Public.
On my 1996 1.8 petrol Audi A4 the wipers/Indicators/heater fan don't work when the engine is running. They work fine when the engine is off (and ignition on).
Somtimes I can make them work by putting my hand in the fusebox/relays area and waggling things around a bit. I've taken each relay out in turn and cleaned the connections.
The 3 fuses for these components are in the same area (top LH corner) of the fusebox, not sure if that's a coincidence.
When the problem occurs it's solid until I switch off and 'waggle'. When they work they work perfectly until I switch off and restart, so I don't *think* it's a connection that's moving about with road vibration.
Any advice very gratefully received. Read more
we had to replace the switch in our A4.
The local specialist advised us to buy from the dealer because they had had problems with two differnt brands of aftermarket switches.
The dealer had them on backorder, but the same switch is used on many different vag vehicles.
After talking to vw, audi, seat, skoda using the part number we eventually got one as a unit for a LHD A100 that must have been languishing on the shelf for ages.
Our symptom was the key not wanting to come out.
Astra 2001 1.6 16v estate fitted with cheap tyres produces road noise and a 'drumming' when run over 'town' viz., urban roads.
It has been found that this increases a lot with relativity small increases tyre temperature (say atfer a 40 mile hispeed motorway run @70/80mph or even being in hot sun or several hours)?
Anyone with any knowlege/experience of this phenomeon or similar?
Regards
brian
185/65 x 15 Arrowspeed and Firestone Firehawk
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The acoustic brake pad warning is standard across the range on Astra-G.
I have a CDX saloon, with slightly more sound deadening than other models and road noise is certainly higher than it's predecessor a Cavalier mk3, particularly from the rear axle.
hi i have a 318ti doing the same thing. but it as if it taking the tyres of i have changed a few buses and tracking still the same