December 2009
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8407142.stm
Now, whether you agree with banning the use of mobiles or not, the fact that a lot of people are ignoring the rules is pretty obvious, and the reasons are pretty obvious too.
When I am walking to the station I will often see at least a dozen people using phones within a half mile walk. For something that is so obvious and carries a 3 point penalty, I find their brashness amazing - until you realise that there is very little chance of being caught. The only risk is that they are so unobservant that they don't notice a police car approaching them.
Now it seems to me that the likelihood of a penalty changing behaviour is proportional to both the chance and the cost of being caught.
So, if they really do believe that using phones is a menace, they need to either start catching more people (if they parked an unmarked car near me, then could get literally dozens per hour) or make the penalty much harsher (likely in terms of increased points). Otherwise the whole thing seems pointless to me (is like having one ticket inspector for the whole rail network, who can fine you a maximum of a quid, and then expecting it to deter fare dodgers). Read more
Looking for 2 new tyres for the front (currently mix of GY Excellence Rear / Hydra grip Front)
Found out hydra grips discontinued ... was going to stick with them as quite like and do the rears when they need replacing (as keeps happening when I try to match up the fronts and rears, think they discontinue on purpose !)
Started researching and found out about 4 Season tyres..... particularly the Vredetein Quatrac 3
Most interesting but cant find much advice, their site says suitable for summer / winter use so sound ideal for the extra confidence in winter.
But retailers tells me have to replace all 4 ! rears still have 3mm ... 4 corners comes in at a shade under £300 ..... quite alot !
Usual tyre places telling me Prielli P6000 are an all season etc etc ...... not sure I believe them !
Any thoughts on mixing with rear normal UK tyres ? or experiences of the quadrac 3 ,wondering how they will wear considering not a full winter tyre.
or other suggestions
I sometimes I think the internet make choice more difficult, ahh the bliss of ignorance ...... Read more
I actually used the above combinations and permutations of tyres. I was never "all over the place". The Vredesteins are good all round tyres and not extreme snow tyres.
Just considering going for a test drive in the new Megane Coupe (2.0 TCE) & wondered if anyone has any experience of it?
thanks
Simon Read more
I think for a "fun" Renault, you have to go the RenaultSport route. It's been that way for some time now.
I have yet to drive any car with electric power steering which gives even half acceptable feedback, particularly in the context of a performance car. It's fine for shopping cars and family hacks, but there it should really stay. Renault's set up is particularly horrid. Feels like half a metre of the steering column is made from condensed rubber bands.
Oh no, not another DMF question!
I've been asking around this site while trying to choose some sort of car to buy to replace an Omega with something cheap to tax and run. There are specific interior space needs, I want diesel, and ideally would prefer auto, but probably can't afford it. Above all, I want to be get something that will be reliable for as many years as possible.
I also have a scrappage vehicle, but the only new small vehicle big enough, the Nissan Note, can't take a proper spare wheel and anyway comes in just a little too expensive. Older ones are higher car tax, so I've moved up in vehicle size to Focus or Skoda Octavia.
I'm waiting to have a test drive in an Octavia. I hope to try a manual, which I understand has a dual mass flywheel, and a DSG automatic, which I have been told does not. I am a bit worried about the DSG gearbox because of my drive, which involves backing out uphill through a 90 degree turn. My current car withits torque converter is fine, but I worry about having to slip the clutch(es) in the DSG or on a DMF car.
Today I visited the local main Ford agent to look at a Focus 57 reg, just 2 years old, that they had advertised. When I arrived, I was told it was in the workshop 'being prepared'. It turned out that they were having to replace the DMF.
So, the question is... What actually causes these flywheels to fail? If I know it's a specific driving technique and there is a clear procedure to keep one reliable, I'd probably be happy to get one, but nothing I've read seems to give a specific reason for failure.
As it is, it seems really dodgy to buy any modern diesel car, yet it seems that DMF's have been used in industrial vehicles for ages. Is there any clear guidance anywhere on this? Also, is a newly fitted replacement DMF in a Focus likely to have an improved design, or is it the same as the one that has just failed?
I really am sorry to raise this same old question, and have made such a long post. V. grateful for any help.
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I too would not be happy relying on a can of gunk to repair a puncture. You cannot practice fixing a flat using gunk when you are at home in the dry, the first time you have to do it will be in less than ideal conditions, and if you get a puncture which severly damages the tyre, gunk is useless. Assuming the puncture is a very small hole in the tread or a leaky valve and assuming your gunk was not already out of date and you managed to reinflate the tyre, you then still need to get the tyre properly repaired or replaced, plus you need a new can of gunk.
A space saver spare is better than gunk because you know you have a new wheel/tyre that is good-to-go even though there are limits to how fast/far you can use it. And where do you put the punctured wheel/tyre to get it to a tyre place?
Best of all is a full size spare fully inflated.
I suspect gunk/space savers are more to do with manufactures saving money and weight than providing a better solution for the car user.
Junior is just about to start practicing on the Smart Forfour, and I want to be able to apply and remove L plates, rather than use adhesive plates and have to cover them when I'm driving. Panels are plastic: I can put a rear plate onto interior of rear screen using suction cups (won't obscure view). I was going to use magnetic tape and magnetic plates on the front, but they don't stick to each other. So I guess what I need is sticky tape with plain metal on it. Does anyone have any ideas?
Tim
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and the prize for the most innovative idea goes to FT! mind you, at this time of year, attaching and removing anything is going to result in playing with a lot of road muck!
Hello!
About a month ago I bought new Berlingo first multispace 1.6 HDI with 75 HP.
Anyway, there are some issues: Steering is not entirely kosher, servo is working but after turning it would not center steering entirely by itself - > I have to turn it to the center myself. Didn't have time yet to take it to the service.
The other issue is harshness. Engine pulls very good for 75 HP, but it is kind'a harsh, contrary to popular opinion on HDI engines. First, on idle, apart from normal diesel sound (that I don't mind at all), there is a low frequency boom - audible from inside and also fgrom outside, especially if you stand aside, about 2 to 3m from the car. Then, pulling from idle, I don't mind that he doesn't pull below cca 1500 RPM, but this is accompanied with really strong vibrations. Even when coasting with very little throttle, I can always feel engine strugling.
After that things get better, pulling very strongly from 2 to 3 thousand, but vibrations are allways there.
Is this normal behavior for this car?
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Hope some one can help ,
We have had this car for 2 years as a winter / lugaround car and it has been reliable untill now. The car will start to missfire ar random ,it feels like the car is cutting out momenteraly rather than one cylinder cutting out. I have fitted a new rotor arm and found the black anti interference cap that fits over the dizzy cap was causing a missfire ,so removed it and the car ran fine. A week later The missfire is back ,so i replaced the dizzy cap ,no difference ,i swaped leads and plugs with a known good set ,still missfireing .
The strange thing is i can watch the injector (single point )pulse extra fuel when it missfires at idle ,but cant see if this is a cause or the result of the missfire .It happens too fast. ??? Read more
you need to measure inline fuel pressure with engine running, fuel pressure on an SPI is usually between 18 & 30 psi. i would need to check my data on Monday to give you a figure. can't remember of the top of my head, must be an age thing!
I trust you have checked the servo elbow on the inlet manifold, normally melts through underside.
Are you using sechondhand leads & cap etc ? quality of leads & cap etc crucial. Have you gotr a cap with male pins in the cap where the leads plug in ? if so are the right leads fitted to the cap ?
my 318 missfires when cold seemed to clear when warm now car wont rev past 4000 rpm when warm and really bad when cold. management light on code says oxygen sensor would this be possible or is this fault code because of missfire (sooted up sensor) and i have another problem with missfire? Read more
I had an engine warning light come on several months back - steady light rather than the PULL OVER light. Took it in and it was diagnosed as a faulty EGR valve.
Being tight I bought a second-hand unit off of ebay for about £12, fitted it and everything seemed to be fine. About a month later the light came back.
Now not only am I tight but I'm also lazy. To be honest I don't like working on cars, my hands always come out from under the bonnet with less skin on them. Anyway, the EGR valve I'd put in would probably have benefited from a clean and I put the light coming back on as being the valve sticking. The car still drove normally.
As what I thought might be proof, I disconnected the battery to reset the light and looked to see how many miles I could go before it came back. I figured if the valve didn't work at all it would be back in a few miles. It was over 1000 miles before it came back so I felt happy with my diagnosis. I assumed that the valve probably stuck some days and worked others but once the light was triggered it would stay on until someone reset it again. I realised that with the light permanently on I wouldn't know about any other faults but hey.
So finally...
Several months down the line the light went off by it's own accord (no the bulb didn't blow). So what does this mean? The ECU is ignoring it based on some sort of time elapsed function or the fault has gone for long enough for it to decide to stop reporting it? Read more
www.tispol.org/quizzes-and-competitions/quizzes/ti...z
i got 5/10 :-( Read more
9/10 for me :-)
I tripped up on the effects of fitting snow chains to the rear wheels of a FWD vehicle - I thought it would at least assist grip with braking, the quiz thinks otherwise.
I wouldn't fit snow chains to only the rear wheels of a FWD vehicle anyway ;-)
Which of the cars you have owned would you rather use to make a journey in virgin snow?
I would say probably my first car, the Aggro, for its skinny tyres and lack of ABS. Although its lack of lots of other things, such as heating or crash protection, would put me off.
I drove from Gt Yarmouth back to Cambridge in January 1992 through a heavy snowstorm in an 81/W reg Cortina, along with a friend in his 89/F reg Astra SRi. I know who had more fun ;-)
Browse
There is of course an alternative answer.
Ban anything other than single seater cars, no heater system, no in car entertainment, lights that turn on and off automatically depending on the weather, and all aotomatic.
All two lane roads could be made into four lanes due to the reduced width needed and congestion would be a thing of the past. Parking wouldn't be a problem and the carbon footprint would be minimal.
The easier way would be to enforce the current law on hand held mobile phone usage, but that's too easy and until speed cameras can detect and define it, it will never happen.
Pat