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7501

General Car Chat / Re: Bad Friday Evening.

« on: 07 August 2011, 01:19:45 »

Can't see what the problem is as everybody know since the smoking ban....

You have to smoke outside the pub 

7502

General Car Chat / Re: Merc 320 CLK auto gearbox problem

« on: 07 August 2011, 01:11:27 »

Car manufacturers, designers and engineers spend £billions trying to make cars foolproof......

I think this is a classic example showing that the fools are still winning 

 

7503

General Car Chat / Re: Merc 320 CLK auto gearbox problem

« on: 06 August 2011, 19:08:08 »

2002 model 4 speed box.

Stealer salesman told him "W" was normal mode and "S" was sport.  It starts off in 2nd in winter mode, so I guess as it is most powerful car he has owned he never noticed 

I think it is fair to say when it comes to brightness, my neighbour is more at the 0.5w torch bulb end of the scale than a 500w floodlamp.  If the firing squad shot him in the head it would implode 

7504

General Car Chat / Merc 320 CLK auto gearbox problem

« on: 06 August 2011, 16:53:25 »

My next door neighbour bought the car from our local stealers, just over 3 months ago, so the warranty has just run out! 

They had just done about 40 miles of motorway driving and driven into the destination town, where they were going to a wedding, when there was a whirling noise from the gearbox and it was stuck in top gear.

They used their breakdown cover to get them home on the back of a truck. 

Looking in the manual that comes with the car, first problem I found was that ever since having the car they had it switched in winter mode.    A case of Please read the manual.

The manual also said that if there is a problem and the gearbox goes into limp mode it will stay in the gear that is currently selected. To reset this turn off engine for a minimum of 30 seconds, turn the ignition on for at least 10 seconds to reset the system and then start the car, to get you to your destination, and then get a Merc stealer to check the system. I went through the reset procedure, there was no EML on, so I took the car round the block and it drove perfectly.  

Now I think the problem may have been caused where the car is only normally used for short runs and this long run has exposed a problem. My advice to them was as the car has done 96000, the gearbox has probably never been serviced, the oil level maybe low, so get that done and then see if there are any further problems. Reminding them that oil is much cheaper than bearings! 

I would appreciate any further advice that I can pass on to them 

7505

General Car Chat / Re: my mrs bought me

« on: 07 August 2011, 02:25:06 »

Tell her Sunday cancelled as you always preferred Vauxhalls to VWs anyway. 

7506

General Car Chat / Re: best fiat 127 ive seen!

« on: 07 August 2011, 03:06:30 »

The owner is obviously very modest and is selling it short....

A typical Fleabay description would be as follows: one owner from new, fsh, fully loaded specification including climate control, dual colour body metallic silver / brown, MOT just run out but should pass no trouble, just been fully valeted and steam cleaned with full deep body wax, buy this outstanding immaculate example now, rot bottom (sorry typo: rock bottom) price with full stealer discount, this is priced to sell, so hurry as first to see will buy.

Relisted due to a time waster who travelling from more 150 miles away to view this immaculate example, rather than buy. Please don't bid with a feedback of less than 10 unless you email me first, no returns and no time wasters, you are bidding to buy not to view.

Ebay user name: Arthur "my word is my bond" Dayley
Feedback: 199.7%, on sales of 16,384
 

7507

General Car Chat / Re: Diesel cars.

« on: 27 July 2011, 01:41:21 »

Have you thought about something completely different like a Ford SMAX:

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road-tests/ford/ford-s-max-2010-road-test/

or for ease of getting in or out and comfortable driving position a Ford CMAX:

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/ford/c-max-2003/

although avoid the CVT auto like the plague as the gearboxes give up at about 50,000 miles and are no longer made, so you have to scrap the car!!!

7508

General Car Chat / Re: Two recoveries in a week

« on: 14 July 2011, 19:23:46 »

Maf changed today, problem still there, any suggestions please?

7509

General Car Chat / Two recoveries in a week

« on: 13 July 2011, 22:17:24 »

Until last week I've always managed to do roadside repairs to get my cars home, but last week with a crankshaft sensor fault I had to get it recovered, by my neighbours boy who has flatbed recovery lorry.

Today, his dad, Tommy came round to see if I could find a part number for a Merc coil pack where he has a misfire. I asked him if he had changed the plugs he had bought last week to try and cure the problem, to which he replied, no, he had not got a long reach plug spanner. Now I've always got time to help Tommy as until he retired from collecting scrap cars, he would always get me parts for my miggy off scrap ones for for nothing and he used to bring round bags of tools, CD's, bulb packs, first aid kits etc that had been left in scrap cars.

The Merc gorilla had obviously used a scaffold pole to do up the plugs, as it broke my cheap plug spanner rather than undo. His lad came out with another plug spanner and long bar, so I was able to change the plugs, now Tommy said lets take it for a test drive...

Immediately you could tell the problem was still there, so I said to Tommy, lets abort any further testing, now at 78 I think it is fair to say Tommy's youthful driver days are behind him, but he insisted on taking it up the steep hill on our local 60mph bypass, half way up the hill we were down to 20mph, by the time we got to the top 10mph  . Now the road up the steep hill is two lanes, so we didn't hold the rush hour traffic up too much, we managed 40mph on the downhill bit to a roundabout. I said to Tommy pull into the no-through-road off the roundabout and to get his boy to recover him, Tommy said we will be ok, it will get us home.... 

Now on the return trip it is all single carriage and very, very busy, now doing 10mph max, with Tommy saying let them wait, with horns beeping and lights flashing it was not my idea of fun, I couldn't find a seat button to eject me or to lower it to the floor to hide my embarrassment  , by the time we were down to 7mph  I managed to get Tommy to pull over and get his boy to recover the Merc. Two recoveries in a week!

I'm 99% certain it is mass airflow meter. Merc stealers want £120, the local auto-factors trade price £249, and where Tommy's eldest boy runs an independent garage, he getting it for £48. I'm not sure what the moral is here apart from shopping around and auto-factors are not always the cheapest.

One thing I'm certain of, next time Tommy want me to accompany him on a test drive, I will make my excuses and beat a hasty retreat. 

7510

General Car Chat / Re: Snow!

« on: 29 November 2010, 00:27:48 »

Has anybody had any experience of 'snow socks' that you get get for about £50 on Ebay and Amazon etc?

7511

General Car Chat / Re: Tyres Follow on

« on: 28 November 2010, 21:17:13 »

I previously had Continentals on mine, but since fitted Avon ZZ3's as they were cheaper than the Continentals and had good reviews. I have been impressed with their wet weather grip and they give plenty of warning when you are approaching their limits.

No experience of P9000's so I can't comment on these, used Dunlop SP's on a Volvo 960, they were a good all round tyre and good value for money, but wet weather grip not as good as the Avons or Continentals.

Never used Kumho KU31's so can't comment.

Tyres are a grudge purchase, but I have always had the attitude that tyres are cheap compared with the cost of the fuel it takes to wear them out and however good your brakes, suspension, steering are they all rely on that little patch of rubber in contact with the road.

To me wet weather performance is most important as that is when you are most likely to find a tyre wanting. 

Last few times I've bought tyres I got the cheapest deal I could find on the Internet where they an alliance with a local fitting centre. This has always been cheaper than phoning around and has worked well. 

7512

General Discussion Area / Re: barcalona train times?

« on: 10 September 2011, 22:58:46 »

Have you tried the website seat61 which I have always found very very good for European train travel. I think the person that runs the website is a train travel fanatic and has very extensively traveled all over Europe on trains.

http://www.seat61.com/

7513

General Discussion Area / Re: stobart spotters?

« on: 11 September 2011, 02:24:05 »

Valentino Rossi

BTW where are Stobart spotters on the spotting hierarchy?

Top appear to be military aircraft spotters, followed very closely by train spotters, and bus spotters near the bottom.

Yes I have met all 3 types!

Are military plane spotters at the top of the list because if you do it in the wrong place, wrong time and wrong country you get to eat a lot of porridge 

Where do "twitchers" fit into the hierarchy?

7514

General Discussion Area / Re: stobart spotters?

« on: 11 September 2011, 02:14:00 »

Maybe they are trying to do a Steve Parrish and get him to race trucks once he retires from MotoGP 

7515

General Discussion Area / Re: Sometimes I feel very, very, very humble

« on: 12 September 2011, 04:33:51 »

It was a bit of a "Challenge Anika" type day.... logistics.....?  That was all down to H, the Dockers and Josh.

I was in bed catching up on some Kip. Although It has to be said, given the disastrous start ,it worked out perfectly in the end, considering. ESP given your foot. 

Team work... There's no "I" in team.   

Lazy boy is bloody handy reversing a trailer BTW. 

...and as for that JoshWyatt, well he's just showing off isn't he!      a bloody helicopter for Christ sake. 

Your only jealous, you can't land a helicopter in Reading, now Sandhurst, Blackbush or Farnborough is a different matter or even Reading FC, it might even score a goal (more likely an own one  )...