April 2009
Just rang up a local garage to arrange a test drive only to find the demonstrator I want to try is away for Easter. It seems whoever is running the car is taking a long weekend. I'm sure someone will correct me if I've got this wrong but I thought demonstrators were meant to be available for the public to try, not company cars for the senior salesmen. Maybe had I tried to arrange something earlier in the week then the car would have been made available.
Another problem I have with test drives is getting hold of the car for long enough to know if I really want to buy it. Car salesmen seem to think a 20-30 minutes run is long enough for me to make a decision about spending a lot of money. Unfortunately I'm not like that. I need to take my time before spending my hard earned. The last thing I want is to find I get backache from driving my new car after spending £20k. From reading various car forums it seems many company car buyers get a much better deal in that cars are delivered to their door to try for several days. Why is the same level of service not available for people like myself spending our own money? Read more
Would I be right in thinking that brake lining life (e.g. front pads) is significantly shorter in cars with automatics than manual transmission?
With the new DSG boxes from VAG, do these perform active engine braking - by that I mean do they change down gear when slowing down in a way that engine braking is significant?
Just thinking that if I go for a DSG equipped car, will I need to change the pads twice as often as the manual equivalent.....
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>>If he had had his way a bit more Minis and 1100s and the like might bave been a bit dearer, but they would surely have been better.
Yes; that's a dangerous argument and essentially it makes my point for me; where do you stop?
IMO, BMC didn't restrain Issigonis enough. They allowed him to design the Mini, which they had to sell at a loss. It was Ford who got small front wheel drive right, and it took them from 1959 to 1976 to work out how to do it at reasonable cost!
There is a road I use regularly; it's single-track lane with houses to one side and a kerbed grassy verge to the other. At its end there is a T-junction onto the main road where the lane widens to allow junction markings and 2 cars side by side, one turning in and one leaving.
There is a lady driver I see regularly who currently has a red Polo; she uses the lane a lot. In fact, she uses the lane as though it is her own driveway. In the 15 years I have lived in the area, her hair has got whiter, her glasses have got thicker and she has apparently got smaller (or she sets her seat lower). Every month or two, the red Polo has alarmed one or other of the family; she's had my son off his bike through not paying attention; she's failed to see me on my bike a few times; she's turned the normally calm Mrs H into a venomous witch and she' s whacked my door mirror after parking too close before Christmas.
Today, I was towing the trailer, preparing to turn left into the main road when along comes Mrs Polo at some unfeasible speed turning right into the lane, cutting the corner and ignoring the road markings. She's so far over on my side of the lane, she hasn't cleared the main road and she's lost the opportunity to turn wide and wait offside to offside next to me while I turn onto the main road. I can't turn into the main road because the Polo is in my way. When this has happened before, I've reversed out of the way so she could carry on. Today, I wasn't the gentleman. She waited until a few cars built up and peered at me through the thick glasses. The cars wouldn't want to pull out and pass because of the left-hand bend further on. I folded my hands on top of the steering wheel; I didn't feel like reversing the trailer out of her way. She revved the Polo's engine and appeared to fight the thing into reverse. More cars appeared. She shot backwards the way she had come, giving a Vectra driver a nasty moment as she straddled the white line going backwards on the main road. Then she made a great production of going forwards and bumped over the kerb onto the pavement and I was able to complete my simple left turn.
Failing to take into account the needs of the older driver? Guilty as charged M'lud. Nurse, I'm ready for my medication now. Thank you for listening. Read more
Sounds to me like the usual biassed ageist complaint, made by a younger driver, about the driving of an older driver.
I don't think I am biassed, I would probably have reacted the same if the driver were younger and had history. I'm not that young myself.
and
Well, I bet that little extrovert display of your superiority, clearly intended for the benefit of the onlookers, didn't fail to impress them all. I bet they all thought "Now there's someone to admire, someone who knows his rights and isn't afraid to insist on them regardless of the situation."
There were no onlookers that I was aware of; so no-one to seek to impress, clearly or otherwise. Hands on the wheel; it's just what happened. I didn't feel superior; the post title says how I felt.
I'm not sure of your point; are you condoning an aggressive non HC move from the Polo driver because she is old ? Isn't that ageist anyway ? If I analyse the incident again, I would say that Mrs Polo was possibly seeking attention by revving the engine, reversing at speed and then driving over the pavement. Give and take L'escargot. I just didn't feel like giving on that occasion and felt unsure about it; hence the post.
The power steering on my 94 Golf 1.9 D has started groaning under load, following the belt snapping on the M1.
I replaced the belt and retensioned after a week, and also bled the system. The noise is present without the engine running but with the car jacked up.
I've replaced the fluid in the reservoir and this seems to have improved matters. The car has covered 155k miles.
Grateful any guidance.
Cheers Read more
Many thanks for your advice. The belt ha been tightened to allow 5mm free play at the centre point.
But the noise is present when the car is jacked up and the steering wheel turned without the engine on.
Would this eliminate the pump and belt?
Cheers
I've just spent a bit of time down memory lane looking at the off-roaders that I desired and, ultimately, bought in the early 1990s.
I had a Ford Maverick, aka Nissan Terrano 2, and thought I was king of the road sitting way up above the traffic.
OK, the performance was terrible, cornering was a nightmare and braking from speed a lottery.
At least I hadn't bought a Vauxhall Frontera!
Maintenance was so easy because you could slide under the vehicle without jacking it up to inspect everything.
4x4s are so sophisticated these days. So sophisticated that nobody dares risking them in the rough stuff.
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Almost as much fun as the Jag that came in with 2 fuel
caps and tanks.
XJ6. 12 gallons each side - nearer 14 if you brimmed it.
I might have told the story here before; In the early seventies I was with my father when he filled up at a small Spanish petrol station.
The attendant was amazed when the counter got to 60 litres - all they had in those days was SEAT 500s or 600s - but his jaw really dropped when my father walked around the car and opened the other fuel cap..........
I've recently changed an aged Polo for a much newer Ford Fusion. Things we like include a cavernous boot, an elevated driving position and excellent handling. It's also big enough to get everyone seated without too much rear seat elbow jostling and has a low insurance group: ideal for when the eldest of the offspring is allowed to learn to drive, perish the thought.
But here's the rub. The driver's seat is unbelievably hard and uncomfortable. We've tried seat cushions and checked the tyre pressures and this has helped a little but after ten miles or so the pain starts to creep into the lower back and there it remains until the next time the car is used. The cumulative effect of this is decidedly unpleasant.
On the test drive it was deliberately pointed down a particularly bumpy road and it seemed absolutely fine - good, infact. Living with it day to day is a different matter, excellent handling comes at a price it seems. It's all the worse because the other car we have is a Mazda Premacy. This may not handle anywhere near as well but driving it is like sliding your feet into comfortable old slippers.
Does anyone have any advice on how to increase the ride comfort before this car inflicts any more damage on our spines? Read more
I've heard criticism of Focus seats before - but I suspect it may be to do with the actual model of Focus. Could it be that the problems arise with the more basic models? I find my wife's MkI facelift 'Chic' to be fine on a long run - but the seats are the tarted-up leather ones. I believe the Chic is based on the Zetec, and so the suspension is on the 'firm' side.
I've suffered with the dreaded bad-back at various stages throughout my life but, I have to say, the old Mk2 Mondeo (Ghia) hasn't been too bad. I concur with the view that a 20 minute test drive can in no way allow you to assess comfort. What's needed is more like 4hours/200 miles - at a time when your back is going through one of its 'dodgy' phases.
Our Charity shops send their rags away for recycling and we get money for them. I am trying to put into layman's language how much we actually send for recycling with visual examples.
Weight wise it is 160 tons per year - how many Sains/tesc/ Morr lorries would that be? I seem to remember in my Safeway days a pallet of sugar was a tonne, you could fit 23 pallets on a trailer but I think a driver once told me he wouldn't carry 23 pallets of sugar?
Although I guess the sugar lorry must do so??
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>>Purely out of interest was this the engine that Daf used very successfully in their 2800 range in the 80's?
I'm not sure - I know absolutely nowt about Dafs.
>>I've never quite understood the idea of running much heavier and much more expensive trucks on general haulage,
Yes, I tend to agree. It's also nice to have windows in the back of the cab.
The 70's Leyland drivetrain which worked best for us was the L12 engine and the very simple six speed box. It worked well in the six wheeler Bisons, but was a little challenged running at nearer full weight in the Octopuses and Buffalos. The TL11 and Fuller was a better performer, but much more tempramental, and the TL12 plus Fuller in the Marathon was a bit of a flying machine by comparison.
I have owned my 1999 E39 2.8 BMW from new and its 165,000 miles have been completed with few faults. It is still a great car.
Of late however the headlights have been suffering from condensation between the plastic outer cover and the bulb / reflector inners. I have removed, dismantled, cleaned and dried both units.
To start with they looked good but the condensation quickly returned. I don?t understand why - when dismantling the units, they appeared to be vented at the rear into the engine bay.
On 5th June 2008 TomH reported the same problem on this Honest John E39 Thread ? however there was no indication whether the problem was solved.
Can anyone advise? Do I have to install new headlamps? They sure don?t come cheap!
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Having posed this problem 3 weeks ago ? felt I should now report back the solution.
I removed the headlamps again following the instructions in the Haynes Manual ? one of the lower securing bolts had seized and needed drilling out using an extension piece to gain access. Replacement bolt from BMW as part number B07.11.9.916.980.
Once off the car the water was literally poured from each headlamp !
The units comprise the front housing of transparent plastic mounted on a black plastic surround. This carries the glass lenses. The back housing in black plastic carries the reflectors, bulbs and beam levelling mechanism.
The rubber seal on top of the headlamp was removed by releasing three plastic clips.
The front and back headlamp housings were separated by releasing the plastic clips all round the join. The glass lenses were then removed by tapping off the four spring clips with a light hammer and long masonry nail. The residual water that hadn?t already been removed was poured off.
The joint between the transparent and black plastic sections of the front housing was thoroughly cleaned using a nail brush. The inner face of the transparent plastic was cleaned through the holes exposed by removing the glass lenses. Both sections were thoroughly dried using a hairdryer on low heat - water in the yellow indicator section took quite some time to blow out.
Silicone sealant was then applied to the joint between the transparent and black plastic sections of the front housing. It seemed likely that after years of use this joint failed and water entered by capillary action. N.B. the silicone gives off reaction water (dilute acetic) during setting that shouldn?t be sealed in. Once set, the cleaned glass lenses were reinserted.
The rubber gasket that sits between the two housings was replaced (BMW part number B63.12.8.362.446) and the two parts rejoined ensuring that all the clips were secure. The new gasket meant that rejoining needed quite some compression force.
The top rubber seal was refitted and the units reinstalled to the car greasing the bottom trim / seal.
The outer transparent plastic sections had small stone pits and I spent 1 hour polishing each with T-Cut. This markedly improved their transparency and appearance.
So there it is ? early days yet but after several torrential showers all seems ok.
Misty Eyes to Bright Eyes !
I have a 2008 Jazz which has a very poor ventilation system in my view. In Summer, when it was warm, the A/C was not particularly cold (I also have a 2000 Toyota Corolla which still works well and is ice-cold). The system was checked with the Dealer, but was found to be 'within specifications'. When the weather gets down to below/just above zero, the rear passenger windows steam up. There is no setting that demists them - including A/C on, or off. With two people in the car it is worse. Honda Customer Service say there is nothing wrong with the car as it is 'to specification'. I've driven a Fit in the US (Jazz in the UK) which has the 1.5 engine (which HJ has always said should have been fitted from the word go), and this car did not have the problem.
Anyone else experienced this problem? I'm afraid that I might have to bite the bullet and replace it with another Toyota. Read more
I agree that the Jazz steams up its windows easily even if a/c is used.
I feel that the problem is a very large passenger space in a small car where the space taken up by a ventilation system is limited and the power sapped by a/c needs to be reduced.
I did improve matters in our Jazz by repacing the cabin filter but that was after 5 years of having the car so it would not apply to you.
Don't give up on the car, however, give your rear passengers a chammy to clear the windows.
On Monday - hit a pot-hole in my Vito van resulting in a broken front spring. Because of the way it snapped - I was able to get the van home but that was as far as it was going.
I removed the strut and following morning handed it into a tyre fast fit centre and picked it up later in the day - new spring fitted.
Refitted the strut later the same day - checked all was ok only to find they had fitted the wrong spring. Top of spring is about 1/2" bigger diameter than it should be meaning when turning the steering - you can hear the spring.
The fast fit center that fitted the spring was quite a distance away from home - I was only in the town on business for the day so taking the van for them to inspect would mean almost a day's round trip.
The same company that fitted the spring has a branch in my home town.
Basically I know its only a £50 job but I need my van and I need it reliable.
Any advice?
Cheers
Rob Read more
...I removed the strut and following morning handed it into a tyre fast fit centre and picked it up later in the day - new spring fitted....
The OP took the strut to the fast fit place, not the vehicle.
This denied them the opportunity of comparing the spring they fitted with the one on the other side.
Were I doing the job, I might have offered the new spring up to the one on the other side, just to see if they looked the same.
Given the possible impact on ride height etc, I suppose the better solution is to fit a pair.
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Never had a problem with the cars I've bought privately - I was offered an unaccompanied drive in the CRV but declined it. The Skoda was offered in the same way. Might not get the engine/trim level I eventually bought but that can't really be helped given the range of combos available. Never worried me unduly that one.