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LEADED PETROL: I have an older car designed to run on four-star leaded petrol. What should I be using now?  (FAQs)
Many cars with aluminium cylinder heads have been fitted with hard exhaust valve seat inserts made of chrome steel rather than cast iron. The oil companies have agreed that all UK Lead Replacement Petrol (LRP) will contain potassium instead of lead, now dosed at 10 to 12 mg per litre (which may still not be enough to properly protect the exhaust valve seats). If your car has a compression ratio of 9:1 or higher, you may find it both cheaper and safer to run your car on premium unleaded (always the same brand), octane-boosted with exactly the correct quantity of either Castrol Valvemaster Plus (phosphorus-based, from Halfords) or Millers VSP Plus or Carplan Nitrox 4-Lead (both manganese-based – the favoured additive in Canada). -
JUMP STARTING: What is the correct way to jump start a car? (FAQs)
Any protection from ill effects is actually down to the poor connection that the crock clip jump leads may provide it’s a simple as that. Don’t think that the manufacturers of vehicles or jump leads take this into consideration, they don’t, as some crock leads will provide good connections and some will provide poor connections. -
Review: Anchor charging cable (productReview)
That one that needs to be held in a specific way to work. Or the one you’ve pulled out of the wall - accidentally or otherwise - by the lead that now needs a little wiggle to get it started. And doesn’t always get through an entire charge. Typically, standard plastic leads are only designed to get through 10,000 bends and twists before they break. -
Review: Mio MiVue C330 dash cam (productReview)
The MiVue C330 features a dated Mini-USB port, a connector that isn't commonly used anymore. It comes with a moulded 12v socket on the lead, so if you want to use this with a dual USB adaptor (allowing you to charge something else from your 12v socket) you'll more than likely have to buy another lead unless you have one knocking about the house. -
Day Three Prize - CTEK MX5 Charger (Article)
"}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":8428291,"3":[null,0],"4":[null,2,16777215],"11":4,"12":0,"14":[null,2,0],"15":"Arial","18":1,"26":400}">The CTEK MXS 5.0 charges, maintains and reconditions all types of lead-acid car and motorcycle batteries. This award-winning charger will make sure your vehicle is ready to go whenever you are and it can extend battery life by up to three times. Now that’s what you call a smart Christmas gift! -
Top 10: Best Multimeters (Article)
It comes with a battery, test leads and an integrated stand, too, but the display isn’t backlit like some alternatives which could make it harder to use in dark conditions. It’s also typically more expensive than the Draper equivalent but there are sometimes good deals available, so shop around. -
Reader Offer: 12% off ALA Van GAP Insurance (Article)
ALA is one of the UK’s leading online GAP insurance provider with more than 20 years experience in the motor industr and have recently received the Honest John Highly Approved Trader award, voted for by their customers. The Offer: We've teamed up to offer DUAL MASS FLYWHEELS: What are they and why are they so much trouble?  (FAQs)
Van specialists weld together the two parts of the flywheels of Transit vans to prevent separation trouble, but this leads to very rough running. Here is a Scotia Inspections engineer's report on a failed Dual Mass Flywheel in a Peugeot 407 diesel: The dual mass fly wheel was still in situ. -
Review: Coleman Twist+ 300 lantern (productReview)
width=500&height=400" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/58a8e20849964fe78733c53b1fa175a8" /> The Coleman Twist+ 300 will recharge two electronic devices simultaneously, with a full size and micro USB socket situated at the top of the unit. When not in use, the lantern can be charged via a USB lead, which means you can recharge or top up the battery on car journeys. When fully charged, the leads can be stored in a compartment in the base of the lantern. The 3.7V lithium-ion battery provides up to nine hours of life when the maximum brightness setting is selected, but this will drop by up to a third if you start using the lantern to charge up electrical devices. -
Review: Aukey PB-C13 18000mAh jump starter pack (productReview)
However, if you shop around online, you can usually get hold of one for nearer £70 but, even then, it’s a fair bit more expensive than the traditional, huge, lead-acid battery powered jump packs. What’s it like? From the package, the jump starter comes in a carry case with a charger for a three-in socket, a 12v hook up and clips to hook it up to the car battery. -
Review: Ring RTC1000 Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator (productReview)
The 12v connector can be neatly wound away on a spindle, saving the normal tangle you get yourself into. The 3.5m lead isn’t perhaps as long as some on the market but can do the job of reaching the tyre furthest away from the in-car power supply. Much improved is the tyre valve connector which, unlike many others, is now sturdier. -
Review: Iceworks 7000 portable phone charger (productReview)
In theory that means you could use a USB C to USB micro lead to charge a non-compatible device. Or you could just buy the right one for you in the first place.Review: Mio MiVue 658 WiFi dash camera (productReview)
What’s it like? A little bit fiddly to start with as you cannot attach the power lead without first removing the rear-plastic cover. Our test camera's cover was very reluctant to come off - in fact, it had to be prised off with a screwdriver. We were very close to sending it back as we assumed the cover was faulty and jammed shut, but once it had been removed once it became much easier.Top 10: Gifts for dog lovers (Article)
Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids - and, since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. Personalised Dog Breed Lead Holder This personalised lead holder is the perfect accessory for dog owners who want to add something special to their home when it comes to their four-legged friend. Choose from over 100 different dog breeds and then just provide the chosen name.Top 10: Gifts for dog lovers (Article)
Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids - and, since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. Personalised Dog Breed Lead Holder This personalised lead holder is the perfect accessory for dog owners who want to add something special to their home when it comes to their four-legged friend. Choose from over 100 different dog breeds and then just provide the chosen name.Review: Nextbase 222 dash camera (productReview)
In the box is both an adhesive mount and a suction cup type, the latter of which we prefer. The power lead goes into the mount rather than the camera itself, which is much tidier, while the mount has one ball type adjustor for getting the camera in the right place. It means you no longer have to faff with various tighteners.Review: Wahoo TICKR Fit heart rate monitor (productReview)
However, when it comes to recharging, we found it to be quite fiddly. Unlike some other heart rate monitors, you can't simply attach a USB lead. Instead the TICKR Fit has to be magnetically attached to a dock and this can be quite fiddly as the dock is small. The lead is also quite short, which means you have to put it on the floor next to the plug or USB port it's connected to.Home care maintenance of the Year (Article)
Since it’s so small and light, it’s also far easier to use and move around than an old-fashioned, lead-acid powered jump pack. >>Read the review here CTEK MXS 5.0 Battery Charger The MXS 5.0 is an advanced microprocessor-controlled battery charger, which comes with automatic temperature compensation built-in to ensure the best charging performance, even in the most extreme conditions.Review: Mio MiVue 766 WiFi dash cam (productReview)
Video playback is really good and it's very simple to set-up. It's a pity that some essentials like the microSD card and USB lead are missing. Annoyingly, the camera isn't compatible with a standard micro USB either, which means you have to buy a specific Mio cable to connect the unit to a laptop/desktop computer to access the free MiVue Manager software and transfer video clips or overlay your trips on Google Maps, via the GPS.Review: Dyson V6 cordless vacuum (productReview)
The only nagging thing we found was the fiddly waste chamber, which can infuriate after a couple of unsuccessful minutes of trying to reattach it. However, niggles aide, the The Dyson V6 cordless is a class leading cleaning product.