Ask a Shiter

[Partridge]

Been googlin’.

The steering wheel adjustment mech should like something like this. 

So before you do anything else maybe shine a torch down there and see what you find?

[Jim Bell]

Seems an odd thing for them to do. It could be that to save money they made all the plastic castings the same, an added the holes to accommodate cars with the adjustment function. 

Or I could be talking bovine poo. Take off the shroud, if it’s not too much of a pain and have a poke around with something long you can fit down the hole and see if you pick anything up. Oooh err.

 

Cheers man. They were both things that I was thinking.

 

Also, Top Goobling!

 

I'll report back with findings.

[Partridge]

You’re most welcome. Hopefully that put you in a SUNNY mood.

[robinmasters]

Stupid Fuelly question- set on 'UK' , which it says is litres / miles / mpg. However, I still have to put the fuel I buy in gallons and price per gallon, so I have to convert it myself (yes, using the correct conversion, 4.54). Which is fine. 

 

The problem is, it shows my fuel use in litres as being 20% more than it actually is. I've been putting the figures in, ignoring the result, and working it out myself!

[vulgalour]

Am I right in thinking a car needs a working battery telltale for a pass at MoT, regardless of age?  It'd be great if an '84 Golf Pram doesn't.

[Station]

No it doesn't. It does need a bulb for it to charge though, it's part of the circuit.

[vulgalour]

Surprised it needs the bulb - well, LED in this instance - to charge the battery.  I'm not getting any flat battery type issues, it seems to be charging fine without the LED working.

[tooSavvy]

Also the 20% error comes from the different size of a US and Imperial gallon.

 

Trivia fans will be happy to know that this difference comes from the yanks not having enough fluid ounces in their pints. 

 

..... ha! I just see J.R. Ewing going into his outfitters shop and demanding to have a '10 Imperial Gallon hat', just to keep a-head in Dallas dbbldealing.

 

magic

 

tooSavvy

[M'coli]

Surprised it needs the bulb - well, LED in this instance - to charge the battery.  I'm not getting any flat battery type issues, it seems to be charging fine without the LED working.

The current flowing to the bulb is what's needed to excite the windings in the alternator and thus provides the magnetic field that allows the alternator to work.  No bulb=no current=no charging.  The LED's ability to shine may be gubbed, but it'll still flow current.  My old boy's Scirocco had this occur to it.

[Pillock]

I use fuelly and I just set it to all British stuff, the mpg comes back identically to the app I have to use on my phone to record work journeys.

[cobblers]

The current flowing to the bulb is what's needed to excite the windings in the alternator and thus provides the magnetic field that allows the alternator to work.  No bulb=no current=no charging.  The LED's ability to shine may be gubbed, but it'll still flow current.  My old boy's Scirocco had this occur to it.

They more than likely have a resistor in parallel with the LED that provides some current to wake up the alternator, an LED alone won't draw enough.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Surprised it needs the bulb - well, LED in this instance - to charge the battery.  I'm not getting any flat battery type issues, it seems to be charging fine without the LED working.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought one of the LEDs on those Golf clusters was fake - a trad bulb hidden behind an LED shaped dome. If so, it'd be the alternator light, presumably. 

 

edit: some research suggests I'm a fantasist.

[cobblers]

just the blue ones are fake, (since a blue led in the early 80s would have cost more than the car)

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Ah, I thought it was something. 

[Station]

The mk3 Golf also had those fake light panels on the front bumper. How cheap!

[skattrd]

The mk3 Golf also had those fake light panels on the front bumper. How cheap!

 

I think these were fog light blanks, so if the customer splashed out on the optional extra fog lights they could be easily fitted, otherwise they were like bike reflectors

[Pillock]

Yeah, same bumper for all the models from base to GTI. Even the GTI had little reflectors, only the inner section of the three was foglamp. The outer was indicator, the middle was either a blank or a towing eye cover.

 

I'm surprised any of the telltale lamps back in the early 80s were LEDs, I assumed all were bulbs since LEDs were newfangled and expensive.

[maxpower]

Is there anyway if you put car reg number on dvla that they can tell where keeper lives?

[Albert Ross]

No... what have you been up to?

[maxpower]

No... what have you been up to?

 

Nothing.... it was some twat doing a bit of aggressive driving and scared the other half witless, but she got out at the lights and took his pic with reg number ( to be posted on grumpy thread)... and i was hoiping to find his address to pay the fucker a visit.

[Albert Ross]

You'll see it around the area soon enough. Potato up the exhaust will do to start, and smearing his windows and mirrors with Vaseline or better still aerosol grease.  It wasn't me was it? I cut up a Yellow Clio due to dithering in Leeds today... an honest mistake due to me being in the wrong lane. I filled their cabin with diesel smoke....

[maxpower]

You'll see it around the area soon enough. Potato up the exhaust will do to start, and smearing his windows and mirrors with Vaseline or better still aerosol grease.  It wasn't me was it? I cut up a Yellow Clio due to dithering in Leeds today... an honest mistake due to me being in the wrong lane. I filled their cabin with diesel smoke....

 

His head will be going up the exhaust if i get hold of him.

[CreepingJesus]

I got pulled for tailgating on Friday night. Just a friendly word luckily, but I did point out to the officer that the car in front lifted off, and came back towards me. Hence why I overtook said car...

[Station]

Subaru impreza Turbo thingy - fuel gauge is absolutely insane. Filled up 50 quid, and gauge was just below max. 50 miles into journey, gauge dropped like a bastard (to below half way - 25 quid on 50 miles?!?!)

Then gauge stayed in the middle, across the next 80 miles barely moving, apart from a plummet to near empty before rising to half again.

By the end of the journey gauge was a respectful between 1/4 and 1/2. I know these are gas guzzlers when driven hard, but I stuck to 56 the journey, and at its lowest, that would mean 130 miles on 50 quid, which is like knackered v12 territory. If the gauge has settled now, it's done a decent 35mpg.

Will find out tomorrow when I drive to work if it has settled again. Incidentally, gauge doesn't move when I take the key out.

[Station]

I'm surprised any of the telltale lamps back in the early 80s were LEDs, I assumed all were bulbs since LEDs were newfangled and expensive.

My mk1 MR2 has loads of LEDs in green. As do loads of Japanese cars of that era.

[kinkersaab]

Subaru gauges do seem to be irregular, they do stay reading when ignition off and when they are getting towards empty they often go for a good while before the light comes on, they also have small tanks which make them feel greedier than they are.

[Cavcraft]

When I use certain certain websites (such as Gumtree) and upload pictures it takes forever as it goes to something like desktop/features/recently added/pictures for every single picture I want to upload.

 

Is there a way (in simpleton's terms) I can set it to default so it goes straight to my pictures please?

Ta in advance.

[Station]

It turns out it used less than I was expecting, less than half a tank (25 quid) over 160 miles). I was driving like a granny, as I tend to do when I get something I've not driven before. V impressed with granny-like driving economy.

[barefoot]

Not remotely automotive at all, but here's a couple for you...

 

Why do traditional butchers & cake shops sell their wares in WHITE paper bags?

Yet traditional Greengrocers sell their stuff in BROWN paper bags?

 

And anyone work in publishing & want to take on the best seller what I have wrote?

[Spiny Norman]

When I use certain certain websites (such as Gumtree) and upload pictures it takes forever as it goes to something like desktop/features/recently added/pictures for every single picture I want to upload.

 

Is there a way (in simpleton's terms) I can set it to default so it goes straight to my pictures please?

Ta in advance.

Sounds like a cookies issue. Usually I find these sites remember my previous choices until I run CCleaner and then I have to go through the same palaver getting to the pictures file again afterwards.