April 2024

NBUK

Hi,

I am new to UK and just now try to drive on motorway.
A few days ago I entered to slip road to M60 at Manchester towards Preston.
At the entrance of the slip road, a panel display speed limit of 40 mph. I thought it should be the speed at the motorway (smart motorway) as well. Once I approached the motorway, I saw all people driving at 60-70mph.

Could I ask if the speed limit is only for the slip road? And at what speed should I merge to motorway.

Thanks for helping Read more

badbusdriver

If there is a variable speed limit on the slip road for 40, the traffic on the motorway will also be restricted to 40, so there shouldn't be any significant differential in speed. The next variable speed limit on the motorway (i.e. the first one the person joining the motorway will see for the whole motorway) may be higher, as the reason for the reduced limit is a large amount of merging traffic.

I'd hope the control systems for the overhead gantries would be sophisticated enough to match the speed limits on slip road displays and those on the motorway, but they may rely on people in the control room not making an error....

Stackman II

Sadly my Audi A4 convertible died last weekend.

The car was a 2009 final edition, one of the last A4 convertibles before the A5 came in. It had a 2.0 TFSi turbo petrol engine, good for around 200hp.... Read more

Metropolis.

The older types of refrigerant were definitely colder!

hojojo

I’m gearing up for a trip to Portugal and stumbled upon a debate about dashcam use there. It seems they’re not allowed due to privacy concerns, and you could even face penalties for having one. However, I’ve heard mixed things about whether this applies to visitors in the same way as residents. If anyone has navigated this situation before, your advice would be invaluable as I plan my journey. Read more

skidpan

It’s a tricky situation for visitors to Portugal who might be used to using dashcams in their own country.

Not really, just unplug it....

De Sisti

Want to know how long AI predicts your car will last? Have some fun with the following link.

https://autopredict.co.uk/ Read more

De Sisti

So -was this an April fool or not?

Perhaps only the OP will know. But with access to DVLA records and MoT results it must be statistically fairly simple to concoct logical, if probably inaccurate, conclusions.

I pinched the link from a cycling forum that I frequent. Using the link, I uploaded details of a couple of my previous vehicles (I have only ever owned six, as I keep them as long as possible), and some of the results were surprising. Two of them that have no recent mot history were deemed to last between a further three-to-five years. Yes, I know, utter nonsense; so I uploaded the link for a bit of fun, knowing that the keen petrol/diesel/ev enthusiasts on this forum would enjoy playing with it.

Zongalero

Hi would a single accident knock your No Claims Bonus once or twice please.... Read more

Bromptonaut

I'd expect them to treat it as one claim but an at fault accident may increase the underlying premium before NCD is applied.

littleonexo

Hi there, I just had the misfortune of blowing a tyre on a pot hole at 2am. RAC quoted up to 4 hours just to tow me home, so after the tyre repair kit failed, I got a 24 hour mobile tyre replacement service out.

After replacement the tyre pressure warning wouldn’t go away, and eventually on the way home this changed to “TPW NOT AVAILABLE”. It was only after resetting the tyre pressure as “ok” that I realised this message means the car thinks I have a spare wheel on, which I don’t. The PSI was set to 32 when it should have been 33 (which I didn’t realise at the time) - could that be the cause?

The car drove home fine but just a bit worried now (but equally reluctant to shed out anymore than the £300 already lost - wish me luck with my council pot hole claim!!)

TIA.

P.S. please be kind if I’m being stupid - not a pleasant experience for a lone female in the middle of the night in the pouring rain! Read more

elekie&a/c doctor

Don’t think that’s going to fix the problem. As already suggested, tpms valve is likely to have been damaged, either by the blow out or the tyre fitter .

tbg

hello all

The wifes 2014 kia soul 1.6 petrol has just shown a yellow oil light ,upon checking the level level was on low so it has been topped up but still the light remains indicating ( according to a quick search ) oil pump or sensor issues . However I did come across the possibility that once topped up go for a 3 mile ish drive to try to build up oil pressure , is this a valid option or will it cause more problems .... Read more

elekie&a/c doctor

Think I’d be getting the actual oil pressure tested with a gauge , and move on from there .

Colin Bicknell

Just bought low mileage B180 2017 & think Im going to need 4 new tyres on the car. As no spare tyre I think Ill need run flats

Tyres on the car are 225 40 R18 92Y... Read more

elekie&a/c doctor

You didn’t go with run flats , but did it have them fitted ?

SMConn

Is there a Web page that outlines the small/medium cars about 5-6 years old?

Looking for reviews and user input. Constrained by width of driveway so size important sadly (width between sides of 2 house walls). Read more

badbusdriver

I think the dimensions on this site are excluding mirrors (rather than with them folded) and with them extended. However in the OP's case that will make no difference (unless planning to push the car into the space!) as the car will (presumably) be reversed in using the mirrors to get as close to the wall on the passenger side as possible, then opening the drivers door to get out.

Narrowest "conventional" car I can think of is the Kia Picanto at 1595mm (the Picanto's sister car, the Hyundai i10 is 65mm wider)....

Derek Giltenan

my volvo s40 has red warning light on dash saying PASSENGER DOOR OPEN when the door is shut. Button pops back up when car tries to auto lock as i pull away.

the doors will shut when key is out of ignition... Read more

Andrew-T

Could be a broken wire in the door shut between the body and the door frame .

Seems unlikely that several wires have broken ? There must be a plug connector somewhere between door and car which may need attention ?