Ask a Shiter

[gm]

a couple of stills off me video

 

Ferrari sneaks past Mazda

 

 

about two seconds later

 

 

what a noise the thing makes - like a fuggin banshee !

[The Moog]

Brilliant!

 

Did you do much to prep for it? I guess new brakes and fluid, maybe spare set of tyres.

[skattrd]

I can see seats and harnesses ... Cheap to get when out of date

[Richard]

My work van passed* its MOT on Monday and I've been assured that it was taxed too. It's not showing up online, is it likely to be impounded and am I likely to be prosecuted if it is?

[tapir]

My work van passed* its MOT on Monday and I've been assured that it was taxed too. It's not showing up online, is it likely to be impounded and am I likely to be prosecuted if it is?

Paid car tax online on Saturday still not showing online, website states it can take five days to show for both mot and tax,

However last mot I had done was showing online before I had collected the car

[gm]

Brilliant!

Did you do much to prep for it? I guess new brakes and fluid, maybe spare set of tyres.

as long as the car is in good nick, you will be ok. check the usual mechanicals such as fluids, brakes and tyres obviously but there's no need to be spending loads on kit to get started.

 

I've been doing trackdays for around 10 years now, initially I used my bog standard road going mx5 which went well, certainly appropriate for my beginner ability. over the years (and five more mx5s) I've upgraded various bits and pieces, the current car is set up with : shocks, brakes, exhaust, roll bar, bucket seats, harnesses and fancy tyres - it all makes things a bit quicker but the important thing is that it still remains a whole load of fun ! I was on road tyres this week as the fancy ones are still at the old house, they took a pasting but survived and are still road legal

 

when I had the 944, I took it round the track and it was way too quick for my driving ability - I scared myself a few times so brought the mazda next time and never looked back. the other side of it has always been that if I wreck the mazda, I can tow it home, salvage the good bits and pick up another for not that much.

 

On Sunday, I had a mate come along from the mx5 forum who was wary of taking his own car on track (not suprising, he has a right nice looking car). we split costs and shared driving my car, he had an absolute ball and is now booking the next session for his own car. He did spin mine within his first few laps but no harm done and he learned a lot from it I think (note to self, get a darker colour bucket seat next time)

 

tl:dr go on track - it's great !

[D Spares & Tyres]

My work van passed* its MOT on Monday and I've been assured that it was taxed too. It's not showing up online, is it likely to be impounded and am I likely to be prosecuted if it is?

[Guest Breadvan72]

Triumph Dolomite heater - blows warm air briefly, then cold.  Temperature gauge tends to read well below middle of dial.    Engine seems warm.  Gauge dodgy?   Thermostat knacked?    Heater foutu?  Me iggerant.

[skattrd]

Sounds like a dodgy thermostat Gerard ... They're kinda shit nowadays, buy the best quality one you can find, so much Chinese crap around that doesn't last.

 

That said, it could be an airlock somewhere.

[Dippy]

I was thinking airlock, try topping it up with the front of the car raised and engine running when warmed up so thermostat should be open.

[gm]

trackday takes it toll on teh brake padz

 

 

done less than 1500 miles ! I won't be buying them again

[HH-R]

They've not been the same since asbestos was persona non grata.

[twosmoke300]

What make were they ? So I can add them to my "shit list"

[skattrd]

What make were they ? So I can add them to my "shit list"

 

I was just thinking the same thing.

[sierraman]

I've had a belt on an old Sierra loose a tooth, fortunately it did this turning the engine over so all it did was knock the timing out and for some reason damaged the rotor arm.

[DSdriver]

it was a friend, she took advantage of one of these cheap MOT's only to then be charged a re test fee of 15 quid, she was miffed that they didn't even take her car back in.

 Would she have taken it back for a retest without having the work done? Nope. Answered.

[gm]

What make were they ? So I can add them to my "shit list"

Pagid - to be fair, they had done two trackdays plus road miles and they performed pretty well on track, no brake fade even though I was hammering them. I've replaced them with Brembo which were the same price but include the clips and springs, I shall report back how they get on.

[Guest Breadvan72]

I was thinking airlock, try topping it up with the front of the car raised and engine running when warmed up so thermostat should be open.

 

 

Excuse to buy Trolley Jack!  

[Landy Mann]

So one of my friends inexplicably wants to use my Land Rover for her wedding transport (not the main vehicle - I hope...).

 

Does anyone know if it's legal to fit a second number plate as shown? Not obscuring my existing plate and not imitating a proper plate in anyway apart from being the correct font, colour ect... And yes I do know that this is excessively sad... I've never come across any truckers having problems with their CB handles on plates in the cab window.

[The Moog]

Anyone know how to remove the rear tailgate lights on a v40?

[Richard]

So one of my friends inexplicably wants to use my Land Rover for her wedding transport (not the main vehicle - I hope...).

 

Does anyone know if it's legal to fit a second number plate as shown? Not obscuring my existing plate and not imitating a proper plate in anyway apart from being the correct font, colour ect... And yes I do know that this is excessively sad... I've never come across any truckers having problems with their CB handles on plates in the cab window.

EDIT.jpg

 

 

I've been to a wedding where the main vehicle was a Land Rover.

 

P1040769 by RichardB5, on Flickr

 

I think it's possible to get in bother for a second plate but I think you'd be fine for the day.

[Asimo]

Reliants that Princess Anne didn't have.

Is a Kitten a four wheeled Robin like a Rebel is a four wheeled Regal or is it all more complex than that?

* Bill Boddy (Motor Sport editor) owned a Reliant Kitten, I wonder what hppened to it? Edit - He reckoned it was the only car of the day that could achieve both 60 mpg and 60 mph (not at the same time though)

[Bfg]

"Is a Kitten a four wheeled Robin like a Rebel is a four wheeled Regal or is it all more complex than that?"

 

I reckon that's right.. the Rebel and Regal had 700cc (or was it 750cc ?) motors while the Kitten, Fox and Robin had the 850cc. The Kitten and Robin shared very similar styling lines and possibly had common doors / mid body panel shapes. 

 

The Kitten and it's pick-up style sibling - the Reliant Fox were actually pretty good little cars.  Don't know ..perhaps the Fox just for the Greek market ?   Either way they had usable bhp and were very thrashable.  Their all-alloy 850cc motor was derived from the Austin-7,  and so I understand, following on from that racing club.. were quite tunable.  The cars handled, steered and stopped OK too.  Physically too small an interior for me otherwise I'd have one as a rusty-free runabout.  

 

Stevens Cipher of 1980 used the Kitten mechanicals, which I think really pissed BL's exec's off when CAR magazine voted the Cipher as their 'most economical' that year, instead of BL's all new Mini Metro..  (Stevens Cipher : 100mpg or 100mph). BL of course spent a little more on product development than Stevens, and hoped to cash in with headline marketing..  Perhaps coincident but Tony Steven's business and career seemed to face brick walls at every turn thereafter.

[saucedoctor]

Landy Mann, on 03 Mar 2016 - 6:53 PM, said:Landy Mann, on 03 Mar 2016 - 6:53 PM, said:

So one of my friends inexplicably wants to use my Land Rover for her wedding transport (not the main vehicle - I hope...).

 

Does anyone know if it's legal to fit a second number plate as shown? Not obscuring my existing plate and not imitating a proper plate in anyway apart from being the correct font, colour ect... And yes I do know that this is excessively sad... I've never come across any truckers having problems with their CB handles on plates in the cab window.

 

You'll be grand, especially as JUST MARRIED is clearly not a VRM. I Policed a few 12th July & OO parades, where vehicles in the procession wear their Lodge numbers on additional plates. No issues, including driving to and from the parade. We did stop a red Nova once, the rear plate of which read "HAIRYHOLE". The lad didn't know, one of his mates had made up one of those sticky, trailerboard type things and stuck it on his motor. His face was a picture when I peeled it off and handed it to him.

 

Pulled a few wee bastards with swirly/tribal plates, though, but that's different.

 

 

[Bfg]

loserone : "SWMBO's K11C micra was treated to a new* exhaust a few months back.  It sounded like it was blowing, but I couldn't see or hear any leak.

 

Took it back to the garage which fitted it, and they could also find no leak, but agreed with the noise.  They returned and exchanged the backbox, thinking it might be a duff baffle or something.  The noise remains.

 

Prior to this escapade, she was getting 290 miles from a tank, but now only 250. 

 

What gives?"

 

I'd wonder if perhaps there's a constriction within the pipe,  especially if at the very beginning / the first attachment flange to the manifold.  If so the garage needs to change it - for fear that the exhaust gas back-pressure may cause combustion imbalance between cylinders or other damage (perhaps from super heating).  Don't supposed they'd want to be liable for the engine, simply for the sake of putting another on and sending the defective item back to the maker.  

 

Bottom line is that she's paid for something and it isn't right....    consumer protection, etc..

[LC Torana]

PAINTING VERBOTEN!

 

When a car is showing rust through bare metal like that, and painting ist verboten, what do you do to stop it rotting while you preserve the patina?

• Do you just wax it?

•  One chap told me to go over the whole car with WD40 - you can buy it by the drum, but I'm not keen on that idea.

• Or do you rub rust converter into the bare spots with a cloth, and then wax it?

 Purely asking academically, of course.

[Pillock]

Would she have taken it back for a retest without having the work done? Nope. Answered.

She might if she was a VOSADVSAWhoever inspector.

[fatharris]

 

When a car is showing rust through bare metal like that, and painting ist verboten, what do you do to stop it rotting while you preserve the patina?

• Do you just wax it?

•  One chap told me to go over the whole car with WD40 - you can buy it by the drum, but I'm not keen on that idea.

• Or do you rub rust converter into the bare spots with a cloth, and then wax it?

 Purely asking academically, of course.

 

 

That's how they preserve military aircraft - still do to this day, although it's not WD40 any more - but matches the specification entirely at a lower price.

 

Oily rag wipe down periodically? Proper patina then, you'd be top pineapple.

[Bfg]

 

When a car is showing rust through bare metal like that, and painting ist verboten, what do you do to stop it rotting while you preserve the patina?

• Do you just wax it?

•  One chap told me to go over the whole car with WD40 - you can buy it by the drum, but I'm not keen on that idea.

• Or do you rub rust converter into the bare spots with a cloth, and then wax it?

 Purely asking academically, of course.

 

 

Answering academically, of course...

 

Clear varnish it ?

 

wd40 would be a pain every time it rubbed off on clothes,  and that rubs off on 'er indoors. 

 

rust converter generally changes ferros oxide to black.. which would loose the authentic rust look ...in favour of the less fashionable burnt-out-wreck look 

[LC Torana]

Answering academically, of course...

 

rust converter generally changes ferrous oxide to black.. which would loose the authentic rust look ...in favour of the less fashionable burnt-out-wreck look 

except (hypothetically) if the car was black anyway...