September 2016
I live on a 20 zone road, the problem with this one and all others is they are never enforced, in fact regional forces stated they would enforce them.
Last year a government statement said they should be enforced but nothing has happened and our Norfolk constabulary still states it wont enforce them.
Which begs the question , what is the point of instigating them in the first place.
The second problem is that because of the total lack of any effort to implement any speeding curbs in 20 zones and the fact that all drivers/riders know it they are abused in a way even 30 zones would not be, to a degree that on some occasions beggars belief.
In the past I had a brief motor sport period and worked with racing motor cyclists, I am not in general one for endless speed limits, I am also very aware of the speed some are doing in my 20 zone a road with pavement on one side and a natural pinch point making it quite narrow, and there is a junior school at one end.
None of the above along with the useless bumps that are simply straddled stops people from driving anywhere up to 50 + on a regular basis including vans and trucks and bikes, and we have superbike visitors at weekends who treat it as a challenge and have definitely been doing 70 which is enough in a sane world to have them locked up.
The question has to be asked why do the police and safety cameras ignore 20 zones, they happily police on a regular basis a wide commuter road that runs parallel with our 20 zone and so do the camera vans, no problem with resources at those sites, I doubt very much that this story cannot be replicated across the country Read more
Crazy money for something that will in all likelihood be as unreliable as its predecessors. For as long as I can remember, LR "spokespersons" have been spouting the line that the unreliability reputation is unfair and part of the past. They should be judged on current models. So take a look at HJ's car-by-car reviews. No change, other than the prices being multiples of what they used to be and having far outstripped inflation, currency changes and every normal measure.
They couldn't even get the work horse Defender fault-free after nearly 70 years but it was still their most reliable vehicle. Now it has gone, to be replaced by something the marketing department wants but working folk don't.
Definitely room in the market for someone to come in there - with a reliable, solid, SWB working truck to replace the 90. Already lots of pickups taking the place of 110s.
Meanwhile, get a Kia instead of Disco. Read more
Had my T6 optimised and it has made it much smoother and tractable. Having traded a v8 jaguar I was wanting that easy pull from low down.The s90 polestar defineitely delivers a relaxed pull from low revs and still goes feral up when you hoof it. Make the on and off throttle responses far more predictable. Read more
Re Cat's pause - 3rd September 2016
I had a similar problem to DH with a 2000 1.4 Fabia a few years ago. A fast motorway run followed by idling at an exit junction brought up a warning light followed by 'lumpy' running when pulling away. Filling up with higher octane petrol definitely cleared the problem. ... Read more
Hi, i recently bought a new car and the radio needs a code. i was supplied with one but it doesn't seem to work.
If anyone can help that would be greatly appreciated. The SN is M232667... Read more
The code should be 1101
Have taken my private reg off car and been given a new reg but they do not issue a new mot but old mot has old reg on what do I do. Read more
Have just had old mot transferred onto new reg but they do not replace old mot which is still in the old reg but is on dvla database.
How is it possible to drive across town without making a turn signal. I can't do it for the life of me, yet most other drivers find it real easy. I have tried really hard but still I can't help myself. I just find it impossible not to use my indicators in a timely and correct manner.
Is there something wrong with me? Is my car the only one with indicators installed and working? Maybe my indicating is a kind of motoring Turettes. Do I need indicator management therapy to bring me into line with the majority? I am a freak. A car will fail an MOT for busted indicators so I know they must be important. Help.... Read more
Currently I find the worse offenders are Audi drivers. And they are the worse tailgaters!
The most dangerous though are people on the school run! They adopt this irritating "I am a parent and me and my child are more important than anything else" attitude. This means that for them the Highway Code does not exist, they pull in and pull out without using either mirrors or indicators, they concentrate on anything (talking with little Tyrone, talking on their mobile, drinking their "To go" coffee, etc) rather than the road and traffic. Driving during the school run is not recommended for those of a nervous disposition!
My '06 Avensis seems to have developed a terminal engine issue so I'm keeping an eye out for a replacement. I've enjoyed having a car this size (no family to transport, but plenty of space has been very handy). Can anyone recommend me good alternatives to keep my eye out for (clearly still keeping my eye on Avensis) I'm looking to spend around £3,000-£4,000 and want something the right size and reliable, anything else is a bonus.
It seems like I can find Skoda Octavias for around £3,500 at fairly low mileage 09/10 plates, anything else I should keep in mind? Read more
How many miles do you cover in a year and what sort of driving do you do? If you're not doing regular long runs and it's mostly local stop start running then forget buying a modern particulate filter equipped diesel.
Petrol versions of the Avensis and Octavia are pretty hard wearing if hardly exciting and both a capable of 150k and more as long as you remember to change the timing belt and water pump on the Skoda every four years regardless of mileage. The Avensis uses a chain so there's no worry of a belt snapping but they do need annual oil changes to ensure the supply of good oil to the chain otherwise it can stretch or snap so avoid any without a full history.
Both diesels are good but again particulate filters, particularly on the Skoda are commonplace. The old 1.9 diesel was never designed with this troublesome technology in mind and both need a full service history without exception! Forget any neglected diesels run on a shoestring budget no matter how cheap they seem, there's just too much to go wrong. So much so at this age i'd avoid them and stick with petrol.
Another option is the previous gen Ford Mondeo with the 2.0 petrol engine which is comfortable, cheap to buy, spacious and pretty vice free along with being far nicer to drive than either of the above. Avoid at all costs the Peugeot 1.6 diesel which is notoriously troublesome. The 2.0 diesel is fine but suffers the usual particulate filter problems and failed dual mass flywheels are common beyond 70k costing £1,000-£1500 depending on who's quoting.
I am curious as to what happened to your current Avensis though? It's not common to hear of terminal engine failure on them. I've ran several and sold plenty more and never seen an issue other than failed ignition barrels on Mk I's which was an easy enough fix.
Rather than muddle this with the spare wheel thread, I think it'll be interesting toi take up Engineer Andy's challenge to those of us who enjoy advising on buying a new car.
If I've got the message right, Andy, you want something no bigger - ideally smaller - than your Mazda 3 but with plenty of room for luggage. As you rightly imply, there are a lot of small cars around which can seat a family of four but haven't a hope of taking their luggage if they want to go away in the car.... Read more
skoda rapid / seat toledo - huge boot and good rear leg room, car looks longer than it is
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A few weeks ago the central locking on my Fiat 500 stopped working. I replaced the fuse, which seemed to fix the issue. However, the fuse has now blown again. Any ideas on the cause and what might be needed to fix it?
Maybe a daft question, but is this something any garage would look at or would I need to take it somewhere specialist? Read more
Possibly wire shorting somewhere.Most common issue on these is the wiring fractured/broken where it runs from the body to the tailgate,through the rubber tube.May be an idea to take it to an auto electrical specialist.
I have no problem with 20mph limits being imposed, in suitable areas. Blanket application is resulting in drivers ignoring them when not time limited or covering areas without good reason.
Around schools is fine in school hours, at weekend, in school holidays why are they there?
In my local road they have been applied the limits, there are 2 schools. Before and after school when children are arriving and leaving it is impossible to travel at more than 10mph. Yet local people insisted the limit was applied.
It is about time some one in our government was brave enough to impose additional tests to raise the standard of driving. Why do insurance companies give up to 20 per cent reduction on premiums when a person has an advanced qualification?