Ask a Shiter

[Rusty Pelican]

Use one of the free car data checks online, which should tell you what vehicle the reg is on

 

http://www.instantcarcheck.co.uk/ for example..

 

Then when you have the make, if there is one, you can check DVLA to see if it's still taxed

Thanks , its not on anything so in theory could be put back on the original car , owner has loads of paperwork as proof

[Louise2cv]

I have started to notice people going around with these little strips of LEDs on the top of their front number plate, two 3inch strips of white leds...

 

Is it some kind of speed camera avoidance trick? Or just a misguided attempt at making their car look stylish*

[gordonbennet]

Don't just don't go there....do those who put these idiotic LED's on old chod realise just how crass they look, some bright bluish tint brilliant white lights where every single other light should be a pale yellowish.

[Matt]

I have started to notice people going around with these little strips of LEDs on the top of their front number plate, two 3inch strips of white leds...

 

Is it some kind of speed camera avoidance trick? Or just a misguided attempt at making their car look stylish*

 

Surely an array of 'bright' infrared lights hidden in a plate frame would be the best way to pull this off? Blinds cameras by the reflection but invisible to the human eye.

[Louise2cv]

A quick google (to make sure I wasn't being totally stupid) suggested that you can get those yes. Maybe these glowing number plate eyebrows are just to make the car look good*... :/

[chaseracer]

Hypothetically, is it possible to "drive" from the UK to the USA by island-hopping and ferries via the Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland and Canada?

[Asimo]

I don't know the answer to the question but if you go East from here, there is only about 100 miles of water between here and the USA.

Some blokes from this village made a sort of screw-driven vehicle to "drive" across the ice between Alaska and Russia. They got half way before military/politics/"security" stopped them.

[Mr Lobster]

Hypothetically, is it possible to "drive" from the UK to the USA by island-hopping and ferries via the Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland and Canada?

 

Not that way, no. You can get a ferry to Iceland easy enough but theres nothing in the way of connections to Greenland at all.

 

Atlantic Container Line do take cars on their Sweden - Amsterdam - Hamburg  - Liverpool - Baltimore - New York service though if you are really keen to drive to America. Up until she was retired you could also get your car on the QE2 - she had a car deck for about 25 cars when in transatlantic service.

[chaseracer]

Not that way, no. You can get a ferry to Iceland easy enough but theres nothing in the way of connections to Greenland at all.

 

 

Atlantic Container Line do take cars on their Sweden - Amsterdam - Hamburg  - Liverpool - Baltimore - New York service though if you are really keen to drive to America.

 

[spike60]

Hypothetically, is it possible to "drive" from the UK to the USA by island-hopping and ferries via the Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland and Canada?

This Australian guy and his wife drove from Halifax, Nova Scotia via the Azores to Africa, Gibraltar and the English channel in a ex US Army Ford amphibious jeep in the 1950's. Very inventive and stone mad, he completed the world trip back to the US mainland across the Pacific. 38,000 miles around, 11,000 in open seas, if IIRC. A jaw dropping book.

[KruJoe]

What's going on here?

 

 

I sorned the Pleasure Wagon with a paper form as the new keeper, today I received the acknowledgement note (and in a separate envelope - good going with the cost cutting, Doovla), also this cheque for a RFL refund.

Why did I get that, and not the previous owner?

[Pillock]

Because the DVLA are putting their usual level of attention into things?

 

I guess it depends which information gets processed first. If it's SORN then New Keeper, then the RFL refund will go to the person who was the registered keeper at the time - the old owner. If they do it the other way around I suppose you'd be the keeper at time of the refund being issued.

 

However, shouldn't processing a new keeper automatically generate a refund for the old owner? Looks like it's all gone a bit wrong - who'd have thought it?

[GrumpyCat]

Hello, I have a question.

 

A relative has asked me to sell their 'private' number plate. Is it best to place in on retention first and then advertise it? Would eBay be best?

[D Spares & Tyres]

Hello, I have a question.

 

A relative has asked me to sell their 'private' number plate. Is it best to place in on retention first and then advertise it? Would eBay be best?

ebay is best but use a classified ad that will cost you £15, otherwise they will rob too much off you. Doesn`t matter which you do first so long as you make it clear in the ad whats happening

[KruJoe]

Because ... DVLA

 

In that case, I've an ace money-making idea...

Send off a whole bunch of V890 sorn forms as the new keeper* for random motors I see on the street, then wait for the DVLA cheques to roll in.

WCPGW?

[wuvvum]

What was the last car sold in the UK with a naturally aspirated diesel engine?

[Spiny Norman]

Octavia SDi?

[HH-R]

Are diesel Aixams still sold here - think they're NASP?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

The easiest* route is this;

Which was the one taken by Ford in 1993 in a telly documentary using Mondeo 4x4s and Mavericks. The bit across the Bering Strait was supposed to be done in a specialist amphibious tracked thing but from memory it got stuck. They must have cheated because I remember the footage of the Mondeos driving into New York.

[Richard]

Octavia SDi?

 

I am convinced my dad's wife's 07 plate 207 doesn't have a turbo. If it does I couldn't find it.

[Slappy]

I had a pair of new Firestones put on my Fiesta back in 2013 and about 20k miles ago, but I'm now finding the outside shoulder appears to be suffering from age related cracks. Only a smidge miffed as they've done 20k and probably in the last couple of k of life anyway, but I couldn't find the date stamp on them. Can anyone spot it on here? I was looking for the normal "WWYY" figure. The Kumhos which have been on the back for the last 30k still have 3-4mm left, bless them, they're August 2010 and no issues whatsoever!

 

 

Now, I hear that sometimes it's beneficial to put the new tyres (and there are some new Dunlops that I've been eying up as they're only £40 apiece plus fitting) on the rears, and then swap the rears on to the front on a FWD car. Personally I don't think there's enough in the Kumhos to justify that this time, but is that generally the done thing?

[Richard]

You're supposed to have your best tyres on the back whether it's fwd or rwd.

[skattrd]

You're supposed to have your best tyres on the back whether it's fwd or rwd.

 

I always thought it's something to do with the fact that you can control what the fronts do with the steering, but the rear wheels have just got grip, so if they have no grip they may not go where you want them to.

[spike60]

The tyre date stamp DOT code is usually just on one side of the tyre, mebby both of yours are on the inner face.

[willswitchengage]

Why does this TOYOTA LAND CRUISER have a choke if it's a diesel? What does it do?

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Land-Cruiser-Classic-HJ60-Diesel-No-Reserve/111616787860?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140122125356%26meid%3D97d2b8d4c6f64644905fe87bac5920c6%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D261811879650&rt=nc

[dave21478]

Possibly its a manual throttle control to raise the idle speed. My Mazda pickup has this. Dunno what for, perhaps when running lots of electrical accessories or a winch or something?

Dont try to use it as ghetto cruise control - results are alarming.

[DS20]

 

Dont try to use it as ghetto cruise control - results are alarming.

 

 

What happens?  

[dave21478]

You forget its not "proper" cruise control and find yourself approaching your sliproad off at 110kph fumbling to screw the knob out and slow down in time.

[red5]

It's a (limited travel) hand throttle. Lots of older oriental 4x4 have them - Shoguns etc

[KruJoe]

My Pleasure Wagon has a light-up button which raises the revs when it's cold, to reduce the time it takes to reach operating temperature. I believe it was an option fitted to models originally sold in the chilly north of Japan.

 

IIRC early Merc G-Wagons also had an unmarked knob on the dash with which you could tweak the idle speed.