Ask a Shiter

[barefoot]

Bad news for you, pal... http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk-news/2013/jul/12/ice-cream-vans-chimes

Thanks a bogroll.

[barefoot]

And to my next stupid question...

 

I have a slight sunroof leak on the 944, it's been there a while.

New seals are available but cost well in excess of one hundred pounds and according to my man in the greasy overalls don't fit.

Something about age, tightness and a fibreglass roof panel that will instantly distort and never close properly again.

So, alternatives...

 

What can I use to spray in vast quantities into the gap / onto the seal that will keep the majority of the water on the outside please?

[DSdriver]

Vaseline petroleum jelly might help, liberally applied. Also, have you checked that the drain holes are clear?

[Vince70]

Vaseline will rot the rubber over a period of time as will any petroleum based product,

But if you use a silicon based grease it works equally as well but won't damage the rubber.

[Station]

Do a search for MR2, cling film and sealant. I did it on my mr2 and it hasn't leaked since (and these things leak!) basically apply sealant to sunroof, cover sealant with cling film, the put the sunroof back in. When it cures, peel away the cling film and you'll have a seal that fills the gaps without having to actually permanently seal the sunroof closed.

[Station]

Here's the guide, I think it's the only thing that fixes a leaky sunroof. 

 

http://www.mr2oc.co.uk/know-your-2-knowledge-base/mr2-mk2.html?kbartid=207

[barefoot]

A big thank you for that.

[RobT]

One for the Ford lads - what oil should I put in a 2.0 DOHC Sierra?  Handbook says 5w/30 recommended but will 10w/40 multigrade do?  Does it matter that much on these?  It's got a fair old oil leak from somewhere, so rather than fix it properly I thought a thicker grade might help.....Stupid logic etc.

[HillmanImp]

This has probably been asked before, but I was just looking at the Loserone Ginetta and was wondering if it was possible to get a car off a Q plate. You can get them on normal reg plates:

 

 

Was it becuase some were made in the factory and some at home? I did not think that they sold these made, it was not until the G32 that I remember them featuring in the Daily Mail annual new car magazine?? 

[Wilko220]

An extension of Imp's question above - what exactly does a Q-plate signify? I always thought it meant an import but I assume that's wrong.

[Richard]

An extension of Imp's question above - what exactly does a Q-plate signify? I always thought it meant an import but I assume that's wrong.

It used to be pretty much any car that wasn't new when registered. I think now it means the car's age can't be determined.

[HillmanImp]

It used to be pretty much any car that wasn't new when registered. I think now it means the car's age can't be determined.

 

TBH, I always just thought they had to go on kit cars as they were not factory built. However some t'interweb research shows that I was wrong.

 

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/q-registration-numbers

 

 

10. 'Q' registration numbers

DVLA issues ‘Q’ registration numbers to vehicles whose age or identity is in doubt.

If this happens, any original vehicle registration number will become invalid and you mustn’t display it again.

To get a ‘Q’ registration number, your vehicle has to pass a type approval process.

 

 

So that kind of answers my question I guess? I suppose the Q platers builders did not keep proper records to show that the donor Cortina was indeed transformed into this Ginetta so it had to go on a Q plate. The ones with age related registrations will have had sufficient docs to prove it.

[Sean]

I've never fully understood the Q plate thing.

 

I think I'm right in saying that kit cars that use less than a certain percentage of the donor car's parts have to go on a Q?

 

[Pillock]

If the majority of the parts came from a single car, and the age of the parts could be proven (chassis and engine numbers etc), then it could have an age related plate. If parts came from cars of different ages, or the ages couldn't be determined, then it got a Q. There's a "scrap metal dealer" round here with a Transit on a Q, I presume it was stolen/recovered, had all the marks removed, and couldn't be identified.

 

Doesn't seem to be used as much, they beefed it up into that points system and I think they're either just better at determining ages, or more strict at what you can put on the road.

[Pillock]

New car related stupid question:

 

How to they allocate registration marks? I know the bit about the first two letters being the area of the country, and the year bit, but the random three letters at the end - are they totally random?

 

Back in t'day, I remember dealers having a list of registrations a new car buyer could choose from. My mum bought C583NAL from Newbolds, it went on her Polo C. Her colleague bought a Polo from the same dealer a bit later on and had a similar registration, in the C5xxNAL range. My grandfather bought F148HCH, a Cavalier L, and I even remember seeing the list - he was thinking about F132HCH, but decided against it. F123HCH had already gone, it had a line through it.

 

Then you got bulk orders. My old Mondeo was P722ERR, and if you did a registration check on the range, everything from 700 to about 760 was a green Mondeo Verona. Most of the PxxxERR range were Fords, certainly a massive chunk.

 

However, these days you seem to get holes in ranges, or cars with very similar registrations coming from dealers at the other end of the county. Work has hundreds of YH09 plated Focuses, but in between ones I know we own there are all sorts of other things like Saabs, Hyundais, BMWs and whatnot. So how do dealers assign those three letters?

[cort16]

They have a list the can pick from. My boss was friends with someone at BMW so when he got his 7 series they'd put the plate st 11 ify on it as it was on the list and they thought itd be funny. It was.

[tooSavvy]

They have a list the can pick from. My boss was friends with someone at BMW so when he got his 7 series they'd put the plate st 11 ify on it as it was on the list and they thought itd be funny. It was.

Would it be right to think 'I' [eye] is not in the random 3 letters on latest series? 'I' is N.I. only??

 

tooSavvy

[Pillock]

I just find it odd that the list seems to get split between dealers, or is it now centalised and computerised?

 

Another example - FL08YPG is on a Peugeot 107, FL08YPA is on a Golf. I know the dealer that sold the Pug and they don't sell VWs. FL08YPZ is on a Lexus. In the space of 24 consecutive registrations, they've gone through three dealers.

 

Savvy, NI plates use their own format of AAA 9999, it was different to the mainland prefix plates that ended in 2001 and they had plenty of room left in their scheme so no need to change. The second and third letters are the regional identifiers, and the first letter is an age marker (but the age is different between regions, so in one region 2013 might "G" at the start, in another region 2013 might be "W"). All plates have either an I or a Z. You're right in saying that mainland plates never have an I anywhere, and Z only appears in the random bit.

[SambaS]

Q plates are full of WIN man!

[worldofceri]

Could one not transfer a dateless 'cherished' plate onto a Q-plated vehicle?

 

E.G.

 

Much classier* than a Q.

[cort16]

Sambas correct q plates should be embraced as a sign of mega shiteness and not shyed away from.

[Station]

You can't transfer any Q-plate to a private plate. Dem's the rules.

[rml2345]

Before the 2001 reg change, the last two letters of the three letter bit was the area identifier. CH and RR for example were both codes for Nottingham.

I think dealers would be issues blocks of registration by the DVLA, hence the similarities between registrations on the same cars or big blocks of the same car with very similar plates in fleets. They still do them in blocks sometimes, but its harder to spot now as its usually only the letter at the end that changes, eg. BB13 AZA, AZB, AZC and so on.

[Jim Bell]

Heres a stupid one:

 

The Sunny does not have a steering wheel adjustable height feature.

But the column shroud plastics have the hole  and the long relief trough where the adjustment lever should be. And the wheel base shroud is seperate to the dash.

 

How likely is it that the "height adjustment mechanism" is in there, and that I'll be able to raise the wheel and lock it off in the higher position?

[Partridge]

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.

[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.