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I try to be, but at the end of the day I’m a mistake prone human being despite using all my experience, and attention maintaining techniques to effect good driving habits. I can’t change what other people do on the road and generally don’t get angry about it and try to leave plenty of time for my journeys so i’m not in a hurry and it’s easy to brush these things off , if i do get too angry i pull over and try to get the anger out my system. I also prefer to give way let people go, trying to do my bit to put other people in a better mood and hopefully make the roads a little bit safer.
Too many of the speed limits are a joke, The 85% percentile rule has given way to crazy low speed limits designed to make peoples attention drift making the roads more dangerous.. To make things worse the day i actually speed particularly when i don’t want to be making a journey or when i’m late is the day i get caught in a speed trap, last time very recently over a 1km away braked immediately when i saw the van parked in that layby, however with no other traffic on the road going the absolute minimum speed the trap can catch me they got me just coming into vision. there goes my clean driving licence for 4 years and £60. Typical.
I like to look at climate change from a geologist point of view. The climate changes with or without us, we are insignificant even with our pollution in the grand scheme of things. 1 major volcanic eruption will undo everything our politicians are trying to do to prevent climate change for a century.
However with diesel gate, you gotta remember diesel emissions are the things that contribute to smog, along with carcinogens that linked to asthma and other nasty breathing problems. At least local air quality is somthing that can be controlled. Paris is looking to ban diesels for local air quality reasons. Proper disposal of waste products from servicing our cars also is a factor we can control. Politicians of the world can call for the shutting off deep ocean of volcanoes responsible for half the worlds airborne CO2 if they want. anything else on the CO2 count is pretty pointless.
I Have an LPG tank the the spare wheel well of my boot. It’s the cheep way to drive in the UK and Europe, Not sure about the States. It’s also very common in Tokyo taxi’s.
In Europe LPG makes perfect sense.
95% of diesels in cars in the UK fail to make the Euro5 or Euro6 standards in real world tests, not Just VW and they are not the worst. This is not the end of this.
Fact is diesel’s emissions are carcinogenic, a real threat to human health and air quality, they need to be controlled. Modern petrol modern engines are relatively clean, it’s mostly CO2 which is perfectly safe plant food, and the only scientific link to global warming geologically is when the earth is warm in the first place. CO2 levels follow temperature historically, Temperatures do not follow CO2 levels. Lets face it we cannot control the undersea volcanic activity that produces 50% of the world CO2 levels anyway. 1 big volcanic eruption will undo everything we are trying to do about man made pollution for half a century at least. The earth’s climate has changed vastly more than anything we could do by itself. We need to stop being high and mighty and respect our insignificance in the grand scheme of the climate and mother nature. which makes me wonder why governments especially in europe are totally obsessed with CO2 more than other emissions.
I don’t see a problem with say a natural gas power stations unless the supply runs out ( also a nice propane by product which I run my car on ) . Nuclear would be nice but the waste problem is well documented. Clean coal might run into similar problems to diesel particulate filters.
I think electric cars are a total non starter for the mainstream. I highly doubt there is good enough power grids, Enough power plants, Solar has a long way to go as does the battery technology ( that doesn’t involve huge tanks of acids).
VW just flat out refused to run the adblue additive which really does work well. The lean Nox trap only works when running crap MPG’s. Other manufacturers using the Lean nox trap will either run crappy or get caught out too.
VW will have problems at home with the Euro 6 standard introduced in september 2014 too.
[quote=”stiv625″ post=118043]If the transmission fluid hasn’t been changed in a really, really long time (100k+ mi) it is probably safer to do a series of drain and refills over a few months. From what I understand, it’s not so much the flushing that causes problems, but introducing brand new fluid all at once. It’s like if you ween it off the really old fluid, there’s less likely to be an issue. I don’t know why but this is just what I’ve seen.[/quote]
If your at all worried about flushing this is the safest way if your prepared to change it alot more regularly until it stays cleaner on it’s own.
With engine oil the only cleaner I’d use on a suspected abused car is a mild long term cleaner like archoil ar2300 that can need as much as 4000miles depending on the engine oil to do it’s thing, not sure if it’s any good for transmissions though. the last think you want is a big lump of gunk in the oil or fluid pumps or anywhere else really impeding the flow of oil or fluid.
[quote=”stiv625″ post=118043]If the transmission fluid hasn’t been changed in a really, really long time (100k+ mi) it is probably safer to do a series of drain and refills over a few months. From what I understand, it’s not so much the flushing that causes problems, but introducing brand new fluid all at once. It’s like if you ween it off the really old fluid, there’s less likely to be an issue. I don’t know why but this is just what I’ve seen.[/quote]
If your at all worried about flushing this is the safest way if your prepared to change it alot more regularly until it stays cleaner on it’s own.
With engine oil the only cleaner I’d use on a suspected abused car is a mild long term cleaner like archoil ar2300 that can need as much as 4000miles depending on the engine oil to do it’s thing, not sure if it’s any good for transmissions though. the last think you want is a big lump of gunk in the oil or fluid pumps or anywhere else really impeding the flow of oil or fluid.
The Electronic handbrake on my mates 2009 Audi.
Took quite a bit of figureing our how the tell to get the electric motor to wind in to enable me to change the pad’s, discs. worst part was having to get out the battery charger to keep voltage over 13v while using the VW specific scan tool to send the instruction to wind the motors back in for a rear break change. The only real benefit is for idiots, you cannot accidentally fail to put the parking break on.
I like quiet cars but it also too quiet, you can’t barley even hear even a slight engine noise to get an idea how it’s running, it almost all tire noise.
That said I do like the dual climate control.
and most mid to late 90’s electronic fuel injection gets rid of the petrol stink on the roads until one of the sensors goes faulty. it’s not usually until you go past a motorbike or a really old car you realise how stinky cars used to be.
The Electronic handbrake on my mates 2009 Audi.
Took quite a bit of figureing our how the tell to get the electric motor to wind in to enable me to change the pad’s, discs. worst part was having to get out the battery charger to keep voltage over 13v while using the VW specific scan tool to send the instruction to wind the motors back in for a rear break change. The only real benefit is for idiots, you cannot accidentally fail to put the parking break on.
I like quiet cars but it also too quiet, you can’t barley even hear even a slight engine noise to get an idea how it’s running, it almost all tire noise.
That said I do like the dual climate control.
and most mid to late 90’s electronic fuel injection gets rid of the petrol stink on the roads until one of the sensors goes faulty. it’s not usually until you go past a motorbike or a really old car you realise how stinky cars used to be.
I agree, Last resort. Get this wrong and leave any water vapour in the engine at all, it’ll rust very fast and to coin an Eric term, you’ll be hating life.
It is critical if you do this, you make sure the engine is at operating temperature to give the water loads of time to evaporate, Ideally go for a drive immediately afterward. I don’t advise it.
I know someone who did this and the next day he had a hole in the engine after starting the car.
Personally I’d go the fuel additive route. It’s much safer to use a fuel additive like BG44k, Archoil AR6000 series, takes a bit longer and few miles of driving. Additives like Archoil AR6200 cure the problem by making fuel burn cleaner and more completely in the first place rather than fixing the symptom later, it also works out cheaper and better than premium petrol or gasoline in many cases. I’m sure other products are effective too but I have used these 2 products and they are very effective. and cap it off by making sure you have a nice clean throttle body and air intake, catalytic converter safe carb cleaner is a good one to spray down the air intake like that water in the video to catch other crap further down the air intake.
I agree, Last resort. Get this wrong and leave any water vapour in the engine at all, it’ll rust very fast and to coin an Eric term, you’ll be hating life.
It is critical if you do this, you make sure the engine is at operating temperature to give the water loads of time to evaporate, Ideally go for a drive immediately afterward. I don’t advise it.
I know someone who did this and the next day he had a hole in the engine after starting the car.
Personally I’d go the fuel additive route. It’s much safer to use a fuel additive like BG44k, Archoil AR6000 series, takes a bit longer and few miles of driving. Additives like Archoil AR6200 cure the problem by making fuel burn cleaner and more completely in the first place rather than fixing the symptom later, it also works out cheaper and better than premium petrol or gasoline in many cases. I’m sure other products are effective too but I have used these 2 products and they are very effective. and cap it off by making sure you have a nice clean throttle body and air intake, catalytic converter safe carb cleaner is a good one to spray down the air intake like that water in the video to catch other crap further down the air intake.
Darn, you were literally a day or 2 to late with this video for me.
I guess if you don’t have the air tools you could expel the piston on the car with brake hose clamp at the ready.
I rebuilt one of my rear calipers after investigating a low speed squeak on my car which revealed a torn dust cap, enough to let some dirt and moisture in. It wasn’t full on binding like yours. But the wheel on the other side was running more freely. It’s best to sort it out early if you catch it early, before it becomes a real big problem.
That said the rear calipers aren’t that much different except it was easier in my case to use the handbrake lever to get the piston out and wind it back in, I had no corrosion, so polishing grade sand paper and brake cleaner was enough to clean up the piston. As i was going for tip top condition after cleaning it up I had to find somewhere clean ( and a clean pair of hands too) to finish the job fit the new seal and lube the piston up with red rubber grease. Plastic modeling tools are fantastic for handling new seals without the danger of damaging them.
It’s also noteworthy that on modern cars with a brake servo, you should expect a spongier brake pedal while the seal(s) break in.
Darn, you were literally a day or 2 to late with this video for me.
I guess if you don’t have the air tools you could expel the piston on the car with brake hose clamp at the ready.
I rebuilt one of my rear calipers after investigating a low speed squeak on my car which revealed a torn dust cap, enough to let some dirt and moisture in. It wasn’t full on binding like yours. But the wheel on the other side was running more freely. It’s best to sort it out early if you catch it early, before it becomes a real big problem.
That said the rear calipers aren’t that much different except it was easier in my case to use the handbrake lever to get the piston out and wind it back in, I had no corrosion, so polishing grade sand paper and brake cleaner was enough to clean up the piston. As i was going for tip top condition after cleaning it up I had to find somewhere clean ( and a clean pair of hands too) to finish the job fit the new seal and lube the piston up with red rubber grease. Plastic modeling tools are fantastic for handling new seals without the danger of damaging them.
It’s also noteworthy that on modern cars with a brake servo, you should expect a spongier brake pedal while the seal(s) break in.
Personally I like a Voltmeter on the dash.
makes life simple. and you have an another indicator for potential problems every time you use the car.
when the car’s been stood the voltage should read above 12v, Ideally 12.6v with all lights off and no drain.
you can see how well the charging circuits are working on the move, if you have too many accessories (less than 13v with the car running) or a faulty charge circuit. or if it’s over charging ( much over 14.4V isn’t good ).
you can do the equivalent of a load test every time you start the car, you don’t want to see the voltage dip below 10v Ideally, if it goes below 9v your looking at a new battery and/or battery cables test, clean up or even in some cases replace.
IMO the best load test you can do on a battery is pull the fuel pump fuse or disconnect the ignition coil and crank the car over for 5-15 seconds and watch the volt meter.
It’s all fair and well checking a battery with a load tester against the battery spec, in my experience plenty of parts stores and even manufacturers supply batteries that are too small and only work while at the peak of their powers.
Sometimes within months they can pass that test on the battery testers at the store and not be enough to crank your car properly.
At least if you load test using your car, you know to ignore what they say can get bigger or better battery which will fit and should give you trouble free starting and power for your car.for example, my car, many books and battery look up’s and VW recommend a type 063 battery which is too small for my car, you’d be lucky to get a years service out one a standard 063 in my car. however a 027, 075 are ideal or even a 096 fits perfectly and give many years of trouble free service. my current 096 battery has been going 5 years and still cranking fine.
Personally I like a Voltmeter on the dash.
makes life simple. and you have an another indicator for potential problems every time you use the car.
when the car’s been stood the voltage should read above 12v, Ideally 12.6v with all lights off and no drain.
you can see how well the charging circuits are working on the move, if you have too many accessories (less than 13v with the car running) or a faulty charge circuit. or if it’s over charging ( much over 14.4V isn’t good ).
you can do the equivalent of a load test every time you start the car, you don’t want to see the voltage dip below 10v Ideally, if it goes below 9v your looking at a new battery and/or battery cables test, clean up or even in some cases replace.
IMO the best load test you can do on a battery is pull the fuel pump fuse or disconnect the ignition coil and crank the car over for 5-15 seconds and watch the volt meter.
It’s all fair and well checking a battery with a load tester against the battery spec, in my experience plenty of parts stores and even manufacturers supply batteries that are too small and only work while at the peak of their powers.
Sometimes within months they can pass that test on the battery testers at the store and not be enough to crank your car properly.
At least if you load test using your car, you know to ignore what they say can get bigger or better battery which will fit and should give you trouble free starting and power for your car.for example, my car, many books and battery look up’s and VW recommend a type 063 battery which is too small for my car, you’d be lucky to get a years service out one a standard 063 in my car. however a 027, 075 are ideal or even a 096 fits perfectly and give many years of trouble free service. my current 096 battery has been going 5 years and still cranking fine.