September 2017
Hi... Read more
Partly a bit of silliness, partly serious.
What stuff do you always carry with you in the car? A question prompted by the fact that when I changed my car recently, I was amazed at the amount of rubbish I'd been lugging around in the old one, much of it only being there because it had been inserted at some point for a specific reason but never taken out again. Jump leads which I don't need because I've been an AA member since 1987, a dry car washing kit someone gave me years ago but which I never used, spare bulbs from previous cars going back about 15 years, any number of concise atlases which had been out of date since the Sopwith Camel lost its appeal as a mode of transport. ... Read more
Thanks to all for contributing to the topic.
Coincidentally, I've just taken everything out of the car (bar locking wheel nut key and shopping bags) because it's going into dry dock for some work, and I've ended up with two large shopping bags full of stuff in the spare bedroom....
If MOT History is advising 'front subframe damage both sides but not seriously weakened', does it need to be repaired or is it likely to be old damage that won't get any worse? -and if so why is it mentioned?
Also it states nearside rear suspension arm has slight play in a pin or bush: is this an expensive fix?
Thanks all. Again! As always :) Read more
MOT advisory information is nothing more than the opinion of the tester. Another testor may see it in a different way. There is huge discrepancy between MOT tests being carried out before it was 'online and digital' I had a vehicle fail on a long list of issues, driven a few miles down the road to another garage and within little more than an hour had an MOT pass.
Even today the MOT test lacks consistency and I see no effort from VOSA to address this. I see the MOT test is nothing more than a money making inconsistent farce.
Hi All
In need of a bit of advice on brake pad shims, hoping someone can help me out.
I started changing the front brake discs and pads yesterday evening on my Panda 1.2 Dynamic Dualogic as one disc is warped. I got to the point on the first wheel where I rotate the caliper down to hold the brake pads in place, but no matter what I did there was not enough space for the caliper to sit in it's correct position. With the brake pad shims removed the caliper falls back into place perfectly. I've pushed the piston back as far as I can, filed some of the roughness / grub off the piston mating face, wire brushed the caliper to remove all the caked on rubbish, but I still can't get the brake pads to fit with the shims.
My query is whether I actually need the shims at all? I've read that they are needed, others have said they have run without shims with no problem, I've heard they are good for heat transfer, but also heard their purpose is to silence the brakes.
I'd be grateful if some of you out there could give me your thoughts on what the shims are actually for, and whether it is safe for me to run the car without them. I could run the car for a while, wait for the brakes to wear down a bit first, then that'll give me the space needed to be able to fit them.
Many thanks in advance. Read more
This sounds a bit confusing, are you talking about trying to fit the new pads after you have fitted new discs?
If the discs have been replaced, are you sure the hub mating surface was cleaned to remove any rust before you fitted the disc? If not the disc will not be sitting in the correct position and you will end up with a warped disc in no time....
Hi All
Any chance someone could point me in the right direction of where I can get hold of some locking clips / grommets for the drivers door interior panel of my X-Type Jaguar 2.0D.... Read more
I would definitely go with genuine parts here as the female part of the fitting needs to be a tight fit,otherwise the door card will keep popping off.
After getting my white lines repainted earlier in the year and that having stopped 99% of the inconsiderate parking in our little street, one particular offender has started again, the other day, double parking his lwb mercedes van next to his car, which is in front of his house, but then obstructs me from getting in and out of my drive.
I saw a "Parking Warden" the other day on the main road nearby, who, after explaining, told me he would drive past in his camera car, no need to stop, and it would be monitored /uploaded and a ticket issued by post.... Read more
I'd rather have occassional parking issues than a destroyed social/economic fabric - be careful what you wish for.
Well said....
Further to Class Distinction above, tiresomely Mercedes offers the German market (for one, maybe others too) a range of petrol-engined E class models (shown on its German website) not available in the UK.
Also about choosing a diesel, have you not previously noted the expected materially higher maintenance costs from eventually having to replace or refurbish the various anti-pollution devices, so it is not just a question of their unsuitability for mostly short journeys? Read more
@ Chris James - most interesting, thanks for posting.
When will they tell us electric power is a health hazard?
Regarding the choice between Isuzu and Toyota pick ups.
Yes the Hilux 3 litre may well have a cambelt but its the easiest cambelt i've ever seen to do so, timed at one hours labour too so even at the main dealer @ 90k intervals its a cheap job.
No water pump to replace, don't even need to take the fan/auxilliary drive belt off, though it makes sense to check the condition of it after 90k miles i changed mine for belt and braces, the substantial cambelt only drives the camshaft and its own tensioner nothing else, all timing marks are easily seen.
6x10mm bolts removes the plastic cam cover, turn engine over via crank pulley bolt to align timing marks, 2 bolts sees the tensioner off, 1 bolt holds the idler wheel in place, replace idler wheel and tensioner, slip cambelt on, check timing marks are still in line (making sure the belt is not slack on its long run), remove grenade style clip holding tensioner spring back, belt is now tensioned, check once again timing marks are correct and you can always turn the engine over via the crank pulley bolt two revolutions to double check, refit cover, make cup of tea and acknowledge yet another brilliant design by Mr T's excellent engineers.
Landcruiser with 3 litre is same engine, I changed my own with a Gates full kit including new tensioner @ around £80, takes the aforesaid 1 hour first time, next time i reckon 40 minutes tops.
All cambelt drives should be designed like this.
I'd also dispute the auto box not being good, please try one for yourself, preferably in a 3 litre Hilux HL3 or Invincible spec. Read more
Honest John is quite correct: the EU is the European Union, the EC is the European Commission which enforces regulations and directives. Only the Commission, which is unelected, can propose EU legislation. Many Brexiteers consider the EC deeply undemocratic, if not downright anti-democratic, in its nature and operation. Google 'EU democratic deficit' and see.
WOW - looks fabulous so let's just hope reliability is good/better than its predecessors Read more
british car russian owned but maybe thats a good thing it looks ace lets hope its reliable
Don't know where you got the "Russian owned" from?...
First post on this forum. I am currently considering changing my car, and I am in the fortunate position of having around £30K to spend, but wish to buy 2nd hand, as I have no interest in paying vast amounts of depreciation on a brand new vehicle. The cars I am considering are Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake and the Audi A7/S7 and I might consider the BMW 5 Series Touring. I want something that is good looking, luxurious and has a reasonable degree of practicality about it, hence these cars are at the top of my list. I also need to be able to tow a trailier sometimes. The issue is that both the Merc and the BMW are only available in diesel (the BMW is theoretically available in petrol, but try finding one and the CLS63 AMG is excluded because it is not approved for towing), and I don't do a high mileage, around 100 miles a week to work, hence I am concerned about the dreaded DPF issue and MPG is not really an issue. Also, with disels now becoming less PC, future taxes are a possibility, so I would only consider an EU6 compliant car. Do I simply avoid all the worry about diesel and bite the bullet and buy the Audi which is available in petrol V6/V8 ? Trouble is, I like the look of the Merc a lot! I'd also be interested to hear any alternatives proposed. I'd also be interested to hear of ownership expereince of the Audi A7/S7.
Step away from the crowd - Volvo V60 3.0 T6 Polestar Estate AWD.
Real shame they don't do Jaguar XF shootbrakes with large petrol engines. If you could wait a year, the fpace with the supercharged v6 should come into your price range, may look like an SUV but it handle like a sports saloon.
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First thing that springs to mind would be a Mazda 2 1.5 Sport. Great fun to drive, nippy enough with 102bhp but still cheap to insure and will do 45mpg no bother. Normally asperated chain driven petrol engine is pretty much bulletproof if looked after and it's practical enough for most needs. The smaller 1.3 is fine if you're struggling to find a Sport near you. It's still great fun, just takes a little longer to get there.
Another great option would be a Ford Fiesta 1.6 Titanium. Shares the same floorpan and suspension as the Mazda 2 but uses the excellent and very robust Yamaha designed 1600 Zetec SE motor that's been in use since the mid 90's. 118bhp, great handling, loads of toys and again 45mpg without much effort. The 1.4 is a good choice too again if you can't get a good example of the 1.6. It's just a smaller version of the same excellent engine.
The Suzuki Swift is another cracking little car but you're stuck with the 1.2 if you must have 5drs. The 1.6 Sport is 3dr only but a total hoot to drive. Well liked by the trade and punters alike, it's a good little car if you can cope with 3drs or a smaller engine and 5drs.