December 2008
It is announced today that a plan to move all DOT salary handling, finance and administration to a singe site in Swansea, to save £57 million isn't working properly, is late and has cost £81 million to date. It is decribed by the Commons Public Accounts Committe as "monumentally incompetent" ID cards anybody?
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After filling the tank with diesel, my 2003 Peugeot Partner Escapade 2.0 HDi has developed (almost immediately) a judder (or 'wobble') when under load. Accelerating up a hill generates the worst, and quite violent symptoms. It is definitely not 'rotational' because when I put it into neutral it dissapears. I wonder if the problem is in the fuel system. Could the fuel I bought have been contaminated and affected the filter, injectors, metering or something else? Any ideas, because I am baffled??
Thanks
Chouxfleur Read more
Could it be a slipping clutch?
Steve.
I know that 'chipping' an engine will invalidate a manufacturers warranty and what I would like to know is; has anyone actually experienced this at first hand?
What I mean is, has any Back Roomer made a claim which has been rejected because the engine has been chipped?
Is it an urban myth that you will always be caught out?
No, I have not got a problem, just curious really. Read more
Ugh - vinegar on chips - the ruination of a good chip.
'They are among Britain's most notorious roadworks - ten miles of nose-to-tail misery on one of the busiest stretches of the M1.
For nearly three years they have disrupted an estimated 160million journeys, slowing drivers to a crawl and causing massive'
'The roadworks signs will disappear this week. The carriageways will be opened stage by stage. And then - cue fanfare of car-horn trumpets - the M1 will fully open in time for Christmas.
For the first time since March 2006, when those wearily familiar traffic cones began to appear in the night, the motorway will be back in business.
Eight lanes of business, to be precise, all the way from the M1's interchange with the M25 at Junction 6a to the heady northern heights of Junction 10, just below Luton.
If all goes according to plan, a journey that seemed to take half a lifetime in the grim, dark days of traffic-jam hell should be completed in under ten minutes. '
We will see, we will see. I have to use that stretch about 6 more times between now and may.
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Ah mystery over.
I am sure it will catch many people out, and I would have thought an indication that it was the "old" M10 would be helpful ?
Looking to replace tyres for Primera.
Size is 205/60/16. Michelin website suggests Energy Saver in H or V speed or Primacy HP in V speed. All are 92 Load Index, so no difference here.
Which is a better tyre to choose? Safety is important - roadholding and braking performance, also ride quality. ATS suggested the H rating, on offer at 25% off until 31/12, but the car did come with V rated tyres. Now I will never drive at 130mph, even if I do ever visit Germany again, so is this a relevant consideration?
I have also considered the Continental Premium Contact 2 as it gets a good test reports, but no experience with this brand.
Any comments / suggestions gratefully received.
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Safety is important - roadholding and braking performance also ride quality.
Primacy HP. Have them on my Merc and very pleased with all the aspects that you mentioned.
Energy Saver (which we have on our Jazz) is an "eco" tyre with low rolling resistance so it should offer slightly better economy and it should last a bit longer as the treadwear rating is 400 (vs 240 for the HPs).
However even on the Jazz I can feel the lack of grip on turn-in on the fronts and the ride from them isn't good.
If you have a Costco nearby check their prices - they're usually very good on Michelins (that's all they sell). They'll give anyone the price if you 'phone them. Even if you're not a member then it may still pay to join if you can (it's about £30/yr). Your local tyre place may price match with them anyway (don't mention that you're not a member, obviously!).
Oh, and you really ought to use the correct speed rating (or higher).
I got 3 points in 2003 and now 5 years have passed so I don't need to declare it on my insurance. But to actually get them removed, you need to apply to dvla and pay a fee of around £30. I was wondering what is benefit of doing this apart from having your licence show no points? May be if you have a job which requires a clean licence? Read more
In response to Harleyman (Out of interest; have any BR members had problems in Europe if they haven't yet converted to photocard licence? ) and Ian's comments about ID, the rule in Spain is that every adult must carry ID at all times, since random spot checks are technically possible (although for western European tourists, extremely unlikely).
Traffic police "relate" better to photocard driving licences and often ignore passports completely, but it's vice versa with other organisations (other types of police, hospitals, airlines, hotels). (Since October, I have had to carry my passport for internal flights in Spain, whereas before my driving licence was OK.) Car hire agencies require both.
"Lack of familiarity" is the reason for the odd dealing with awkward or unhelpful staff (ever had problems using Scottish banknotes in England?) for whom a driving licence without a photo, a passport without an address, or a whole country of 65 million people without ID cards is utterly incomprehensible.
Hi fellow credit -crunch- beaters.
My wife's S40 was dragging on the clutch and the hydraulic cylinder was weeping badly. When I took it off - a five minute job I found the rubber on the piston is split but the inside of the cylinder is unmarked . Nobody seems to stock replacement rubbers, the local motor factors dont even list the cylinder and Volvo want £80 for a replacement. I would rather replace the rubber on my own piston than get a used one from the dismantlers.
Any advice as to what to do and where to get the part please ?
Happy Christmas,
Mike Read more
www.insurance4carhire.com
Does anyone have any experience of the above - or any other recs pse?
p
pmh Read more
When I hired a car in Tuscany in 2005 I probably paid close to 50% extra to fully insure it. The following year we used Holiday Autos and I paid (I think) about £3.50 per day for their excess cover.
Since the car was written off quite quickly after departing the airport then I found out it really worked. I got charged the excess to begin with and claimed it back. Only lost out due to the fluctuation in the ?/£ exchange rate. Initially got charged ?400 I think but it should have been ?300 via Holiday Auto booking. But I got it back.
Since then I don't think my wife would let me drive a hire car abroad - I would never drive on the roads near Milan Malpensa again.
This question refers to a 1999 Ford Focus 1.8 Ghia petrol.
The car has done nearly 78k. I have read in the fault finding section of the Haynes manual that difficulty engaging gears is a sign of worn synchronizer units, although there are other causes of this as well.
Given the age of my vehicle do you think this is likely what is happening to my car and how can I eliminate other possibilities ?
Thanks
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Have had the car a week now.
First off, the misses is absolutely delighted with it, she wont hear a word said against it.
In her estimation, it is better in every area over the Picanto.
Our biggest congratulations go to the dealer who has been simply superb. No question unanswered, no request too much.
Our only issue so far is that one of the alloys, which have a polished surface on the spokes, has laquer which has lifted, I think due to the valeter who also seems to have acid cleaned the alloys for some daft reason as the polished surfaces are all dull. I suspect he used alotta heat too hence the damage.
Luckily I have the stuff to polish the wheels up so thats a job for Friday afternoon. I wont bother requesting they rectify it as the valeter clearly isnt all that so it is likely beyond his skills if he was dumb enough to damage them in teh first place.
The dealer, true to form has already got the matter in hand. We didnt even need to bother the service department - the salesman took upon himself to handle the matter and was as swift as you could hope for.
Its had its first wash and hoover and is a very easy car to clean.
Ive driven it a few times so far and it is a very well sorted car, feels like it will go on and on in that classic japanese way with a smooth autobox and totally intuitive controls. I especially like the 'pod' that the dials are mounted in - it is just beyond the steering wheel, not set deep in the dash. Its extremely clear and easy to read at a glance.
I can well see why the owner reviews on Parkers are so positive.
If I could improve it, id prob add a centre armrest in the front and some cruise control would be good. Other than that it is a great tool with excellent backup. Read more
Im not going out of my way to fill it with Shell really since its only a few miles away. We generally filled up with Tesco juice because it was cheaper by 3p p/l and we could tie it into our weekly shop but now its the same price, we go with whichever seems to make the car run better, that being Shell so far.
38mpg doesnt sound good but the car has only done 500 miles from new so no doubt this will improve as the engine loosens up. The combined figure for the 1.3 auto is 44.1 mpg so 38 from a new engine isnt too bad at all, esp given the large proportion of stop start running its done. Im hoping that this current tank of fuel will come in around the 45 mpg mark, which is what we expect given the extra miles we seem to be getting.
As a yardstick, its currently the same as the Picanto auto which is a 1.1 doing the same journey but that had 37k on it, so we are hoping that it will surpass that in time.
It proves to a certain extent the theory that if the engine is too small, it will use more fuel than a larger, less stressed unit, esp if you tend towards the gentle stye of driving like we do allowing it to change up early.
What definately helps are the change points for the autobox as it slips into 4th just on 30 mph and will stay in the gear even if you drop to 27mph, nor does it hunt around or panic as soon as you hit a hill, which the Picanto did. The extra ccs make alotta difference in this respect.
Browse
Politicians, eh?
Our local morons put the contract to produce credit-card size drivers licenses out to tender...
The tender was awarded to the brother of a bloke who was financial adviser to the deputy leader of the ruling party...
Anyways, after much song and dance, it turns out that the licenses produced were rubbish - they only had your initials NOT first names, so were invalid as a form of ID, and also only gave the date of issue NOT the date when you passed your test. So car hire companies wouldn't accept them!!!
Bizarre indeed!