December 2007
My 2000 A6 Quattro is doing its annual Chitty Chitty Bang Bang number with the central locking and the electric windows. Whenever the weather turns especially wet and cold it does this, a fault attributable to Audi's notorious (in)convenience module, I gather. It's only ever done 35k miles too.
It's time to change and I have identified several possible replacement E class cars. I've never had a Merc and I feel I should try one before I depart this earth. A tail wagger may even hasten me out of it.
Business and travel commitments will prevent me completing a purchase for about two weeks. In that time I need to park the A6 at an airport for a week. I can't take the risk of the accursed thing spontaneously admitting all and sundry by lowering the windows whilst I'm away so I thought I might remove the fuse.
Is this an officially bad idea ? Where might I find the fuse box ? Is the fuse shared with anything else of importance ?
Thanks in advance. Read more
Saw this on the BBCwebsite:-
A haulier has been stopped on the A90 in Fife after driving almost non-stop through Europe for 14 days.
The man, who was from Azerbaijan, was driving a 44-tonne articulated lorry and was stopped in a random check. Tachograph readings showed the only significant stop by the driver was when the truck entered the UK by ferry.
The law states that drivers must not exceed an average of 48 hours a week. The driver was ordered to take a 45-hour compulsory rest break.
He will now be reported to the traffic commissioner who will decide a course of action.
The driver was stopped on Wednesday afternoon heading north, police said.
Inspector John MacDonald, of Fife Constabulary, told the BBC Scotland news website: "I am delighted that we stopped him because when things go wrong, you can imagine the damage an articulated lorry is going to do if he fell asleep at the wheel.
"We will continue to run operations like this." Read more
As someone who works in a business that has to compete with goods that have a lower tax rate on the continent I do have sympathy with lorry drivers.
What I would do is allow them to use red diesel. It would mean that they would probably not be able to use regular fuel stops but I am sure that they would not complain. Either that, or charge less Duty that is offset by a massively higher rate of VAT, which they could then claim back. Rather than 17.5% why not 40% which would mean that the £1.05 litre would come down to £0.75 ex VAT
***** This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 213 *****
In this thread you may ask any question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.
It does not need to be motoring related. In fact, in this thread it should not be.
No Questions About PCs. Please use the current "computer Related Questions" thread instead.
No politics
No Speeding, speed cameras, traffic calming
No arguments or slanging matches
Nothing which we think is not following the spirit of the thread
Nothing that risks the future of this site (please see the small print for details -
www.honestjohn.co.uk/credits/index.htm )
Any of the above will be deleted. If the thread becomes difficult to maintain it will simply be removed.
However, as has been said a couple of times, there is a wealth of knowledge in here, much of which is not motoring related, but most of which is useful.
This is Volume 212. Previous Volumes will not be deleted,
A list of previous volumes can be found here:-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=18847
PLEASE NOTE:
When posting a NEW question, please "Reply to" the first message in this thread, i.e. this one. This keeps each question in it's own separate segment and stops each new question from getting mixed up in amongst existing questions. Also please remember to change the subject header.
Read more
Buzbee,
I guess what the planning officer was referring to was a pre-application enquiry as to whether or not permission is required? These just seek an officers opinion on the question, not the Councils and as they are simply correspondence between two parties, are not in the public domain.
In this case, I'm guessing that the officer responded and said that it was his/her opinion that the development fell within the 'permitted development rights' (PD rights) of the property and did not require planning permission. PD rights are those things which you can do to a property which don't require planning permission (e.g erect sheds, small extensions etc). Regs are here:
www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1995/Uksi_19950418_en_1.htm
I'm guessing that the windows installed into the roof of the house are veluxes? If they are flush (or close to flush) with the roof then they are considered to fall within the PD rights of a dwelling house.
Your neighbour doesn't need to have contacted the planning department but people do for reassurance (you can actually apply for a formal certificate from the council if you are that way inclined). If he doesn't need permission, then the merits of the development (i.e. impact on privacy of neighbours/design/highways etc) are irrelevant as he/she can do as they wish within the parameters set out.
Hope that the above makes some sense?
Bost
1999 T facelift Vectra.
I have just come back from the Alps, skiing. After the car had spent a week in the carpark, outside, in sub-zero temperatures I dug it out and off we set. Come the first hill (round the corner), 100 yards up it, the revs began to rise as though the wheels were spinning and the car stoped progressing. Put a chain on in order to move the car out of the roadway, but...
Oh no... the wheels were not moving at all. The clutch was behaving as though it had failed. Put car in first gear, lift foot off clutch and you could cheerfully get out of the car and leave it standing there, with no drive to the wheels at all.
Left the car for an hour, and came back; the same still happened.
In a shocking application of Murphy's law, when the Frenchman from the breakdown company arrived he insisted on putting the second chain on and the car drove off no problem, so he told me to use my chains. Clearly the language barrier was a problem, but the car did drive me home without a hiccup.
He told me that the clutch was cable operated and there was no such thing as an intermittent clutch problem. However, Haynes tells me that it is in fact a hydraulic clutch.
Anybody with any views, please? Did we imagine it (No; I know the difference between a wildly spinning wheel and a stationary wheel).
What could the problem be? Just cold, or something else? Is this a major problem just waiting to happen again?
Thanks
Read more
>>Back-bleeding is good for air removal; but this is just fluid exchange and I'd rather have the old clutch fluid out than back in the reservoir..
Yes, that's a fair approach.
Using the method I outline above, you renew the fluid down to the NSF caliper, then you do the clutch, pshing old fluid back up the master cylinder, then, you do a full brake fluid change; so there's clean fluid throughout when you've finished. The main risk IMO is not flipping seals, but in potential contamination of the ABS unit.
Number_Cruncher
im due an engine oil change very soon, is comma lite semi synth any good or can any one recommend a suitable alternative , the service manual suggests sae 5w-30 or 10w-30 but the oil guide in halfords recommends 10w-40 ? any pointers would be appreciated thanks ....mj Read more
Always go with the manufacturers recommendations.
Comma Lite is OK, as is Halfords own brand 5W/30 semi synthetic (grey coloured container, from memory)
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
Young chap at work has a 1994 Disco 3.9 FXI auto ( LHD import ) Could anyone tell us of any known failure items on a vehicle of this model/age, which would cause an increase in its fuel consumtion?
Can anyone please offer any suggestions as to what can be done, modifications, re-chipping, re-mapping or after market add-ons etc, etc, which would help to improve the fuel economy?
I am of course, assuming that the vehicles power unit/gbox are in good condition and working at optimum at this time.
Thank you. Read more
Viscous fans did save power compared to the earlier fixed drive fans but a viscous coupling isn't particularly efficient so an electric fan is even more efficient - there's still a power loss driving the alternator but it's less.
Just released.
1. Goodyear Hydrgrip
2. Vredestein Sportrac3
3. Continental Contipremium-Contact2
4. Michelin Primacy HP
5. Bridgestone Turanza ER300
Size tested is 215/55/16 V or W rated
More from autoexpress website. Read more
I suspect the final ranking has a great deal to do with the weighting attached to each category - change the weighting slightly and the ranking would change considerably.
Excellent point!
Is there a right or wrong way to change gear?
I had a new car recently and i've found myself being soft, gentle and slow with changing gear and wondered whether i was doing the right thing. So:
Should you
1) Change slowly and let clutch out slowly
2) Change positively and quite quickly and let the clutch out gradually
3) Change firmly and quite quickly and let the clutch out quite quickly
4) Change fast and let the clutch out fast (i think i know this isn't the right way!)
5) Doesn't really matter
Also
- What is the correct way to block change? E.g. 4th to 2nd
1) 4th through neutral to 2nd - then let the clutch up
2) 4th into 3rd into 2nd - then let the clutch up
3) Doesn't matter
I thought i'd raise this as no1 has ever taught me the correct way to change gear and i started to think about auto cars. I released on the way to work today how slow my gear changes actually were. I was letting the car coast for at least half a second as i go from 2nd to 3rd and then released the clutch gradually. I started to wonder if i was doing damage. Prompted by driving an auto at the weekend and realising the gear change is rather quick and sometimes almost a jerk as if a manual clutch was released too quick.
I think it is also to do with having a brand new car and treating it too gently. All the quick cars i've had in the past i gave them pretty firm and quick gear changes.
So is my habbit of super slow gear changes a bad habbit because i feel i should be A LOT more positive going through the gears and engaging them quickly without forcing or racing them. Read more
What could you mean?... Even fewer know that Ed Unser
jr. another accomplished clarinettist was sacked from the New York Philharmonic
Orchestra after filling a tympani with aviation fuel and setting it alight during a concert.
Holy smoke, I can't even breath after reading that lot! I'm actually crying with laughter!
What effect does the EGR valve actually have on a car? When does it actually function. A diesel Passat in my example.
Just had mine replaced. Did my first long motorway run and mpg seems a lot better (48 insted of the usual 42)
Read more
Most VW TDis are water cooled EGR, some just use a long stainless steel pipe.
Anybody had one of these?
any pointers on a 5-7 year old car.
I do hear the are virtually unbreakable.
Looks like a lot of car for £3-5. Read more
You will probably remember a few weeks back Top Gear compared the new type -r Civic against it's predecessor, and the "old" car was the better of the two, both in handling and performance, maybe it's the same with the Accord?
Billy
Browse
.jpg)
I usually try to relocate the module to a position just above where the passenger carpet finishes and the lower part of the dash starts.Remove the module from the plastic case and carefully re-route the harness to this area ,there is normally just enough length of wiring.This prevents the system getting swamped again.Just a thought.hth