Ask a Shiter

[willswitchengage]

 

Were these ever produced with a 4WD option? My boss has one in 2ltr diesel powah spec and is convinced that it has some semi-awd system, this puzzled me as I thought they were all boring old FF drive

[Rod/b]

I have a samsung galaxy s3. I am shit with techi stuff. I dont have computer anymore. Is there a ap or something that would enable me to take a pic and send it to photobucket so i can put it up here?

I know or knew how to get them from there to here. Any attempts at other methods have failed. Ta in advance. L

 

http://photobucket.com/mobile/apps/android/#android

[Cavcraft]

I have a samsung galaxy s3. I am shit with techi stuff. I dont have computer anymore. Is there a ap or something that would enable me to take a pic and send it to photobucket so i can put it up here?

I know or knew how to get them from there to here. Any attempts at other methods have failed. Ta in advance. L

 

I think I've just got shut of one of those, fiddly bastard thing that was just far too annoying to keep. Anyhow from memory I sent pictures on my phone to my own e-mail address, then saved them before uploading to Photobucket. Stupid I know but it worked.

[Morgan84]

For stinky washed bottles,empty it out,fill with fresh water and add a steralising tablets ( for baby bottles ) to kill off the backteria and freshen things up;then add screen wash and see how that goes

[fairkens]

Cort16 - Puma body panels, sadly rear wheel arch sections don't appear to be made by anyone, which is frustrating given that that's where they all rust from.

 

I chopped mine in because you can't get wheel arch sections, prospects of getting rust free wheel arches off a scrappy are non-existent and the cost of manufacturing bespoke repair sections was prohibitive. Was very sad because it was the best car I have owned (apart from when I crashed it, but can't really blame the car for that )

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Is there any real difference between this offer and the 'recommended' places around OMG!!1!MEGAFASTSPORTSCAR fora which charge £120 for 'wheel alignment', or is it the usual story of 'specialists' taking advantage of people with more money than sense?

[worldofceri]

I'd like to know this too. My car is DESPERATE to mount every single nearside kerb I drive past.

[cort16]

Cort16 - Puma body panels, sadly rear wheel arch sections don't appear to be made by anyone, which is frustrating given that that's where they all rust from.

 

I chopped mine in because you can't get wheel arch sections, prospects of getting rust free wheel arches off a scrappy are non-existent and the cost of manufacturing bespoke repair sections was prohibitive. Was very sad because it was the best car I have owned (apart from when I crashed it, but can't really blame the car for that )

 

I'm just about to weld in a bit I chopped out a KIA front Cee'd wing I found on a scrap heap. I hear that Peugeot 206 arches are very close and can be made to fit pretty easily.

 

What I can't understand is why did they make their inner arch liner out of fuzzy felt off cuts.

[cobblers]

Is there any real difference between this offer and the 'recommended' places around OMG!!1!MEGAFASTSPORTSCAR fora which charge £120 for 'wheel alignment', or is it the usual story of 'specialists' taking advantage of people with more money than sense?

 

 

National will do your tracking, if they are like my local on they will usually set it to just dead ahead rather than bother looking for the proper toe spec for your vehicle and use the opportunity to try and sell you some new tyres/brakes/etc. Dead ahead tracking works in that the tyres don't usually wear out, but the car probably won't steer as well as it could if set up right, and national will rush it as fast as they can so it might not even end up quite "dead ahead".

 

Proper wheel alignment places will set the toe, camber, castor etc (where possible) to the proper spec for the vehicle, and what they can't set they will measure and let you know if it's in tolerance or not, pointing out something worn or bent.

 

Basic tracking alone will sometimes correct a minor pull to one side (when you let go of the wheel) but will mainly stop you wearing the edges of the tyres and or the steering wheel not pointing where you are going. A minor pull to one side could be a slight castor or camber "wonk" highlighted by bad tracking, but if the car pulls hard to one side you'll need to do more than the tracking.

[meshking]

(Pic of Toyota corolla wagon)

Were these ever produced with a 4WD option? My boss has one in 2ltr diesel powah spec and is convinced that it has some semi-awd system, this puzzled me as I thought they were all boring old FF drive

 

I've got a feeling they did. I was driven in one around Mumbai earlier this year and that was 4x4, but it was on raised suspension.

[worldofceri]

Thanks. That makes sense.

 

Anyone know where in/near Coventry I can get my wheel alignment done 'properly'?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Cheers for that, cob!

I've used my local National branch for an oil change and they seemed alright, and the only problem with my car seems to be that the wheel is off-centre as opposed to actually pulling to one side, so I may chance it and go with that option (and then invariably decide that it's not 100% right, and end up spending another £120).

[barefoot]

Google 'align my car' it's some sort of nationwide set up - it's where I went today.

 

& it's tracking check - free

adjustments £18

4 wheel alignment check £40

adjustments £10 each - presumably you don't have to have your castor adjusted if you don't want.

 

So it may be cheaper or it may cost a bob or two but it's better than having it done twice.

[cobblers]

On that £10 per adjustment deal, things could add up quick.

Generally, adjusting castor affects camber and often tracking, and adjusting camber will usually affect tracking, so if you go in and just want the castor doing on one side, it'll end up costing £30 rather than £10. It's still not going to be over a ton for the whole car though, and if it drives real shit then it's worth getting it done.

 

What car is it? Most shite with mac struts has no castor adjustment anyway (short of clipping a kerb when wobbling home from the pub)

[RoadworkUK]

My 1998 A4, fitted with the Technotronic Climate Control facility, has recently decided to be an arse.

 

Basically, on a pleasant, warm day the heater fan works splendidly, can varied in speed from nought to hurricane. However, on a shit, miserably cold day such as when you actually need to use it, it doesn't work, not even on full chat so I suspect it not to be the variable resistor / rheostat thingy (which, being "digital" my car won't have anyway).

 

Can any of you VAG-friendly types spray some ideas in my direction?

 

Thank you!

[scaryoldcortina]

^ thermostat

[RoadworkUK]

^ thermostat

 

If it had been the 825 I'd have gone along with that....

[scaryoldcortina]

seriously, if it doesn't close off properly you will get a shite heater in the winter... That, and longer than necessary warm up leading to crappy MPG in the cold.

[CreepingJesus]

On the subject of heaters; can anyone tell me why my V70's fan speeds up and slows down, like it's got a mind of its' own? There's nothing in the handbook (that I can see anyway) about this being some clever function, and it does work well enough, but it's one of those wtf? things!

I'd ask on the VOC forum, but 'VOC' doesn't appear to be a valid choice in Babelfish

[red5]

My 1998 A4, fitted with the Technotronic Climate Control facility, has recently decided to be an arse.

 

Basically, on a pleasant, warm day the heater fan works splendidly, can varied in speed from nought to hurricane. However, on a shit, miserably cold day such as when you actually need to use it, it doesn't work, not even on full chat so I suspect it not to be the variable resistor / rheostat thingy (which, being "digital" my car won't have anyway).

 

Can any of you VAG-friendly types spray some ideas in my direction?

 

Thank you!

 

Are either of the n/s footwells wet/damp?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

On that £10 per adjustment deal, things could add up quick.

Generally, adjusting castor affects camber and often tracking, and adjusting camber will usually affect tracking, so if you go in and just want the castor doing on one side, it'll end up costing £30 rather than £10. It's still not going to be over a ton for the whole car though, and if it drives real shit then it's worth getting it done.

 

What car is it? Most shite with mac struts has no castor adjustment anyway (short of clipping a kerb when wobbling home from the pub)

 

Granny Scorpio. I'd be surprised if it were adjustable- in fact, I had never heard of castor (or is it caster?) adjustment until today.

[CreepingJesus]

^Castor is the angle at which the strut 'leans back', if you looked at it from the side. Camber is how much the wheel 'leans in' at the top, if you look at it from the front (hence 'negative camber' which is prevalent on race/rally/drift cars, where the wheel leans in).

These sports car places usually cater to people who've fitted adjustable everything to their GTRSOMGTURBO whizzbangs and fucked the fitting up to the extent that the things undriveable, in any direction, at any speed. I've got one one not far from me, and it's a regular source of work for them. Having said that, Pete-M had a 4-wheel alignment done on his Scooby and reckoned it improved the car. A few folk on the VOC forums have done the same with FWD/4WD Volvos, and reckon it's worth the cost.

Not every car can be adjusted in this way; presumably the Scooby can, and the Volvos certainly can, 'cos the suspension can be tweaked with shims!

[Pete-M]

On the subject of heaters; can anyone tell me why my V70's fan speeds up and slows down, like it's got a mind of its' own? There's nothing in the handbook (that I can see anyway) about this being some clever function, and it does work well enough, but it's one of those wtf? things!

I'd ask on the VOC forum, but 'VOC' doesn't appear to be a valid choice in Babelfish

 

My old 850 would do that if I opened a window for a few seconds. If your V70's climate is set to AUTO then it'll do everything in its power to keep the temperature at exactly what you've requested. Open a window - heater speeds up and it'll up the temp a few degrees to compensate. Get in after nipping to the petrol station, heater speeds up, hit a patch of sunlight on an overcast day, heater speeds up.

 

Basically, whenever it's trying to sort out a temperature anomaly it'll speed up the heater fan. With the V70 not having a temperature display as such you need a pretty good OBD reader to see if there are any heater faults, dodgy sensors etc. Often there's a little grille on or near the heater panel where one of the cabin temp sensors lives, check it's not full of fluff. I've known that cause mayhem with auto climate systems, but my old 850 did the same thing and that worked perfectly with no faults. I think it's just how they are.

[RoadworkUK]

 

Are either of the n/s footwells wet/damp?

 

Negative.

 

No trace of coolant leak, engine temp fine, coolant level ok (although the rad has been "fixed" with radweld on numerous occasions). Once the engine is warm there's plenty of warm air available and a little bit drizzles through the vents in a ram-air type way when travelling at speed.

 

The problem is the blower, which doesn't work at any speed unless it's a pleasant day, at which point it does exactly what you tell it. Most annoying.

[cobblers]

Next week we're building a carport type thing outside my mates workshop. He wants the roof to be sturdy enough to walk on (it's basically in some woods so he needs to clear moss/leaves/tree branches off) but also be transparent ish to let some light in. And he's tight so doesn't want to spend a lot. I was thinking about that stuff they use for the back of wagon trailers, like yellowish fibreglass stuff. What's it called? Is it expensive? Area will be about 3m wide by 12m long.

[Formula Autos]

Cobblers, you could always try getting the roof of an old conservatory for your car port contraption. You usually can't walk directly on the glazing units (often polycarbonate sheets these days), but slinging an old scaffolding plank over the framework between them should give you something solid to stand on, as the UPVC frame is almost always re-inforced with galvanised steel. Most are binned because the units have 'fogged up' and look unsightly, but for the use you'll be putting it to that hardly matters does it? - light will still get through.

 

As an added bonus you might even be able to get the stuff free from a window/conservatory fitting firm - if they're taking away someone's old conservatory when they're fitting a new one they often have charges to get rid of it (paying for skips, landfill tax, or someone to come and collect it for recycling). You offering to take it off their hands might do them a massive favour, and it all comes apart into sections if you're careful, so should be fairly easy to transport.

 

At 3m x 12m though, you might have to source a couple of conservatory roofs for this - though I'm guessing that having one roof project out a bit further than the other might not be an issue. I would imagine this structure won't be a contender for the Stirling prize in any case.

[Cavcraft]

 

Are either of the n/s footwells wet/damp?

 

Negative.

 

No trace of coolant leak, engine temp fine, coolant level ok (although the rad has been "fixed" with radweld on numerous occasions). Once the engine is warm there's plenty of warm air available and a little bit drizzles through the vents in a ram-air type way when travelling at speed.

 

The problem is the blower, which doesn't work at any speed unless it's a pleasant day, at which point it does exactly what you tell it. Most annoying.

 

No idea why it'd work on a warm day and not ona cold, but will it have those stupid heater brushes like the Passat does?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-Passat-VW- ... 1c1befd406

 

The heater on mine only worked when it felt like it then threw it's hand in altogether and it was the above that caused it.

[CreepingJesus]

... Often there's a little grille on or near the heater panel where one of the cabin temp sensors lives, check it's not full of fluff. I've known that cause mayhem with auto climate systems, but my old 850 did the same thing and that worked perfectly with no faults. I think it's just how they are.

 

Mine's pov-spec non-aircon, so at face value you wouldn't think it could be that. Buuuuuut...you got me thinking there, and on checking the wiring diagrams in the BOL, it may be that mine still has the sensors (the BOL is pretty vague about this). The little grille is there, between the heater controls and the HRW switch, but I've no idea if there's a sensor behind it. It's not really a problem, 'cos it's reliable, but it might explain the speeding up and slowing down! Cheers.

[Cavcraft]

My mate [who isn't a car person] says that his diesel has been having cold start problems. He lobbed 'Easy Start' in which worked a treat (he put some in mine tonight when it wouldn't start) but swore that he was told you can also use Lynx deodorant spray and it worked on his car. Is this bollocks or could it be true?

[ashmicro]

Dunno about diesels, but I've used carb cleaner, brake cleaner, spray grease, spray PAINT and upholstery cleaner to start small aircooled petrol engines on wee motorbikes, strimmers etc. Lynx deodorant is combustible, so I guess compressing it will ignite it just as well as a direct ignition source.