Ask a Shiter

[Craig the Princess]

I take it you've tried another cable?

 

I have sadly, and the mains charger. And the in-car charger. and with the lap-top instead of the PC. It's still playing fine (until the battery dies).

[barefoot]

ifixit.com - looks good

[skattrd]

I'm buying a car in Ireland, what documents should I get with the car?

I assume, the equivalent of the v5/MOT, anything I need to send off to Irish doovla, or is that down to the seller? I will be registerring the car in the UK, and it has been previously UK registered, so I'm not too worried about registering it over here.

[Craig the Princess]

ifixit.com - looks good

 

Very good bigfoot, it diagnosed the fault, offered to sell me the part and linked to a youtube video of the fix.

(I'm going to let someone else fix it thoug, my soldering is shocking!)

[barefoot]

Why do you never see 'furniture vans' anymore?

You know, the seven tonners with a tall box body?

Saw some folk moving this morning in three big transits.

[Partridge]

Why do you never see 'furniture vans' anymore?

You know, the seven tonners with a tall box body?

Saw some folk moving this morning in three big transits.

 

You do still see them, one passed me the other day.

[Spiny Norman]

Money.

 

Costs a good few hundred quid to hire a 'proper' removals company with a few strong bodies to do a big flit. A couple of Tranny vans can be hired for a day and a few mates can be bribed with beer & curry for about a ton.

[Mr Lobster]

^ Exactly that.

 

Unless you are moving a decent distance then its a lot cheaper to rent a luton or two and do it yourself.

[TimothyClaypole]

Can I tax my van on a "One Day" insurance cover note?

 

I need to tax it and then get it tested sometime before the end of February so I can sell it etc.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Your local friendly insurance cartel usually precludes you from doing it. You can normally get a proper policy and cancel it for a couple of tenners within the cooling off period. However, there's also the 'continuous insurance' bollox to consider.

[skattrd]

The taxing on a day policy has been asked before and I didn't think you could, but apparently some members on here have managed to ....

 

Have you got a mate with a trade policy you can borrow to tax the car?

[Tartan58]

Is non-working front fog lights an MOT fail?

 

The bulbs are fine and so is the fuse and I can't really be arsed looking much deeper as I never use them anyway.

 

I'm getting conflicting answers when googling, general consensus seams to be that the fronts won't be a fail item but I know there are a few testers on here and I trust your views more than the average internet mongs.

 

Also another question that's more out of passing interest - can you display your tax too early? I bought the new tax disc for the Kia online and it arrived a couple of weeks ago, but valid until 31st Jan 2014, is it valid before 1st Feb 2013 or should I keep the old one on until the changeover day? I know it's irrelevant now as it's only a day or 2 away but could I in theory get done for not displaying valid tax if I stuck the new one on before the old one expired?

[barefoot]

Is non-working front fog lights an MOT fail?

 

Also another question that's more out of passing interest - can you display your tax too early?

 

My '79 (build, '80 registered) T2 has failed for the last 3 years on this.

It passed for the previous 28 years, but this bloke failed, I fitted one never used it.

The next year it appears that he backed it into something because it was fucked,

Put another one on, never used it - failed again because it'd stopped working.

 

MOT in about 6 weeks - we'll see.

 

& I attach my tax discs with double sided tape, at renewal time I just have two on the screen.

[Volksy]

I thought that front fogs are classed as auxiliary lights, as in optional, so shouldn't me mandatory. Therefore not part of the test.

 

You do need a functioning rear one mind..

[scaryoldcortina]

Is non-working front fog lights an MOT fail?

 

Also another question that's more out of passing interest - can you display your tax too early?

 

My '79 (build, '80 registered) T2 has failed for the last 3 years on this.

It passed for the previous 28 years, but this bloke failed, I fitted one never used it.

The next year it appears that he backed it into something because it was fucked,

Put another one on, never used it - failed again because it'd stopped working.

 

MOT in about 6 weeks - we'll see.

 

& I attach my tax discs with double sided tape, at renewal time I just have two on the screen.

 

 

Front fog lamps don't have to work. You could possibly get a sharp edge fail if the glass is smashed on one, but otherwise not a test item. Rear fogs must work if fitted, must be fitted on cars registered after 1/4/80 and have a functioning warning light on the dash.

[Tartan58]

Front fog lamps don't have to work. You could possibly get a sharp edge fail if the glass is smashed on one, but otherwise not a test item. Rear fogs must work if fitted, must be fitted on cars registered after 1/4/80 and have a functioning warning light on the dash.

 

Thanks Scary (and others) - that's what I thought but does seem to be varying opinions. Glass is fine and rears work as does warning light so should hopefully be ok. I did come across some people on a googled site quoting "if it's fitted it must work" which prompted someone to (in all seriousness it seems) ask if they could just completely remove their rear numberplate lights and therefore be ok Another google search brought up the answer "as long as the drivers side one is working it's ok" - hence my reasoning for posting here fore some reliable advice!

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Serious question: for reasons that are patently obvious to most fellow AS members, I'd like to get myself a spare locking wheelnut key. Having standard Ford (well, 'RS') wheels on, is there any point in going to a local scrapyard and looking for one that matches what I currently have, or do I have to go to the local Fraud stealership and pay an arm and a leg for one? Or perhaps is there any possibility of sourcing one through motor factors?

[TimothyClaypole]

There's a set listed on Ebay under "RS locking wheel nut" for £2.50 if they are the right size

[TimothyClaypole]

I'll pop into the local Post Office on the way home tomorrow and ask there. I let the girl behind the counter open a parcel i went to pick up yesterday so she could see what it was (I'd had it sent there after being carded and I'd no idea what was in it - it was a Meercat from my car insurance, doh. ) so I'll see what she says over the cover note thing.

[Craig the Princess]

My Dad's been offered aJ-reg Audi 80 (2.8 V6, 73,000 miles, pretty straight, some tax longish Mot). He has asked me for a price estimate. I don't have a clue, can you help.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

It's all subjective. I' d say a range from £500 without history and with a fair few niggles to £800 if everything works and it's got lots of history.

[Cavcraft]

I'll pop into the local Post Office on the way home tomorrow and ask there. I let the girl behind the counter open a parcel i went to pick up yesterday so she could see what it was

 

You REALLY need to order something from a one handed reading material shop now and do the same again.

[Rocket88]

My Dad's been offered aJ-reg Audi 80 (2.8 V6, 73,000 miles, pretty straight, some tax longish Mot). He has asked me for a price estimate. I don't have a clue, can you help.

 

Check the gearbox if it's an auto................tad Cadbury's....................

[Spiny Norman]

As the alternator on the Saab seems to have gone phut it'll be running on the juice in the battery. I have a battery charger so refilling it with electricity isn't really too much of a hassle till I can get it fixed, but my question is this...

 

Can anyone hazard a guess as to how long (in terms of miles/minutes) a fully charged 60A battery would last? It made it the 10 miles or so home today with the occasional flick of the wipers and the sidelights OK, but the wipers and windows were pretty slow by the time I'd parked up, although it started again a couple of times OK.

[cobblers]

Depends massively on the particular car, probably about half an hour max.

Draining much out of a battery will absolutely ruin it, so don't use the car if you can avoid it otherwise you'll be buying a new battery too, as after you've 80% flattened it a few times it'll hold about as much charge as a copper nail in an orange.

[Spiny Norman]

Cheers.

I'll have a poke around as soon as it stops raining to see if it's just a loose connection or something simple. Just happened all of a sudden, first thing this morning it was fine, jumped in it again at lunchtime and the warning light came on, briefly went out after 5 minutes or so, then came on and has stayed on since.

Looks to be a fairly straightforward job to change the brushes & regulator with it in situ, but an absolute bastard to take the thing out if the whole thing needs replaced.

[Richard]

It's probably the earth wire between the alternator body and the engine, needed because the alternator is rubber mounted. You can clip a jump lead on as a temporary* fix.

[vulgalour]

I'm getting the Princess ready for her MoT (again). The bonnet works, but you need to use a prop because the rams are shagged. Is it a fail if the bonnet rams don't hold the bonnet up, even if I provide a prop? If it is, I need to buy some struts, if not I shan't bother.

[scaryoldcortina]

^ doesn't have to stay up on its own, but it must open, shut and latch securely in both closed and safety positions. We have a broom in the MoT bay that doubles up as an emergency bonnet stay.

[vulgalour]

Cheers, SOC