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46

Omega General Help / car cam interior roof lights sunroof power supply

« on: 05 February 2016, 17:40:50 »

anyone know which wires to use for a car cam from the centre roof lights (or sunroof)?  i need 12v power to come on when the ignition is on. i checked all the connectors for the light console with a multi meter and found a + and - that looked fine, I wired in the 12v to usb power supply but now the passenger light comes on when the ignition is on irrespective of the light switch position (or whether the car cam is connected to the usb supply). it seems the draw on the 12v to USB converter switches on the light.

i took the second and second to last pins from the 8 pin light connector.

i removed the led from the usb supply, no difference.

47

Omega General Help / tyre bump

« on: 18 December 2015, 16:14:58 »

had both front tyres balanced today due to slight vibration at 45mph (but not at 70).  both out, worst one needed 75g. fitter said one had 'bump', meaning when spinning, the tyre rose and fell very slightly - i could only just make it out.  haven't had a chance to get past 40mph yet but has anyone had that before? seemed to be the tyre not the wheel. it's also the one with the very slight rim seal leak. 

i'm sure someone will ask - they are cheap Westlake SV308 unidirectional tyres, done 20k miles.

48

General Discussion Area / council tax up 1/3

« on: 12 December 2015, 06:44:47 »

here's the simplified scenario:

I have my flat and pay council tax here, my girlfriend has her own flat and pays council tax there.

she spends the working week at my flat because it's much closer to her work.

does this mean

1) i lose my 25% council tax discount for sole occupancy, because she lives here?
2) her flat becomes a second home and so she loses her 25% discount for sole occupancy?

1 seems likely but 2 seems unfair, it would mean our total council tax payments go up by 1/3.

49

General Discussion Area / Freeview Play

« on: 19 November 2015, 03:18:34 »

anyone got this yet?  is it as good as it it claims:

"To put it simply: it’s catch up made easy. Find programmes from BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, All 4 and Demand 5 sitting alongside up to 60 TV channels and 12 HD channels. Simply scroll back in your TV guide to watch shows you missed from the last 7 days. "

http://www.freeview.co.uk/what-we-offer/freeview-play

i.e. does it make a recorder redundant?  i have this feeling it won't be simple to use but must be better than ferreting about various sites on the internet for catchup. 

50

Omega General Help / loose steering wheel

« on: 13 November 2015, 21:45:11 »

i've noticed lately there is a small bit of play on the steering wheel.  been there for a while, not picked up in probably 2 MOT's now.  not noticeable when driving but when i get out of the car i tend to grab the wheel while getting out and there is a little bit of give.  seems to be getting worse.  maybe i'm just getting heavier...

51

Omega General Help / pre cat fell off

« on: 03 November 2015, 01:32:01 »

well it didn't fall off but both sides of the clam like cover of the o/s side one did, while i was working on the crank sensor.  i just pushed them back together and put a couple of stainless cable ties round it.  had it not happened while i was there, i probably wouldn't have noticed as the pre cat looks very similar without, just a bit slimmer.

is this a common problem? i plan to replace the cable ties with some 3mm alu or perhaps galvanised steel wire and twist tie it to get more tension than I could get with the cable ties, is there a better solution?  i imagine cleaning off enough rust to spot weld them back on would cause more damage.

alternatively just remove them?  i assume that would let the pre cat run too cool and/or set fire to grass.

52

Omega General Help / scanner v pedal trick

« on: 28 October 2015, 01:04:12 »

an obd-ii scan of my car showed no stored codes but the pedal trick showed one- 0335 'CrankshaftPosition sensor "A" circuit malfunction' ( which is expected - i have just had to replace the crank sensor)

is this a fault with my scanner or does it happen often?  otherwise the scanner seems to be reading the data ok - revs, voltage, engine id etc etc...

53

Omega General Help / crank sensor V6 replacement

« on: 26 October 2015, 18:24:25 »

i've just replaced the crank sensor using the helpful guide.  i did remove the wipers and scuttle cover and a few other hoses.  i wasn't sure from the guide where to fix the new joint in the end i have cable tied it directly to the cable tray, as far forward as i could.  this means if it ever goes again i can plug in a new one very easily without removing anything. yet to bolt the sensor itself in but i think that will be straightforward

for info here were my symptoms:
occasionally maybe one in ten or twenty starts it wouldn't start on the first turn. had about 4 or 5 of these before one day, an hour or more after stopping it wouldn't start at all, many attempts.  left it, tried again, same result.  checked all likely fuses, disconnected battery and re-connected tried again same.  called breakdown, an hour later of course when they arrived it started first time and no problems all the way home (though i didn';t dare switch it off) .  today it also started first time but too late i am binning it. car has done 90K.     

is there any explanation as to why it goes like that?  you'd think it would just go.

new pattern ones are about £17.  cheapest bosch or lucas one i could find was £64! i assume vaux the same.

i know official oof advice is to by vaux but i can't justify £64 especially because to replace the sensor in future it will be much easier - basically plug in, jack up and secure car, undo and do up one torx bolt. will buy another pattern one as spare instead. £64 is nearly 4 pattern ones.

54

General Car Chat / MOT computerisation

« on: 28 August 2015, 02:05:25 »

anyone know if MOT stations can see recent (days or months) test results when they do an MOT?  reason i ask is years back if one mot place failed a car, once or twice another (fairer ) place would not, in my experience. especially used to happen where the first garage offered repairs and the second only did MOTs, for some reason....

now though, do they just log in and see what the previous mot place failed it on the day before and do the same?

55

General Car Chat / protected no claims is it worth anything

« on: 31 July 2015, 02:07:41 »

i'm looking at insurance, is it worth having protected no claims?  i figure if you have an accident you keep your ncb but you still have to declare the accident at next renewal. anyway if you then change insurance provider will the new provider respect your ncb?

56

General Car Chat / breakdown insurance rescuemycar.com

« on: 27 July 2015, 15:02:49 »

i see my breakdown cover premium is due to go up from £18.90 a year to £30.99 (plus £40 excess charge per call out - £53.90 a year without the excess).   still reasonable for national recovery but a steep enough increase for me to look around.

are there any better deals?  i'm not interested in roadside assistance i can do that, what i need is national recovery.  currently i use rescuemycar.com they have been very good to date.

i'd quite like a few days a year european cover but that seems hugely expensive - £115.

i recall a lot of policies have small print that means they may not recover nationally if they can instead dump it at an expensive local garage and just pay a night's hotel bill instead.

57

General Car Chat / carjacking has gone wireless

« on: 22 July 2015, 14:17:07 »

http://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway/
Hackers Remotely Kill a Jeep on the Highway

58

General Discussion Area / all over a ford focus

« on: 20 July 2015, 23:42:49 »

i was trying to find out what sort of car the stabber was driving in the recent road rage murder,  thinking the car must be a precious motor (like an omega) and the stabber might be a forum (or ex forum) user perhaps.  but no it was all over a ford focus .

59

Omega General Help / Oil Filter Comparison Study

« on: 16 July 2015, 17:14:55 »

fram comes top (well their Xtended Guard one does) http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/oilfilterstudy.html

P/N    Make    Model    30um Filtering (wt 5)    Overall Build Quality (wt 5)    Media Surface Area (wt 1)    Media Volume (wt 1)    Price Paid (USD) (wt1.5)    Final Grade
PF1218    ACDelco    n/a    F    F    B    A-    B-    0.80
EaO24    Amsoil    n/a    A    A-    D+    D    F    3.02
B1428    Baldwin    n/a    D    B-    B-    A-    D+    1.99
3510    Bosch    n/a    C    B-    A-    B-    C    2.44
B4361    Carquest    n/a    D    C+    C+    C    A    1.99
LF3679    Fleetguard    n/a    C    D+    D+    D+    B    1.75
DL5    Fram    Defense    C    C-    C-    C-    A    2.07
DG5    Fram    Double Guard    C+    C-    C-    C-    D    1.84
HM5    Fram    High Mileage    B-    D    D    C-    C    1.53
PH5    Fram    Extraguard    D+    D    C-    C+    B    2.00
TG5    Fram    Toughguard    C-    C    C+    B-    C-    1.93
HP4    Fram    Racing    C-    C+    A    B-    D    2.09
XG5    Fram    Xtended Guard    A-    A    C    A    C-    3.49
OPH1218    Full    n/a    D    C+    A    C    C    1.89
HP-3002    K&N    n/a    B    A-    B+    A    F    3.02
PH1218    Luberfiner    n/a    C-    C+    C    C    B-    2.08
ML1011    Mann    n/a    B-    C-    A    B    C    2.37
MGL9100    Microgard    n/a    B-    D    D    D+    B-    1.84
M1-302    Mobil 1    n/a    B    A    A-    A    D    3.27
FL12A    Motorcraft    n/a    D+    C-    B    C+    D+    1.65
21060    Napa    Proselect    C+    B+    B-    C    A    2.87
1060    Napa    Gold    C+    A-    B-    C+    C    2.81
PG4631    Premium guard    n/a    D+    B+    C    D    A-    2.34
PPL34631    Proline    n/a    D    C-    F    D    A-    1.49
PO4011    Pronto    n/a    C+    C    N/A    N/A    A    2.04
L34631    Purolator    Classic    B    B-    C+    D+    B+    2.74
PL34631    Purolator    Pure-one    C-    B+    A-    B+    C+    2.63
30-1218    Royal Purple    n/a    A    A    C-    F    F    3.09
S17    Shell    n/a    F    F    F    F    A    0.44
S5    STP    n/a    F    F    B    B    B+    0.81
51060    Wix    n/a    C    A-    B+    B+    C    2.82
Grades based off general A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, F scale
A being the highest grade and F being the lowest.
Better filteration earns a higher grade, better construction earns a higher grade
lower prices earn a higher grade, higher surface area and volume earns a higher grade.
Final grade is calculated the same as a GPA based on the 4 point system
The higher the final grade, generally means a better overall filter.
Catagories are weighted by importance, calculated weights are listed in column heading
Filteration and build quality are somewhat objective so you can make your own judgments

60

Omega General Help / coin holder anyone use it?

« on: 16 July 2015, 01:32:20 »

the coin holder at the top front of the drivers storage box, to the right of the steering wheel.  are there any coins that fit it? is there a simple mod to make pound coins fit? presumably it was designed for pfennigs.