Automotive Myths

[Father Ted]

or how about the story of the Viva that came off the production line with one door on one side and two doors on the other?

ive seen this on many forums, and i suspect its total bollocks

 

I've heard a similar story of how a Discovery managed to make it through the painting stage only for someone to notice it was a 3/5 door cross, it would take spectacular incompetence for one to get off the production line.

 

m0rris

I heard one about an ADO16 built by a chap who worked on the production line for himself with 2 doors on the NS and only one on the OS for his kids not to tumble out onto the road.

Whether its true or a FOAF tale I have no idea.

[mattblack]

"scimitar steering racks are LHD Princess units, used upside down"

 

I thought it was a LHD landcrab rack?

 

Anyway, someone in the pub was telling me that their sister's ex boyfriend's mate's cousin was walking past a showroom once when they saw a Rolls-Royce with £500 on the screen. Should have been £9500 but the '9' had fallen off and by law they had to sell it to him for £500...

[Timewaster]

Anyway, someone in the pub was telling me that their sister's ex boyfriend's mate's cousin was walking past a showroom once when they saw a Rolls-Royce with £500 on the screen. Should have been £9500 but the '9' had fallen off and by law they had to sell it to him for £500...

 

Thats TECHNICALLY true, they can't sell it for over the advertised price - but they are under no obligation to sell it to him.

 

I stopped listening to pub borezzzz years ago, but we have all heard of 120mph 1.0 Novas and 316's that can out run Subaru Imprezas.

 

I was told on a Peugeot/Talbot training course about a batch of 1725cc Hunters that were sent out of the factory with no head gasket fitted, and ATE brakes one side and Girling on the other was not all that uncomon.

[fiatdaft]

they don't to sell it all bit is true,but they can withdraw it from sale and price it correctly,wether thats 9500 ,10500 etc,so they can sell it whatever they want,some urban myths are true though,i like the cavalier hazard switch trick

[Mat.T]

all modern cars look the same

 

 

[Guest]

If all cars looked like square three-box things I'd be happy. What a line-up!

[Negative Creep]

Blimey, that's worth dropping sail and cracking one out right now. It's like issue 1 of Autoshite Monthly

[autofive]

luv those aussie spec cortina bumpers

[dollywobbler]

Very good point. Works just as well with most saloons in the Sixties by Peugeot, BMC and Lancia...

[HMC]

"aircon just needs a re-gas" almost every car ad where the air con isnt doing what it should carries those lines, surley this cant be the only reason why it goes wrong or am I missing something?

[dollywobbler]

"aircon just needs a re-gas" almost every car ad where the air con isnt doing what it should carries those lines, surley this cant be the only reason why it goes wrong or am I missing something?

 

On a similar note, "will pass MOT no bother" or "won't need much for a test." Do it yourself then!

[Cavcraft]

'I have mislaid the logbook and MOT for the car but you can get replacements easily enough'

 

Which roughly translated means 'I've got credit against it from Log Book Loans because I needed a new 77 inch plasma LCD 3d cinema surround telly after our Rottweiler ate the last one'.

[Negative Creep]

"aircon just needs a re-gas" almost every car ad where the air con isnt doing what it should carries those lines, surley this cant be the only reason why it goes wrong or am I missing something?

 

On a similar note, "will pass MOT no bother" or "won't need much for a test." Do it yourself then!

 

 

"I would do it myself but don't have the time"

[fordnut]

 

1989 Fiesta Urba Concept

 

Possibly one of the first vehicles to be fitted with parking sensors.

[gtd2000]

"scimitar steering racks are LHD Princess units, used upside down"

 

I thought it was a LHD landcrab rack?

 

Anyway, someone in the pub was telling me that their sister's ex boyfriend's mate's cousin was walking past a showroom once when they saw a Rolls-Royce with £500 on the screen. Should have been £9500 but the '9' had fallen off and by law they had to sell it to him for £500...

 

That's a myth for sure - when you offer to buy something at the advertised price this is known in law as an "invitation to treat".

 

The seller then has to decide whether or not to take your offer in exchange for the goods.

 

You have absolutely no right to buy anything, at any advertised price - unless the seller accepts your offer.

 

End of story

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

That's a myth for sure - when you offer to buy something at the advertised price this is known in law as an "invitation to treat".

The seller then has to decide whether or not to take your offer in exchange for the goods.

 

You have the right idea, but that description is RONG! The windscreen price is the "invitation to treat". You then go to the seller and make an "offer" to buy it for the windscreen price (or any other amount, for that matter), and you're of course right that the seller is at liberty to accept or reject your offer.

[gtd2000]

That was a better explanation indeed

[Des]

If you buy a new car as a lifestyle statement, no matter how gauche, ridiculous or impractical, everyone will think you're great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Although harsh reality is quite different, nobody but a halfwit is impressed, anyone of substance can see through the charade, bottom feeders trying to be king of the bottom feeders, but they've sold their future for a bauble, a fleeting trinket that promptly tarnishes, and quickshit find themselves usurped by the next loser, thus all that remains of this brief foray into 'Emperors new clothes' is a spiraling debt clusterfuck that shall wholly consume, the 'trophy' becomes an embarrassment, equal in worth to last years calendar, but the payments must still be made and legislation has been tightened to ensnare, fuel in tank now takes priority from food on table, tax and insurance supplant toothpaste and clothing if the prey hope to evade predation as the DVLA, CCTV, traffic wardens, etc. relentlessly circle).

[oldford]

Story

I heard a story about an Audi salesman who was pissed off with his employer. He studied his employment contract and there was nothing in it prohibiting him from ordering new cars. Just before he left his job he ordered some new top of the range Audis with the most unsaleable combinations of colour trim and mechanical specification possible.

 

True

Mini make a car with 2 doors on one side and one on the other.

 

 

True

In the early/mid 1990s Ford were going to introduce a range of seats for the Fiesta/Escort where the outboard mounts were to be into the sill rather than the floor. They had to abandon that idea when they found out that they couldn't make the Fiesta Courier van using this mounting method.

 

Myth

Safety won't be compromised if new cars have a first MOT at 4 years old, followed by a MOT every two years.

[KruJoe]

"New cars are always 100% reliable."

[HMC]

Realising old car ads keep coming to mind- but they often contain various myths (sometimes true but often wrong)

 

"no problems with the car but it could do with a service"

translation- its not running well, and I have no idea whats wrong with it, but the engine runs (just)

 

"leather could do with a feed"

seats dried out, split, ripped and stained

 

"could do with a t-cut"

all the laquer has fallen off the paint.

[ashmicro]

Similar to the above:

 

"MOT Prepared"

 

"Just Serviced"

 

"Never Smoked in"

 

"£2000 paint job"="£100 blowover with over-thinned coach paint"

 

"new wheel bearing"="old wheelbearing wound on to +50% torque"

[gtd2000]

Myth

Safety won't be compromised if new cars have a first MOT at 4 years old, followed by a MOT every two years.

 

Considering that the MOT is only valid for the date of testing, which leaves at least 364 days in the year where it isn't actually applicable (yeah I know the "certificate" is valid for a year but that's essentially worthless if there is a problem with the vehicle) - I'd say the above isn't relevant.

 

You are only foregoing "one" day after 3 years of driving which really wouldn't make any difference at all in most cases.

 

FWIW - my old '95 Nissan 240SX (Florida registered) has never had a single official inspection or MOT in its life - I can gaurantee you the car is completely roadworthy.

 

Same goes for my '86 Suzuki GSX-R750 - however, it will be subject to this bullshit at some point in the future when I register it in the UK...

[gtd2000]

Three door cars you say?

 

Saturn 1999 SC coupe.

 

 

[gtd2000]

Myth

Safety won't be compromised if new cars have a first MOT at 4 years old, followed by a MOT every two years.

 

Considering that the MOT is only valid for the date of testing, which leaves at least 364 days in the year where it isn't actually applicable (yeah I know the "certificate" is valid for a year but that's essentially worthless if there is a problem with the vehicle) - I'd say the above isn't relevant.

 

You are only foregoing "one" day after 3 years of driving which really wouldn't make any difference at all in most cases.

 

FWIW - my old '95 Nissan 240SX (Florida registered) has never had a single official inspection or MOT in its life - I can gaurantee you the car is completely roadworthy.

 

Same goes for my '86 Suzuki GSX-R750 - however, it will be subject to this bullshit at some point in the future when I register it in the UK...

[gtd2000]

Bloodt windy day up here in Pomeroy and I'm getting used to the smell of that paper/pulpmill in Clarkston now!

[gricer]

Three doors?

You'll be wanting one of these, then.

 

Mitsubishi Toppo

 

 

[dollywobbler]

GR8 4 PRETENDIN TO BE DA POPE!

 

Another car I knew nothing about at all. Wonderfully odd.

[Negative Creep]

Myth

Safety won't be compromised if new cars have a first MOT at 4 years old, followed by a MOT every two years.

 

Considering that the MOT is only valid for the date of testing, which leaves at least 364 days in the year where it isn't actually applicable (yeah I know the "certificate" is valid for a year but that's essentially worthless if there is a problem with the vehicle) - I'd say the above isn't relevant.

 

You are only foregoing "one" day after 3 years of driving which really wouldn't make any difference at all in most cases.

 

FWIW - my old '95 Nissan 240SX (Florida registered) has never had a single official inspection or MOT in its life - I can gaurantee you the car is completely roadworthy.

 

Same goes for my '86 Suzuki GSX-R750 - however, it will be subject to this bullshit at some point in the future when I register it in the UK...

 

 

All well and good, but look at the amount of cars around with lights out or bald tyres. Seeing as the school of thought amongst a lot of people is that the MOT is the service, I think a bi-annual test would be an absolute disaster. If anything it should be every 6 months

[M'coli]

All well and good, but look at the amount of cars around with lights out or bald tyres. Seeing as the school of thought amongst a lot of people is that the MOT is the service, I think a bi-annual test would be an absolute disaster.

I have a very good friend who, despite knowing me for decades and spending many miles in cars with me (a few thou anyway) believed the MOT was the same as servicing...one ruined car later, they now get it serviced by the book...