December 2009
My megane makes a screeching noise when I turn on the engine but not during normal driving. I've heard this noise before on other cars. Is it the fanbelt thats making this noise? Read more
Took the car in for its MOT on Saturday to a garage I don't normally use.
The chap had it up on a lift and shone his torch all over, had a delve into the crevices within the wishbones etc and he passed the car wth no advisory notes.
He didn't check the rear seat belts however because child seats were in use even though I offered to remove the seats to the boot.
He didn't do any bounce test for the shock absorbers (do they still do this or is a visual check sufficient?).
He didn't say anything about the stress crack across the front number plate although its not bad enough that it can't be read properly. He didn't check the spare either.
Everything else passed, lights, brakes, emissions, horn, wipers (the tailgate wiper wasn't checked).
He asked me to remove the satnav sucker from the bottom of the windscreen however because he told me he could fail it because its deemed an obstruction.
Watching it all brought home to me just how basic the test seemed and that anyone with a basic knowledge of cars could have done it with minimal training. No doubt someone will put me right on this. It also became obvious why so many vehicles can be 'passed' yet be failures within days, weeks or months of the test because of such seemingly small faults and that they are in no way to be relied upon as proof that one is driving a perfectly legal and safe vehicle.
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A crowbar would be a bit big,what the MOT man uses is a prybar.
There are some anomilies,I had a car with the corners of the tailgate rusted away,no problem passing the MOT.Shortly after I was stopped by the BIB and given a ticket for the rusted corners,had to rectify and get the ticket stamped at the MOT testers.
I work in an air conditioned office and so wear the same attire all year round i.e. shirt and tie but never a jacket, as the temperature is the same all year round. Also, I rarely wear a coat on my drive to work, whatever the weather. The car is within 10 feet of my front door and at the other end it's about 100 metres. So unless it's raining, there's no need. I do keep a coat in the car for emergencies though.
With the weather turning a bit chillier, just above freezing this morning, I can stand a few minutes in the car until the heat starts coming through, but I seem to be pretty much in the minority. Some drivers, especially it would seem women, manage to drive in thick coat, hat, gloves and scarf. I would be very uncomfortable and don't understand why, if you have heating in a car, you would dress as though you didn't.
Do backroomers wrap up warm? Read more
Oily, always interested in something of interest ! As long as you're not offering me some cast-off clothes !
Don't mind if you email me direct
jowettland@ntlworld.com
Ted
What will be using 40 years in the future will petrol still exist?
Will diesel exist? is there enough oil to last till then?
Is Lpg the way forward?
Electric cars with the range of a large diesel with charging cappacity like that of a alternator?
I don't think we will advanced to flying around in space ships or living on pluto by then not a massive leap has happened upto now from 40 years back!
What do you think the future for the motor industry has for us? Read more
Overhead cables up the M1 and M6.......it worked for trolleybuses in town !
Difficult to overtake though....... so outside lane reserved for black Audis.
Ted
Hi, rear parking sensors are not working (mind the wall!). Switch on dash turns front ones on/off, switch in nearside storage bin in load compartment turns rear ones on/off. Neither switch changed, absolutely NO information in handbook. Any ideas? Is there a fuse? Which one and where? or any other help appreciated. Thanks. Adrian. Read more
No, my "typo", it is 2982 , 241.4 cu in Type 1KD-FTV. But you knew that.....
I was reflecting on new advances in Google Maps, seeming just that and using them as an example to the question.
But first a few thoughts on Maps.
I never saw it coming. ( on phones) It was a surprise to find the `latitude` feature and the `position` and the usefulness of getting what seems like live data from moving cars before getting on the Motorway.
But the Sat Nav feature as being rolled out for phones in the US... and free... almost unbelievable in a culture of paying for software. It surely must have caught people out as it seems shares plummeted in Sat Nav companies on the announcement.
2) Now here`s the question. What`s next?
The next big surprise in cars or motoring - that will have an effect on shares, or transform something already established. As an imaginary example - an `ever lasting` self cleaning spark plug about to be announced made out of a new alloy.
There must be something next, that is outstanding - sooner or later. What? and when?
Any predictions?
Regards to all
oilrag Read more
My grandfather had one of the first commercially available motor cars to feature an internal combustion engine. My son's generation will, I think, be the last to drive a car so equipped.
www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/14/dvla_prum/
The "Issues and Risks" report, obtained by The Register using Freedom of Information laws, raises concerns that the DVLA database will be accessed directly by foreign officials for minor motoring offences and parking infringements, and that data will be sold to commercial interests such as marketing firms and private investigators.
Responding to controversies over domestic abuse of the database in 2007, the privacy watchdog said information should only be shared when there is "reasonable cause" to do so. Under the Prüm Convention, however, the DVLA will have no powers to apply such a test when foreign officials trawl its records.
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I have been told the thing is to register as an abandoned vehicle collection agency, then you get access to the DVLA records simply by submitting form VQ4. The form does not appear on the ordinary DVLA list, but the details are on the HMRC website intended for local authorities etc.
So no need to become a hacker or bribe a corrupt official in Bulgaria, it's all available free from our very own DVLA.
My HDI has come back from having a new timing belt fitted and has no power. Living on an island and only having done 25k miles to date all at low speeds the garage says that the engine is cartboned up. The car was good when it went in and had no power when it came out they spent days looking for the problem and now want to take the head of. I dont think this is the problem as I would expect black smoke.
Also the engine does not respond until the accelorator pedal has been depressed more than usual and then picks up more slowly even when stationary.
They assure me that timing is not the problem as they have rechecked this.
At the same time as fitting the timing belt they cured a gasleak on one of the injectors but took all of them out and replaced the seals Read more
Thanks i will have al ook tomorrow
Hi
Where can I purchase an exhaust gas analyser? I am looking for a DIY one. Are there any available on the open market?
Greg Read more
Well, with LPG you should have a fairly homogeneous mixture with little cylinder to cylinder variation-so that's one problem you shouldn't have to deal with. How are you going to test the mixture under load? Cleary, A 3000RPM idle isn't the same as 3000 RPM WOT. To be honest, I'd be tempted to look for obvious faults in the system, but I'd leave the mixture alone. I don't know if rich mixtures are used at WOT (there's no in-cylinder evaporative effect to cool components like petrol) so I don't know what fuelling map is used.
Hi all
Had my rear brakes and discs replace on Saturday, drove away and thought the car felt a bit underpowered. I thought it might have been because I had the kids and their car seats in there (which isn't normal).
This morning I drove my empty (apart from me) car and there is definitely something wrong. I have to accelerate harder and the car is lacking power.
I thought the brakes might be stuck on but they weren't glowing red hot when I parked, they were hot but I had just been coming up the motorway.
I just went out to the car park and tested the hand brake and noticed that when the car is rolling forward I do need to pull the lever quite a long way before it stops (suggesting it might be half on-ish already).
Is there anything I can check to confirm if the handbrake is stuck on or if it's the pads rubbing?
Many Thanks!
Adam Read more
Strange! Its an easy job and difficult to get wrong. Wouldn't use that place again.
Browse
Dave, I wouldn't know how to do that so I will just get it replaced as its an old car and it will need changing anyway.