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1

General Car Chat / Re: So what have you done to your car today?

« on: Yesterday at 16:41:28 »

…………
The number of times I went to pick up the phone and call him, as was my nightly routine for years, was ridiculous.
…………

Even though I’ve lost both of my parents, I still have their landline and mobile phone numbers in my mobile. I can’t bring myself to delete them.

2

General Discussion Area / Re: Dead Person

« on: Yesterday at 16:15:36 »

Ex footballer Terry Yorath, aged 75.

3

General Car Chat / Re: So what have you done to your car today?

« on: Yesterday at 10:57:50 »

Got another years ticket on the Big Black Pussy.

Which is always a relief. 

4

General Discussion Area / Re: What has P*ssed you off today?

« on: 07 January 2026, 13:05:03 »

…………
the emergency services would NEVER approach the scene of accident by travelling against the direction of the traffic flow ……….

This is an example of Tactical Rapid Access Reverse Flow, carried out on live lanes until a complete stoppage can be organised. Obviously precautions have to be taken to slow everyone else down to a safe level. 

5

General Discussion Area / Re: What has P*ssed you off today?

« on: 07 January 2026, 08:42:50 »

Monday. Smart motorway. The M1 heading south. Serious accident 350 yards up from us.. Four lanes of stationary traffic.

No lane for emergency vehicles. The incident commander and someone from fire brigade came running between the vehicles. Smart motorways my 4rse.

That's not exclusively a smart motorway problem, but no hard shoulder really doesn't help matters.
One day, they'll figure out that you can approach the scene from the other direction at the next junction.

Rather a ridulous statement - the emergency services would NEVER approach the scene of accident by travelling against the direction of the traffic flow, even if 4 lanes were blocked due to collision. It is very rare that 4 lanes are actually totally blocked, and after the initial aftermath prior to the arrival of the emergency services, drivers that feel their presence at the scene to assist or give their details as a witness is no longer necessary, or a stricken vehicle is moved, they will manoeuvre past the scene and continue on their journey, only to be met by emergency vehicles travelling opposite direction? A big no no.
…………..
Use yer noddle.....

Err, what you describe is exactly what happens around here, after certain safety measures have been taken obviously. It’s called Tactical Rapid Access. It’s a common sight on the M40/A40, as it’s by far the quickest way to reach the incident. I’m not suggesting the decision is taken lightly with no prior thought. It obviously has to be a controlled set up for it to work. 

Police guidance :
Tactical Rapid Access:
Motorway/Bypass Blocked Traffic: A major accident completely stops traffic, making normal access impossible; driving the "wrong way" cuts down travel time significantly.

Strategic Access: Control rooms direct vehicles to rendezvous points (like slip roads) where they can safely enter the carriageway and travel against traffic flow to the incident.
Time is Critical: In emergencies, seconds matter, and this method allows for faster arrival to save lives or manage the scene.

6

General Discussion Area / Re: A.I.

« on: 06 January 2026, 16:38:24 »

Showing my age now but in my day A.I. stood for artificial insemination , very popular in farming 

A lot of things changed

I.C.E use to In Car Entertainment.

Naturally Aspirated used the be car fitted with carbs but now fuel injected

Just an observation, not a criticism but, Naturally Aspirated (NA) was air drawn in by piston vacuum, as opposed to forced induction via turbo/supercharger, and was not relative to the way the fuel was supplied.   

Sounds like a criticism to me. 

 
Having read my reply again, I'll admit that I could have worded it better.   

7

General Discussion Area / Re: A.I.

« on: 06 January 2026, 14:25:11 »

Showing my age now but in my day A.I. stood for artificial insemination , very popular in farming 

A lot of things changed

I.C.E use to In Car Entertainment.

Naturally Aspirated used the be car fitted with carbs but now fuel injected

Just an observation, not a criticism but, Naturally Aspirated (NA) was air drawn in by piston vacuum, as opposed to forced induction via turbo/supercharger, and was not relative to the way the fuel was supplied.   

8

Omega General Help / Re: SKF Cambelt kits ?

« on: 02 January 2026, 23:33:38 »

SKF are OE suppliers to a fair few car manufacturers. There may be some counterfeit parts out there but genuine SKF have a good reputation. As said, the Gates/Contitech kits referred to the belt manufacturers, and I’d lay good money on the bearings in those kits being SKF. 

9

Omega General Help / Re: SKF Cambelt kits ?

« on: 02 January 2026, 23:14:20 »

SKF are a very well established parts company. They usually specialise in parts requiring bearings, so I’d assume that the kit is SKF but the belt could be Gates, Contitech etc.
Even a Gates/Contitech cambelt kit more than likely had SKF bearings, so no issues there. 

10

General Car Chat / Re: So what have you done to your car today?

« on: 02 January 2026, 12:32:09 »

I've got to go over to Liverpool for mother's funeral on the 15th, so it'll get its six monthly wash before then. I may to ferry people around, so I'd better scrape the mud of the floor as well.

Sorry to hear of her passing. Condolences to you and your family.

11

General Discussion Area / Re: car stereo question

« on: 31 December 2025, 10:58:58 »

Glad your perseverance and determination paid off. 

12

General Car Chat / Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems

« on: 27 December 2025, 11:56:57 »

Yep, its one of those engines. Dont think he has the service history exactly as they would want it, to try and claim so he has learnt an expensive lesson by the look of it.

It's in a lot of Stellantis vehicles, Peugeot and the like.

I believe that the 1.2 PureTech engine has now returned to a cam chain over the past couple of years, due to the terrible experiences of the wet belt issues. If truth be told, they only did this as people were avoiding vehicles with wet belts. Even meticulously maintained low mileage wet belt vehicles have had the same problems, with oil pump strainers getting blocked, vac pumps getting blocked and Lord knows what else.
I dare say that Ford will eventually be forced back down this route with their EcoBlue wet belt engines, as some of their EcoBoost engines have already returned to a cam chain.

To make a claim I believe that the owner must have:
Full dealer/Indy service history, and an invoice showing a breakdown of oil spec supplied, oil filter spec supplied and a full breakdown of every other part supplied during each service. Not an issue if the services are electronically logged but could be an issue for people with paper copies. Regarding the specific oil, it’s interesting to note that Peugeot themselves changed the oil spec after the wet belt issues came to light, in an attempt to slow down the issues.

13

General Car Chat / Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems

« on: 26 December 2025, 23:52:00 »

I’ve just watched a clip of one with stripped teeth at just 25K miles.    The belt width was within spec.

14

General Car Chat / Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems

« on: 26 December 2025, 23:05:44 »

The lad across the road works for Stellantis, apparently there is go-no go gauge for the belt. As above, what a stupid idea!

Correct, they check for belt wear through the oil filler hole on this engine. What it doesn’t show is the fine belt dust degradation and fine fragments that clog up the oil pick up, which in turn starves the engine of oil.

This clip shows the intricate tool for checking the belt width only. One can only assume that if your belt width is out of spec, you can turn the tool around and use it for blowing bubbles to amuse yourself while you ponder what to do about it.

https://youtu.be/Bob5h_aevis?si=KykIL-PTBFkvulUi

15

General Car Chat / Re: Grandland 1.2 cambelt problems

« on: 26 December 2025, 11:20:35 »

Is this the 1.2 three cylinder engine with the dreaded wet cam belt? There was a recall on them a while back due to premature cam belt failure. They require meticulously maintaining the oil changes schedule (specific oil as well) but still no guarantee that they won’t go bang.

The belt running in oil degrades the belt prematurely, with belt dust getting in all sorts of places, the oil pick up, the turbo and vac lines to name a few. The belts either snap, or strip teeth when the starter swings over. There have been enough cases of belt failure now to prove it’s a shite design but still manufacturers insist on going down this route.
The joke is that they tell people to have the belt inspected regularly. How the bloody hell are garages  supposed to inspect a belt when it’s fitted internally. By the time they’ve stripped down the covers and gaskets etc., they may as well just fit a new belt.