February 2005
I know this is important. It will in the fullness of time affect all vehicle owners. It is important. It is coming SOON.
tinyurl.com/6lr67
Now I have tried reading and making sense of it and each time I fall asleep.
What is all about?
Right, (gets a grip of oneself) another go...
zzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
DVD
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Hi all,
I am putting a new cd player into a Mk3 fiesta when I removed the old one from the car there is a grey/yellow wire, coming from the car loom end not the radio, which isn't connected to anything. Not sure if it should be it's been stripped and just hanging bare. Does anyone know what it is for. I've worked out it's not a speaker cable.
Thanks as always
Steveo Read more
Many Thanks for the reply.
Hi I am intending to get my BMW 5 series 2000 V serviced at an independent garage - is it possible to reset the service indicator yourself? I have a friend with a 1999 Mercedes C-class who reset the service light by pushing the trip computer button in a certain series of ways. Read more
Had a quick look and found this page. Can't get it much simpler than that. The page mentions building a special jump with with resistors etc, and I suppose that would be safer, but I just used one of the leads from my multimeter tester.
www.unofficialbmw.com/e36/electrical/e36_reset_ser...l
Seat Toledo. 2.0 sport. 40,000 miles. R reg. One owner from new. Full service history. I know the guy so its all cosher.
Wants £1,600 for it. I say bargain. Comments? Read more
Like others have said it's an OK price but not an amazing one.
If you are in the market for a car and this one suits you then by all means go for it - you know it's history and that it's been well looked after. It's no cast iron guarantee of it's future reliability but a hell of a lot less of a risk than buying one off ebay/trader/local rag.
I know there have been previous BR threads on this topic, but why do the ad agencies who advertise cars and car-related products continue to treat us as simple-minded morons?
Recent offenders:
The Vauxhall Corsas running around and playing silly games. I get the feeling that Vauxhall ads over the last few years are in the hands of agencies who are being paid back-handers by other manufacturers. (TIC comment).
The Mitsubishi Colts playing football.
The Citroen C4 that turns into a dancing robot.
The Volvo ad with people having inane conversations about space suits, life on Mars etc.
The people acting like cretins who ring up and ask ?Quote me Happy?
I know people will say that at least they?ve made an impact and I remember the brands advertised, but all that?s happened is that the ads have portrayed a totally negative image of their product. There is no way that I would even consider buying any of the above products.
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If you think about it, we are here with lots of people reading this and the names of Norwich Union, Mazda et al are all being discussed. Effectively just writing their nmes down here is subliminally advertising them. When people come to get quotes for their cars you can bet in 90% of cases people will include a quote from the company they have heard of most often. (Other inteligent people who have also contributed to this discussion will quite rightly avoid them on principle but the majority rule.
Think about it. With Washing powder for example people will talk at work about how DIRE the latest advert is but they will be mentioning the brand time and time and time again.
That is my theory anyway!
I live in Italy and drive a 1993 Espace. In the last five years I have had to change the starter motor every year. Each time the specialist auto-electrics garage I go to shows me the motor he has just removed has seized up with rust. I find it incredible that the same problem recurs so frequently. I have never come across such a problem with any other vehicle I have owned in 35 years of driving.
Has anybody else had the same problem and have they managed to cure it.
dhcj Read more
I would find it strange.Do they fit a reconditioned unit.Or new..Some recons only give 6 month warranty..New. country dependent of which no idea.May be 12month..Your comment suggested you was being shown a starter.whether it was from your car is another thing? I would be weary on whether it was yours.Unless you see it removed yourself?
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Steve
I'm struggling to get 40mpg out of an Accord diesel tourer (2004)
The car replaced a VW Passat which gave 42-44 under the same conditions, given that the Honda diesel is state of the art I'm surprised to say the least.
Any one else getting below par mileage figures on this engine? Read more
How do you enrich the fuel on a diesel?
The Holden Panel Van.
Was watching a motoring programme on Australian TV last night and I was interested to see how young kids are grabbing up old 60's and 70's panel vans, rebuilding them, dropping a big-inch V-8 in there, lots of chrome, nice airbrushed murals, bed, TV, dog, surfboard, nylon upholstery, w.h.y in the back, and just tanking up and taking off with the g/f where the mood takes them.
Brought back memories of my own 27,000 miles 6 months' odyssey round Highway One, across the Nullarbor (before it was surfaced fully) and the Barclay Highway in a A$150 1955 Holden FJ (6 cyl, 6v electrics, Toyo recap tyres, boiled all the time and never stopped once) in...was it really 1969?. It was possible to live in your vehicle and lots did. Froze near to death in a Canberra winter (no heater)and got scared out of my wits across the N. Territory, where you just hoped you were following the right set of tyre tracks in the dirt. And the longest day's drive I've ever done - 950 miles up to Darwin from Halls Creek or Tennant Creek -- can't recall..
Holden invented the panel van concept in the early 50's as a general purpose workhorse, but it soon became a cult item. Good to see it get a new lease of life in the right hands.
www.abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_in_time/Trans...m
It's an old-ish link but this is an actual transcript of the programme item.
(switches nostalgia mode off and reaches for another Fosters - yes they do brew it in the Philippines).
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Ah, well looks like we had the good times in Perth then.
Been trying to remember the name for the dog in the back of the ute, no it wasn't Kylie but of course a Blue Heeler, had to be!
My favourite pub in Darwin is called by the same name.
I'd rather take home a ute any day, starts when you want, doesn't complain, works 31 days a month, can take anything you put in it, and makes a comforting rumble noise from that V-8.
:+D
My insurance is due for renewal next monday, and i've had more quotes than i can remember! The best quote was from admiral online, they quoted me £668 fully comp, but since i have no ncb, they are willing to offer me a 10 month bonus accelerator, where they insure for 10 months, If i stay claim free for that ammount of time then, they will offer me a renewal as if i have had insurance for 1 year and hence 1 years ncb; seems good on the face of it. ive been driving for nearly 5 years, but unfortunally ive had 2 accidents and got 3 points for speeding in the last 3 years. (that was in my hot hatch days, but ive gorwn up since then!). Would anybody reccomend Admiral or have any comments on them.
Thanks in advance
Rich Read more
I'm 26, clean licence for 9 years, no claims ever, but only one year's NCD so far earned.
I'm with Elephant, who are Admiral in a silly costume. If you're in London, 'upmarket Admiral' - Bell Direct - are likely to be very cheap indeed though.
I chose not to go for the bonus accelerator because the average cost per month is higher and there's no guarantee that the renewal premium is going to be more competitive, or that the most competitive company will recognise the 10 month bonus. As such, you could find yourself a year behind in the 'accruing NCB' stakes.
Also, I would be very surprised if Admiral's monthly premium (as opposed to paid up front) is competitive - Elephant wanted something like £60 a month for a £534 premium, making the monthly premium reasonable whereas the annual one was exceptionally competitive. Just about any credit card is cheaper than that.
how can you tell when your back brakes are worn? Over the weekend a screeching metallic noise became frequent from the nearside of my Accord and only happened under braking. Noticed the handbrake was quite weak too and when applied under drive could cause the noise.
So I dropped it off at garage today , saying the handbrake probably needed adjustment. The mechanic says the back brakes were worn and charges me for a new set of pads (35quid), saying the handbrake is loose becuse the pads were worn.
When I drove the car tonight the noise was gone but the handbrake was as loose as ever ! Got a feeling I was fleeced and maybe nothing got changed at all. No old parts were offered to SWMBO who picked it up - but "old parts declined" was ticked on the receipt. Am taking it back tomorrow.. what do other backroomers think ? Read more
ok, I went back to the garage this morning where the chap says you have to let the pads bed in for 3-400 miles, which I found a bit hard to believe. I told him I expected the handbrake to be effective after the second/third click but after the 4/5 it was being overcome by drive (auto)- that was unacceptable. I was in a hurry urged him to recheck his work anyway and went back this evening .
He said the same thing again; the pads had been replaced (although I didnt press for the old parts) and needed a period of bedding in - after which the automatic adjustment would take place- apparently I can expect the handbrake to tighten up - but at the moment it is not holding until its almost at the top . I may try what mjm suggested later as I have only been a short distance since its been done. The garages reassurance of if it doesnt tigthten up , come back was good enough for me.
I guess I was being cynical and guessing the one sided screeching was because of a stone/foreign object caught between the pads and disc. And maybe the only work that was done was the removal of said object. I looked with a torch for scoring of the discs and saw none. Also I have discs all round . I was told the screech was on one side because of uneven pad wear ; and that only rear and not front pads needed doing because someone probably replaced the fronts previously. Makes sense. I guess I'll just have to suck it and see.
thanks for the replies. Oddly enough there was a customer satisfaction call tonight - I suggested for them to let people know what to expect when they have back pads done - might save them unnecessary worry...
sorry to be so long winded.
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How much pollution is emitted when a car is made? Making all that steel and aluminium creates plenty of pollution of its own! Not to mention the fossil fuels used to create all the plastics!
If the old car isn't doing many miles, it might be better that it stays in service than a new one made? Especially if the owner uses scrapyards [recyling plants] for spare parts?
I've genuinely been looking for a balanced assessment of the environmental damage of creating, running and destroying a car for some time. I haven't found one yet, despite getting into a detailed discussion with the head of environmental affairs for Volvo worldwide.