Safe Speed Forums

I don't remember so much about the Camdridge, but remember having the "new fangled" Morris Marina after, which was a huge leap forward in automotive engineering!!! I can still remember today how the brown plastic seats would burn the back of my legs if it was left in the sun.

I haven't read every word of this thread, so apologies if someone else has said this, but a fitter at a small-ish tyre chain (that rhymes with Darthwick) refused to put my own (new) tyre on one of my wheels recently. They would only fit their own tyres.

Apparently this was because lots of Polish people (his words) were bringing crappy old tyres in to be fitted to their cars so they just banned it company-wide. I'm not sure how much I believe this. I clearly had a brand new Michelin PE2, so common sense could have been applied, but he wanted to sell me a tyre.

He then told me virtually no tyre place would do this for me. I expected to have to find some little independent to do it, but the local ATS were quite happy to do it for me, for a fee.

Never liked them.

I had a Chrysler a bit like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ORW424M_(650_x_488).jpg


It was good for taking girls on night's out etc.

I've never heard of them, but if I do, they're going on the shit list as well.

Blimey! On the Fog thread I was being sarcastic when I suggested that SOME people would moan about this "new-fangled" electric start and hark back, with misty-eyed affection, to the days of the old starting handle!

Just HOW primitive do you want your cars to be???!!!

When we were students, my mate had a 1950 Riley with a starting handle. The car actually USED to have electric start but the starter motor had fallen off (along with a chunk of bellhousing to which it had been attached)! As soon as he could afford it, he splashed out on a replacement. Having the thing stall in the centre of Manchester rush-hour traffic and getting out to hand start it was never especially good for the nerves!

I think RICH people buy them...

...because they CAN!

Although I don't suppose I'll ever be rich enough, and if I was, I don't suppose I'd spend it on a car, but in a way we need to thank these people because they subsidise the development cost and trialling of quite a few new technologies, many of which (eventually) filter down to the more modest machinery that the proletariat get to drive!

Don't make me laugh --- you don't get rich by wasting money! Anyway, almost all of them are on hire purchase. Sales have dropped like a stone since the credit got froze up.

Just think of the absolute minimum that keeps you dry. Add a heater. You got it!

Yes, thanks m'lud for blocking the road with your monstrous carbuncle!

It's a status symbol: 'Look at how much money I can afford to waste'.

You might have a point about the HP, but I don't know how much of that is due to pressure from the people selling the leases.

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

Ah.. they are acting like monkies - look how many bananas I have! Now I understand. Actually,
my 7 year old is going through a simian phase now.

PS: actually, it's "look at how many bananas I can lease". They don't even have their own bananas.
What a bunch of chumps (or should I say "chimps"?), in the thrall of finance firms. All top and no knickers, as they say up north!

I think I've found JUST the thing!!!

http://www.aixam.co.uk/a751.html

VERY basic, simple, has a heater - (WITH a 3 speed fan, no less!), no smart-arsed engine managment system or cats if you go for the diesel (just a horrid little cement mixer engine!) AND it even has naff plastic bumpers! To my horror, I notice that it has electric windows and remote central locking, but they might be persuaded to do you a no-frills "pikey" spec version, I guess!

Abercrombie won't approve of that

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

It's a case of "the bigger the car, the poorer you are". Pikies always choose loaded 4x4s nowadays,
because they've gone so cheap.

They chose 4X4 because they do not have to pay to run it.
Preferably diesel...then nick the fuel from farms or building sites.
Like the caravans, heat them with propane you've nicked from various places.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

The farmers are selling the red diesel to them, jomukuk.

... and their fields.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

I amazed anyone with any mechanical nous would go near a Qwok-Fut. Last time I tried to use them I took two wheels in for balancing. They weren't too happy that they weren't on the car. So I asked if they had the kit to do one car balancing? Errr No... Go figure.

Previous time I knew the tracking was out on my Golf. So pushed for time to go to my usual tracking place I popped it in on a Sunday afternoon. I mentioned that the camber may need to be sorted. Sorry we can't do camber Sir. Quickly followed by...Sorry can't do the tracking the track rod is bent sir. They'd clearly had a go but unable to set the camber they'd been unable to set the tracking and cooked up the bent track rod twaddle. Mentioning the camber again I got informed you can't adjust the camber on a Mk2 only a Mk1. You'd have thought if the customer mentions the camber setting that he might have at least half an idea about his car because you certainly can adjust the camber. Muppets.

Finally went to the usual place and no the trackrod wasn't bent, the camber was out, setting that put the tracking even further out. 10 mins and sorted.

As for kit on car well. My dad got his new Leon a couple of years ago, but seriously nearly didn't buy it because it didn't have electric adjust on the mirrors

Barkstar

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The difference between intelligence and stupidity is that intelligence has limits.

going back to how fixable stuff is and people liking fixing stuff....

The brakes on my C90 were sticking on the back, so while recovering from an evening of over indulgence, I set about dismantling the rear brake assembly. The bike is caked in a cocktail of salt and grime, but wheel off, brakes apart and the cam is seized solid. Bugger. Go inside to warm hands, have cup of tea, a think and consult Mr Haynes. Back out, tap the cam out with a socket, clean with wire brush, lube and reassemble and low and behold everything works better than it has done for ages! Winner.

Can't figure out how the hydraulic return fitting fits to my new tractor though.... pesky modern stuff

Well done. Here's a story for you. My Cortina snapped it's cam timing belt on the South Circular.
I was dressed in suit, and the only tools I had were an industrial strength fitter's
adjustable spanner, from a steel works, and screwdriver.

I walked to a garage, ordered the part. It came in an hour. I fitted the new cam timing belt
with those two tools I had, set the timing, and got to work before lunch. My suit was still
clean, but I had to wash my hands before meeting clients.

That is how easy it was to fix cars of the late 70's.

PS: I'm a trained mechanic (4 yr apprenticeship) so I know about that kind of thing.
But a modern car would be destroyed by a timing belt failure, never mind
a road side fix.