Ask a Shiter

[Cavcraft]

It'll be reasonable at best. Having driven just shy of 300 miles in a couple of days in an n/a 306 I can confirm they're pretty grim on a long run involving hills.

[dollywobbler]

An NA BX is hardly a ball of fire, and they are much lighter. Given that Xantia TDs are not exactly pricey, I'd be tempted to hold out for a blown one.

 

The BX just gets away with it, but the Xantia looks far too modern for that sort of sloth-like behaviour. On a long distance jaunt, you'll barely notice once you're up to speed. The torque will get you up hills, just don't expect to accelerate up them. It's roundabouts on NSL roads that become a pain in the arse. I combat the lack of oomph by trying not to slow down, but this does cost in tyre wear...

[Lacquer Peel]

I like the simplicity of the atmo XUD and big comfy cars, the Xantia slug seems like a good combination of the two. I have a 405 TD at the moment, I would miss the overtaking performance but I could do with some mechanical assistance in slowing down and not driving LAC everywhere.

[cort16]

What do you do with GRP bodies from stuff like Scimitars and Robins when they're knackered? Do you just wait until someone in your street has a skip and lob it in or phone the council and ask them to come and pick it up?

[willswitchengage]

Fibreglass will happily smash up into manageable pieces when approached with a big enough hammer, ready for taking to your council household waste centre or fly tipping.

[DSdriver]

Recycling of plastics is, everyone would agree, a very good idea - its just that nobody can be arsed to do it.

[JohnDeere]

Are naturally aspirated Xantia diesels unspeakably grim? Thinking about buying one.

I drove a n/a Dispatch van for a few miles and that was ok, and the n/a XUD goes really well in smaller cars.

 

I just to find the n/a 405 1.9 oil burner just fine to drive, never felt that much slower than the petrol 416 I was driving at the time, just a different power delivery. Just need to use the gears, and had an annoying habit of hitting the rev limiter when joining crom a slip road...

[CreepingJesus]

Is there any way to fix a slightly blurred photograph? Tried Focus Magic and I can't make it work. Any suggestions appreciated.

 

As a shit photographer of a very high order, and an amateur GIMP user of the worst sort; I'd get stuck in about it with 'Unsharp Mask'. If it were GIMP. With a bit of luck, and a following wind (and some subtle dicking about with contrast, and blending out the blurry bits with long-winded pen and tablet action), it'll be save-able. Or at least you'll be able to make something out of it, that'll make it look like you meant it.

Mind you, some photos are unsaveable: I've had a few painful binnings, after realising that eleventy gazillion hours of micro-manipulation wouldn't save it. Best of luck with it, an' all that.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Is it worth trying to fit these on my car if the current shocks (probably still on the factory ones) are still serviceable, or shall I just keep them in the box and give them to the lucky* person who buys the car off me when I end up selling it (probably to the local scrapman/banger racer)? No brand shown, there were no bids at just a tenner for the pair and I'll be in Brum tomorrow, so I thought 'what could possibly go wrong?'

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 500wt_1203

[rml2345]

If the voltage across the battery when running is 11.8 volts but the charge light isn't illuminated, could it be the regulator? Or is it definitely knackered alternator time?

Belt is tight as a tight thing...

[Cavcraft]

Recycling of plastics is, everyone would agree, a very good idea - its just that nobody can be arsed to do it.

 

People have tried and I expect some are making a living out of it. Found a factory not far from Telford once who were, iirc, getting paid to take away sub standard bumpers from OP in Telford and they made them into plastic garden furniture. The stuff was brilliant and I thought a fantastic idea but the place shut because they couldn't get backing apparently.

We also found a couple of places who bought used car bumpers for recycling but they were very fussy about the type of plastic and said some they wouldn't touch, so I assume there was good money in it if you knew what you were doing.

[DSdriver]

You've hit the nail on the head, mixing different plastics just doesn't work, one bit of polycarbonate in a skip full of acrylic will ruin the whole batch so the risks in recycling are enormous and not really cost effective. There are a lot of grp (fibreglass) boats that have outlived their usefulness but disposal is a huge problem so they just lie around awaiting the apocalypse.

[Richard]

If the voltage across the battery when running is 11.8 volts but the charge light isn't illuminated, could it be the regulator? Or is it definitely knackered alternator time?

Belt is tight as a tight thing...

 

It could be the regulator or the brushes, which both come in the same unit for many alternators. If it's the Volvo it's just two screws to change- you don't even have to remove the alternator. Get the number off the back and check eBay listings to find an equivalent (I got mine from this seller http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300412217880 ) or take the unit into an auto electrics supplier.

[TimothyClaypole]

Looking into getting something produced using the Forum logo and slogan if someone has the details:

 

"Please let me know what are the fonts names. Also ttf files would be required."

 

Any help appreciated.

[trigger]

I'm sure they was posted a few years ago when we was looking into get stickers done, It will take a bit of searching though.

[rml2345]

Cheers! I'll give that a whirl and hope that it solves the issue.

[cobblers]

Today I was muscling the windows out of the t25 van that my mate wouldn't sell me cos he's a tight fucker and they were all proper stubborn bastards. Anyway we did all the back ones, side ones etc with no drama apart from having to generally apply far more force than I would expect any glass to take, they came out no problems. Last one is the windscreen, and it was far less tight in the rubbers than the rest cos it was a recent knockoff replacement, but in applying fairly gentle force we ended up smashing it to bollocks.

 

1: are laminated screens so much weaker than whatever side windows are?

[Ross_K]

I would have thought laminated glass was tougher than tempered glass, but what the fuck do I know about glass

[CreepingJesus]

I reckon it's random chance, which panes break and which don't. If you're using the lying-on-your-back-and-shoving-it-out-with-your-feet technique, then there's a method of improving the odds in your favour, but it's by no means a sure thing.

Windscreens do seem to break more often, I always put that down to them having been 'shotblasted' in use, and the tiny weaknesses not necessarily being visible to the naked eye. Side and rear windows won't have suffered the same abuse.

Surely on anything made after the early 80's, all the glass will be laminated?

[Spiny Norman]

I'll concede to an expert here, but I think toughened glass is much more resistant to handling when it's out the car.

A sheet of toughened glass is pretty strong in it's own right, think of the ones you sometimes get in tables. Laminated glass is very strong so long as it's mounted in a frame, like in a car's windscreen aperture, but when you take it out it'll crack really easily.

[Angrydicky]

Would a 1985 registered (August 85) Montego 1.6 HL estate have a four or five speed gearbox?

[Spiny Norman]

Would a 1985 registered (August 85) Montego 1.6 HL estate have a four or five speed gearbox?

 

I believe they only fitted 4 speed boxes to 1.3 and 1.6 base models of Montego, so an HL should have a 5 speed box,

[willswitchengage]

1: are laminated screens so much weaker than whatever side windows are?

 

It's not so much the different material/manufacture, the side and rear windows may as well be bin bags (like when you live in a rough part of town) - your windscreen goes through regular heavy stress cycles - at 70 it'll have a hundred or so lbs of force on it and it doesn't take much more than a manufacturing defect or pothole to instigate fatigue cracks that can just explode when the glass is removed

 

How can I unsubcribe myself from the PPI/injury messages I seem to get almost daily now? Most don't have opt-out replies or are witheld numbers

[Angrydicky]

Would a 1985 registered (August 85) Montego 1.6 HL estate have a four or five speed gearbox?

 

I believe they only fitted 4 speed boxes to 1.3 and 1.6 base models of Montego, so an HL should have a 5 speed box,

 

Cheers!

[Angrydicky]

I've had this knocking around my garage for ages, worth anything?

 

 

 

 

[Richard]

1: are laminated screens so much weaker than whatever side windows are?

 

It's not so much the different material/manufacture, the side and rear windows may as well be bin bags (like when you live in a rough part of town) - your windscreen goes through regular heavy stress cycles - at 70 it'll have a hundred or so lbs of force on it and it doesn't take much more than a manufacturing defect or pothole to instigate fatigue cracks that can just explode when the glass is removed

 

How can I unsubcribe myself from the PPI/injury messages I seem to get almost daily now? Most don't have opt-out replies or are witheld numbers

 

Other than tracking the perpetrators down and killing them messily, or binning your phone I don't think there's anything you can do to stop them.

[DSdriver]

1: are laminated screens so much weaker than whatever side windows are?

 

Toughened glass is very resilient and will bend quite a lot (up to a centimetre in a metre in flat sheet is as much as I would risk it) whereas laminated, because it has two thin pieces of glass stuck to a clear plastic film will crack as soon as you look at it.

[jonathan_dyane]

1: are laminated screens so much weaker than whatever side windows are?

 

It's not so much the different material/manufacture, the side and rear windows may as well be bin bags (like when you live in a rough part of town) - your windscreen goes through regular heavy stress cycles - at 70 it'll have a hundred or so lbs of force on it and it doesn't take much more than a manufacturing defect or pothole to instigate fatigue cracks that can just explode when the glass is removed

 

How can I unsubcribe myself from the PPI/injury messages I seem to get almost daily now? Most don't have opt-out replies or are witheld numbers

 

Other than tracking the perpetrators down and killing them messily, or binning your phone I don't think there's anything you can do to stop them.

 

The unsolicited text messages which end saying 'if you do not want to recieve these messages text STOP' originate from third world countries and are sent to random blocks of numbers which match uk formats, but which the senders do not know which of are active numbers. If you don't reply there is no further action, but if you reply STOP you indicate the number is active, and it is then sold to spammers.

 

Bastards.

[Pete-M]

I've got to sell an accident damaged '54 plate Picasso diesel thing for someone who needs the space it's in.

 

135k on the clock, it's had either a new engine or new gearbox in it not long ago. Was tidy but it's taken a hit to the n/s/f corner and it's bent the wing and bumper in a way so that it can't be driven. There appears to be a little bit of damage to the chassis leg on that corner as well. However, it's taxed for ages and is quite probably an easy fix for someone who can be arsed. It's an ex-taxi, but not dreadful mileage really and it seems tidy elsewhere. Airbags etc are all fine. Glass, doors, tailgate, interior are all good. Just an awkward hit as it's pushed everything around the headlamp toward the wheel.

 

It will drive, but only onto a recovery truck / trailer or summat. Hasn't lost water or oil and the engine sounds very sweet indeed. Starts on the button.

 

It has to go soon. £300. Should I just ring one of the £300 for any car folks and get them to cart it off, or does someone on here want it. Oh, and it's the whole car or nothing.

[Cavcraft]

Is it on the hit list Pete, or unrecorded? I know you hate the place but that's prime Internet auction site fodder and would (IMHO) see a return of more than that. Personally I'd do a 99p no reserve listing and see how it goes or a BIN of £450 with submit best offer option. If doing the latter mention anyone who wants to use buy it now has to pay an immediate deposit of £40 first. Might not work but should hopefully deter some of the dickheads at least