October 2009
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8317648.stm
I was watching around the world in 80 days last night with nick hewer 10/10 and saira khan 0/10 and the thing that struck me as i watched them go through countries i cant pronounce was the amount of old /new ladas there were about.
You might knock communism but at least it kept workers in my link above in food and housing Read more
Hi all
Not been on for a while but am just about to buy a Fiesta Zetec Climate 3 dr 1.4 cc 56 plate from a main ford dealer my question is I am looking for a small car cheap on running costs and rd tax , there price is £6,499 one owner and 25,000 miles on the clock. , I have saved 2,000 as the deposit and to keep my payments down to £112 a month , it only comes with 3 months warranty , to buy a warranty it for a year its another £350 but starts now not at the end of the 3 months ,
would it be worth it or are they no good.
could sombody answer asap please. Read more
Car Giant will do you a 1.4 Ghia for £1k less (10k miles more but that's nowt really) or one with 10k less miles for a few hundred less but IMO the best advice has already been given, walk away and check out deals on new small cars. Fiat Panda, Toyota Aygo (or Citroen Peugeot equivalents) - not as fast but great value cars, cheaper to run and tax and 3 years peace of mind motoring for less than £1k more.which you'll get most of back on resale?
Man breaks 15 laws in 11 minutes
A driver has confounded Swiss police by committing 15 traffic violations in just over 10 minutes, officials say.
The 47-year-old initially raced past an unmarked police car in heavy rain at 160 km/h (100mph) before weaving close to other cars and the road's kerb.
The serial offender clocked up further offences for speeding, driving on the hard shoulder, running a set of red lights and failing to stop for police.
When finally pulled over by St Gallen police, he failed a drugs test.
The unnamed driver, who lives near Zurich, faces a lengthy driving ban and a possible jail sentence when he appears before a Swiss court.
"I can't remember a case this serious," a police spokeswoman told the BBC of Sunday's infringement spree. "It's remarkable."
Clearly the swiss police never see "police camera action" type shows or have ever driven on the M25.
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Was watching from my bedroom window this morning as some more work was being done on the tramway at the bottom of my garden, due to be running in 18 months.
My mind went back to one of our bike trips to Bavaria when we spent the night on the way in Nancy.
So I put Nancy trams into You Tube as we had gone into town on the rubber tyred guided system they have there
A few links led to other cities and I was intrigued to see Bordeaux had a system which, at one stage of the film, had a tram comprising of seven units. Most of it seemed to be on dedicated tracks but one scene showed it in a normal city street.
When does a tram become a train?...it was longer than our heavy rail local trains and I wonder what problems they had threading this little lot through a narrow shopping street.
Ted Read more
I remember the days of UK North. It would be 2:00am in the morning and I would be waiting for a bus going home 'early' as I had a lecture in Salford at 9:00am. I would be standing waiting for a bus where there would be around 100 Fallowfield bound buses all jammed from Picciddily onto Oxford Road. It took for ever for my bus (86) to arrive. I find it much more reliable since UK North were banned because the night buses are a lot less regular now. Ironic really but sums up the problem with deregulation.
If I am going to town 9/10 of times I will park at the Metrolink and just get the tram into town. It is no quicker than the bus doing this but it is far more relaxing as I am sat on a tram for 10 minutes instead of 30 minutes on a bus with screaming kids. Also on a tram if you're sat next to a smelly tramp you can move to a different part of the tram.
What size air compressor is best for carrying out car repairs?
Regards
Simon Read more
Don't scrimp by getting one slightly less than specified by the toola nd hoping it will be OK, or you will have trouble powering air wrenches and have to keep waiting for pressure to build back up as the cylinder recharges. I made this mistake.
Had a quick look do not think this has posted
www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=20842
Shouting moderated Read more
Original post bumped - this one locked.
Hi Backroomers.....
I'm a regular reader who's after some driving conditions advice please.
I'm driving to Heathrow terminal 3 long stay carpark on friday morning. To arrive around 8 a.m. I'm driving from central London. I can't remember the last time I headed out of London, westbound, so early in a car for a while.
Am I guessing right that it'll be congestion most of the way out on the A4/M4 to Heathrow at that time, or will I be lucky with most of the traffic coming the other way?
Any hints/suggestions will be much appreciated.
Oh yes, before you suggest public transport, I have no alternative but to drive as on the day I come back I have to drive to Bournemouth straight from the airport with a car full of equipment! :-)
Many Thanks in advance....
Nial
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Many thanks for the info Lud. I really wish I didn't have to drive but have no choice. No doubt I'll give myself more than enough time but now you've put the idea of a chocolate croissant in my head!
Nial
I have owned a '56 diesel SE Sport Volvo for 6 months, bought and latterly serviced by an independent. Almost from first getting the car there were intermittent problems with it starting. These initially were rare and merely inconvenient, but got progressively worse. As the warranty was about to run out I booked the car into the local Volvo garage. Initially it had a software download, which failed to cure the problem, then a new ignition switch, which was similarly unhelpful. The car then would not start at all, and was towed to the garage, outside warranty. It had the "sludge" cleaned out of the tank and a new fuel pump. This would have cost over £1000, but Volvo met 60% of the cost and the dealer the rest. Sadly this has not cured the problem, and the car is still very unreliable when starting.
I am about to book the car into the Volvo dealership again (for the fifth time) but really have little confidence that they can fix it.
Does anyone have any ideas what the problem might be? Once started it always runs very well but I cannot risk being stranded late at night with my children in the car and need to resolve the problem asap. What can I expect from the dealership/Volvo?
Genuinely very gateful for any assistance, as I am not an expert in these matters and really pushed the boat out to buy this car.
Regards,
Berty Read more
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8316077.stm
Sounds sort of run of the mill for this country - certainly not that newsworthy. Read more
Take all his teeth out and make him eat Toblerone bars...
See the HJ news to the right. ( still haven't mastered those tiny "owl" thingies ! )
Mondeo with half a million miles makes £825. There's hope for "Betsy" yet !
Serious point underlying though, I've noticed 2nd hand car prices really strengthening of late. It was of course predicted but it may actually have become a pendulum effect by comparison with this time last year.
There's a Jag estate on a forecourt near here and I swear the sticker price has gone up a grand this week. Read more
Have a look at the Volvo high mileage club....top car has 3 million miles on it! Bloke called Irv Gordon who of course lives in the USA. The story is worth Googling.
Browse
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>>Saw an E reg Uno yesterday...
depends on the model:
45's were either 903cc pushrod (badged FORMULA?), or 999cc FIRE in later versions.
55's and later 60's were 1116cc OHC (predecessor to FIRE, of which the 1108cc was used eventually)
70's were 1301cc OHC version of the 1116cc design.
Not sure what the designation of the 1372 turbo was...
The pushrod engine was the noisiest - prone to rattle, you might say, but the others were pretty quiet.
MK1 Puntos are fully galvanised, AFAIK, so they should be rust free unless damaged.