cleverdick

...Just lately is like wading through mud. Whether it's the animated banner ads - or whatever - using up system resources I don't know. But if I type at a normal speed, I find that spaces appear in the wrong place, capitalization affects the wrong letters, the text doesn't appear on the screen straight away and when it does it's all jumbled. We don't want all these animated ads on the page, cookies and all the rest of it. I might not have the fastest computer, but seriously, this is too much. It makes me not want to be bothered, frankly.

The ZIEX was at the time rated as a definite "Don't Buy" due to its poor wet grip and stopping distance. That was about 5 years ago.

Gen 1 LS ought in theory to be the quietest due to its higher profile tyre, all other things being equal. Quietness is often to the detriment of longevity. I have found the Continental Premium Contact 2 to be acceptable. I had doubts about Falken from a safety perspective after reading a Which? tyre test.

Definitely try David Smith of DK Loudspeaker Service. He's based in Romford and is a true expert in reconing / drive unit refurbishment. He very successfully fitted a new surround to the LF unit in the MK1 I had, and in fact I've sent drive units to him several times for repair. Very reasonable cost, too. The difficulty you will face in replacing the unit with a generic one, aside from the Thiele-Small parameters, is that the mounting lugs are different heights. There is no pattern drop-in replacement.

Driver's window is not designed to auto-up on this generation of LS. Window issues can otherwise be caused by the switch itself - which in fact carries the full motor current. (Switching is not done via relay.) I might be able to help you with the speedo needle issue: PM me your email address for free instructions. Whatever you do, don't go sending it off to anyone who claims the fix to be a "trade secret".

1. Ashingdon (between Rochford and Hockley) 2. Raweth Lane (Rayleigh area, just setting up today). These are the sites I know of, but the Ashingdon one at least is not shown on the live roadworks map. The last lot that I fell foul of were in the Maldon and Bicknacre areas. They seem to choose the locations at random, but only put the signs up where it's too late to avoid that stretch.

OK, it's the height of summer - and time once again for the Highways Dept. to resume their assault on the County's motorists through their loose gravel resurfacing programme. And, once again I have a crack in my windshield - caused by a stone thrown up from a vehicle that had just passed in the opposite direction (it was clear in front). They put up signs several days ago (Loose Chippings / Skid Risk / 20mph) BUT NO ACTUAL START DATE. Furthermore, they NEVER put the signs up BEFORE the last turning for an alternative route - so you find yourself in this hailstorm of bullets before you can avoid it. There absoultely has to be some deal going on between the corrupt councils and the insurance cos. As far as I'm concerned, the practice of spraying the road with loose gravel is simply irresponsible, indefensible and - knowing the risks without giving drivers the chance to avoid it - criminal. I now have to consider whether I want the hassle of getting a repair or new screen on the insurance and trying to claim back the excess from the evil Council.

Probably picked up at auction, given the price.

Er, no, the Mk1 wheels have spokes which slant backwards from the direction of rotation. On this example, the front wheels have been fitted on the wrong sides. (Having had a Mk1, this was the first thing I noticed!) Couple of other things too - the radio antenna looks non-OEM, and I'd be a bit concerned about the lay of the mileometer digits - i.e. uneven.

Sorry guys, but how can you take seriously a car that has wheels on the wrong way round? I mean, what else has been put on the wrong way round that you can't see? The devil is in the detail as they say, and this seller clearly doesn't have much of an eye (or care) for it.

The Police (if they can be bothered) would be able to positively identify the culprit from the paint deposits left on the respective vehicles. You should definitely report this as a hit-and-run. Might be too late if you've removed the scuffs.

You could take this to the Financial Ombudsman, but let me tell you they don't exactly give a prompt service.

I had an RS24 refill in my Mk1. It was ICE cold! So much so, that on switching on the a/c (stupidly starting at the coldest setting), the sudden chill-shock cracked one of the spokes on the nylon centrifugal fan. The result? The fan almost shook itself to bits, and the vibration broke one of the o-ring seals. Bye bye refrigerant!

It doesn't look worryingly low - my 400 does this sometimes - and on opening the cap the level rises. (Maybe I have an airlock or something.) In any case, we're talking about half a cupful if that.

Agree with all those choices. I disagree with the earlier post about old vs young. I am no spring chicken but I like Chris Evans. he is enthusiastic and clearly very intelligent. His TV programmes to date happened to be aimed at younger viewers but his style may be dictated by the content, which for Top Gear will be different. CE is no spring chicken himself and you may be surprised at how interesting he makes the programme. As for radio 2, it is indistinguishable from radio 1 and plays utter crap and fluff most of the time. Steve Wright mostly plays disco music from the 70s, Ken Bruce is brilliant, Jeremy Vine is good (apart from the occasional stupid question - like asking that old Spitfire pilot what it was like baling out with an ejector seat) . Terry Wogan is still very good, as is Graham Norton but I suspect they are told what music to play. God knows what their intended demographic is. Elaine Paige probably gets her choice of show tunes on a Sunday but she is utterly unbearable. I have largely stopped listening to radio 2 as I am sick of the inane, homogeneous crap they insist on playing You forgot to mention the monotonous road traffic reports every 5 minutes.

Some people have attention deficit disorder and Evans is one of them. He's just an arrogant little squirt that seems to think the universe revolves around him, IMO. Frankly there are more important things going on in the world - so this becoming headline news was clearly stage-managed. At least we now know that we can't beleive anything he says. Then again, unlike the early days, TG is no longer about the cars but all about the "celebrity" presenters. I don't have time for it.

This is the Mark Levinson system I presume? I'm not familiar with it, so I can only offer generic advice. You may find dried/hardened grease on the slide bars which carry the optical pickup assembly. I would suggest cleaning those first (e.g. with a dry cotton bud) then reapplying the tiniest smear of teflon oil (such as Tri-Flow). Check also that the disc motor spins freely. Next, gently brush the lens - again with a dry cotton bud. Anything more than this you'll need the service manual, a certain amount of test equipment and quite possibly a manufacturer's test rig. There may be certain parameters that you could tweak by trial and error (such as laser output power) but I would strongly advise against if this is new territory. Unless of course you get a replacement unit off a scrap car, in which case you can experiment on this one as much as you want.

Congratulations on a first-rate job! Out of interest, did you get a chance to inspect the rotor arms/distributor caps? (I'd like to see how they hold up over time.) Rich

It's a 20 x 5mm bolt. Unfortunately, my tyre fitter says the hole is too big for a safe repair. But the good news is that the Conti Premium Contact 2 is currently available at nearly half-price! So both sides to be done for a total of £224 next week. An expense I could have done without, mind! I'm always amazed at how this happens. Statistically, what are the chances of hitting the object end-on with the tyre so that it actually goes in?

Took a drive out to North Essex today, with my elderly mother, and we ended up at a cafe which is well-known for its home-cooked food and gift shop bolted onto the side. Found a parking space right by the entrance (handy). On leaving, I was aware of a "pattering" from the O/S/F, which could be felt more than heard. Thought I'd better take a look - at least before getting back onto the A12 at Boreham - and this is what I found. Yes, it had gone right through. Luckily, the conditions were favourable enough to fit the spare by the side of the road (a bus stop near Felsted, to be exact). I have contacted the establishment in question - asking first and foremost if they'd had any work done on that elevation of the building. Their answer was yes. I then explained what had happened, when I was then told to discuss it with the owner - whom I have not yet been able to reach. (My principle aim was to forewarn them of the possibility of more of such fixings hiding in their gravel car park.) I do not expect for one minute that they will admit liability, although I am hopeful that a small contribution to the repair/replacement cost might be forthcoming as a goodwill gesture. There is still some life left in these tyres which I bought new. So, I am wondering if it will be considered safe enough to repair, or should I rotate the (good) rear tyres onto the front and get a new matching pair for the rear? Thoughts please :)

I currently have a Mk2, with OEM dampers (relatively new at the front). I wouldn't describe the ride as "magic carpet", no. The Mk1 before was much softer, but also more bouncy. I've not been in a Mk4, so can't relate to that. But all versions with optional air-ride would, I imagine, be in a totally different class ride-wise. The trend for towards "Europeanization" has done nothing for comfort IMO.

It's quite possibly the use of vinegar-based window cleaners that causes this. (My car has the same problem - to the point where a new driver's door might be needed soon!)

Seen parking up in Chandos Street, W1 - a black Mk1 with brown leather. And very shiny - obviously well looked-after. A clean Mk1 still has the ability to make a visual impact - unlike some of the newer ones IMHO!

1. Drive on the right :) 2. Preview your route on Streetview before you go. 3. Take lots of photos and put them up where we can see them.

Try this for starters... http://agreenroad.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/fukushima-radiation-contaminated-cars.html