December 2003
OK BR, I need your advice - apologies it's a long one.
Last Tues night I had to call out the RAC to sort my flooded engine. They couldn't fix it so arranged a recovery next morning to the indy garage that has serviced it previously. Called them first thing, they're stacked and closed the next day so called RAC prior to collection, to re-direct it to another indy where a pub pal is chief mechanic. Get a call from first garage to ask why my car has been delivered. Call RAC, they say sorry and take it to the right place.
Second garage say they haven't got the diagnostics so it's going to third garage.
Next day pick it up from third garage and after a couple of miles I escape heavy traffic and I realise that the auto box isn't kicking up. Take it next morning back to second garage to explain. It's now Friday - they say they'll get it to a transmission specialist on Monday (today)
Today I call and am told that transmission specialist is closed as owner has done his back in and won't open until 5th Jan so I get it sent back to the indy who has serviced it.
They have just rung to say that the box could be shot and they don't repair them and a new box is in the region of £2,500. Pause for suitable swear words.....I have now arranged for the RAC to come out and inspect and give their opinion but this is shaping up to be right royal 'mare.
Practical advice gratefully received Read more
On the way to Stansted this morning at around JCN 2 of the M25 I caught sight of a multitude of brake lights in the distance and immediately expected mayhem to ensue. What happened next was that various matrix signs illuminated and a much larger version flashed a warning "stranded vehicle ahead". It appeared the incident had only just happened so I was pleasantly surprised at just how quick the response was. I believe the extra information provided as to the nature of the incident was very helpful in:
a) convincing those ahead to slow down (let's face it we've all seen numeric matrix signs flashing for no apparent reason and many people now seem to ignore them) and
b) alerting everyone to the type of incident we were approaching.
I've now idea how much these things cost but I'd like to see more of them in use. Read more
Let's hope that Paul McKenna never gets hold of the controls for these signs.
Well, no, actually.
A Toyota Corsa.
Really .... www.ramadbk.com/stock/7763.html
Any other different manufacturers using the same name in different markets? Read more
OK, I only started posting a short while ago so apologies for butting in with stupid questions, but....
Who or what is SWMBO?
And does anyone know any other useful abbreviations? There must be some amusing ones to justify a thread?
I've worked out BR, by the way (sorry: btw). Read more
Motoring??
I thought not.
In the interests of performance and fuel economy, after 40 years of accumulating tools (and junk!) in my toolbag in the boot, I've taken out all but what I consider to be essential. I am now left with jack, torque wrench and sockets for wheelnuts and spark plugs, single-use camera in case of an accident, torch, AA membership card, and mobile phone. I hope I'm not tempting providence!
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature. Read more
Socket set, assorted spanners and screwdrivers, warning triangle, spare bulbs and squegee/ice scraper
Oil,LHM, five litres water, screenwash additive and an emptied and rinsed trigger pack (ex Muscle Kitchen cleaner) containig water/detergent mix for use with squegee to clean unswept glass.
{Thread moved from Technical Matters. DD}
Hi all.
Today I discovered a really \'cool\' feature on our Ford Focus. If you hold the Odometer reset button in whilst starting the engine until tESt is displayed, push it again and bUlb will appear and all of the dash bulbs will light up. If you keep pushing it and drive, you will discover that the odometer is now a digital speedometer and shows the needle to be about 3mph out at 30mph. You can push it again and get a digital rev counter and then it starts going weird. There is then a display saying \'EO\' and then numbers which fluctuate. I presume that this is Exhaust Emissions as the numbers vary according to engine speed. Then there are others which I have no idea what they do such as \'ILL\' and so on. Basically though, the odometer is now a computer interface. GO On ....TRY IT!
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After death, hair grows but phone calls tend to taper off Read more
Anyone with a Volvo that has a HU-803 head unit fitted will find that this little baby has an extensive in-built diagnostic function that also includes a digital speedometer.
www3.sympatico.ca/p_bruno/volvo/AudioSystemHU803Hi...f
Although only available in kph, I found it to be incredibly accurate from 'time over distance' calculation.
(Why does it exist at all? To be used in conjunction with the db display to the right hand side of it that indicates automatic volume control trigger speeds)
If you get bored over the Christmas period, you can play this traffic light game.
It's not that easy!
www.phy.ntnu.edu.tw/java/trafficControl/trafficCon...l Read more
The RTA one is as good, I am going to experiment with some red wine tomorrow.
I managed to cause an accident with the traffic light one. The computer gave a very sad little bleep when it happened. Cannot replicate it though.
I've got a Ford Scorpio (2.9 12V, Estate, 1995) which is still going well, but the aircon has had it - for the sake of argument, let's say £500 of work needed.
I can live without it, as to me it doesn't seem worth spending that amount of money on something which isn't essential on a car which isn't worth much more than a grand.
But - when I come to trade in or sell, what if any difference would this make?
Also - if I chose to hand the car back to the finance company (having paid more than half the HP) would they be likely to penalise me for this?
Thanks Read more
Pretty much what I thought - and I like the comment about pretending to check everything. Thanks.
My '95 M Xantia 1.9TDLX of 162k is about to cost me more than it's worth - Heater Matrix, Clutch, 2 Tyres, Tax - about £1k.
Do I fix it, or bin it & buy something else? I can stretch to 3k and would consider the auctions. I do about 35k so need a diesel and it needs to be at least Xantia size to ferry the family about the country. Previously had an old shape A6 2.5TDI 140 (6 speed) - A nice car, but my money will only get me a N or P reg. Possibly 406, but then it's the same mechanicals as the Xantia's in a prettier, more expensive car.
Looking for VFM & reliability over looks. Any suggestions?
Read more
Just to give you an idea, Simon, I had a prang in my ZX last Friday which wrote it off. Needing a car for work, I went onto Fish4cars the same evening and came away with a 1990 G Nissan Bluebird 1.6LX 5-door hatchback, 1 owner from new, electric everything, towbar, electric sunroof, not a mark on it anywhere, MoT'd from 28Dec03 - £180. Yes, I did say one hundred and eighty pounds. And not a thing wrong with it. That was from a private seller in Southend. If you look around carefully enough, deals can be had.
I was probably lucky, but if you want to go the route of changing your car look in the small ads and avoid dealers unless you want to pay over the odds.
I appreciate that many of you are disagreeing with me, but small ads don't always equate to bangers equating with huge costs.
Hi...
I had a new car stereo for Christmas last year and just one day before the year long manufacturer's guarantee runs out, it has gone wrong!
The front wont stay connected to the unit sufficiently enough for it to work, and on the rare occasion that I can get it to stay, one bit of acceleration and it's all quiet again.
I've got the receipt and the manufacturers guarantee, but it looks as though I forgot to register the guarantee in the excitement of Christmas. Is it still valid or will they laugh me out of Halfords later?
Thanks
Read more
Normally the replacment unit is against the original purchase date as you do not have a new receipt for the new fridge. You can try your luck and use the registration card. Regards Peter
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It went on a loader, I wasn't there at the time but my builder and the contract recovery guy both commented on it having leaked what they thought was anti-freeze - I'm going to check the area where it was when the RAC was working on it prior to recovery but it was on grass and we've had some heavy rain in the last few days.