June 2008
What tools do you have tucked away that you would never part with despite being no longer needed? and what do you still use when a trip to Halfords would really re-equip you with modern kit?
I`m still using a `Hilka` half inch drive socket set (in a battered gold coloured tin) bought in the late 60`s.
I should buy new I suppose to benefit from the `feel` of modern tools, but for nostalgia cannot bring myself to do it.
(This post was inspired by buying 16 inch water pump pliers yesterday and reflecting that I had managed without since 1964.)
For inspiration
tinyurl.com/5s5qry
Regards to all ;) Read more
Hello all
My first post here, but one probably you've seen many times before.
I'm after a new car and I have a shortlist of a Ford/Vauxhall/Skoda/Mazda/Renault - you get the picture!.
I've trawled the local garages, and I'm now fed up to my remaining back teeth and just want to get a vehicle sorted.
Looking at an '07 1.6 petrol C-Max with 11000 on the clock for £8995 and a '54 Nissan Almera Tino with just 16000 genuine miles for £5400.
Does anybody have any thoughts as to which may be the better buy?
One thing of course that the C-Max does have to it's advantage, is at least 12 months of Ford warranty.
I did look at a £11000 Golf Plus but the dealer only offered to knock the price down by £300 for cash
Regards
Covenant
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I agree it is difficult to find the right car. If sales people were any good they would help customers do this but most are useless.
Anyway the Tino i found the seat/ driving position very uncomfortable.
Why are you looking at small people carriers? What do you NEED the car to do, how much mileage do you do, do want a status symbol, how long will you keep it, what is important, vital, nice to have. How close to home do you want the dealer to be?
All this and more needs to be thought about before you step out the door. Remember every time you change a car someone makes a profit out of you so mistakes are very expensive.
A Ford Focus would satisfy 90% of driving NEEDS if people were really honest about matters but just look at the choice we have and very few cars are BAD. The industry does a fantastic job of turning out great product at a reasonable price. In fact when some of the big boys finally crash the consumer may end up much worse off! These could be the good times!!
Prob a long shot, just wondering if anyone did? Read more
Sure yeah, I was hoping that someone alive today would have known him or atleast of him. Was just curious as I have many newspaper clippings about him but my nans memories of him are somewhat patchy these days!
After weeks, if not months, of umm'ing and arr'ing, it's crunch time and I need to make a decision .....the options are;
2005/05 VW Passat Trendline Estate 1.9 TDI PD130
2005/05 Ford Mondeo Ghia X Estate 2.0 TDCI 130
2004/54 Honda Accord Executive Tourer 2.2 CDTi
All are in very good condition with ~ 70k miles. Price range is £6-7k. I'll be looking to keep the car for around 4-5 years.
I thought I'd settled for the Accord but the Mondeo and Passat keep making a case for themselves and I'd probably be silly to discount them offhand.
They each have good and bad points........and I'm really struggling to make my mind up.
Your thoughts and experiences would be welcome.
Thanks in advance. Read more
Worth checking with a friendly Ford dealer whether your car has the latest engine mapping. Not sure about the 2.0 diesel in the Mk 3 Mondeo, but other recent Ford diesels have often suffered from dramatic on/off delivery when pulling out of junctions, crawling in slow traffic etc, and these problems have been ameliorated by later software updates.
My 2.0 diesel Galaxy (though that's a PSA rather than in-house Ford lump) became much sweeter to drive and fuel economy rose slightly, after a software update 18 months after I bought it.
I have a 2004 2.0 vvti XT3. Only just bought it . It seems a little reluctant to drops its revs between gearchanges ( although it does in a second or so ). It isn't a big probelm, I'm just curious as to whether this is a known problem or just a characteristic of this engine.
Also , there is a similar very slight delay when just dipping the throttle from idle before it spins up.
As it happens I've driven another vvti which seened to have the same "problem" but not as pronounced.
Any ideas anyone ? Read more
Are you sure your foot isn't still touching the throttle when you depress the clutch ?
When you blip the throttle in neutral with the clutch depressed is the rate of fall in the revs the same as when changing gear ?
It's often a feature with some motors especially if the person isn't use to the different characteristics, in which case a slightly different technique/timing of throttle/clutch use is needed to compensate.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/747852...m
The video
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7478532.stm
or the USA version
ironhearsedestinations.org/9.html Read more
The original one? www.motorcyclefunerals.com/
Thanks for that link. I thought this had been done before.
Much nicer to have the key man alongside you rather than trailing behind:-)
Interesting to note that a wide variety of tastes has been catered for with the extended fleet.
You all know what he was famous for.
tinyurl.com/5ylmnk
And if you are really into the subject:-
tinyurl.com/3ozutk Read more
Nearly T-boned at a mini-roundabout a few months back.
Going straight on, I decide to observe the roundabout to a point which means a serve to the left, then right to carry on.
As I swerve left, guy behind assumes I'm turning left and starts to overtake.
I swing back to the right and things get very close.
The moral of this story is don't follow so damn close.
If he had kept a proper distance, there would be no collision danger, whatever the rights or wrongs of my driving.
Over the past few months or so, our Honda Accord 2.2 cTDi executive has sometimes given a wee shudder on turning on the ignition.
Having taken it to be tested at our local Honda dealer, it seemed all was OK. However, today my wife had been driving it, and the alert (exclamation sign flashed) and then car started to knock and shudder whilst in motion. She pulled over and after a few minutes all seemed well, except for the fact that the foot brake sounded like an air brake everytime she depressed it! By the time she arrived home, on parking it and turning the ignition off the foot brake had no give in it and as she described it, 'It was solid.'
I have tested it tonight and everything seems to be fine again, but I really do not like this shuddering and wondering whether this is an injector prob. Can anyone advise?
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Mmm! We did go back to the Honda dealer who ran a diagnostic test on the car....and guess what? They find nothing wrong with the car! This is the second diagnostic test we have had done to this car...and each time nothing.
Whatever caused the car to behave in this way is a total mystery, and is running fine again...including the brakes! We are baffled!
Anyone got any further brain-stomping ideas??? We haven't an iota as to what it could be.
All suggestions gratefully received!
Have so far visited two Vauxhaul Main Dealers who, after some head scratching and consultation with people in the workshop, contradicted each other as to the following question.
2002 Agila N/S Door Mirror, with colour coded rear cover.
Took front surround ( black plastic ) and rear cover ( made from blue plastic with outer surface colour coded to match the vehicle ) to two Vauxhaul dealers, put them on the counter and asked, ----
Are either of these two items available separately please?
Came away non the wiser, so could anyone " in the know " provide definative confirmation please?
Thank you.
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Many thanks to Roosterbooster for the reply.Yes, the front piece ( black plastic ) does surround the glass and you confirm that both pieces are available as separate items.
Of the two main dealers, one partsmen stated specifically that the parts are NOT avialable separately, the other could not make his mind up either way. Suspect that in both cases, they were more interested in selling me a complete mirror assy and charging extra for a paint job on the rear cover. A " nice little earner " no doubt.
If anyone reading this has access to a Vauxhaul Eper, would appreciate the part numbers for these items.
Many thanks to Rosterbooster.
Rgds.
Has any one experienced the yellow steering lock light permanently on the dashboard. This started to happen occasionally about 3 months ago on my 1 series 116i, bought as second owner but previously used as a demonstrator model direct from Williams BMW? It went in to BMW in March and has been 'upgarded' with the latest software which was supposed to fix the fault, but gradually it has become worse. It has been back today and I have been told that they 'did not switch on' all of the software last time and it was their error, so has been rectified!! I feel fobbed off, is this the real reason?, only time will tell. Read more
Williams have a good reputation (as does the one series). If you're unhappy get a second opinion from another dealer.
Browse
My Wanner got used a lot on the Dyane, the 2CV and Ami and latterly on the couple of DSs I had. Nowadays the caravan hitch gets a squirt at the beginning and end of the season and the excellent Mountfield hedge-cutter I bought last year has a grease nipple on the gearbox so I get to use the gun every few weeks or so in the summer. Bought for me by my stepfather who was a great one for buying tools that lasted.
I've also got a Sykes-Pickavant brake adjusting tool for those horrible square rear brake adjusters to be found on British Leyland cars of years ago. Despite some heavy use (worked best with judicious use of a welding torch), it's unmarked and will probably never be used by me again. Bin it? Not likely, it's a work of art. Prise it from my cold dead hands etc.