Ask a Shiter

[catsinthewelder]

A mate of mine is the local guy for stickers,  when removing them from bodywork he uses:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LUPA-100pc-Composite-Razor-Blades-5pc-Blade-Holders-Set-Plastic-Scraper-AK5228-/331754168928?epid=1254389694&hash=item4d3e16e260:g:PFEAAOSwfRdZJYEP

 

along with a heat gun and a big trigger bottle of something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Adhesive-Sticker-Label-Glue-Remover-Industrial-Strength-Tar-Glue-1-Litres-/302011254641?epid=624374638&hash=item4651460771:g:tyYAAOSwHMJYNX~s

 

That said if the wrap has been on longer than it should have been it will fuck the paint.

[M'coli]

I've acquired a car with a partial body wrap that I need to remove. I'm not going to tell you what sort of car it is because it's a Vectra C and you'd all laugh at me but I'm after advice on the best way to remove said vinyl wrap without fucking up the metallic paintwork.

Try a hairdryer or heatgun on a low setting?

 

PS

 

Hahahahahhahaha!!!!

[Guest Hooli]

 Being an auto a bump start is a no go.

 

You can bump start an auto, but you'll need to run faster as I've never seen it work below about 30mph...

[tooSavvy]

Wheel nicking....

 

I had the spare go from the cradle under my Caddy.

 

My 'then/now ex' employer were very 'duty of care/f#ck you & pay!' for damages

 

I googled the Caddy accessories and found a 'security locking pin for under floor spare'

 

I sent a mail + link... stating that if I had known the spare could be lifted so easily I'd have stuck it in the load area/why do VW offer security??

 

I got a steel new from the dealer + a 'budget' tyre fitted = all paid for on their card.... Cunts, they were

 

 

TS

[DSdriver]

Is this why you are currently unemployed?

[DSdriver]

I've acquired a car with a partial body wrap that I need to remove. I'm not going to tell you what sort of car it is because it's a Vectra C and you'd all laugh at me but I'm after advice on the best way to remove said vinyl wrap without fucking up the metallic paintwork.

Put another more tasteful wrap over the top ?

[warren t claim]

Put another more tasteful wrap over the top ?

Maybe I could just keep adding more and more layers before taking it to the next Shitefest and instead of a roffle play a pass the parcel type game with it?

[cobblers]

Fuckin ell you'd be gutted when you got to the middle of a pass the parcel and found a Vectra

[Lacquer Peel]

What's a good Bluetooth OBD scanner thingy? I have a really cheap one (this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OBD2-ELM327-V1-5-Bluetooth-Wireless-Car-Scanner-Android-Torque-Auto-Scan-Tool-35-/152274230867)my neighbour gave me, it seems okay but it doesn't like Renaults or the Renault-specific Android diagnostics app.

[Tickman]

What's a good Bluetooth OBD scanner thingy? I have a really cheap one (this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OBD2-ELM327-V1-5-Bluetooth-Wireless-Car-Scanner-Android-Torque-Auto-Scan-Tool-35-/152274230867) thatmy neighbour gave me, it seems okay but it doesn't like Renaults or the Renault-specific Android diagnostics app

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OBD2-ELM327-V1-5-Bluetooth-Wireless-Car-Scanner-Android-Torque-Auto-Scan-Tool-35-/152274230867

 

Your link wasn't happy so sorted it.

[drum]

Air con compressor question. Land cruiser has been parked up for over a year. The compressor turns slowly compared to the speed of the belt. Is it goosed or is this something to do with its clutch?

I have no idea how these work. TIA.

[cobblers]

The compressor might turn round slowly with the drag of the clutch when disengaged, but the clutch should lock solid when engaged.

There's pressure sensors in the system along with the aircon switch which decide whether to engage that clutch - if the system is low on gas it won't turn on.

[drum]

So if I switch the air con on, the clutch should engage and it should spin fast? It wasn't obvious to me if the pulley was spinning or the belt slipping. I'll investigate some more.

[jonathan_dyane]

On removing the vinyl wrap; I'd try a wallpaper removal steamer. I've used it previously to excellent effect removing window tint.

[Dave_Q]

What's the current recommended handheld OBD scanner for £20 or so off eBay?

 

Want something with some live data as well.

 

I'm sure there was a thread discussing it but now can't find it.

[cobblers]

A 5 quid Bluetooth jobbie along with an app called "torque" is your best bet IMO, alternatively you can get a knockoff delphi ds150 for £35 which is much more powerful, but you need to plug it into a Windows laptop.

[SiC]

Piston is free and better than torque.

[Dave_Q]

Cheers, I've had a poor success rate with those Bluetooth things in the past hence considering getting something standalone that should Just Work without a load of faff and pin codes that don't match the paperwork etc.

 

Would deffo consider a ds150 at 35 quid, any links for that please as I had a look on eBay before and it seems to start at about £55.

[cobblers]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-SHIP-Car-Diagnostic-Tool-Scanner-Tester-Kit-VCI-D-OBDII-for-Auto-Cars-Trucks-/172478488500?

 

It's not listed as a ds150 but it looks like one and I can see why people would rather fly under the radar about selling snide stuff.

[inconsistant]

Hello I have an MOT based stupid question.

I have a rusty 924 wing (bolts on/off) and need to swap it for a good one temporarily for the MOT. The replacement one I have is a from an old car with no hole for the indicator side repeater. I dont want to make a hole unless i absolutely have to as the old wings are hard to come by and hopefully soneone else will be able to use it after me on an early car.

 

So my question is: if a car has side repeaters fitted but there isnt one on one side, just the wire dangling inside the wing, is that an mot fail?

[panhard65]

Hello I have an MOT based stupid question.

I have a rusty 924 wing (bolts on/off) and need to swap it for a good one temporarily for the MOT. The replacement one I have is a from an old car with no hole for the indicator side repeater. I dont want to make a hole unless i absolutely have to as the old wings are hard to come by and hopefully soneone else will be able to use it after me on an early car.

 

So my question is: if a car has side repeaters fitted but there isnt one on one side, just the wire dangling inside the wing, is that an mot fail?

If the car has them fitted or is registered after 86 I think it has to have them. A rusty wing isn't a fail unless there are sharp edges but these can be repaired with gaffer tape.

[steveo3002]

yeh might be easier to tape up or filler the old wing...as long as it doesnt cut anyone its all good 

[spike60]

Why would the seller of a car that's been in storage for 20 years cover the plates when selling it? Surely the cloning thing is better if the number is legal?  I asked the seller for the number to check Cat C and mot history but I'm not hopeful....

[cobblers]

some people have it in their head that if you put your reg plate on the internet some bad things will happen. it's totally illogical but ebay pics with tea towels dangled over the plates are just always going to be a thing. It's like putting "genuine reason for sale no timewasters" in the advert, people just do it.

[Pillock]

Say if a mate of mine has had a knock in a company car that wasn't his fault, does he in future have to notify any insurers he might use for private car cover?

 

On one hand - they usually say "have you had any accidents" and word it in the vaguest possible way to catch all circumstances of a car needing to be fixed.

 

On the other hand - He hasn't had an accident. He parked the car - actually his wife parked the car - outside the house, in it's usual position, and over 12 hours later someone swiped down the side of it causing a few hundreds quid worth of damage.

On the SAME hand - it's a car from a lease company, which is leased to his employer not him. The insurance policy covers the company name, and anyone employed by them i(or their immediate family) s allowed to drive. His name appears nowhere on either registration or insurance documents.

So on THAT hand, could it be argued that he didn't make a claim, he told his employer that there was some damage, and THEY made the claim on THEIR insurance?

 

Ergo, if he's clever enough to buy a cheap shite car before the 24 months has elapsed since he last had private car insurance and keep his NCB going, will this just vanish into the ether?

[Kiltox]

There's a slim chance that it will be reported on CUE as a claim he made however I have a friend*** who had a similar problem with a rental car on his employer's insurance (not the rental company's) and it just went away

[Pillock]

My friend wants to know what CUE is....

[cobblers]

You only lose your no claims if you claim on the policy that it's held on.

 

If they ask about accidents then "no" because you had nothing to do with it. If they ask about claims then its IMO also "no" because you aren't claiming, it's your employer or the lease company.

[Pillock]

Perfect. If it all goes to shit later I'll just produce a printout of that comment, cheers fella.

 

He will, I mean. Not me.

 

In all seriousness it's what they call a "business use car" in that it's leased to my employer, not me. It gets parked outside my gaff because I use it most days, but technically it's a pool car I suppose in that if one of my colleagues needed it, I'd just give them the keys and there's nothing to sign over. I'm just thinking that because it wasn't being driven at the time, it's nothing to do with me.

[Dave_Q]

I have a friend* that caused a small amount of damage to a parked car while driving a delivery van for a supermarket.

 

Spotted, reported, form given to car owner etc,etc.

 

My friend* decided not to declare this to his personal insurers in the hope of avoiding a shafting, a year or so later he took out a motorbike policy where they did a search of DA DATABASE for claims in his name/address and this incident wasn't there. 

 

 

Basically, lots of lease/rental/company car mobs self-insure, where they don't actually buy a policy for each vehicle as such and just take the hit for damage caused by their drivers, works out better in the long run, particularly if you are also claiming some/all of the cost back from the end user. 

 

This situation was probably similar to your friends* in that the vans were on long term lease from a 3rd party company to the supermarket, and although everything was done by the book to the employers internal procedures and the owner of the damaged vehicle got sorted (presumably) clearly the self-insure fund or whatever run by the lease company and/or supermarket doesn't report it's claims to the main claims database.

 

This could well be the case for you as well but I offer no promises.