Ask a Shiter

[skattrd]

FJ & PJ don't particularly care about grey imports, I've got 2 or 3 on my policy atm, and no difference to insuring a UK car.

 

Other insurers I don't know, but shirley they won't be too bad by now, there's tons of grey imports on the roads nowadays.

[cort16]

Thanks, it's good to know it's not a huge object an insurance company will use to beat me over the head with. 

[AlabamaShrimp]

As clutches go a piece of cake but if you haven't done one before and you are working on your drive etc it will be a struggle .

Good but I haven't and I would be so think I'll forget about it for now

[FakeConcern]

Not sure if this is right for this thread, but anyway............. Mrs Concern's Mk1 Clio (1996) has a problem with main beam headlamps. When all lights are off, main beam can be flashed. When dipped beam is on, main beam won't flash & won't come on. The left & right main beam bulbs have separate fuses (both fine). There doesn't seem to be a relay for main beam. Need to fix this as her eyesight is scary enough in the dark as it is.

[scaryoldcortina]

Column switch/stalk is a common failure on mk1 clios... I'd change that first.

[FakeConcern]

Column switch/stalk is a common failure on mk1 clios... I'd change that first.

Thanks for that!

[skattrd]

Duraturn tyres - anyone ever heard of them? Are they any good or just a brand of ditch finders I've not heard of before?

[The Moog]

Does anyone know exactly when the VIC gets abolished?

 

I might have bought a furry minging mobile that requires the check and don't want to spend the £40 on it

[scaryoldcortina]

I just posted a thread about this... Dates I got from a gov't consultation document says 1st october AND 26th October but the online VIC booking page doesn't even mention it.

[Pillock]

Not going to start a new thread on this as it's been probably done before, but I can't find it on search and anyway, I'll have probably changed my mind in the morning.

 

I'm soon going to need a small, economical car to "commute" from Leicestershire to That London three times a week.

My local purveyor of average steeds has a '54 Jag X-Type 2.0D in for fourteen hundred clams.

What's the worst that could happen? It's got 10 months ticket, 126k - where should I go and poke my pokey stick to see if the crumbly rust fairy has weaved her magic, and what sort of ominous noises are they known for making?

[cort16]

Rotten sills and rattly dmf's (see Mondeo tdci)

[320touring]

buy wuvvums mondeo instead.

 

thank me later

[wuvvum]

I need some grease nipples for the Subaru van.  None of my local motor factors stock them.  I ordered some off eBay (size M6) but they were wrong - right size but the thread was far too coarse.  What would be a similar size to M6 but with a finer thread?  The Japs wouldn't have been using imperial-threaded stuff in the late '80s, surely?

[cobblers]

There's various flavours of M6 thread, M6X1 is "normal",  M6x0.75 is fine - you can get grease nipples in both

[Pillock]

Yeah, I know it's a Mondeo but it wears the badge of an itch I need to scratch, and I've driven a few Mondeos.

 

Or I'm a snob and I'm going to bang a wanky Norn Iron plate on to hide the 54ness of it

 

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

[cort16]

In a lot of ways it being a Mondeo is a good thing as they drive nice. it's just that dmf issue to be wary of as it's quite expensive to fix and I think it's a high failure rate at 100k plus.

[wuvvum]

There's various flavours of M6 thread, M6X1 is "normal",  M6x0.75 is fine - you can get grease nipples in both

Ah, I getcha.  Unfortunately a quick search of eBay would seem to indicate that M6x0.75 are pretty much unobtainium, at least in this country - I can get some from Germany, but they want over 7 quid to post a packet of 10 nipples, which seems extortionate to me.

[LC Torana]

I need some grease nipples for the Subaru van.  None of my local motor factors stock them.  I ordered some off eBay (size M6) but they were wrong - right size but the thread was far too coarse.  What would be a similar size to M6 but with a finer thread?  The Japs wouldn't have been using imperial-threaded stuff in the late '80s, surely?

If they are, the thread you would be after would likely be either #12-28 UNF or 1/4"-28 UNF.

 

But you said M6 was "far too coarse", so I'd plump for M6-0.5.

[Richard]

Any good? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Degree-Grease-Nipple-Fitting-Nozzle/dp/B00OK93Q3K

[LC Torana]

Any good? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Degree-Grease-Nipple-Fitting-Nozzle/dp/B00OK93Q3K

 

Yup,

[Pillock]

Went to look at the Ex-Type. Nobody at the garage but it was out on the street for £300 more than Autotrader price (why??). Nothing has put me off yet, the outside was mint if dirty (it's parked up on an industrial estate) and there was just the beginnings of wear to the driver's seat. Might head back and have a drive.

 

Sent from my LG-D855 using Tapatalk

[Matt]

Just collected the Swift from the garage after having a new (recon) calliper installed. The girl behind the desk said that when she pulled the car out of the garage the pedal didn't feel quite right and I agree, the travel is noticeably longer and the bite is gone.

 

Anyone know what might be up with that?

[steve_earwig]

Sounds like there's still some air in the system.

[sierraman]

Not going to start a new thread on this as it's been probably done before, but I can't find it on search and anyway, I'll have probably changed my mind in the morning.

 

I'm soon going to need a small, economical car to "commute" from Leicestershire to That London three times a week.

My local purveyor of average steeds has a '54 Jag X-Type 2.0D in for fourteen hundred clams.

What's the worst that could happen? It's got 10 months ticket, 126k - where should I go and poke my pokey stick to see if the crumbly rust fairy has weaved her magic, and what sort of ominous noises are they known for making?

I'd imagine rust might be least of your worries there. Could be being offloaded due to impending fuel pump/injector failure. Which would inevitably write it off. If you really need a diesel I'd look to spend no more than you can afford to lose in an example such as this. Providing the traffic isn't too bad a 2.0 petrol one should easily manage 40+mpg on the motorway.

[Pillock]

I'm going to commute to Acton, so the traffic will be worse than Derby Day clashing with Gay Pride in Hades.

 

Alternative is a £750 Alfa Derval. Perhaps on just best off spending as little as possible to lose as little as possible.

[alf892]

Commuting to Acton?........I'd get something auto and comfy!

 

I did Cricklewood for a while......unless I was on the m1 (at j14) for 6am latest I may as well have stayed in bed and wait till the thrusters had gone

[skattrd]

One of my colleagues is doing a slightly shorter commute than you are talking about Pillock, but along part of your route. He's going from Hatfield to Hounslow and his average journey time is 2hrs for the 30 odd miles,  yesterday it took him over 3 hours each way.

Good luck with the commute, but get an auto.

[Pillock]

I'd do it on the train except I've not got £10k for a season ticket. 

Yeah. Auto. But good MPG. Damn. This is going to turn into the hardest "what should I buy" thread of ever.

[meshking]

I'd do it on the train except I've not got £10k for a season ticket.

Yeah. Auto. But good MPG. Damn. This is going to turn into the hardest "what should I buy" thread of ever.

Or maybe not. Maybe, just maybe,the answer lies in this post

 

http://autoshite.com/index.php?/topic/11228-Ebay-Tat-Volume-3&do=findComment&comment=830945

[M'coli]

One of my colleagues is doing a slightly shorter commute than you are talking about Pillock, but along part of your route. He's going from Hatfield to Hounslow and his average journey time is 2hrs for the 30 odd miles,  yesterday it took him over 3 hours each way.

Good luck with the commute, but get a narrow motorbike.

EFA