Ask a Shiter

[cobblers]

My modern ibiza has a 1ghz PC with LCD display instead of three knobs and a switch for heaters/AC control. It's really no better than the normal system and has zero tactile feedback so you have to take your eyes off the road to use it.

 

Anyway, when you have it in "demist" and put the car in reverse, the fan goes into MEGA OVERDRIVE speed, like even a step above the normal maximum. Why? I thought it might be to demist the rear window, but you are only in reverse for a few seconds so it's not going to make a jot of difference, you;d have to sit there in reverse with your foot on the clutch for about ten minutes before it did anything.

[Inspector Morose]

11mm? That's for when I can't find my 7/16" spanner. A lot of bus shite still is in imperial world.

 

1/2" is fractionally smaller than 13mm. Useful for fucked M8 set screws/bolts.

 

8mm? About 5/16".

 

9mm reserved for French.

[Asimo]

Americans don't use Imperial, they had a war with us to stop that imperialist nonsense! They do use inches though, but much less every year. Their inch sizes for spanners are different, ie Hex keys: odd numbers of 1/64" where Brits use 1/32". Old UK Fords are a nightmare mix of American and British inch fasteners IIRC.

 

9mm and 11mm don't fit any of the basic ISO metric thread series, M5 needs a 8mm spanner, M6 a 10mm, M8 a 13mm etc, but there are plentry of fine thread fasteners using these sizes as well as fittings and adjusters etc in some families of Euro and Japanese motors.

[panhard65]

Not to mention the Japanese and their dislike of 13mm nuts. All 12mm or 14mm. I have got a set of whitworth spanners that I got on the insurance claim when my garage was broken into. I still haven't unpacked them 19 years later which shows how useful they are.

[steve_earwig]

The Matchless came with a tool roll of Whitworths. I'm sure they're AFs with a values halved...

My modern ibiza has a 1ghz PC with LCD display instead of three knobs and a switch for heaters/AC control. It's really no better than the normal system and has zero tactile feedback so you have to take your eyes off the road to use it.

 

Anyway, when you have it in "demist" and put the car in reverse, the fan goes into MEGA OVERDRIVE speed, like even a step above the normal maximum. Why? I thought it might be to demist the rear window, but you are only in reverse for a few seconds so it's not going to make a jot of difference, you;d have to sit there in reverse with your foot on the clutch for about ten minutes before it did anything.

It's probably digital because it's climate control, unlike manual air con where you set it low at the start of your journey and it imperceptibility lowers the temperature until you reach your destination, get out of the car and drop dead of heat stroke, climate has an ecu that tries to hold the interior of the car at the set temperature by varying the output and maybe even bleeding a little warm in if it gets too cold. This is not something easy to achieve with a set of knobs attached to Bowden cables.

 

I've not come across one that reacts to reverse gear, I see no point to it either - are you sure this is normal behaviour for the car, rather than a fault?

[alf892]

Not to mention the Japanese and their dislike of 13mm nuts. All 12mm or 14mm. I have got a set of whitworth spanners that I got on the insurance claim when my garage was broken into. I still haven't unpacked them 19 years later which shows how useful they are.

Well if they need rehoming just let me know..................

[dollywobbler]

Thanks! That would be about 1982-3 ish, when the 2, the square and the 4 headlighted cars were all face-lifted to have 2 square lights. Planning ahead.....

I don't think it's that simple. IIRC, I think the 105 retained swing axles and only the 135/135 models had the Rapids better set-up.

[worldofceri]

Been thinking I might have a crack at removing the b0rked engine from my Beetle in the new year...  "It's only held on with four bolts m8" as every pub expert knows and, whilst I've never attempted such a feat before, since it's already broken, wcpgw?

 

So in preparation I've been reading up on what the Haynes b.o.l. has to say about the matter.  Almost straight away I find reference to 'cheese headed screws'.

 

Cheese Headed Screws???

 

WTF?

 

Presumably I'll have to head down to Halfords for a cheese-ended screwdriver before I can crack on?

[xtriple]

Taking engines outof Beetles is... a piece of piss. Seriously, you will spend more time looking for things you may have missed than actually doing it. Aren't cheese head screws just normal screws made out of monkey metal that get chewed up just by showing them a screwdriver?

[steve_earwig]

Just find a close-fitting screwdriver, you probably already have one. No idea what a cheese head is (maybe someone who eats a lot of the stuff) but I've had engines out of Beetles without having to shop for one. It's all a very long time ago but for the life of me I can't actually remember anything other than chisel heads holding all the heat shields in.

 

 

Edit: Having had a think I'm pretty sure "cheese" headed screw actually means slotted. Furthermore, I'm sure the screwdriver I used to use was one I'd made in school out of a length of steel rod with the rod made into a loop to form the handle.

[catsinthewelder]

My handy hint for dropping aircooled VW engines is to get hold of 4 short bits of 4x4 fencepost and a trolley jack.

 

The heat exchangers are about 10" off the ground so put the fence posts underneath them in a stack of two each side.  When you are pulling the engine back off the gearbox with it balanced on the trolley jack you don't need to worry about it falling off as theres something to catch it.  Once the input shaft is clear,  drop the engine onto the fence posts then you can use the jack to lift the rest of the car clear to  get the engine out.

[red5]

Cheese head is rounded slotted head.

 

Like this

 

 

[Slappy]

Down Pompey way yesterday, a convoy of unmarked vehicles came flying past with blues and a not-quite-police type siren. It being dark and having eyes on the road obviously I think I made out the silhouette of a Hyundai i30 and a Ford S-Max out of the 4 vehicles that went past.

 

Idle curiosity really, but anyone know who that was likely to be? Royals seemed an obvious answer, but there were no Range Rovers or Audis, which are the preferred vehicular transportation devices from what I recall.

[DSdriver]

Cheese head is rounded slotted head.

 

Like this

 

Of course that might be a panhead. Cheese head has perpendicular sides (imagine a whole brie stuck on top of a thread), panheads have curved edges around the top sort of like an upside down frying pan.

[DSdriver]

Down Pompey way yesterday, a convoy of unmarked vehicles came flying past with blues and a not-quite-police type siren. It being dark and having eyes on the road obviously I think I made out the silhouette of a Hyundai i30 and a Ford S-Max out of the 4 vehicles that went past.

 

Idle curiosity really, but anyone know who that was likely to be? Royals seemed an obvious answer, but there were no Range Rovers or Audis, which are the preferred vehicular transportation devices from what I recall.

Navy top brass late for Admiral's dinner dance?

[bub2006]

Me and a mate having a discussion about large engined,auto matic cars but basic trim levels. Last car I can think of is the Volvo 940 classic with all round windy windows and I believe no ac or sunroof. Any one made any later?

[red5]

Panheads are really a sub group of cheese head. Imho.

 

Pedantic to say the least, and as for you....

 

 

[catsinthewelder]

I was driving through Worcestershire earlier behind a van that was signwritten for Red 7,  any relation to Red 5?

[DSdriver]

Panheads are really a sub group of cheese head. Imho.

 

Pedantic to say the least, and as for you....

 

 

I have to be pedantic otherwise my customers get annoyed when I send them screws that don't match what they have already got.

As a lot of people don't know the difference I thought I would explain. I am very sorry if this upsets you.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Down Pompey way yesterday, a convoy of unmarked vehicles came flying past with blues and a not-quite-police type siren. It being dark and having eyes on the road obviously I think I made out the silhouette of a Hyundai i30 and a Ford S-Max out of the 4 vehicles that went past.

 

Idle curiosity really, but anyone know who that was likely to be? Royals seemed an obvious answer, but there were no Range Rovers or Audis, which are the preferred vehicular transportation devices from what I recall.

There seem to be hundreds of unlikely cars with blue lights and sirens flying around the country , presumably , given the number of news stories about terrorist arrests,they might well be Security Services etc.

The fact that I usually see them in small convoys on the motorways points to them not been normal Police - they tend not to need to travel long distances.

Mostly VAG shite including Octavias,Passats,A3,A4 and A6 often hi spec big wheeled things. X5s,Q7s and somewhat sinisterly big wheeled ,fancy VW Transporters and Vitos, have they got shackled and hooded prisoners in the back heading for Cuba?

Last week I saw a silver Astra Van Sport with blue lights on the M1, the last vehicle you'd ever suspect, I suppose that's the idea.

[xtriple]

I bought (deliberately!) a LHD Merc 560SE (not L) 126 which was originally meant to be used on the autobahns of the Fatherland. Merc made quite a few of them but they weren't used by the Police for some reason. They were all then sold on....

 

Seriously wierd spec: 5.6 litre engine in short wheelbase body, no sunroof, no AC, manumatic rear windows, no leather, no other toys at all.

 

By heck, it didn't half shift!

 

Must have been several hundred kilos lighter than standard and had decent suspension and big BIG brakes. I loved it.

[twosmoke300]

I have to be pedantic otherwise my customers get annoyed when I send them screws that don't match what they have already got.

As a lot of people don't know the difference I thought I would explain. I am very sorry if this upsets you.

I used to love going to the local nuts n bolts place and watch farmers ask for so and so bolts. The guy comes back with them and every time the farmer would ask if they had any that were threaded all the way. The assistant would grumpily say " oh you wanted machine screws then"

[Asimo]

Beetle engine removal: up on stands, disconnect stuff, remove the four bell housing bolts.

 

Place an empty gallon oil can or similar under the engine and pull smartly on the exhaust pipes and the engine will drop onto the can / squashy stuff.

 

Simples

[CreepingJesus]

Any hints or tips on parking near Hammersmith Apollo on Monday night?

Long story short, I've been bounced into going to a gig there, and the only way I can do it, is drive there, and drive back. So I'll need to berth the V70 in the vicinity from teatime, until sometime after midnight.

 

Lunatic SVM missions...not only for The Win, but also for The Cure.

[Alan_Green]

Any hints or tips on parking near Hammersmith Apollo on Monday night?

Long story short, I've been bounced into going to a gig there, and the only way I can do it, is drive there, and drive back. So I'll need to berth the V70 in the vicinity from teatime, until sometime after midnight.

 

Lunatic SVM missions...not only for The Win, but also for The Cure.

• Driving down from Scotietland? Monday night rush hour just before Christmas?
• Park at Heathrow Terminal 5 and take the Piccadilly line to Hammersmith.  
• 30 mins on tube from Heathrow or up to 3 hours driving,,,queueing,,,,,faffing about looking for a space in Hammersmith,,,,,walking to gig....getting stressed out and missing the start,  
• You will have to pay the toll at Birmingham or that could add hours

[CreepingJesus]

Yes, as stupid as it sounds, that is the case. Fife to London and back in as little time as possible.

I'll be avoiding Brum at all costs!

Sounds like a plan. Cheers for that Mr Green.

[skattrd]

Thats a good shout about parking outside of London, just be careful of the last tube times.

When I'm working in London I often park in Stevenage, 30 mins to Kings Cross on the train, quicker than driving in to London and cheaper than paying for parking in the city.

[320touring]

Yes, as stupid as it sounds, that is the case. Fife to London and back in as little time as possible.

I'll be avoiding Brum at all costs!

Sounds like a plan. Cheers for that Mr Green.

Pretend you are ryanair and park at Prestwick-start walking!

[CreepingJesus]

Or curl up in the glove box, and arrive at a field near Swindon. Hey presto, the EasyJet experience...

[Alan_Green]

Yes, as stupid as it sounds, that is the case. Fife to London and back in as little time as possible.

I'll be avoiding Brum at all costs!

Sounds like a plan. Cheers for that Mr Green.

My pleasure.  It is do-able. Terminal 5 because the road in is usually clear (unlike the other terminals).  Heathrow because you can back get there 24 hrs. Parking will not be too expensive if you pre-book long term.  You will need a contactless bank card for public transport (no cash) or get hold of an oystercard. By Birmingham toll I mean pay for the M6toll. Heathrow to Hammersmith between 4pm and 7pm on a weekday can be gridlock and driving it would be a massive gamble. Best of luck