Earlier Thursday on the A34 heading north from Newbury I saw a Winnebago type motorhome towing a small car behind it. (Obviously to use as alternate transport when the bago is parked up on the camp site). Can't remember what the car was, but it got me thinking. All four wheels were on the ground and I was wondering if it had a digital odometer, would it still clock up the mileage if the electrics were turned off?
If so, then surely when it comes to selling said car, although the running gear will have covered the accumulated mileage, the engine wouldn't have.
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I think I saw the same rig a week or so ago on the A303. It was a Winnebago the size of Luxembourg with a Renault Clio in tow on some sort of rigid tow bar.
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If power is off then odo won't operate.
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In reply to buster cambelt,
I initially thought it was a Saxo, but I didn't pay that much attention at the time. Was the car you saw being towed blue in colour?
In reply to Aprilia,
You're correct. I tried it in my Vectra this morning. Dropped it into neutral, turned the ignition off and coasted for a short while. Odometer reading was still the same when I started the engine back up.
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You're correct. I tried it in my Vectra this morning. Dropped it into neutral, turned the ignition off and coasted for a short while. Odometer reading was still the same when I started the engine back up.
Please don't let this catch on...
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Please don't let this catch on...
I don't intend to. Although the road was virtually straight, the steering was very heavy without the p/s running.
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Although the road was virtually straight, the steering was very heavy without the p/s running.
And with the steering lock on? ;-)
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And with the steering lock on? ;-)
Could that have been the reason my steering felt so heavy then?
;o)
Seriously though, I couldn't remove the key even if I had wanted to. Only way I can do that would have been to put the auto box into P. Not advisable at 50 mph.
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Thought it was yellow but it was early in the morning...
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Thought it was yellow
Maybe more than one around then ;o)
Saw Billy Connolly on tv the other night towing his trike on the back of a canary yellow landrover in a similar fashion.
Now there's a colour that doesn't match the vehicle if ever I saw one.
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Aren't all speedo's and odometers usually gearbox driven either by direct cable or sensor and electronic pulse? Thus if the vehicle isn't in gear, no increase will be recorded regardless of whether it is a mechanical or digital odo.
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Aren't all speedo's and odometers usually gearbox driven either by direct cable or sensor and electronic pulse? Thus if the vehicle isn't in gear, no increase will be recorded regardless of whether it is a mechanical or digital odo.
Yes however the pick up is on the gearbox output therefore will be active based on the wheels turning irespective of whether the vehicle is in gear.
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Aren't all speedo's and odometers usually gearbox driven either by direct cable or sensor and electronic pulse?
No. some are now driven from the abs sensor on one of the rear wheels.
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So, what would happen if the vehicle was towed being towed backwards? :-)
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The mileage in mine unwinds when I reverse.
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Electronic odo will accumulate mileage whether going forwards or backwards - so long at the power is switched on.
Old-fashioned cable odo's will (mostly) subtract mileage when going backwards and will work even if the power is off.
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Going in reverse doesn't subtract mileage on a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder. 8-)
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Well, I did qualify with 'mostly', didn't I - some mechanical odo's do only go forwards.
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Going in reverse doesn't subtract mileage on a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder. 8-)
Ferris Bueller's day off?
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Back to the original post - you see this a lot in the US. Small cars towed behind Winnie's. Great idea given the size of the Winnie and the likely distance travelled.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Many years ago (1978) I had to move 600 miles for work, and had a Mark IX Jaguar and an Austin A30. I made an A-frame for the A30 and bolted it to the bumper mountings. This connected to the Jaguar's towbar. I travelled the distance with no trouble, including a half-way trip on a car ferry. The A30 just followed along, self-steering. I bet it was the only time an A30 did 80mph.
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