May 2009
It's something I'm sure we have all experienced at some stage, albeit to varying degrees. I make a conscious effort to keep a cool head on the road and try my best to forgive and forget when other road users act unfairly. However, there are always those cases where the red mist takes hold and the temptation to vent one's anger becomes too much to resist.
My questions are thus: How susceptible are you to road rage and how do you deal with it? Also, have you ever let your temper get the better of you on the road only to regret it later? Read more
I have a Renault megane 8v which revs up on its own , I have checked all the vacumm hoses extra and cant find any split. The car also seems to have a miss fire on number 4 pot, I have checked the coil's, plug and ht leads and compression tested but all are fine.
Any suggestions and advise will be gratefully recieved it driveing me mad and that not just the car its the mother in law
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Looking at the contents of my toolbox I have several decent tools which have been found on the road (mostly whilst cycling or walking), the most recent find was a perfect Draper Expert 15mm ring spanner. My most treasured find is a lovely Britool 7mm ring spanner, the oddest find a strange spring jawed one size fits all bodge-spanner!
I guess to get on the road in the first instance they have to be still (loosely) on a vehicle, a friend found a nice quality 10mm spanner in his engine bay quite some time after its main dealer service, amazingly it was still attached to the component the mechanic had been working on!
Anyone else here had any lucky tool finds in the road? Read more
I've got one of these. I'm going to leave it in the road for someone to find
ring spanner the oddest find a strange spring jawed one size fits all bodge-spanner!
Oil is essential not just to motoring as we know it, but our entire way of life as we know it, so its something I take an interest in. I would be interested to hear the views of the backroom with regard to oil prices and peak oil.
Here's my prediction:
The global encomony goes back to growth within the next 2 years. This increases demand for oil, which in turn pushes prices back to new record highs. The new high price of oil pushes many countries back into recession, demand drops and he oil price drops again. This cycle continues for 10-20 years, until the world has adapted to life post peak oil.
Do you accept peak oil? If not, then why?
How will we adapt our current energy hungry way of life? Less demand or replace it with other sources?
Personally, I think that current petrol/diesel prices are affordable. I reckon on around £2 a litre within 2 years, at which point our encomony will start to suffer. Read more
They've been saying since the 1870s that there's only another 20 years of coal left.
No, "they" haven't. More like 200 years.
The amount of anything left increases dramatically as the price goes up.
However, the internal combustion engine fired by oil products is very nearly at end-of-life. It won't exist for more than a couple of decades, at the outside.
Hi,I have just bought a really nice low mileage 1600 16v Vectra (98 S reg).The only fault I can find is the aircon doesnt seem to get cold.How can I tell if its a fault or it just needs re-gassing.Sorry to appear a bit dim but I have never had aircon before.Thanks,Mick. Read more
>>If it won't old pressure then probably not worth fixing as most aircon repairs cost £££s
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As a guide my 98 Mondeo non OE compressor was about £200 plus labour plus regas.
As recommended I had the dryer replaced at the same time.
Hi- I'm new and desperatley seeking a solution
I hope you can help me, I'm very depressed. A week ago my Citroen C3 (2005) diesel wouldn't start. The immobiliser was preventing it. I had it towed to the local garage who plugged in the ECU to the computer but it wouldn't/couldn't read it. The garage then got another chap in with another tester and the ECU in my car wouldn't communicate. He has checked all the wiring/earths etc and after a week we are no nearer to a diagnosis. The main school of thought is that the ECU is kaput and I will have to get another one. I have had quote from Citron of £620 + VAT + fitting, so talking on a grand at least.
I have also read and been told that these ECU's cannot be repaired. Have you any ideas as to how to get the ECU to communicate with us and tell us what is wrong.?
I would be very grateful for any ideas, or indeed anywhere I can source a compatible ECU
Thanks in advance
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Sat in traffic today behind a wagon r I noticed the rear hatch has what looks like a number plate recess but the plate is mounted in another recess on the bumper. Anyone know why ?
Any other oddities similar you can think of ? Read more
is it true that you can drive these with a wheel off like the song says?
three wheels on my waggon but im still rolling along
I need to store a car that's primarily used by a visiting relative a couple of times a year. It's a 9 y.o Jap 1.8 petrol 4 x 4 and not really worth flogging. It's MOT'd , insured and on a SORN at the back of a property, off road , outdoors.
The problem is the battery , which gets drained after about 2 -3 weeks, probably due to the Thatcham 1 alarm fitted . The car is stored about 2/3 miles away so i can't start it as often as I'd like .
Now, I've seen these products for sale , converting sunlight via solar panels to top the battery up. Do they actually work and can anybody recommend any ?
many thanks
cyberprop Read more
Alarm? on 9yr old car?
Disconnect - probably more likely to disappear with battery and alarm connected! [although I accept might invalidate insurance....]
It's well known in the trade that hexagonal ring spanners and sockets are far superior than the multi-notched variety; you getter a better purchase and less risk of slipping. Why is it then that you can only buy these in sets "because they're specialized sir" when they do a much better job? Surely they can't cost more to manufacture. I only want one 13mm spanner to undo a cheapo Ford sump plug which are very prone to burr. Read more
But what quality were they? I wouldn't risk buying a spanner or socket that might
split when I used it and damage the nut/bolt.
Theyr'e made by a Czech company called Tona (now part of Stanley), they are 20 - 30 years old and the set is complete, if its survived this long............... The ratchet is broken (I own 2 good ones so its not needed anyway), I bought it for the larger sizes that I didn't have already.
VW use 16mm headed bolts for rear suspension, upper and lower damper bolts and axle bush bolts that were very tight / corroded, so basically they've paid for themselves already.
We all know that when suitable portable storage for electricity is available, production of internal combustion engines will be virtually dead. How long will it be until suitable storage is available?
www.technologyreview.com/biztech/18086/ is one type of storage mechanism being explored, as well as batteries. Read more
For interesting reading see the patent www.faqs.org/patents/app/20090091302
I am not sure about the wording of the last sentence of the first para -"series combination so that a high internal voltage of each capacitor is maintained" . I reckon they have made a mistake! Surely should read 'series combination so that a high terminal voltage of the device is maintained' or something similar.
I fully understood the the isssue of 'linearity' but was previously under the impression that many of the chemical issues had been overcome in the latest generation of superdevices.
Thanks for the education.
p
Thanks for the comments fred. Of course what I'm saying is not new. The thing I have to consciously remember is that, in the interests of road safety, I'll have to be prepared to be the "meek unassertive one". And, with regards the thought processes you mention, in this context, it's possibly a good idea to be satisfied that YOU have prevented a collision by being public spirited enough to put aside your own ego in compensating for someone else's actions.