Redsteve

I had my lessons in a 1986 Peugeot 205 and passed my test in a 1987 MG Metro.

I fear that a pane of glass would not keep in the amount of sound that seems to emanate from such cars!

Steve.

P.S. I once had a 1000W (RMS) system with 7 speakers installed in a Toyota Hi-Lux, I had to constantly adjust the door mirrors as they would be vibrating so badly they would move out of position...Happy days.

80mph limit is fine really. These so called "safety" groups should delve a little deeper into what constitutes a danger on the roads. Speed in itself is not the real problem, it is inappropriate speed.

I think they should concentrate more on the real issues such as drivers who insist on using the middle or outer lanes even when the nearside lane is available. They should be prosecuted for doing this as it is illegal. It doesn't matter really what the upper speed limit is most of the time as the outside lane is frequently clogged up due to the inconsiderate morons who will only use the middle lane.

I agree, middle lane drivers are a cause of most frustrations.

If the legal limit is increased to 80mph does that mean with the police camera calibration and the owners speedo under read, this gives the police +10% +2mph before speeding is an offence, does that mean I can travel at 90mph without too much of a concern for tickets?

I don't usually go beyond 80 -85 as I am concerned about fuel, just wondering though.

I got a fixed penalty for doing 92 mph on the M5 in 1996 and the advice of the police traffic officer who caught me, even then, was to stick between 80-85 mph and no one would bother me. Ever since then I've had no hesitation in driving past police vehicles on the motorway at those speeds without having a problem. The police have been trying to get the speed limit changed to 80mph for a long time, so what they decide to enforce is the reality. Why it's going to take another two years to introduce is baffling as it'll allow two years of campaigning by the tree huggers and 'safety' campaigners.

I have had the same experience with the Police. A good few years ago my friend was stopped for driving at 94 MPH on a dual carriageway while I was a passenger.

The Policeman told my mate if he had just kept it under 90 MPH they would have let him go but the braking distances over 90 MPH are the thing that worry them.

The result was he got a speeding ticket and was supposed to go to court, he never went, moved house several times and never heard any more about it. He then went on to become a driving instructor for both cars and bikes!

Steve.

I think I prefer the DHP wheels, although the LS430 ones look easier to clean. :winky:

Steve

Just a minor point, the discs aren't warped (it's a huge thick chunk of iron). Brake pad material has transferred itself to the disc's surface. What you can feel is the pad running across that material.

At Lexus's prices, it may be worth having your discs skimmed. Note that you should replace your pads at the same time.

Yes, I think you are right in what you say about the pads sticking on the discs but it doesn't explain why this is the only car I have ever owned that this is a common problem on. Is it because the pads are made of an inferior material to keep the price down?

Steve.

Hi Mike,

my advice would be to put up with the juddering as long as you can.

I had exactly the same symptoms on my LS400 and so I replaced the discs and pads, all was good for about a week and then the squealing started and then the juddering came back. I was very careful to bed the brakes in properly but it hasn't made any difference.

I used Blueprint discs and pads and think that it was a waste of time and money.

Sorry to be so negative, this is the only car I have ever owned that has destroyed brake discs at this ridiculous rate.

Steve.

Hi Alan,

with regard to the Brake Wear light being on, it is more than likely that one of the wires that comes off the pad had broken. This is a very common fault. Check them very carefully and if you find a broken one then you can just re-solder it back together.

This happened to me about a year ago and I have had no problems since.

There is only one sensor on the front so don't go looking for wires on both sides of the car, I can't remember which side it is on though.

I hope this helps.

Steve.

I find this is true of insurance companies in general, not just those who are on the comparison sites. They have 'introductory' offers which they use to lower the first year premium, and then they jack the renewel up in the second year in the hope that people won't notice/can't be bothered to do anything about it.

I'm with a company who aren't on comparison sites and are notorious for doing this (think red phone on wheels). For example I took out house/contents insurance, and for the first year it was £160. The second year renewal came in at £480 :o . When I did a quote for a new policy on website of the same company, the same policy was £180. And when I rung up to cancel my renewal, they couldn't understand why.

There's zero loyalty for existing customers in the insurance game!

I know this is fairly common but it is not always the case.

I have bought my insurance through Adrian Flux for the last 3 years as they have been either the cheapest, or within £20 of the cheapest quotes I could find. I have just received my renewal for this year and again they are the cheapest. I don't think it is worth all the hassle of changing company and having to chase the proof of NCB for the sake of £20 a year.

Having said all that, it does pay to shop around, my wife was quoted £600 to insure a Ford Ka with Adrian Flux but pays £230 to Swinton (she has no NCB).

Steve.

I would like to say no, but I know that at the last minute I would want her approval. Just imagine the flak you would get if she wanted something else and you didn't listen and then your new pride and joy broke down!

It's just not worth it.

It keeps running out of petrol! :winky:

i've diagnosed your problem Steve, Faulty fuel guage

Yes , I thought it might be a faulty fuel gauge but when I took it to Lexus they tested it and said it was fine. they were stumped as to what it could be until they weighed my feet and found the right one was 1.7KG heavier than the left one. :winky:

It keeps running out of petrol! :winky:

I know this is slightly off topic but, I can only dream about only driving 5 miles to work, I have to go just over 3 miles to get to a road that is wide enough for to cars to pass each other and then another 10 miles to the nearest town!

I average about 26MPG on this trip and am driving a 2000 LS400.

Steve.

Many years ago I was sitting in my car in a car park when the guy in the car next to mine opened his car door into mine. I wound down my window and told him to be careful, to which he replied "Shut the f*** up, your car is a piece of s*** anyway!"

My response was to get out of my car, open the boot, grab my jack and then I smashed both his headlights. He didn't have too much to say after that.

When I think back, I still can't believe that I did it and I am sure I would never do anything like it again. My excuse is that I was very young at the time and I had paid a lot of money to have my car re-sprayed and didn't appreciate the other guy's attitude. Maybe he thought twice about damaging other people's property after this incident.

Steve.

I am not jealous at all!!! :yack:

Hello Guys.

It has come to that time of year again when the harvesting has begun in earnest, which means I can get into the field behind my house (with the permission of the farmer) to cut my hedge.

What I normally do is drive my pick-up (the one in my avatar pic) into the field alongside the hedge and climb into the back and use it as a platform. However, when I went to start the trusty old girl yesterday she had a flat Battery. I put the Battery on charge overnight and tried again today. The engine turned about halfway over and then no more. I thought maybe the Battery just hadn't charged properly but when I tested it, it had 11.8V in it. Surely that would be enough to turn the engine over a few times.

Do you think I might have another problem somewhere else?

I need to get this sorted fairly quickly as once the farmer has ploughed his field then I can't get in it for another year.

Thanks in advance.

Steve.

I must admit, I prefer black wheels.

I am sorry to say that I can't help you then, I have a cheat for the MK4 but don't know anything about the MK3.

Steve.

Is it a MK3 or MK4 (with the touch screen controls)?

Steve.

Hello Chaps,

how do you feel about the new deal between the BBC and Sky Sports for the coverage of the F1 season for next year?

I am disappointed that I will only see half the races live but at least the highlights will always be on the BBC (hopefully the BBC will have only lost the boring races anyway).

I refuse to pay Sky for the Sports package when F1 would be the only thing I watch.

Steve.

I once got stopped for speeding early one morning on a country lane.

I told the Policeman that I was late for work and that I had a very important job.

He asked me what my job was that was so important that I had to be speeding.

I told him that I was an A**hole Stretcher.

He asked me "What on earth does an A**hole Stretcher do?"

I told him "We stretch normal sized a**holes to ones that are 6 feet across."

The policeman then asked me "What does anyone do with a 6 foot a**hole?"

"That's easy", I replied, "We give them a Speed Gun and hide them behind hedges!"

No offence meant to our Boys In Blue, just having a giggle.

I think that there are probably enough spaces if non disabled badge holders are not using them!

It really annoys me when I go to the supermarket and there are plenty of spaces near the door and people with no Blue Badge park in the disabled spaces.

The time they save themselves by not walking the extra 6 feet is miniscule, I really can't see why people do it.

People who have had no experience of being disabled or caring for a disabled person should try and push a wheelchair around for a few days to see how difficult life can be.

Steve.

Possibly a Sunbeam Alpine Tiger that I owned in the early '70s. Awesome car at the time.

Did it have a 1775cc Holbay tuned engine in it?

If so my Dad had a Hillman Hunter with the same motor, I seem to remember it sounded fantastic and, back in the day, it was pretty quick too.

The best car I have ever driven is probably a Lamborghini Gallardo. It was a Christmas present from my wife, not the car, just a chance to drive one! It was so comfortable and easy I can imagine being able to use one as a daily driver.

The most exciting car I have ever driven was my Dodge Dakota pick up. It was a 3.9Lt V6 with rear wheel drive and a live rear axle. It could catch you out in a heartbeat if you were a bit heavy footed.

Hi Ruud,

I know this is a long shot but have you checked that the rad is clean on the outside?

I do a bit of off-roading and I get similar symptoms to what you have described when the rad fins get full of mud. It's fine on tickover and driving at 20 MPH all day but overheats within a few miles of normal driving.

Maybe you have something blocking the air flow through the rad.

I hope this helps.

Steve.

Hello Parrot,

if you turn the little knob to the right of the steering wheel, that adjusts the brightness of the dash lights, all the way round to the right (until it clicks) it locks the dash lights into the daylight setting.

When it has gone dark outside (rather than dusk) just click the knob back to the left and the dash lights will go into night setting.

I hope this helps.

Steve.