November 2023
I bought my first car in spring 1964, our first year in Canada. It was a red Morris 1100 a couple of years old, which the owner had bought for the advantage of (then fairly new) FWD, rallying on icy roads. It took us 40,000 miles around north America, until we returned to the UK 3 years later.
We stuck with BLMC cars through the 1970s, usually buying about two years old, never new, sometimes privately but usually from independent traders. Because I did basic maintenance the cars rarely gave trouble serious enough for any warranty claim, and I have never done that, because I am a fairly careful buyer and I accepted that cars a few years old cannot reasonably be expected to be faultless – especially back then :-). More than once I have saved money by deleting a trader's used-car warranty from his selling price.... Read more
Right then, because I'm on a very truncated budget (times is hard and all that) and my locking wheel nut key is currently trapped in my glove box which appears to be permanently closed. Is there a way to get a replacement key/nut without being scalped by the main dealer?
As an aside this is made a little bit urgent as apparently my MOT is due in January Read more
Deffo, there is wine gums too
I have a major service approaching which I’d like to get done within a month, 3 months before the anniversary of MOT.
Am thinking of having the MOT done at the same time , which saves visits to the garage and takes advantage of a “Service with MOT” deal.
I keep reading that you can only have an MOT done a month early. That’s indeed true if you are keen to preserve the existing anniversary date-but I’m not.
Another option is to wait a further 3 months - couple of thousand miles down the line at max-then get service and MOT done together in late Feb.
What’s best?
Read more
Very helpful replies-thanks. I think I’ll have the service and the MOT done in Feb.
That is if I’m not persuaded to trade in the car without the service or the MOT by 28/2-but that’s another story!
Watch this space
Anyone know if these forks can be (reversibly) stripped further?
forumosauploads-12829.kxcdn.com/optimized/3X/3/9/3...g... Read more
Standard Issue Fantasy
spark plugs are presently at 75000 miles
i ment to change them sooner but forgot. took one out yesterday to check identification, the condition looked okay i guess.... Read more
thats good to hear. cheapest replacements i can find are£50 for four.
i'm old enough to remember a pound a plug
Mini marvels!
10 of the best Japanese Kei campervans.... Read more
Love 'em.
With so many cars are now having options to drive autonomously on motorways, I wonder whether it will make sense to provide an indicator light (like brake light) to make following vehicle aware that it is being driven without active driver input.
When using adaptive cruise control in motorways, I have observed some following drivers get impatient when the car slowly speeds up - they can't wait and overtakes to fill the space between my car and the car I was following. Then my car slows down further to keep the gap - until next impatient driver fills the gap again.... Read more
Platooning is how it is referred to.
The dual mass has been playing up, seems to be running ok at the moment but has made the usual noises of a bad one recently. The thing is I need to try and MOT it this week and cant get it into a garage for repair until a while after.
So the question is - will the high revs that are done for the emissions test risk disturbing the flywheel? Many thanks. Read more
So the question is - will the high revs that are done for the emissions test risk disturbing the flywheel? Many thanks....
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Good advice. Our 'last of the line' model, a 2019 Peugeot 2008 1.2 puretech130 EAT6 Allure Premium is now 4yrs old, their early engine problems resolved. Cost £17,000, well below 'list' as they were trying to shift them before the new shape 2008 appeared. ...