September 2009
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8244...m
Yet again there has been a landslide on this road due to the adverse weather.
The diversion route is something like 60 miles long!! Each way!
So next time you are fed up at a set of roadworks cause you have had to wait for 2 changes of the lights think yourself lucky compared to these villagers! Read more
Have had this car for a couple of months now, 90k on the clock but in beautiful condition. Since having this car I have noticed a noticable squeak when braking, not all the time, and the brakes work perfectly too, no fluid loss or anything like that. At first I put it down to damp on the discs because it does come and go. The sound is one tone, not rythmic but a steady note.
However, I notice now (it was probably always there I never noticed it before) that there is a score mark of about 1mm wide on the nearside front disc outer surface, all the way round about 15mm from the edge of the disc. The other surfaces are OK, so I am assuming that there is maybe a stone chip or some foreign body between the pad and disc? The score is maybe 0.25mm deep.
I took the car to ATS today for advice, the chap said that if it was a stone or something like that then this would have worked its way out by now after two months. He said I could have a brake check done, for a charge obviously, but I said I would see how it goes.
What do you think? If this is a piece of stone or something lodged in the pad do you think it will cause further trouble or leave well alone? As I say, the brakes work extremely well - I had to stop very quickly at the lights the other day to save myself from being snapped by the camera - it stopped in a dead straight line with no noise or anything untoward from 40 to zero in a couple of seconds!
Thanks for any suggestions. Read more
Thanks mikej for the advice. I have a Haynes manual for the car and you are correct in saying that there is an inspection hole in the drum. I believe the wheel has to be taken off to access the hole, so I may take a look when I have time. I wouldn't be confident in removing the drum etc.
Is there a problem changing from the 'Long Life' oil back to the standard? Can this harm the engine?I prefer to change the oil every year and it seems a waste to pay extra for the 'Long Life' Biggles757 Read more
These two "O" rings are indeed the ones to which I referred. They are always supplied with a new element of reputable manufacture, and are very important.
The small lower ring on the end of the "stick" prevents the filter housing from draining into the sump until you remove the cap. A leak here would mean that the engine would be starved of oil at each cold start until the chamber is filled by the oil pump.
The large ring seals the cap. It's well worth investing in the (cheap) 14 sided socket needed to unscrew and re-torque the cap. As always on these sophisicated engines, bodging doesn't pay.
The sump plug has a captive washer.
659.
Hi Guys,
Here are some questions which may sound silly as I am new to the claim area of insurance. So, please forgive me for my ignorance and help me with the following.
1. Does using the motoring legal protection through my insurer to recover uninsured losses such as hire costs also affect the NCD? In other words, the insurer didn't have to pay to any external party but had to provide service for recovering the uninsured losses from the 3rd party insurer. Will this be treated as a claim and affect the NCD?
2. If no claim is made to the insurer but a total loss car is replaced by a similar car on the policy (to get myself going in absence of a courtesy car!!) and the claim is pursued independently (or via a claim management company) with the 3rd party insurer, could there be any issue that the total loss car is not insured anymore? I know this is not an issue if you are claiming your insurer and they inturn recover from 3rd party insurer but not sure of there could be any pitfalls when handling directly with the 3rd party insurer.
Thanks,
Sam.
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Thanks for your reply Martin.
(1) The legal cover is a part of the same policy and of course the same insurer. The answer should be NO anyway as there's no payout by the insurer.
(2) I also thought that once the car is a write off the policy is finished. I wondered how would they reflect my NCD (post claim settlement with the 3rd party) if the policy is not there anymore.
So I had called up my insurer today and found out that the policy will still exist and I can have the new car on it (Change of car is anyway an option available anytime during the year, I read this today in the policy booklet!!).
I will earn 1 year NCD if they recover the cost through the 3rd party and I do not have any more unsettled claims in the remaining months of my policy with the new car. The premimum may vary depending the new car's make, model, value etc.
This somehow makes sense as how would they otherwise add/not add to my current NCD if I don't spend an year with them. At this moment I have 2 years NCD from previous insurers and have spent only 5 months with my current insurer. If I'm not wrong I could excercise 2 options with the new car.
a) Find a new insurer and get a quote with 2 years NCD and 1 no fault claim in last 4 years.
b) Continue with my current insurer, hope that they recover the costs through the 3rd party and hence add 1 more year of NCD on my next renewal.
Clearly choosing (a) sets me back 5 months in terms of additional year of NCD.
This is my understanding but as I am a novice in Insurance claims, this may be wrong.
Any further comments are appreciated.
Thanks,
Sam.
Anyone believe in unlucky cars?
Today I had an accident for the second time in m life and for the second time this year
A man cut me up on a roundabout then stuck his brakes on, I just touched is back bumper but he and his passenger have whip lash injuries - luckily for me I have a witness a retired policeman
Someone tried to break into it a few months ago
My mum had a Vauxhall Carlton, I think it was the mark 2, D reg. We went to buy a Nissan but it got sold and the sales man offered her this big red gleaming car at a bargain
It ran really well but just out of warranty it engine died, the replacement engine also failed two years later. It got broken into twice and someone crashed into it and drove off
Mum bought a new Rover and dad sold the Carlton through Auto Trader to a guy locally. That night he took it out for a drink and got done for drink driving.
When banned he sold it to a friend and the engine expired the day he bought it
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news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/6193659.stm
have you seen this julie page?
or scroll down to the film about it
heres the link
www.abpclub.co.uk/abp-members-videos.htm
Just returned from a wet week in the Lake District. I drove SWMBO Hyundai Getz 1.4l over the Wrynose and Hard Knott passes a couple of times. Glad we?d taken a small car because those roads are extraordinarily narrow and difficult.Had to keep an eye out for passing places and oncoming vehicles constantly. Could not get beyond first gear on the steepest parts, the engine just lost power if I tried to change up up. The front wheels appeared to be bouncing around on the wet and rippled tarmac, even when keeping the revs down to 3000 or so in order to make progress. Charging positively at the 1 in 3 bends and keeping the speed up seemed to be the best way.
Amazed that older cars ever coped with going up and down these roads with drum brakes and poorer cooling systems. Lots of brake fade and boiling radiators I?ll bet. Hyundai had no problems- just a bit of clutch pong when I?d to reverse out of the way for an oncoming vehicle.
What?s the best car to drive these roads nowadays? I?m thinking narrow, short, with good brakes and a torquey turbo diesel.
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Not scary but the brakes were smelling a bit on my brothers Jeep Grand Cherokee coming back from Yosemite once.
How much more is a car worth if it has been completely serviced throughout its lifetime by the dealer?
I was thinking of using a Bosch-approved garage that was part of the Good Garage Scheme for my next service.
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So how can you be sure that an independent has done the work properly?
All I can go off is the Bosch website and Good Garage Scheme.
Hello,
Was wondering if anybody knew which fuse i need to buy for my rear side light?
Thanks!
{typo in header corrected} Read more
same as the front side light fuse
I figure since there is almost no road test info on these cars id give a quick update on how my dad is getting on with his oddball choice.
Well, ive been lucky enough to drive it about 400 miles in the last few weeks as he doesnt like driving so almost always contracts it out to me or my mum these days, which means ive had plenty of wheel time!
In short, some of it is expected and some of it isnt.
Interior space is fantastic, theres no doubt about that and the sliding rear seat means you can adjust the characteristics of the space nicely although the bench moves as a whole, not split like say a Yaris. Opportunity missed there. Its alot bigger than the Yaris inside though. It just feels huge inside, moreso than a car shorter than a Fiesta has any right to.
The dashboard is easy to use, everything is where you expect it and as is common with jap cars of old, its childplay to get used to the way the car drives. It is utterly conventional, smooth autobox, chunky controls and I must say, very well screwed together. It does have the feeling of longevity about it. the steering is light but its quick enough that you never feel like your wheel twirling down the lanes. The turning circle, in common with most modern Daihatsus is excellent, something my dad is very pleased with as it makes parking very easy.
The ride is firm as suggested by the few reports out there, but it isnt crashy and it really does translate into snappy handling for a car that you expect anything but good handling from. I found myself throwing it around bends that the Sirion would need far less speed to go round in the same manner of calm, controlled progress. It feels quite effortless on switchback corners and the limitations of the seats side support are reached long before you induce any tyre squeal.
The seats are firmer than our Sirion, but they are comfortable on a long journey.
Performance is adequate rather than sprightly, maybe the manual would feel more peppy, but given a reasonable amount of room it can overtake without much fuss although at the higher end of the rev range it is quite vocal.
Everything still works of course and it attracts quite alot of attention as we know of only one other in our area. Its sort of like a small PT Cruiser except it isnt anywhere near as common and is a little bit squarer.
My dad is extremely pleased with it as it is performing its role perfectly and you cant ask for more than that really. The price is the sweetener really though as he simply couldnt get anything with a proper gearbox, the space and warranty for anything close to the £11,800 this car went for ( course he had his £2k scrappage off that ).
Its actually quite tempting as a small family car.
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Can anyone please suggest a reliable place to get a tow bar fitted to a Nissan Note near Walthamstow in east London.
Local Nissan dealer wants over £500 which seems crazy - anyone used a firm in the nearish vacinity - happy to travel for a good place.
any ideas?
Thanks Read more
Excellent idea - thanks
Point taken BobbyG as I often swear when held up at temporary traffic lights.
Friend of mine lived in Tanzania 30 miles up a winding earth road from the nearest town. About half way - the journey took five hours in low gears - you had to get out of the bus and clamber across the wreckage of a Bailey bridge to the bus waiting on the other side, unless you were rich and hired a canoe.
The bailey bridge dated back to the second world war or earlier and had served perfectly well for buses and lorries of the sort plying that road, until some drunken braggart with an enormous bulldozer ignored everyone's advice, spent his time getting ratted on local banana-based hooch instead of going the very long other way round, tried to drive over the bridge and broke the damn thing.
He wasn't killed, quite, but the locals sure took it out of his hide with anything to hand. I doubt if he was ever the same again. African lynchings are extremely nasty and often fatal. They'd warned the carphound, and they knew what it was going to mean to them into the distant future (give or take the odd canoe owner and little boy selling bananas to the transhipping bus passengers). When people are poor to start with and have tenuous communications, any playing fast and loose with what they have is severely sanctioned. Rightly so in my opinion.