October 2008
I would just like to draw BR member's attention to a very good day out. P&O run mini cruises to Calais; the one I went on cost £65 for two people. You book on line and then drive to Dover and park in the Multi Storey Car park (£6), check in and go to the ferry by bus. On the ferry you get the use of the Club Lounge which is normally £14 each, each way, so £56. You get free tea coffee and champagne and go to Calais. You stay on board and on the way back to Dover have a 4 course meal in Langhans Brasserie on board which would normally be £30 a head. You have full choice from the the a la carte menu. On board shopping is cheaper than UK: I got 1.5 litres of 47.3% proof branded gin for £22.
So, a fair day out for £65 plus Dover parking and the cost of the drinks with your meal. Recommended!
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Normally I would have been dismissive of this, but the recent talk of Clios reminded me again of the issue they have with the secondary catch. I think this might have failed on the Daewoo.
Opening the bonnet, you used to have to click over the catch under the bonnet to get it to open. However I have noticed that the last few times I've opened it, you just open it from the inside and lift straight up. Something's clearly not right there, and it's a bit unnerving especially as these cars have thin windscreens and heavy bonnets.........
When the bonnet is shut, it's shut -- so the primary catch is fine. However, SWMBO drives this car and I'm concerned that there is a potential safety problem here.
Any advice gratefully received as always. Read more
Had a similar problem with my old mondeo. When i opened the bonnet i noticed the safety catch was not springing back to it original position. Due to lack of use etc grime and dirt built up around the mechanism. A bit of WD40 and grease freed up the catch.
I'd be grateful if anyone could help me diagnose my gearbox problem (without mentioning that I should be going to the dealer for a diagnostic test).
The car at present drives perfectly when in auto (or tip) but when I stop and change into neutral the car jerks. When I put it into reverse or drive, sometimes on computer the gear select square that highlights the gear that I am in changes and all the squares (i.e. P, R, N, D, 4, 3 and 2), are all highlighted at same time. When I change from reverse into neutral the car jerks twice as badly as from D to neutral
After that it wont drive properly and it feels like it's in a higher gear i.e. possibly 3rd is engaged. So I turn off the ignition to reboot then everything is okay until next time I stop.
I had the 3rd service (47500miles) and MOT last week and the VW dealer put it on the diagnostic instrument and cured the problem, saying that it would probably revert to the same symptoms. They were proved correct......but they did all that free of charge!
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tinyurl.com/637ktc
According to the local paper in Swansea workers from the Ford plan in Bridgend have contacted them saying that 700 staff are going to be put on extended break. The company denies this in the article.
Apparently the plant builds 4.0 and 3.2 litre engines for Jaguar / Land Rover. Anyhow, it is all in the above linked article.
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>His company sells specialist pants.. to the auto industry
Brown pants are probably popular in the auto industry at the moment.
Kevin...
clutch on my accord has been slipping very slightly for about 3000 miles. could this be needing bled or is it definitely on way out.? Read more
Andy,
I'd call 6hrs labour expensive. But then I'm a tight old g*t!
As for duall mass flywheels......... best not to get me started on that topic!
Help! While driving home today, on two seperate occasions my car's engine stopped while I was driving. The battery lights came on as though I had turned the key in the ignition without starting the engine. The 1st time I was going about 30km/hr, and the second time I had just started to drive in 2nd gear after a light turned green. Both times I was able to start the engine again. Any ideas what's going on? Thanks Read more
In that case; it's fairly safe to say that there was a loss of a major ignition-controlled circuit.
The most likely place for such a problem is the ignition switch itself. You could hook up a couple of LEDs to the two key-switch circuits and that would give you visual confirmation if one went off.
My sister's Civic is making a squealing noise. Apparently it's the fanbelt. The garage have ordered a replacement but she needs to make a 200 mile journey before the new fanbelt arrives. She wants to know:
- is it likely to last? Does the squeaking mean that it's likely to snap?
- how will she know if it has broken? Is it simply a matter of the temperature gauge rising?
- can she drive on with a a broken fanbelt? Does she simply need to stop if the car appears to be overheating. Can she set off again once it's cooled down?
- Should she even attempt the journey?
Thanks in advance.
Pete Read more
There is a proper garage at Craignure
Bay View Garage has been up for sale for 7 years if you're interested....
On the subject of motoring journalism, has anyone had the pleasure of reading anything from the late L.J.K. Setright? I came to like his unique style whist reading his 2002 book 'Drive On: A Social History of the Motor Car'.
He displays a depth of engineering knowledge and challenges the reader to think in a way that no modern motoring writer gets close to. His intelligence radiates through his beautifully crafted prose and provides a genuine source of intellectual stimulation.
I found it a refreshing break from the usual tedious ramblings of Clarkson & co, whose current chat show called 'Top Gear' is an affront to anybody with half an interest in motoring.
In all fairness, it was probably JC who got me interested in cars to begin with, when I was an 8 year old lad. That's probably what he's best suited to, attracting the younger audience. I just wish Top Gear would go back to its roots as a motoring show instead of the vulgar, tedious, sad, laddish entertainment show that it has become.
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Just had a look at sniffpetrol.
'I caught it with a dab of oppo and off I went'
You're right, it's too close to the truth for comfort!
I noticed on the last MOT the advisory said the brake pipes needed doing, I checked the state of them before they bought the car and discovered they looked brand new, he said he couldn't remember what work was done but they did all the advisories.
However they seemed to be made out of some kind of plastic like you get on washing machine flexihoses. My dads car (same car) had the brake pipes done last year and they are metal all neatly put round the fuel tank, on my car they seem to come from under the sill.
Is this dodgy workmanship? I am going to have a good look under the car on saturday when my machanic puts it on the ramp but until then?
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Thanks and I assume there is no problem with one of them coming up from
behind the sill? I guess its passed the MOT so its fine.
I think the MOT will only consider the condition of the pipes, not the route they follow. I doubt whether the route is safe/advisable or not is an MOT concern.
To the 'old' MK V, it seems. I have been pricing up a new 1.4TSI 5dr hatchback to replace my nearly 4 year's old MKV 1.6FSI 'SE'.
There are only 3 models on offer i.e. 'S' 'SE' and 'GT'.
My biggest gripe so far is that a sunroof in no longer an optional extra on the 'S' or 'SE' only on the tarty, sporty 'GT'
However about £17.5k seems to be what I'll need to pay, which includes metallic paint, parking sensors and a steering wheel that will enable me to control my radio!!
It may be, arguably, a much better car but my goodness you have certainly got to fork out the money and this is for a car that is supposed to be cheaper to manufacture. Read more
You'll get 10% off the Audi (possibly more through a broker) - I bet VW won't be offering that of a Golf VI yet - so back to £17k.
Local Audi dealer is also offering a minimum £1,000 dealer contribution on all new cars too - £16k!
Browse
Go to poferries.com/dailymail
For day trips , such as the one I have next Thurs out 1020 back 1800 , car and 3 £17