August 2014
Interesting that the Telegraph recenlty in Finance pages has an article about not having to pay such non-council notices for parking on private land and includeds basic info about how to appeal.
Hope this will filter to the Motoring seciton where the advice recenlty has been to roll over and pay these charges "since the are contractual under civil law". HJ has stopped arguing that they can be defeated in his recent responses so perhaps this is a move in the right direction. Read more
Hi there, can anyone advise in how to fit a masterlock van lock to the back doors of a vauxhall combo van? I'm assuming there's only certain points you can drill through without damaging the door mechanism. Just bought the van and am worried it will be broken into for my tools! Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks Read more
If you are on about the latst shape combo, they are secure.
I presume you mean the old shape combo which has a well known, easy to break into weakness in the rear door lock....
my rev counter doesn't work, except once, the other day, yet the throttle seemed to surge up and down when it was working. What can be the cause of this? Read more
The alternator on my Honda CR-V has packed up. It looks like there's a short-circuit somewhere because it gets hot and smokes when the battery is connected.
I've got a replacement alternator, and now need to drive the car about two miles to the mechanic to get it fitted. I've got the battery charged, so will have no problem starting the car and driving it for a couple of miles without the alternator running, but I want to disconnect the alternator so it doesn't flatten the battery or (worst case) start a fire.... Read more
Many late model cars have the charge/battery warning light circuit run through the engine control unit,so disconnecting all the wiring to the alternator puts the light on.This is most common on Ford models that use a smart charge system.
I'm currently looking at buying a second hand car, and I've seen an advert for a car at a seemingly reasonable price for an 08 plate with 100k on the clock. It's been remapped, increasing the power from 115 to 143 BHP, and the seller claims this has minimised the "flat spots" - in a similar model I've driven the turbo lag was significant, very much so at lower revs. The seller is also hinting at improved fuel economy as the purpose of the remapping.
I know very little about this, but some quick searches have suggested that remapping can impact on the rest of the car, especially the clutch. The advert says a new clutch has been fitted - is this cause for concern about the impact of the remapping or something that should be taken as a positive? In general what advice is there in terms of what I should look for in this car, and the benefits and pitfalls of remapping?... Read more
In general, people who remap don't get much better fuel economy. In fact, some get worse, because they tend to use the power that is there, rather than trundling along. You don't get something for nothing. Extra BHP = extra fuel used.
The downsides of remaps ? The old owner wanted more power (say that in a Clarkson-ish voice), so how do you think they generally drove it ? Like granny coming home from church, or like a rep running late ? That MIGHT translate into more wear and tear on the engine, turbo, gearbox, suspension, etc. Also, generally on 'chipped' cars the chip means that the turbo is running more, so possibly a shortened turbo lifespan there too....
Please could someone give me the radio code for Ford Fiesta serial number M093933.
Many Thanks! Read more
Hello all. I've been before and you've given me wonderful advice before so thought I would ask again
I have a 05 Citroen Picasso 1.6 turbo diesel with 120,000 miles.
So recently the engine light has been going on and off. The esp light on and off. But recently it's stayed on. I've also noticed the brakes felt a little slippy. So I take it to my garage who says it has some fault codes. From my research I think I'm b*****ed. But I really don't have much clue as to what's going on. I have the fault codes if anyone can decipher them?
Other than the brakes I notice no difference at all in the car. I've had the whole clutch system redone recently.
Many thanks all
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With regards to the brakes. Man at garage said it had like a fork system. Which interlocks. For the abs to work. If some of the forks break it creates a hole (I'm really not describing this well. My apologies!!) so the abs kicks in.
I'm rubbish! Sorry
I have a Fiesta Climate which has Air-Conditioning .in this hot weather it does not get the airflow very cold what should it cost to have checked and what could be the possible fault? Read more
Yet another car with no windows & rubber band tyres....... if you believe artists' sketches are reality!! Read more
Please only comment if you are a qualifid mechanic
I have a renault espace which i just bought, the water pump packed up and the car boiled dry. I have replaced the pump and it is still overheating yet it is not losing water.there is no water in the oil or vice versa. Until the engine overheats it runs fine BUT AS EXPECTED GOES IN TO LIMP MODE, and will run fine until overheatin again.... Read more
Browse
Went to the gym last evening and as usual the parking was a complete shambles.
The car park is large and free so no need to complain on that basis but there are notices asking customers to park in the spaces provided and leave the drop off zone for the surprising activity of dropping off and collecting people. There are clear notices informing customers that cars not parked correctly will be subject to a charge of some description....