Ask a Shiter

[fatharris]

Check the headlight plug isn't melted and isn't shorting out. I had a similar snag on my Primera.

 

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[tooSavvy]

On my 306 both dipped beams work fine, but when I use the headlight 'flasher' or switch to main beam, the dipped bulb on the nearside goes out and the main beam on the offside illuminates.

WTF? Because French? I did wonder whether one of the bulbs has different (wrong) soldered bits at the bottom or was in wrong somehow. Any thoughts, please?

 

Ha!.... must be a rash >> had the same trick pulled by a GM 900floppy the other week, flashing me out.

 

TS

[The Moog]

Check the headlight plug isn't melted and isn't shorting out. I had a similar snag on my Primera.

 

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Whs can be the plug into lghts.

[Des]

The offside dipped headlamp on the daily Honda Accord has suddenly decided to blow bulbs. On the third bulb in a month now. Not poundland bulbs either, three different types of decent makes. Have been careful fitting them. Not touched the bulb with bare fingers etc...

Any ideas?

 

Check connections / earth, halogens will pop from too few volts the way proper lamps pop from too many.

[The Moog]

Cold idle isn't working on xantia.

 

Is it worth fixing? I mean that from a hassle vs mpg point of view

[jakebullet]

Anyone been to u pull it York? How does it work?

 

I think I'm reaching the point where I've made a pool ball gear knob for every t2, t4 and mini in existence. So I need thread info for more modern cars. Said place has more modern stuff, and it's not off the shelf.

 

So is it give them their quid, go help yourself, nobody gives a shit what you're doing?

How hard is it to find a specific car that's on their website? Do they stack, or big concrete area with 800 cars on it?

Can I convince Kinky girl it's a nice day out?

[scaryoldcortina]

She'll either love it and pester you non stop wanting to go to more scrapyards or hate it and never speak to you again. Impossible to predict either way.

 

I have a large breakers yard right outside my garage, so you could always send me a list of candidates and I'll go find them for you.

[Richard]

Anyone been to u pull it York? How does it work?

 

I think I'm reaching the point where I've made a pool ball gear knob for every t2, t4 and mini in existence. So I need thread info for more modern cars. Said place has more modern stuff, and it's not off the shelf.

 

So is it give them their quid, go help yourself, nobody gives a shit what you're doing?

How hard is it to find a specific car that's on their website? Do they stack, or big concrete area with 800 cars on it?

Can I convince Kinky girl it's a nice day out?

 

In my local branch you just pay the £1 and you're free to rummage around all the cars. The cars are arranged in areas by make, all on one level.

[Station]

How to find out the address of a car:

 

Get trade insurance

[Optional] Find a day when your insurance office is not open

Don't put a car on insurance MID, but drive around (but keep the policy saying you're entitled to drive any car in your possession),

Get pulled by the police

Say it is insured

[Optional] The police will ring insurers, but on the day it will be shut

Say you have another car that is insured on the policy, give police officer reg number of vehicle you want to find the address of

Check the little screen in police car when they bring up the details, (somehow) remember the address it brings up

Say 'yes, you sold that recently' - (police will possibly be so zealously trying to get your car on the back of a recovery truck to be bothered)

Remember you have the doc on you, and apologise.

??????

PROFIT

 

YOU'RE WELCOME!!

[Lacquer Peel]

Could it be a bust impeller on the water pump? It's plastic apparently.

Yes it could, the plastic impeller on the probably original water pump is cracked. 17 years isn't bad for a water pump but it'd still be fine if it had a metal impeller.

 

The viscous fan is a pain in the arse to remove without the stubby T50 socket Mercedes recommends, there's only a little clearance between the fan and radiator - it can stay off because the viscous fan is a bit 'belt and braces' when it has electric cooling fans as well, less drag should improve the shite fuel consumption.

It's the first time I've worked on a Mercedes, most things are reasonably accessible and the engine bolts all come off nicely. Nice MB-branded stainless jubilee clips holding the coolant hoses on, no shite quick* release or bayonet fittings.

It's just a shame it's rusty as fuck.

[Jimmycrackcorn]

What would technically be the cheapest car to insure in the UK?

I currently don't have any NCB stupidly due to changing cars and insurers so much I've finished a year out with any. 

I also have 1 claim (still ongoing despite happening in Aug 2014).

Insurance wise I get raped even my Picasso was £1300 for the year, I've worked out that my current cars can be put on a classic policy for about £100 each but I was want something that'll be cheap on insurance that I can just leave in the corner to help build up my NCB and reduce my outgoings on monthly insurance payments. 

[HH-R]

Group 1 insurance, summat like a mk3 Fiat Panda or similar. Euro stuff tends to be cheaper than Japanese/Korean to insure on parts prices in case of an smash.

 

Sometimes non obvious 1st cars can be cheaper because lots of Fiestas/Corsas/etc will be crashed because there's billions of them on the roads.

 

Of course it is insurance so it depends what the bingo machine quote generator sez!

[fatharris]

The Rover 75 diesels were reportedly the cheapest car to insure, and it certainly was the case for me.

 

Other cheap cars I had include a Xantia diesel and a Civic 1.4.

 

Pick something that young people don't drive and you won't go far wrong.

 

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[skattrd]

850cc Daihatsu are quite cheap to insure, or get a slightly confused insurance company who will insure you a 4wd turbo nutter version for the same price as the 850cc UK model, because it's "the nearest thing on their books" despite you telling them it's not really.

[Aston Martin]

I'm strongly thinking about a new car on PCP. I was going to ask for 14% off, which I didn't think would be unreasonable. Drivethedeal, who basically act as middle men to the main dealer, can do it for 20% off  ... plus we'd be getting two.

 

So, we could probably get the main dealer down more if we went in person? 

[Richard]

Most small "sensible" cars seem to be hideously expensive to insure. You'll probably find some obscure executive saloon is the cheapest.

[cort16]

I'm strongly thinking about a new car on PCP. I was going to ask for 14% off, which I didn't think would be unreasonable. Drivethedeal, who basically act as middle men to the main dealer, can do it for 20% off  ... plus we'd be getting two.

 

So, we could probably get the main dealer down more if we went in person? 

 

Make sure they're not pre-registered cars (if that bothers you)

[fatharris]

New car on Autoshite? Better be a Dacia, MG or Ssangyong. Nothing good, like.

 

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[Aston Martin]

New car on Autoshite? Better be a Dacia, MG or Ssangyong. Nothing good, like.

 

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Don't worry it is from an unreliable brand... with a warranty. 

[xtriple]

When my son was a sprog, his Nova cost a fortune to insure (it was a 1.2) while a 1.8 Mondeo was peanuts! He sold the Nova and loved the Mondeo.

 

Car insurance, makes no sense price wise... ever!

[D Spares & Tyres]

Any idea how I stick the headlining back up on my 405?

 

Spray adhesive isn't good enough and I'm not keen on the drawing pin look

[cort16]

Staple gun

[D Spares & Tyres]

That would work but its not much of an upgrade on the drawing pins. I want it to look original.

[spike60]

When my son was a sprog, his Nova cost a fortune to insure (it was a 1.2) while a 1.8 Mondeo was peanuts! He sold the Nova and loved the Mondeo.

 

Car insurance, makes no sense price wise... ever!

|About 10 years back my then 19 son would take my BMW 540i to £1815, the Alfa 155 2.0 TS to £3807. He got named on neither.

[myglaren]

That would work but its not much of an upgrade on the drawing pins. I want it to look original.

Have you tried carpet/flore tile adhesive?

[D Spares & Tyres]

No, but it may work. Didn't want to just experiment in case I ruin the material, some glues may melt it?

[skattrd]

No, but it may work. Didn't want to just experiment in case I ruin the material, some glues may melt it?

 

Liquid metal is not the best glue for cloth trim  .... Look, it was the only glue I had handy, so I had to try it   in fairness though the trim might be black and crusty but it's still attached.

[cobblers]

If you've already tried a load of cheap glue then you're already shafted really. Spray glue comes in many grades and the cheap stuff is OK on the face of it but after a while it loosens. A bit of heat really softens it too.

I've not had any success going back over it with "good glue" cos there's always a layer of crap stuff that's gonna fail.

[sierraman]

Way you have to look at it is you want something that's so worthless it would be written off if you broke a mirror off it. Then consider how many of that car they've had to pay out on recent. Chances are damage to a 2012 Corsa would be repaired, included in that would also be hire car charges etc... Then factor in they will have paid out on a hundred of accidents involving Corsas this year. Hence to their way of thinking statistics say it's a bad risk.

 

Conversely if you so much as scratched a 1999 Renault Safrane it would be written off quite quickly thus cutting out the hire car bumf (but hey it's a £300 car you likely wouldn't bother even claiming!). Chances are they've never even heard of a Safrane let alone written off any in the recent past. So you are a bit of an unknown and as they say 'no news is good news'. Then to top it all they know there's not a cat in hells chance you'd claim as the excess is £150 and you'd be then only getting a cheque for £150.

 

So you've only paid £200 to insure an unreliable liability of a French car and the 12 plate Corsa is paying £500.

[stephen01]

Can you put new boot seals on the wrong way? I ask as I've changed the one on my herald, chucked a bucket of water over it, still water on the inside?