February 2009
From an article in "The Daily Telegraph".
"Forecasters have warned that the freezing blast will continue through next week raising concerns that if the grit runs out then the country will not be able to cope.
The AA has now called on the Government to step in and ensure that salt stocks are maintained over the coming days."
Oh dear. The AA, bless their little cotton socks, seem to be rather naive. Read more
Toying with the idea of buying a cheap, small runabout for the wife to learn to drive. Why is it that, when looking through Autotrader and spotting something suitable, usually it's a mobile number? Part time trader or seller has something to hide? It just puts me off completely, or am I being over cautious? If I was selling a car I'd always give a landline number as well as a mobile, even though a potential buyer would have more chance of reaching me on the latter Read more
I don't have a landline. Listed my parent's number in addition to my mobile and interestingly, they got the calls.
I see that a few back roomers think that a couple of days a year driving on snow gives them th skills of a World Rally Championship driver. Over Confident or what! Read more
I'm too busy flashing motorists with no lights on!
Isn't it too cold this time of year to be opening your mac?
;o)
Hi
Im pretty sure that i have a faulty dim/dip relay 'cause my dipped headlights dont work but full beam and sidelights do (fuses and bulbs checked and okay). What I'd like to know is - where is this relay? I've looked around the general area of the fusebox but cant find it. cheers Read more
Yeah maybe - suppose Ill pick one up from breakers and try it -thanks
I think after this hard core winter, even the purists will agree that FWD cars are not that bad after all?
So many people with complaints against BMW, Merc + other RWDs.
And the tree huggers will also realize that we need 4x4s sometimes.
:)
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The last rearwheel drive car i had was 30 years ago, it was a cortina, quite useless in snow, after failing to get onto my drive after a couple of occasions, the house was on a steep hill, i moved to front wheel drive and always got up the hill to home base!
I was quite happy with fwd, even with the occasional tramping of the wheels when i didnt quite get the revs right for the quick island take off, i never got stuck.
Until that is i bought a carravan, wet grass left me placing old rubber car mats down to get some grip, along with a long faced site owner looking on.
That progressed naturaly to a permanent 4 wheel drive audi. great on wet grass and for towing. But with 245 tyres not so hot in the snow, and permanent 4 wheel drive did take 3mpg of the mpg figures.
And then came along the xtrail, front wheel drive with automatic 4 wheel drive on command, (taken from the nissan skyline) the economy of fwd, with all the advantages of 4 wheel drive, high ground clearance to get me down pot holed lanes to fish the river trent, to glide over speed humps. To give good traction in snow. to pull my van without fault.
Just remember though you still need to stop.
Now that must be the next progression a car that stops on ice!
Hello everyone
I am new to this forum and would be grateful for some advice.
Last year my car was stood unused for around 12 weeks as I had been in hospital. When I drove it again it ran smoothly for the first few miles and then the power would die intermittent on off on off. Several times on the motorway I had to pull over and then when started up again it would run perfect.
I had a full service new plugs etc.
The fault continued so I took it to a garage and after leaving it with them for 3 days I was told it was a coil so it was replaced.
The following day the car continued to run the same. On monday this week a warning light came on the dashboard so I rang the Rac, they couldnt find a fault code and advised me to take it to a garage.
The car ran badly all the way up to the garage so I left it with them. I had a call earlier today and was advised that no fault was showing on the computer and they have removed the warning light. They advised that they could replace lambda sensors and then if it continues then replace a further 3 coils and total cost would be around £1200.
I have just collected the car and paid for a diagnostic test (which is blank) I dont have £1200 to pay out.
Has anyone had this problem and found a remedy ?
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edited
My heater is not working at all well. I was thinking it is probably the heater matrix needs flushing. My garage said it could be the pollen filter needs changing? But he couldn't find it.
My question is - do you know where it is? and do you agree with the garage?
Cheers Read more
My question is - do you know where it is?
www.puravent.co.uk/filters/display_filter.php?id=3...1
do you agree with the garage?
Depends what you mean by "not working at all well" If you've hardly got any airflow, then yes it could well be a blocked pollen filter. If however the heater isn't getting very hot, then it could be a failed thermostat. How quickly does the engine warm up, and what does the temperature gauge read?
Not sure. The worry for most people, it seems, is not a lack of money but a fear about the security of their jobs. Those on many types of tracker mortgage are already paying nugatory amounts of interest - one example I read said the current reduction made some tracker mortages cost pennies (yes, pennies) per month interest repayments (capital excluded) on sums of £100K or so.
The current crop of car finance offers mostly seem to hover around the 6-12% range - what does the odd half percent cut do for these? Not much I'd say - if you're not buying at 6%, you'll probably not buy at 5.5% (I know retail 3rd party rates don't quite work linearly - but generally it's how it will work out).
The only 'cure' (and at that, only partial) is for people to feel more secure in their jobs & general outlook. They'll then start spending again. Also, don't forget, savers' rates
are now nugatory as well - as we have many more savers than credit bingers in this country - many purchases will be postponed from this group. (Bar the oldies who feel the need to buy a new car to spend it rather than get very low returns - as reported last week).
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Except in this case, the reckles are the bankers, who have made countless millions over the years and seem to have lost it all overnight? >>
They did not hide their cash under their beds, did they?
So where did all the cash go?
Did it not trickle down to the lowest common man in the street [perhaps in China? and was that not the same common man in China who saved his miserly pennies in a Chinese bank who then collected all the pennies of the billions of the Chinese to lend it to us in the West? So that we could go and buy more Chinese goods/parts - to build our cars and to furnish our inflated-priced homes bought on credit?}
I sold my car two weeks ago on Sunday and have yet to hear anything from the DVLA. I am worried that I may still be the legal owner. How long do change of ownerships take to process? Is it worth giving them a call or will they not be helpful?
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The back of the new keeper suplement says that the buyer should contact the DVLA if they don't recieve the new V5 withing 6 weeks. Presumably the same applies to the seller when awaiting the confirmation letter.
EDIT: Just spotted it on the back of the V5C seller should get confirmation letter within 4 weeks, if not phone 0870 240 0010.
In my experience it is usually 2 to 3 weeks though.
the remote central locking has stopped working. I have tried turning on ignition and pressing the remote buittons as it says in handbook. Am I missing something. Car had been standing for 3 years Read more
Try doing what you would do with a pc that was playing up - ie, a reboot.
Disconnect and reconnect the battery to see if it resets the electronics. Then try another key resync procedure.
Browse
'As anyone speeding through a fixed camera painted yellow is driving without due care and attention (as they did not see it), it's called fleecing the idiots.'
and failing to grit roads when they have collected billions in road and motoring taxes is also called fleecing the idiots.