September 2011
I will kick off another of these, as they get tend to get very lengthy.
Today, on the M6, coming out of Forton services, I saw a green QTvan being towed by a sort of motor-trike thing with a shell on it to shield the driver from the rain I suppose. The trike thing was also painted green! Read more
My focus (x reg, mk1 1.8 petrol) passed its MOT (2 years in a row now) and the CO reading on fast idle for the emmission test was 0.29, with the limit being 0.30. Its been close to the limit on CO fast idle for the past few years too. Is this normal or does it mean that the carburettor/injectors.. are on its way out? All the other readings are well within limit. I'd be interested to see what readings others on here are getting for CO fast idle on a petrol car?
The brake pads are on about 30% tread so will be looking to replace them but I would like to attempt it myself. The only oncern is pushing the calipers back to fit the new pads. Can I use a g clamp for this and do I need to replace the disks at the same time (they're about 50% worn)? Read more
The brake pads are on about 30% tread so will be looking to replace them but I would like to attempt it myself. The only concern is
Thats not something you ever want to read.
We've had 'Lemon of the Year' which dealt primarily with engineering arguments but what about this. The most pointless car?
By pointless i mean a car which seems to do nothing that another car even in the manufacturers own range cant do. A car which tries to do everything but ends up doing nothing well as a result. A car made purely for style and compromises on function.... Read more
The Continental GT is fantastic, i'd have one of those but if you're referring to the new SUV they're planning on then thats just Bentley's belated entry into the bling SUV market. About 10 years too late but it'll still walk out of showrooms.
2007 (07) Toyota Prius
I recently confirmed on here that my workplace was changing its fleet cars very soon, and indeed that has been the case and on Wednesday i decided to use one for my trip to some pointless presentation conferance thingmejig, but we dont care about that, you want to hear about the car! Now its no secret that im no greenie, i dont read the Guardian, i dont agree with most of the claptrap spoken about global warming and im definately not a fan of anything proclaiming itself to be an 'eco car' but for the purposes of this ive put my prejudices in a box and decided to develop my opinion on what its like as a car, and nothing else. Im also going to attempt to be fair to it and not compare it to the 230+bhp S-Type i usually drive too much.... Read more
They usually only have one drive axle though Bobbin!
4x4 drivetrains are horrible. Having the engine drive the front and an electric motor drive the rear can give four wheel drive without the awful drivetrain.
I'm not having much joy with this search. There's a property on the Hoseasons run site, but its a bit basic.
Any suggestions will be most welcome - thanks. Read more
Out of interest I've just Googled 'holiday cottage Strasbourg' and got quite a lot of possibilities - have you tried this already?
'P' Reg Renault Laguna (2ltr Automatic) - Leaving work in heavy rain, switched on lights, fan and radio, central locking working fine, wipers, internal and external lights all fine... after about a hundred yards the fuel gauge dropped to 'nil' even though I have about half a tank on board. I checked the fuse panel and cant see a fuse that refers to the fuel gauge. As far as I can tell everything else is working fine... HELP! Read more
The next thing to check is the connector on the fuel level sensor on the top of the tank and to measure the resistance on the sensor. Regards Peter
Thanks Peter. I wouldn't know where to start looking for the sensor you mentioned. Does the car need to be 'in the air' or can I get access to the sensor on my own?? I was hoping that I could avoid garage costs and associated risks... I am new to the area and I really haven't got a clue about local mechanics. Been stung badly in the past and as soon as they realise the limits of my knowledge on the matter, it appears to be 'open season' on my wallet. Any advice would be gratefully received......
Hi I have an issue on short journeys I have to top up radiator reservoir about cup full. on long journeys its fine. no water in the sump so thats ok no visible leaks any suggestions Read more
Bathtub Tom makes a good point. The other side of this is I have known a fill mark be set too high. Assuming we are talking about a transparent fill reservior, why not see if the lower level stays put? If it does - leave it at the lower level.
The other points are rather less likely, a cold not hot leak (usually the other way round for cracks in castings etc) and just perhaps, a stiff sealing ring on the pressure cap that softens and makes a better seal when hot. New caps are cheap so try one.
Given the choice between taking my own 2004 2 litre petrol Mondeo on holiday or renting an underpowered but new 1.8 Insignia petrol, what should I do ? Read more
Prescott, god bless 'im, reminds me when he speaks of Eric Morecambe's piano playing technique, as described by Eric as '..I can play all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order..'
my speedometer on my instrument panel is not working and have checked the three pin plug and its connected properly. I have had the cluch set renewed but cant see what the problem is can anyone left Read more
I got a fiat punto auto 1.2 dynamic and the main key would not start the car and when i try to lock it close and open strait away. The spare key starts the car fine.
heeelllppp please Read more
Thank you I will try
Just saw a Bentley Continental GTC convertible. I have never seen one of those before; had to look that one up! It was dark silvery grey and they had the top down as it's a nice day here.