May 2008
On another thread, regular BRoomer Pologirl referred to her car as "he".
99% of men surely refer to their car as a 'she', or is that just historical [and thus naturally male dominated] thinking. Boats certainly have always been ladies have they not?
Assuming hetrosexuality, does this suggest that we need even the material things we love to be the opposite sex to ourselves? Read more
PU's A14/M11 thread got me thinking about other useful alternative routes. A few starters:-
M1/A50 instead of M6 to Stoke and beyond.
B430 through Middleton Stoney and Weston on the Green instead of M40 to link the A43/A34
County roads via Litchborough/Canons Ashby/Moreton Pinckney/Thorpe Mandeville to M40/J11 instead ogf the A43 between the A5 and M40. This was the pre 1990 route of the B4525 from Northampton to Banbury and is still through signed in places.
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Thanks - I've used the first two of those when Trafficmaster warns me off the motorways in question.
There's also:
Old A33 instead of M3 between Basingstoke and Winchester
From South and West to Cambridge, Bury St Eds and anywhere up the A11 - M25 / A1 / A505 instead of M25 / M11. Best way now they've at last bypassed Baldock, and it seems that the mania for digging up the M11 near the Stansted turnoff is insatiable and chronic. It also avoids a bit of M25, which can only be a good thing.
M1 / A1 / A68 instead of M6 /A74 etc from the South to Edinburgh - a bit slower though not as much as you'd think, and much more scenic.
Having just read the some of the sites linked to from the other thread about how economical could a car be made, I found the following quotes to be of interest:
"completed the 330 mile event using just 19.12 litres of petrol to return an overall fuel consumption figure of 78.39 mpg. This is an improvement of nearly 28 per cent over the official combined figure."
"A later event involving three identical Toyota Avensis 2.2-litre petrol cars underlined the effect drivers have on fuel consumption. An IAM driver and a fleet manager both achieved around 56mpg, while a Silverstone instructor briefed to drive aggressively managed only 18mpg!"
I've seen many people on this forum complain that their car doesn't return the quoted MPG figures, I think the above backs up the arguement that those people are not getting good mpg becuase they have a poor driving style for economy.
It's a shame those sites don't give more details as to how they achieved those results. Read more
Thanx NC, I will now spend some time considering your explanation.
I think that you have introduced to me the practical concept that the balance of the car is very important in braking, especially in maintaining control and remaining in a straight line. To an experienced driver who always tries to maintain his car to a maximal degree this idea becomes second nature. However, I can see that imbalances in braking effect between wheels or axles can have a serious effect on braking efficiency.
Me Mam always told me I should have done engineering rather than Medicine.
Hello All,
Can anyone explain to me what BMWs new energy efficiency/energy recovery technology, as fitted to the 1-series first (I think) works?
What's it do and how does this achieve more MPG?
Thanks very much Read more
Shortly after I started driving we had the mid-seventies fuel crisis. Some people in the group I socialised with got incredibly good fuel economy by modifying small cars with the BMC 'A' series engine, such as Minis, Minors and the odd A35. The basics seem to be a gas flowed head, small (was it 3/4" SU?) and raised gearing. Engines are more fuel efficient these days but this is offset by cars being much larger and heavier. One wonders what mpg could be achieved if a modern engine were tuned for economy and fitted into a small lightweight car? My guess would be in excess of 70 mpg. Has anybody tried? Read more
This would look interesting. Opel Eco Speedster: Performance Car 155 mph / 113 mpg
www.flixxy.com/fuel-economy-performance-car.htm
I have had my 306 about 6 months now and it has always started perfectly, until a couple of weeks ago when it was taking longer and longer to start; hot cold it didn't matter. Until at one point a turned the car off and in the same motion tried to start it again straight away and it would not go. I got it started with easy start, but after a couple of miles it cut out. It would start fine with easy start but not straight off the key.
A run off test gave high readings so I tried changing the injectors, the car started first turn of the key. Great! One week later same problem.
I am sick of people scratching there heads at this one, has someone got an idea on what this could be, please!!!!! Read more
Hello Srewloose
Unfortunately Screwloose is no longer a contributor to this forum. Maybe someone else *might* be able to help.
DD - BR Moderator.
I'm toying with the idea of having a day out to the above event in a couple of weeks - it is on the weekend of 31st May/1st June (see www.vscc.co.uk for details).
Has anyone been before, and if so do they have any advice ie: is it best to arrive early, how quickly does the car park fill up, that sort of thing.
I will be taking my two boys (12 and 7, so they get in for nothing) and a picnic. Does the panel think there will be enough entertainment for them, though I am sure there will be plenty for me. Read more
I took my 12yo daughter to the VSCC hillclimb at Wiscombe Hill 10 days ago. Fanstastic selection of cars and that was just the public car park!
Great event and all allowed to get up close to the cars in the paddock. We both enjoyed ourselves and will happily go again.
We popped into our local Toyota dealer, my misses wanted to have a look at a Yaris auto as shes really keen to go for something smaller what with fuel costs rising at a now silly rate.
Anyway, we got pushed through what appeared to be a set process that the sales staff religiously stick to and finally got to the px figure on our Forester, an 04 2.0 X AWP auto with 35k - Subaru dealer local to me said its worth £6k maybe a little more, retail for £8k. Sounded fair enough.
Toyota dealer had the sheer cheek to claim it was only worth £1000 - I nearly slapped him one! What on earth is this game he was playing? Ive never come across it before to this kind of extreme. Read more
"No because we would have to just add her to my dads policy and we would pay the difference so she still needs to be insured on something."
When SWMBO passed her driving test we bought a ten year old group one banger for her and insured it TPFT, she wasn`t on my cars policy at all.
She had a few incidents in it and I was able to sort things out myself using body panels bought cheaply from a scrapyard. For example I bought a same colour door complete for around £30 and just fitted it on the drive in a few minutes.
We saved a lot in that way, by having a car that could go to the scrappers if necessary without touching the insurance.
Eventually she built up a full no claims bonus and at that point we bought a new car for her and put her on my cars insurance.
Hope this is broadly on topic as insurance was mentioned as the problem.. I think..
Regards
Hello out there, can anyone help? My vectra has an intermittent fault in that it sometimes won't start. It turns over very well but will not fire, an A.A. man came to it lifted the rear seat, uncovered the fuel (petrol) pump and hit it with a mallet, needless to say it started right away. Since then it has happened about half a dozen times, sometimes the "Applied Mechanics" strategy works sometimes it doesn't, if I leave it for half an hour or so it starts first time as if nothing had happened. Since then I have tried to find an answer but they are many and varied, fuel pump, dirt in tank, relay, engine management thingy or even "it's a common fault with Vauxhall's". So if anyone can shed any light on this irritating problem, I would be very greatful
SLT Read more
HI i used to own a vectra 97 1.8 that did exacly the same it turned out to be the crank shaftsensor £35 pound from vauxhall,messa.....
Can't get started on this as I can't remove the facia!! I have consulted my Mr Haynes and removed three screws as instructed. I have then inserted a screwdriver again as instructed and levered away at various points but nothing moves.
Any advice, preferable detailed, will be greatly appreciated.
slt Read more
Many thanks, I shall try again!
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Dear Auntie Glenda,
Although it is new and of the finest sort, my freezer (so to speak) leaves me cold. But I find myself unaccountably drawn to the water heater in the bathroom.
Do you think the fact that I am a brass monkey may have something to do with this? The freezer is giving me the cold shoulder and people have started to notice.
Yours etc.