Ask a Shiter

[TimothyClaypole]

Where's the best place to get wet and dry paper from?

 

I bought the last few sheets off Ebay but don't buy it much to know if I'm getting molested or not and if there's better prices for buying more etc.

 

600/800/1200 varieties, more of the 600 than 800 then 1200 etc. for aluminium tubing rather than car body work.

[320touring]

Helfrauds do a decent variety pack

[myglaren]

A while since I bought any but "Paint Shop Supplies" round here have a very good selection at reasonable prices, otherwise professional decorators suppliers - Johnstone's Trade/Leyland (same company) Crown warehouse (more expensive) Mangers if you can find one now.

[stephen01]

Can I just ask why in cuntfuttocks can Ford not make a car that doesnt rust to buggery.

 

Al-a Ka

 

Al-a Focus.

 

Looked at a 10 year old Focus the other day and it was pretty miserable on top, god only knows what it was like underneath.

 

 

was jacking up a mates 9 year old focus, flat tyre, and his jack went right through the jacking point, luckily i had put his wheel under the car and it saved it from smashing right on the floor. He took it to work and welded what can only be described as a piece of iron over it and whacked some lack paint on it.  

[Des]

I'm sure I've seen wet and dry paper in one of the poundshops recently. And copaslip, I've always believed its magical properties are from the way that the copper will remain long after the grease has done one, and that the copper promotes electrical contact to cut down on all that electrolytickery.

[wuvvum]

What the actual fuck is going on with G Wagen prices?  I turned down a scruffy-but-running 280GE LWB for 700 quid 10 years ago - now it seems that even tatty ones are fetching 10 times that.  Are these the next Mk1 Escort or something?

[loserone]

Apparently so!

 

RE: Wet and Dry; have a look at abranet, It's not so expensive, doesn't fill up with what you're sanding, and seems to last well.

[skattrd]

I know what you mean about G wagons Wuv. I've been considering a 4x4 for a while and those were on the list... Until I saw the price of them now. I reckon a 3 door Rangie from France will be my next 4x4.

[ChinaTom]

Quezzy about winter tyres: I have a tyre pressure monitoring system on the Merc. I want to get a set of cheap wheels for these tyres as current parking arrangements are fraught with kerbability*

 

I have had 2 bits of contradicting advice. One is that only M-B can supply due to the tyre pressure monitoring system, the other is that "it will be fine Sir, fitting our wheels and tyres will be compatible"

 

What's likely to be the truth? 

 

Also, anyone know where I can get a set of 245/45/18 black steel wheels?

 

 

 

 

* ...learn to park you dufus

[steve_earwig]

Do you know if it has transponders in the wheels or uses the ABS system?

[ChinaTom]

I have absolutely no idea. The handbook isn't very helpful on that front. I'll dig around for more info on that

[steve_earwig]

Ok. Thing is I assumed it would have transponders so I had a little Google but it looks like they can have either. Obviously if it's just ABS then there's no problem but if it's transponders you might have to put up with warning lights and bonging noises. Mind you if it's a choice between the cost of transponders, paying for them to be disabled or bonging noises I'd buy some ear plugs..

[ChinaTom]

Cheers Earwig - I had some fun working out what I have in there. I have asked the dealer to confirm - apparently he has to check the build records.

 

The other alternative is to just keep the current tyres, drive more carefully and put up with the way-HAYYY, tightly gripped wheel and puckering when changing lanes on slushy Autobahns. 

 

I have just driven back to UK from Germany and got caught in a few heavy snow falls through Belgium. Romanian lorries come speeding past at normal speeds, and the steelie wheel winter tyre shod Germans actually seem to speed up for these conditions. I, however, am all over the place at 45mph. 

[Sloth in a bowl]

On pedal bike stuff I tend to use teflon grease. Not had stuck nuts yet and the pot I bought 15 years ago is still in action.

[Inspector Morose]

Rocol anti-sieze is the stuff I use. Like ordinary copper grease but much thicker and creamier so it tends not to be so easily "washed" off.

[mat_the_cat]

Awesome I was just told by a colleague that it promoted, not inhibited, electrolytic reactions

 

This bears out what I've seen, and what makes sense in theory too:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_series

 

Looking at the order of metals, you can see that steel is less noble than copper so hence will corrode preferentially. I've put copper grease on zinc plated parts which had previously lasted 15 years with no corrosion. Within a year they had corroded, although were not seized.

 

Zinc will corrode even more preferentially in relation to copper, so my theory is that the plating was corroded away when in contact with the copper particles. But my understanding is that the copper is meant to act as a dry lubricant for threads, even when the carrier grease has dried out or washed away. So I tend to use grease on new plated bolts (on the basis that it'll be better than nothing at all), and copper grease when re-using old fasteners which have already started to rust.

[Craig the Princess]

All Vauxhall owners are shite.

 

Mrs the princess's college just called her to say she had filled her 6 month old Vauxhall Mokka diesel with 14 litres of petrol and driven 1/2 mile home.

 

Is this bad or really really bad?

[Pillock]

Diesel in a petrol isn't that bad if it still had some diesel in, the heavy oil stays near the bottom and the petrol rises so hopefully it won't have nuked it. Fingers crossed it'll just be a case of draining it. If it was running on fumes, that's worse.

 

Diesel in a petrol is bad. BAD.

[chaseracer]

Petrol in a diesel isn't that bad if it still had some diesel in, the heavy oil stays near the bottom and the petrol rises so hopefully it won't have nuked it. Fingers crossed it'll just be a case of draining it. If it was running on fumes, that's worse.

 

Diesel in a petrol is bad. BAD.

 

FTFY.

 

Get some sleep 

[wuvvum]

I thought modern common rail OMGDPF diesels couldn't cope with any significant quantity of petrol being put through them?  I know that old diesels can cope with a certain amount (the engine in Mr. Bo11ox' Volvo, for example, will run on up to 1/3 petrol), but the stupidly tight tolerances of modern diesels leave no margin for error.

[alf892]

If it is still in warranty make sure you don't tell them.........just get it sucked out and change fuel filter. Chances are you will be OK although the HP pump may have a shorter life

 

We had to do this to a few Fords and they survived....

 

The manufacturers will insist on doing it their (very expensive) way regardless of what damage has actually been done. Up to a new engine if it was run till it stopped.

[twosmoke300]

and dont use the supplied breakdown cover if its under warranty cos the aa or rac will report it to the manufacturer

[alf892]

and dont use the supplied breakdown cover if its under warranty cos the aa or rac will report it to the manufacturer

+1 on that.

 

We had a Jag where the driver called the recovery firm after coming to stop and then called us just after. We tried to cancel the callout but they weren't having it...........new engine fitted by Jag. A large Bill followed..........more of a full William actually.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Plus one million on don't tell no body nuffin regarding miss-fuel.

I had an ex rental Fiat Ulysse HDi,the log book said Fiat at Slough ; 'ex management car sir' . I used to be so trusting.

One day it stopped, I called RAC as under warranty - at first they refused to come out because they'd been to 5 yes 5 cases of people putting petrol in it. Eventually they relented and took it to Fiat dealer who refused to even look at it at first,then told me if ther was anything wrong with the engine (at 12,000 miles) it wouldn't be covered under warranty.

You can imagine how chuffed I was and the calls to Fiat Customer Service* etc, turned out the bolt had fallen out of the top pulley, good old Peugeot build quality,and even Fiat couldn't blame that on wrong fuel.

It managed about 150,000 miles, befor I chopped it in against a Transit , with no obvious ill effects from its eventful first 6 months.

[jonathan_dyane]

I'm hopefully buying a ridiculous Volvo tomorrow. The seller who hasn't had the car very long says that he 'only has the new keeper slip' and 'will throw in the tax on the screen'. Vehicle enquiry shows taxed until the 1st of June which I suppose means that the DVLA haven't received the logbook from the previous owner. What to do?

[skattrd]

I'm hopefully buying a ridiculous Volvo tomorrow. The seller who hasn't had the car very long says that he 'only has the new keeper slip' and 'will throw in the tax on the screen'. Vehicle enquiry shows taxed until the 1st of June which I suppose means that the DVLA haven't received the logbook from the previous owner. What to do?

 

You can tax it using the new keeper supplement, which would be prudent to do unless you plan on sorning the car.

The tax on the screen will be reunded to the last person on the logbook.

[Craig the Princess]

Thanks All, she has got the Fuel Doctor out to drain it (it was about a 50/50 mix) and didn't go near the warrenty breakdown people.

[skattrd]

Customs have just asked me for form C88/E2 for the Daihatsu I brought in last month. I've emailed them back, but does anyone know if this form is applicable to, a private person importing a car for personal use.

[Alan_Green]

• Car transporters. Why do I keep seeing them loaded like this?

OK, so it would take extra time to move the 3 vans from the top deck to the bottom after a delivery, but isn't it worthwhile? And can't the top deck be designed to drop down a bit lower pneumatically?

Surely a load like this is a bit wibbly-wobbly/top-heavy/less safe than it could be?

No way I was staying anywhere near that on roadworks in the rain.

[Pillock]

FTFY.

 

Get some sleep

Ummmm yeah. That's what I meant to say, I blame solar flares.

 

Actually, yesterday I nearly went and put petrol in my diesel. It was only as I glanced at the price on the pump and thought "how cheap?" I realised it said unleaded above. I was tired then too. At least I'd not done my usual trick of running it so low that the sat nav will only show directions to a fuel station.....