Ask a Shiter

[cobblers]

This is stupid, as I’ve already done it? My Peugeot 5008 has 3 dash lights on for auto handbrake, ABS & ESP fault. A Long shot, but I’ve decided to disconnect battery in the vague hope of resetting it. Only the positive is easily accessible so I’ve disconnected there? Is this a problem?

Electrically it makes no difference which one you disconnect, however it's always recommended to remove the negative first because that way, if you catch the spanner between the terminal and the earthed bodywork you won't short things out.

Once the negative terminal is disconnected, move onto the positive and you've only got to worry about shorting across the battery.

 

If you can only get the positive terminal off then just be very careful, but it's unlikely to solve your problem.

[Stroller133]

Electrically it makes no difference which one you disconnect, however it's always recommended to remove the negative first because that way, if you catch the spanner between the terminal and the earthed bodywork you won't short things out.

Once the negative terminal is disconnected, move onto the positive and you've only got to worry about shorting across the battery.

 

If you can only get the positive terminal off then just be very careful, but it's unlikely to solve your problem.

Been disconnected about half an hour, just put it back together and as you expected, no difference. I’ll book it into garage to be looked and hope it’s a fuse or something simple.

[Mally]

I know variations of this question have been asked loads of times but here goes. My boy is 17 later in the year and it's time to start think about getting wheels for him. He's going to agricultural college so would it be cheaper to insure a learner/new driver in a van/pickup or the usual shite 1st cars? If van probably thinking Berlingo/Doblo type of thing. Anyone have experience of these? Mucho Grassyass!!

Tractor

 

Kit Cars used to be a possibility, Quantum with a small engine, maybe, you see them on ebay advertised as cheap ins.

Years ago my son had a Dutton with a Minor 1000 engine.

I know where there's a Jago, but it's not running yet

Try Flux for a quote if you see a possible Kit Car.

Many put their kids on as an additional driver, but glad I didn't, he had 3 bumps in 3 months.

 

Problem with Classic ins is you tend to have to have use of another car, which nullifies things a bit.

Try a quote on this, theres a reg in the photos, give you some idea.

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1985-Jago-jeep-1300cc-road-legal-20k-miles-mot-military-jeep-willys-jeep/173076353278?hash=item284c2790fe:g:Sj4AAOSwk~ZZ8jJ8

[Guest Hooli]

Putting yourself on as an additional driver on the kid's policy can help too.

 

Any car that's not cool for kids tends to be cheap, so no small hatchbacks.

[PhilA]

Stick with the rubber drive. It is asking for trouble to solid drive because it is so difficult to get both shafts parallel and concentric. If you "solidly" mount the distributor and motor to timber with cable ties or jubilee clips, packing pieces etc that should be stable enough with the rubber drive.

Or make a piece of wood or plastic that fits the distributor, and clamp/glue that in the motor. G-clamp the motor to the bench.

 

Phil

[DodgeRover]

Putting yourself on as an additional driver on the kid's policy can help too.

 

Any car that's not cool for kids tends to be cheap, so no small hatchbacks.

V12 Jag....they know it won't be driven far

[beko1987]

I've sold some bits on ebay, and before I transfer the dough into my bank, can anyone recommend any sooper dooper diesel injector magic potion? Gonna lob some in before I start properly diagnosing the quite poor running on my gooner, incase one of the injectors is a bit gummed up and it's an easy fix.

 

But I don't want to buy shit...

[DodgeRover]

Forte

[NorthernMonkey]

As far as injector cleaner goes, Forte is the one I’ve had most success with. If you can’t find any at the right price (around £11 of the top of my head) let me know as I may have a bottle in the cupboard although I’m in the midst of flu at the minute so won’t be in for a couple of days.

[NorthernMonkey]

although I’m in the midst of flu at the minute so won’t be in for a couple of days.

Hence why it took me three minutes to type that!

[The Moog]

Are the 90% brighter bulbs in halfors worth the extra dosh? 

 

One of pumas headlights has gone and it is either £5 for normal bulb or £12 for extra bright one. 

 

The headlights rival the xantias for pointlessness normally so wondered if it would help 

[Kiltox]

Are the 90% brighter bulbs in halfors worth the extra dosh?

 

One of pumas headlights has gone and it is either £5 for normal bulb or £12 for extra bright one.

 

The headlights rival the xantias for pointlessness normally so wondered if it would help

£5 seems a bit pricey for a standard headlight bulb - do you have a trade card?

[The Moog]

£5 seems a bit pricey for a standard headlight bulb - do you have a trade card?

£12 normally - £5 with trade card.

 

They are HB3 bulbs. 

[Kiltox]

Ah fair enough, weird looking things. Haven’t seen those before

[MorrisItalSLX]

I just found this in my Nan's shed:

 

 

 

 

Anyone have some more information about it, possibly something to do with my late grandfathers interest in 1950s British motorcycles.

[Guest Hooli]

Are the 90% brighter bulbs in halfors worth the extra dosh? 

 

One of pumas headlights has gone and it is either £5 for normal bulb or £12 for extra bright one. 

 

The headlights rival the xantias for pointlessness normally so wondered if it would help 

 

My experience of them is they are no brighter & sometimes duller than normal bulbs.

[steveo3002]

osram nightbreakers work as advertised , but dont last as long as a standard bulb, cheapest on ebay

[egg]

I'm using Osram silverstars, seem ok.

[Talbot]

V12 Jag....they know it won't be driven far

Someone I taught to drive was going to do this.  I think he got an insurance quote for cheaper than anything small and hatchback and usual for young drivers.  No idea if he ever did it, but it would have been epic.

[somewhatfoolish]

I just found this in my Nan's shed:

 

 

 

 

Anyone have some more information about it, possibly something to do with my late grandfathers interest in 1950s British motorcycles.

Magneto, old fashioned means of sparkling spark plugs which works without a battery which is useful for

 

1) cars that were built before lead acid batteries became robust enough to be bounced around

2) motorbikes built before batteries became compact enough to fit on somewhere

3) assorted machinery that might exist without a battery, generators etc. or need battery-independent sparking for safety, like aircraft.

 

Google suggests it's a Lucas SR2 of some description.

[Mally]

Magneto, old fashioned means of sparkling spark plugs which works without a battery which is useful for

 

1) cars that were built before lead acid batteries became robust enough to be bounced around

2) motorbikes built before batteries became compact enough to fit on somewhere

3) assorted machinery that might exist without a battery, generators etc. or need battery-independent sparking for safety, like aircraft.

 

And giving yourself a shock if you hold the lead and give it a spin.

[loserone]

Is it worth leaving ebay feedback like "LR58WNP EML P2089" or something similar?

[Rod/b]

Have Cazana started charging for everything now? Every search come up with something about buying a check to see a “timeline event”

[clayts450]

Seems that way - the timeline events are usually sales or maybe private reg changes as they've stopped including how many owners there's been in the summary.

 

The only thing it's useful for now is identifying the spec of the vehicle, something the DVLA site doesn't do.

 

Any good alternatives ?

[SiC]

Total Car Check gives you a fair bit of information for free. Nothing about owners change though - but then I found Carzana to often not show the latest info from a couple of months on that anyway.

[scaryoldcortina]

Is it worth leaving ebay feedback like "LR58WNP EML P2089" or something similar?

 

Too cryptic for most sellers, try "BROKEN ALREADY. SELLER BAD MAN, VERY SAD."

 

Personally I'm expecting a call soon about a subaru with an AVCS fault. It's probably a stuck solenoid...

[cros]

I need a pair of headlight units for my Bedford van. They're circular and look nearly like a normal 7 incher, but they're only 6 and a half. This is not a common size; some Honda motorbikes had them in the 70's but the pair of aftermarket ones I sourced from China, though cheap, are awful. My question is, does anyone know of any other mainstream vehicle fitted with this size of lamp? There were odd British bikes so equipped, but I've drawn a blank trying to find the units

[Ghosty]

Putting yourself on as an additional driver on the kid's policy can help too.

 

Any car that's not cool for kids tends to be cheap, so no small hatchbacks.

 

Both parents if possible, but no other relatives. Times have changed and fully comp is cheapest now.

 

Off the bat with a fresh license, premiums will be hellishly bad on everything no matter what you do. As little sense as it makes, the biggest thing that lowers premiums for young people starting driving is how many years you've held the license - this is even before you've owned a car - for some reason even if there's nothing to suggest you've ever driven a car since you left the test centre for the last time, merely holding a licence lowers initial premiums. I had to wait three years for a quote on anything at all to fall to a remotely affordable level before I bought insurance, now I've got four years "experience" and more importantly a year's no claims, the arse has fallen out of my premiums.

The cheapest cars to insure are either brand new or uncool/overlooked.

Naturally, go cheap.

When I was looking for my first car, I found the cheapest things to go for were Mazda Demios, Kia Prides, and other tiny obscure-ish Asian cars. If you need a bit more space, then '90s Rovers are also a good call as they're only very slightly more expensive to insure.

I really wouldn't hold out though, you're probably looking at £2k for anything and quite possibly getting lumped with a telematics box.

[Stanky]

 

Anyone have some more information about it, possibly something to do with my late grandfathers interest in 1950s British motorcycles.

 

From my dabbling with stationary engines, a Lucas SR magneto could quite easily have come from one of those. Worth £50 or so if it works.

[beko1987]

£13 splaffed on a bottle of Forte diesel treatment! How do I use it? Full bottle to half a tank and glf?