Ask a Shiter

[worldofceri]

Winter Tyres:

...leaving them on all year round.

 

Stupid Q #1 - is this legal?

Stupid Q #2 - Is there any reall disadvantage to doing this?

 

Stupid Q #1 - Yes, although I believe it's not advisable to mix summer and winter tyres on a car as they generate different levels of grip in different circumstances, which is potentially danerous.

Stupid Q #2 - Winter tyres will give less grip and, in particular, wear much quicker in warm, dry conditions.

 

Supposedly, the proper thing to do is get a second set of wheels to fit your winter tyres to. Swapping them over when the weather changes should in theory give you the optimum tyres at all times and maximise their life. This may only be true if you keep the car for a number of years though.

 

I'm thinking of doing this for the Volvo this year, although by the time I get around to it it will probably be spring already.

[tonedepear]

cooling off period is your friend.

 

But then won't they arse-fuck me with loads of charges and stuff?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

cooling off period is your friend.

 

But then won't they arse-fuck me with loads of charges and stuff?

 

No. The policies vary, but it won't be more than 30 quid plus a pro rata cancellation for days on cover. Just to be totally safe, I'd opt for not getting a no claims discount, because if you do have to make a claim they could accuse you of sharing one NCB between two cars. Also don't buy any add-ons (courtesy car, legal cover etc etc) whatsoever, as they often have different canx terms, and ideally try to make it as an upfront payment- or at least check that 'financing' the policy does not have extra terms attached.

[tonedepear]

I wouldn't take those add ons anyway, but no NCD would make it a fortune! Comfortably more then the cost of buying 3 cars and paying it in one hit is definitely a no-no, and from a quick web search, it seems most insurance companys rape you square in the face for the cost of a bit of pro-rata cover. So I'd basically be looking at spending £1500+ I don't have on a few weeks cover which I'd then have to fight tooth and nail to get some of it back.

 

Anyone know of any decent short term cover options that aren't going to bum me for £££s for a few weeks cover?

[warren t claim]

Collingwood used to do weekly insurance policies for any car up to a group 15 for about £25 a week. Don't know their phone number though.

[tonedepear]

Collingwood used to do weekly insurance policies for any car up to a group 15 for about £25 a week. Don't know their phone number though.

Ta very much, I shall have an investigate.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

After a couple of meetings with speedbumps in the smoke, the already fucked Scorpio exhaust has started blowing. Took it to a National Tyres place and they said it needs a front pipe and cat (of course, their quotes were stupid...400quid, and, on reading the printout later on, they'd priced up the 2.0 parts which may be different from/cheaper than the two-three).

 

Cats Direct (probably bookmarked by most owners of Chinese takeways) can offer me a "ceramic monolith" catalyst (2-year warranty) or one with a "heavy duty steel monolith" (3-year warranty) for 2.5 times the price of the ceramic. I suppose I'm safe with the ceramic one, but can anyone give me a quick idea of the difference between the two?

[jonathan_dyane]

Winter Tyres:

...leaving them on all year round.

 

Stupid Q #1 - is this legal?

Stupid Q #2 - Is there any reall disadvantage to doing this?

 

Stupid Q #1 - Yes, although I believe it's not advisable to mix summer and winter tyres on a car as they generate different levels of grip in different circumstances, which is potentially danerous.

Stupid Q #2 - Winter tyres will give less grip and, in particular, wear much quicker in warm, dry conditions.

 

Supposedly, the proper thing to do is get a second set of wheels to fit your winter tyres to. Swapping them over when the weather changes should in theory give you the optimum tyres at all times and maximise their life. This may only be true if you keep the car for a number of years though.

 

I'm thinking of doing this for the Volvo this year, although by the time I get around to it it will probably be spring already.

 

You can now get 'all weather tyres' which are supposedly a good compromise. Vredestein Quatrac 3 for one. I'm considering a set for the Merc, because I imagine that it will be dreadful in the snow otherwise...

[barefoot]

...I'm considering a set for the Merc, because I imagine that it will be dreadful in the snow otherwise...

 

Don't consider too long, from my experience last year,

By the time / If you need snow tyres - there won't be a set left in the country - buy now!

[Morgan84]

For how good a Mercedes is in slippery conditions,may as well run on under inflated baldies !!

[Station]

I'll be driving soon a car that has no rear seats (but seat belts), no working speedo dial (cable missing), a door colour differently to the rest, no ignition key (uses button starter), a (free) huge replacement exhaust and about three different keys for the locks.

Will this have an affect on the MOT - and will the testers laugh at me for such a heap, especially when they open the bonnet and see a tiny li'l 8v engine? I've really gone out of my way to spend the least money on getting it back on the road (£50 so far).

[scaryoldcortina]

^ None of that will make any difference to the test. You will, however get laughed at.

[Cavcraft]

Who is this LJK Setright (or whatever his name is_ please? I keep seeing mention on here about him but haven't the foggiest what the big deal is.

[Pete-M]

Who is this LJK Setright (or whatever his name is_ please? I keep seeing mention on here about him but haven't the foggiest what the big deal is.

 

LJKS was a legendary writer, mainly for CAR magazine from the '60s-'90s. Strange chap, had a fixation for Hondas, Bristols, various motorbikes and tyre construction.

 

LJK Setright Obit.

[Cavcraft]

Fanks, will have a gander at that!

[Guest Len H]

If I change the fuel filter in my car*, will I have to bleed the injectors.

 

And is bleeding the injectors a major pain or just a case of slackening off a nut and the re-tightening?

 

 

 

 

*1998 Audi A3 Tdi 110bhp.

 

No. Just fill the filter with diesel to prime it, otherwise the injector pump will prime the filter itself.

[warren t claim]

Who is this LJK Setright (or whatever his name is_ please? I keep seeing mention on here about him but haven't the foggiest what the big deal is.

 

LJKS was a legendary writer, mainly for CAR magazine from the '60s-'90s. Strange chap, had a fixation for Hondas, Bristols, various motorbikes and tyre construction.

 

LJK Setright Obit.

I have a fixation with bristols as well but no-one calls me a hero. Only a pervert.

[Guest Len H]

There are some good LJKS articles archived on the Independent website, their motoring section used to be quite good before it was binned off.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 34228.html

 

Just type 'LJK' in the search bar for more. JFGI.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

there's a plastic sheet covering some internal bits of the door on the Accord. It is fixed on the metal using a disgusting goo that's watertight but easy to pull apart by hand. The manual helpfully refers to the goo as 'adhesive'. Does anyone know what it is and where I can get some?

[CreepingJesus]

If it's black Goo, it's mastic of some sort. Either that or you'll have foam like a very long sticky fixer. Mastic should be reusable a couple of times, or scrape it off, and use double sided carpet tape. Ditto for the foam kind.

Both are obtainable from bodyshop suppliers, but B+Q bodges work fine.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

It is the foam kind. Cheers for that.

 

Now I only need a dwarf with long fingers to undo a bolt.

[Andrew353w]

Who is this LJK Setright (or whatever his name is_ please? I keep seeing mention on here about him but haven't the foggiest what the big deal is.

 

He wrote an amazing article for the Daf car company explaining in ordinary language how the Daf belt drive system worked. A GREAT article and a MUST for all Daffers! It included something about the actor the late Sir Peter Ustinov, who was a great Daf fan and owner. The story goes that he was invited a party to which Sir Jackie Stewart was also invited. Apparently there was a bad snowstorm near the party, but Peter Ustinov made it the venue successfully, passing Jackie Stewart on the way, who was stuck in the snow! He is said to have wound down the window of his Daf & said to Jackie "I'll tell them you'll be late, shall I?"

[tonedepear]

I have a fixation with bristols as well but no-one calls me a hero. Only a pervert.

 

I just got this.

[scaryoldcortina]

It is the foam kind. Cheers for that.

 

Now I only need a dwarf with long fingers to undo a bolt.

 

could you hammer a midget over it instead?

[CreepingJesus]

So...Ford Puma. There's quite a few on das 'Bay for not much money, have been for a while. When did they quietly slip into shite-dom, and what are the pitfalls? I don't think the motoring public really took to the glorified FiestaKacoupe, but I recall them being quite pleasant at the time, at least in 1.7 form.

[kinkersaab]

Good to drive, 1.7's seem to have a thirst for oil, have seen one or two dead ones to to lack of it. They all rust round the rear arches, esp up in our neck of the woods. If you cant see rust, chances are you wont have to wait long before it re appears.

[trigger]

I used to have a 1.4 version, it was OK, Quite good fun to drive with a quick gearbox and tight suspension but that is as good as it got, I'm 5ft 11 and kept banging my head every time i got in and out of it due to the low roof line, The A post was shaped just right to be a blind spot when coming up to roundabouts and every time you opened the boot in the wet all the water would just piss straight into the boot in due to a design fault.

 

Most of them now are suffering from badly rusted rear arches, my neighbour has a 2000 1.7 version which he says drinks like a fish and he can't even get £500 for it as the arches are being held together with black gaffer tape.

[Pete-M]

So...Ford Puma. There's quite a few on das 'Bay for not much money, have been for a while. When did they quietly slip into shite-dom, and what are the pitfalls? I don't think the motoring public really took to the glorified FiestaKacoupe, but I recall them being quite pleasant at the time, at least in 1.7 form.

 

The 1.7 is a proper grin, and detuned somewhat in standard form from what they were designed to produce. The one in the FordRacingPuma thing had enough poke to make them a fair bit quicker than the Focus RS - so they knocked the power down to 150 bhp.

 

They handle brilliantly, don't ride badly, sound great (acoustically tuned inlet and exhaust systems), and were basically fiddled with to get the best possible from the already pretty good Fiesta chassis. Steering isn't perfect but it's close enough to not be annoying.

 

The Racing Puma was a great car, just insanely priced new. I think they were £22k, but that's what happens when you get Tickford to do body mods.

[warren t claim]

An ex girlfriend had a Puma as a company car. Ace to drive imho.

[CreepingJesus]

I see! So that's why most of the pics in the ads have been a bit coy about showing the rear arches in much detail!

I did wonder about the 1.7 lump: the 1.4 was a Ford one, but the 1.25 and 1.7 were a joint venture with Yamaha iirc. They were supposed to have been a whole new line of engines, according to the grapevine, but they've kinda sunk without trace.

I never did get my grubby mitts on a Racing version, but one of those in blue with the white OZ's on, was how it should've looked in the first place. Funnily enough, they're still worth a bob or two. I take it Tickford built them a little better.

The only impressive thing I ever saw in M*x P***r ever, was a 2L turbo Zetec converted Puma. Very tidy, looked almost factory; I wonder if Ford had that in mind?