February 2009
Has anyone else noticed how braking distances have miraculously shortened in this icy weather we're having?
You sit well back from the vehicle in front giving yourself plenty of room to brake if needs be and you are taking it easy as its really slippy and then the guy behind then sits 10ft off your back end... Read more
Seen outside a Swiss railway station last week, amongst all the brand new Mercs and Beemers, An absolutely immaculate 740 estate, complete with uniformed driver.
Dark metallic grey - showroom condition.
This car was replaced by the 940 in 1991 or 2 .
I feel like going back an asking him has he really had the same taxi for 17+ years! Read more
IIRC when the 900 replaced the 7 series, apart from some minor facelifts and tinkering with the electrics/lights, the main improvements were SIPS and similar stuff.
I'm not at all surprised that one should still be in use as a taxi, my sister still has our '93 940 td estate, and despite many scrapes and scratches the body simply refuses to rust.
I keep my eye out for another td version, as simple a car as you'll find, except for trying to replace glowpug 5..;).
Today I had the orange coolant replaced on my ford focus (petrol). When the technician at the Ford garage was doing the job I heard him reving the engine and holding it there for about 1-2 minutes. Is it usual to do this when changing out the coolant and would it do any damage to the engine ?
Also for some time I have noticed on the inside surface of the top of the coolant reservoir (above the level of the coolant), bubbles or condensation on the plastic surface. After having the coolant changed today it appears that they are still there.
Do you have any ideas about this ?
Thanks for any help. Read more
Any oiliness (however slight) on the inside surface of the reservoir will tend to make globules of coolant stick to the surface and not run down. I wouldn't worry about it.
I am desperately in need of some advice, I ha a new battery tray welded into the back of my 1972 vw camper last friday, I have just discovered the rear lights on that side no longer work! Is this something I should expect the welder to sort as they were working before or am I stuck with trying to trace what he has done.
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probably burned through a wire, can be a problem with old campers, happened on mine when I had some welding done a few years back. I seem to remember you have a lot of fuses in your camper, might be worth checking.
Had 3 more calls thsi week on the same subject!
"You looked at my brakes recently, and a couple of times the pedal has gone funny and had lots of noises when I'm braking a bit hard and in this snow. Can you have a look please?"
No proble, course I will look.
But its the abs kicking in thats the problem. Now thats easy enough to explain how it works and what id does , and causes, to peole when they want to know, but......
How many times in an emergency have people let go of the brake pedal because of the abs unsettlling them?
I know abs is poor in snow/ice/gravel but what happens in other circumstances? Is it actually of benefit if people don't know what it does?
Does everybody, before they respond, actually know what the abs feels like on theircar when it cuts in?
A lot of motorists think its just gives beter braking at all times! Read more
My local garage guy once told me most people only activate their ABS once a year or so. I found this hard to believe, but having read this thread I'm not sure anymore.
hmm ...
perhaps it's just the way I drive but mine must activate about once a week. LOL
i recently bought a c4 that didnt have a radio in it and when trying to wire up another standard one i bought its caused all saughts of problems. the car wipers come on for no reason , it wont start sometimes wont even turn over , the lights came on for no reason then did'nt work at all and the display screen on the dash lights up for a second then goes out and sometimes doe'nt come on at all what have i done !!
i do notice when i turn the key theres a relay in the fuse box that clicks on and off , i am stuck ,
hopefully someone may be able to shine some light on to this problem please !!
cheers carl Read more
just to add , before today and the obove fault occured i have noticed when turning the key it would take a little time for the screen to light up and the car to turn over, i have read a few threads on here and some were pointing to a loose connection from battery to main fuse box in engine bay !!
Hi everyone,
my GOlf MK3 left side mirror was broken last night and I'm planning on replacing it myself. I already ordered a replacement on eBay, but looking at my car, I can't really tell how to remove the old one.
Does anyone know how to do it?
Thanks a lot! Read more
My friend's daughter is out taking her first driving lesson. He has just come off the phone to his insurance company after being quoted £2500 (really !) to add her as a named driver for their "P" reg Fiesta 1.25. The car's main driver is her mum, with her dad named, both in their 50's with good records, obviously that company doesn't want to insure youngsters. Can anybody suggest somewhere else to try ?
Thanks. Read more
I think that is wise. Driving tests are £100 a pop now and I know two people who have had at least four tests. Lessons are £25 each so thats £100 a month on lessons, £100 for each test, if he is also paying £150 on insurance on top of that it gets silly.
I've spent £1000's on lessons, my test (luckily passed first time some how),at least £1k on insurance, over £1k on cars, over £300 on repairs.
The lesson I have learnt is don't rush into getting a car :) although it does feel very exciting which is why I once bought one before I passed but at the time my dad was phyicaly unable to drive and we needed access to a car so that was the main reason for it (I drove it on L plates).
A rust hole around an inch has appeared at the bottom of my rear wheel arch. I scrapped out out most of the rust but want to get it fixed asap. Can anyone help me with what materials to buy and how to paint it or advise me of any websites. Thanks Read more
Hello
I have 2001 VW Polo 1.4 16v (100bhp) which has done 78,500 not so easy miles. Having spent almost £1800 in the last year on various repairs, including a full Geabox recon, having just about sorted out my Emissions Warning Light (by cleaning the throttle body...!!) my gearbox now crunches into Reverse and takes Hulk Hogan like efforts to engage first and sometimes second, beyond this it behaves as normal. The clutch needs to be pushed down as hard as I can manage (and I'm a strong lad) and then the effort on the gearleaver can be avoided! But the biting point has also migrated to the bottom of the clutch pedals travel - could it be the clutch cable needs adjusting?
I fear this might be a pedal box failure, especially annoying as I am due to take delivery of my new car in less than a week! I have given up hope of selling privately as the clutch makes it difficult to drive, and I honestly would feel awful about knowing the person who paid me for this financial black hole! So I am selling it to a large faceless trader who I shall not name, but needless to say, I don't feel too bad about giving it to them!
So - the question is, can there be a quick, cover fix if it is the pedal box that has cracked? If the clutch cable were adjusted, might this fool whoever the large faceless organisation send to check how the car drives?
I would appreciate any solutions people could suggest, other than to review my ethical principles!!
Many thanks.
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SOUNDS LIKE THE CABLE HAS EITHER STRETCHED OR NEEDS ADJ OR IF IT IS SELF ADJ THEN THE FAULT MAY BE WITH THAT. Your cable is not releasing the clutch properly, therefor you are having problems engaging gears, this is also why the biting piont is at the bottom of the pedal.
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Not only does it shorten braking distances makes overtaking possible in places where only a total pfd would pass on a dry sunny day.