September 2007
Just a quick question to put my mind at ease.
I bought a new set of rear pads and when fitting them found that one of the shims had rusted away and broke up when I removed the old pad.
I have refitted the old pads and am going to get new shims tomorrow.
A quick internet search refers to the shims as anti-rattle or squeal.
I am therefore hoping the car is safe to drive? 80 mile round trip tomorrow.
They are Lucas brakes on a 2.0 Xreg if that makes any difference?
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A tax on new cars is the key proposal of the Conservatives' environmental policy review, to be presented to David Cameron this week.
The idea is one of a series of eco-taxes giving consumers new financial incentives to take environment issues more seriously.
The tax would depend on the amount of carbon dioxide a vehicle produces per mile travelled.
A sliding scale would put highpowered sports cars and SUVs in the most expensive bracket while making low-emission hydrogen fuel-cell cars exempt.
tinyurl.com/yqh2yv Read more
Apparently the changes to the licence points system is going out to public consultation this week...
Where exactly do we get our copy to feedback our views?
Apparently the plan to ban after 2 speeding offences
Should someone tell them the bloomin obvious, such as speed limit changes every 2 feet, signs behind trees, road sign overload, and poorly designed roads probably could do with being sorted out before banning even more drivers for trivia
We wouldnt mind if they actually caught the kids driving through the city centre at 100 mph but generally they dont
Hi folks this is our first post. We were relayed home recently, the problem turned out to be the sprocket on the oil pump coming loose. The car has done 88,000 miles. Has anyone ever heard of this problem before? Cost of repair £650 serious damage to sprocket, oil pump spindle, lower cam cover and belt.
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Thanks for your reply elekie&a/c doctor. Do you know of any other issues with this engine?. Thanks again Happy Days.
During the crawl out of Twickenham after The Police gig last night, we were behind a stretched 300C with the numberplate "A1 LIMO". How'd that work then? Was it a foreign plate? Read more
At a guess, it's part of A1 Stretch fleet.
They've a load of vehicles & IIRC were featured on a tv prog, showing the young lads, kids of the business owners, learning the trade, from bucket & sponge up!
That was a few years back, maybe they run the show now!
VB
As some of you know i`ve recently bought a nissan maxima. The build quality is excellent, The doors close with a satisfying "thunk" like its a real piece of metal. There`s not a patch of rust on it and everything works as it should.
Its 12 years old and has done over 100k.
Before this i had a 10 year old ford escort which appeared to be made of 2mm thick tinplate and was going on the arches and sills.
The wife has a 10 year old renault scenic rxe and although its a nice car its also getting the tin worm.
Apart from an old passat estate i`ve no knowledge of german or swedish machinery
Is it because the cars are (were) in different price ranges when new or are japanese cars just made much better in general? Read more
>>LOL! Yes, a lot of Japanese cars are made in a 'union-ridden' country - its called Japan.<<
Which also just happens to be one of the most expensive labour markets in the world. And yet the car companies still continue to make massive profits which makes a mockery of moving to the BRIC & Eastern European countries to save manufacturing costs.
This is a very short sighted business practice IMO and one the Japs will not entertain unless they feel the need to build a factory to serve the market there.
The likes of Toyota and Honda can build cars anywhere in the world, UK, USA, Japan, France and still make it pay - unlike the others.
To suggest that because they also build in China & Turkey as an example and the cars are suddenly the worse for it is a bit silly.
Just look at what they have done in the UK. We have gone from the rubbish produced by Rover and BL to having some of the most efficient and best quality producing car factories in the world with Nissan, Toyota and Honda. They all produce good cars so for Tomo to suggest that these cars are as bad the old UK factory cars does not hold water.
And also don't underestimate how much BMW learned from Honda through Rover either - which is very good because as one Honda guy said to me one day - all boats float when the tide comes in - meaning they were actually happy for competitors to learn from them. An approach that any western company would not understand.
hi, just found out that removing your batt for any reason shuts down a load of bits and bobs, like the auto window shutting ! but no list on how to put this right in the book! anyone no how to do this ? plus what's all this im reading about changing your digital dash to so all types of stuff ? cheers lads..BK
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excellent info, thankyou.....
BK
A few random observations after two weeks on the roads of Italy
The worst sign-posted roads I've ever encountered - tiny direction signs right at junctions, no warning at all.
LOADS of Truvelos painted grey in villages which might account for how slow the Italians drive - this really surprised me, I was expecting much more spirited driving and liberal use of horns and lights - experienced almost none of that
Awful motorway inter-changes often where two lanes merge and then de-merge within 100metres so you have two lanes of cars jostling to get across each other - that was fun.
KRAZEEE breakdown trucks - our hire car pegged out and was recovered - wife and kids went in the cab of the tow truck I was sat in the car on the back of the truck, which was a faintly surreal experience - I felt a bit like Maggie in the opening sequence of the Simpsons
Cheap parking
We also had a Passatt with sat-nav - what a PITA that was- really useless - directed us completely wrongly on at least two occassions eg it had the name of our hotel pre-programmed in it and it took us to trading estate on the wrong side of Lucca and when you ignored it, it would simply go of in a huff and stay silent for 30+minutes at a time, before suddenly coming back to life when you reached the next town. It stayed switched off after a couple of days.
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Just come back from 5 days in and around Turin, had a hired Fiat Croma. I was pleasantly suprised about driving in that town. Busy yes, hectic yes, but ultimately driving was relatively stress free. Seconded about the signage. Its appaling BUT, this is where sat nav really really scores. It makes driving in Italy quite an enjoyable experience. Without it Stressville!
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< Ex RF, Ex TVM >
Distracted by our grandson, our daughter drove into the house garage with one of the sliding doors on her elderly Fiat Ulysse open, with the result that, as they say "contact was made" with the door jamb. Result - a door detached forcibly from the vehicle!
Her husband has been able to reinstate it to a certain extent, insofar as it will (just) close but will not re-open.
It would be possible to weld it securely and just use the door on the other side of the car, BUT the MOT is due next January.
Would a welded shut door be grounds for failure?
If so, why, as there are I believe new models of, I think Peugeot?, which only have three doors, as built?
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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Being a bit over-precious, aren't we? Last time I was in France, the first car I saw was a Renault 4 with about eight children and two adults...
> > > > * Flat backed vehicles are caught by some cameras for
> > > > travelling BELOW 17mph.
> > >
> > > So what - they just ask for the photos and get the conviction
> > > dismissed
> > Who "they"?
> "They" are the drivers of the Flat Backed Vehicle.
Most of whom aren't aware of this.
In fact (stop me if you've heard this one before) I contribute to a technical motoring forum where the intelligent and educated contributors are convinced that if you are "caught" by a speed camera you _must_ be speeding and you _must_ be driving dangerously and you must _not_ whinge and whine about the fine, but accept the ban like a _real_ macho man!
> I can't wait to hear your response on my response to your response to Cardew :)
Your wish is my command
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> > > > * Cameras force legal but speeding drivers onto less safe
> > > > roads to avoid detection.
> > >
> > > legal but speeding??
> > As in legal plates etc.
> Not totally legal then!
Depends on whether they were "caught" doing over 30, or under 17, I suppose.
Or whether they were doing between 17 and 30 with legal plates while illegally chewing on a piece illegal Christmas Pud (which theyd bitten off before geting into the car).
Or whether they were doing between 17 and 30 early in the last parliament before a lot of the other silly laws were rescinded while illegally not being up to date with their archery practice.
> Easy.
---------------------------------------------
> Come on Bogush! Keep up.
I'm trying, I'm trying!
(To which, I suppose you'll respond, I know, I know!;-(
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> This "Hmmmmmmmmmm" thing is really annoying!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
I know, I know.
Don't you just hate it when you've got so much to say, and so little time to say it in, and you can't decide where to start, or what with?
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> I'm saying, what have "real dangerous" criminals got to do with speed cameras?
> They are unrelated.
Do I _really_ have to cut and paste the whole thread again?
Criminals are criminals.
They do criminal things like breaking the law.
And breaking people's legs.
Sometimes with cars.
Because they are sociopathic psycopaths.
They are nasty people who do nasty things like rob banks, mow down people with their guns, and then mow down a few more while making a getaway.
At 29 mph.
So, no, they have nothing to do with speed cameras.
Most _real_ criminal dangerous drivers (ie not your average bank manager or doctor, or vicar or district nurse who might do 31, or even 36 in a 30 and pay up without an argument, and might need retraining because of their poor skills driving _below_ 30) are _real_ criminals.
But they don't usually get caught by "safety" cameras because they drive stolen/ringed/cloned cars.
But they do get caught by traffic police.
Two birds with one stone.
They get taken off the roads and get taken off the streets.
Stop me if I've mentioned this before, but at least one Chief Constable is on record as saying that his traffic cops caught more real criminals and solved more real crimes (you know, minor things like murder and rape, and even petty things like drug dealing, not proper stuff liks a vicar doing 36 on a 30 dual carriageway) than his CID did. Read more
Remove both rear brake bulbs.
Check to see if the dash still lights up. If it doesn't.
Compare the bases of both the side/brake bulbs to make sure that they are exactly the same. [Check for solder bridges etc.]
Fit one bulb; recheck effect.
Remove that bulb and fit the other. Recheck.
Report back.
I'm looking to spend £500-£1500 on as tidy and late an estate car as possible with as few mechanical pit falls as possible.
Vectras *seem* a good buy and there are a good few pre-1998 examples local to me cheap.
Is the cost/effort of a clutch replacement (as mentioned in the Car by Car breakdown here) a significant reason not to buy a pre-98 Vectra?
Are the engines (both diesel and petrol) interference engine in the event that a cam belt snaps?
What's the cost/difficulty of fitting a new cambelt?
Are the diesels cam chain rather than belt? How about the petrol engines?
Should any of the engines to be avoided?
What specifically should I be looking at when viewing a Vectra? (in addition to the usual)
What else should I consider? Astra? Mondeo? Octavia? Escort?
Priority is cheapness, simplicity and 'popularity'. Spares will be coming from the scrappie so I want to be sure that I can easily find examples in the breakers yards. I want to maintain myself, I'd like to avoid the cost and/or effort of fitting a cam belt on day 1 of ownership and any large bills during ownership.)
TIA!
{Moved from Tech Matters - DD} Read more
Just as long as you buy a P10/P11. The P12 (newer shape) is a lot
less well put together...
And it's the ugliest car EVER to wear a Nissan badge. Absolutely hideous. So much for Renault influence, they really were taking the pink fluffy dice with that bit of design. The P11 (both original and "144" facelift) is vastly underrated, and it's the model to go for. Avoid the diesels and CVT autos and you're onto a winner.
No it wouldn't. Think about it. Once the friction area had worn so it was parallel to the disc the pad backing (with shim) would rest at a slight angle to the piston, but in contact with it both sides (because of the shim). The pressure is only applied unevenly until the pad has worn parallel to the disc. In any event, the shim usually (but not always) covers the whole area contacted by the pad.
The shim is not there to change how the pad contacts the disc, it is there as an anti-squeal measure.