October 2008
I am reminded by the thread on motoring writers that a little while back I communicated with the editorial desk of Motor Sport to try to investigate the etymology of 'mimser' and its variant forms, which as far as I know was first used to mean a slow, unaware, obstructive driver by William Boddy and DSJ of that magazine. That anyway is where I first saw it.
Mr Boddy is now in his nineties, so I didn't want to harass him. But I got a courteous reply from Gordon Cruikshank, the deputy editor, saying he had mentioned the subject to WB. Rather disappointingly he couldn't remember exactly how the term had originated, but thought the Lewis Carroll poem Jabberwocky might have something to do with it. Someone here suggested the same thing in a previous thread. Read more
hi all ....
i've had a renault clio I RT auto 94 for 7 months...
after driving a frontera 2.2 lwb for the past 8 years .....wow its cheap to run....
well it was, its gone from about 40mpg to under 20mpg if im gentle....
its running normally....
i did the usual checks, all connections, plugs, leads...
i took the air filter off and ran it, i can see lots of fuel coming from the single injector into the throttle body, i know visually there is too much fuel going in but i dont know the cause..
i'm told the lambda sensor would cause this but im not sure if im testing it right, putting the multi-meter probes into the terminals on the multi connector what readings should i get....
what else should i be testing ?...
i'll say thanks in advance for any help and advice i get ....
.....CHEERZ......AL...... Read more
hi ya screwloose thanks for ya help with my probs....
yes i did get readings i cant remember off hand what they were i was more interested that it was pulsing/switching....i was able to use my multi meter it does freq and was quick enough to read the voltages hi and lo..... the fuel comsumption is deffo better.....just gotta wait for the figures ......CHEERZ.....AL.....
Hi,
Wondering whether anyone can help? I have a 1999 Honda Accord 1.8 SE Auto which is having some problems. The D4 light flashes occasionally while driving. When this happens I simply pull over, turn engine off, wait a few seconds and start up again. This seems to restart it but it now happens every 5 - 10 days or so.
Any suggestions what this might be? Read more
It means your autobox needs attention! Have you experienced any slipping? Get the OBD Codes read and the ATF changed, preferably flushed pronto!
Hi, I'm on the verge of buying a year old '07 2.0T Design Zafira with 8650 miles. Turns out it's 'one previous owner' was a rental firm (from the log book, 'Provincial Securities Ltd'). This itself isn't too bad as the price is good but the front discs seem quite worn (obvious ridge at edges and very slightly 'wavy'). Also the front nearside tyre is down to 4mm whereas the offside is double that. Does this indicate merciless thrashing or is it reasonable wear in 8650 miles? Thanks! Read more
If I understand what you're saying, and one tyre is at 4mm and one at 8mm then I'd guess the least worn is a relacement as that's the tread depth of a new one. 4mm on the other sounds about right. My 1.8 vvt Astra is down to 3.5/4mm in 13k, so similar wear on the heavier and more powerful Zafira in 9k is comparable.
JS
When driving home yesterday in wet weather, my battery light illuminated, and a 'battery charge fault' came up on my central LCD display. Along with this, a grinding metal noise was coming from under the bonnet. I opened this and the sound appeared to be eminating from the alternator.
After around 2-3 minutes the noise stopped and all the lights/displays went out.
Is this just that water has got in around the belt and pullies, resulting in a slipping belt? Or is it something more serious?
Any comments would be helpful.
Regards Read more
Early on in the life of my partner's 106D I had a similar problem with the Valeo A11 alternator - warning light half on, no charge and mechanical noise.
As I used to design alternators, I investigated promptly and found that Valeo had badly wound the stator such that some of the windings were proud of the slots and were not retained by the slot insulator sticks. The inevitable happened by about 50k miles; the rotor claws fouled the protruding winding causing an earth fault on the stator (which put the light on) and an open circuit on one phase.
I did manage to find an enterprising outfit in the Midlands who supplied a replacement stator - obviously hand wound but perfectly OK mechanically and electrically. At 141k miles it's still there doing its job without any further attention. I wonder why they produced them - stators are normally a non-wearing part...
I had originally thought this fault was a complete one-off - I'd never seen it before. Having subsequently examined a few more Valeo machines, I'm not so sure as the stator winding technique is a bit sloppy and there is a good deal of copper in there for the slot size (good for output but difficult to wind).
Take the belt off and see if the machine spins without noise in each direction (there may be a one way drive pulley). If there is any noise - investigate. These machines are very rebuildable but you have to centre the rotor on reassembly for some reason known only to the French.
659.
hi sons punto had front tyres changed and found the nuts had been put on crosses got nut off but hubs knackered cant put wheels back on can they be rethreaded is so what size are the bolt holding on whells or nuts havnt seen car yet just to note not garage fault last owner put alloys on Read more
On such a safety-critical part; the only safe course of action is to replace the damaged components.
Re-threading might get the fastenings back together; but the loss of clamping strength would be very hazardous.
Hi I have a 2005 A150 with 47000 km on the clock. A warning light linked to the engine management system came on last week. Took the car to teh local dealer who indicated that the system/electrical box that controls the engine management is broken and needs to be replaced and that the coils are also gone.
Cost of engine Management box is 1200 euros plus 200 for coils plus labour.
Just wondering has anyone come accross this problem before. Should a 3 year old car have these issues, is it a design flaw and any advice on how to take it forward
Thanks
John Read more
Sorry John,
That should have read, "The ECU is coded". Often these days its done via a secure link to the factory, so not even the dealer knows what the security codes are.
My dad would never have used a car wash. He used to spend hours polishing each successive Cortina (we went through the series).
He had a pair of dials, one for oil pressure and one for battery voltage (I think), mounted on a piece of wood-effect melamine. He transferred it from car to car, even when he couldn't afford (or wasn't allowed by the Finance Controller) to have the meters connected.
Was reminded of the dials when given a lift yesterday in a Hyundai Coupé.
(Note to self: Alt-130.) Read more
I remember my dad's employer took his Cortina away from him and replaced it with an Allegro. He was so angry he used to drive around with the choke out in a bid to kill the engine off. He'd also bump up and down kerbs and drive it into parking spaces using the starter motor. It worked. After a year of abuse the Allegro was beyond repair and he got a shiny new Ford.
Sitting there, thinking how noisy it is, but how warm and comfortable, it struck me it must be like the womb was.
Read more
I resolved never to use one again after I saw a car which had been badly scratched all the way along one side by part of a radio aerial caught up in one of the brushes.
Just arranged insurance for a week in France. £32.
I paid £46 for a month in the summer with the same insurer. When I queried it, I was told that each trip attracts an "admin fee" of £17, "to cover the cost of printing the documents". Plainly that's nonsense - although I accept there will be some cost, 17 quid is silly.
I shan't be renewing with them again, despite the cover otherwise being fine.
Any BR recommendations for good insurers which don't charge such fees? Read more
I'll confess I wondered about this one. My NFU policy gives me full cover in the EU and quite a few other countries. Unsure of period but I think it's quite long.
Not the cheapest policy I'm sure but several of the firms that claim to be cheap, want more!
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The verb to mimse:-
I - drive carefully at a safe 29mph.
We - are members of the great IAM.
You - mimse.
They - form a rolling roadblock....