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Mar 26, 2013 13:09:46 GMT
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About 10 years ago I used to have a 1981 Mini City. When driving along at speed (OK 60-ish), if you wound the drivers window down by an inch, the fuel gauge reading (at the bottom of the speedo) would drop by about quarter of a tank. It took me ages to work out why sometimes I seemed to have much more fuel than I'd had only a few minutes earlier! My dad has a Volvo V70 (Phase 1) with automatic transmission. Every time I put it into park, I end up turning on the hazard lights with my knuckles. Example picture found on Google:
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Last Edit: Mar 26, 2013 13:10:05 GMT by Ben Harris
1997 Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000 1991 Eunos Roadster
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Mar 26, 2013 13:34:45 GMT
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My dad has a Volvo V70 (Phase 1) with automatic transmission. Every time I put it into park, I end up turning on the hazard lights with my knuckles. I always do that, when i open the ashtray
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VIP
South East
Posts: 8,293
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Mar 26, 2013 14:26:20 GMT
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And whats with the model designation? Audi A4 but its a B5? again WTF. Rant over. Not difficult, it's the chassis code. The Audi A4 was a continuation of the Audi 80 bloodline, which started with the B1 and finished with the B4, then re-named the A4 went from B5 to the current B8. Similarly the Audi 100/A6 has a chassis code which starts C, with the 100 being C1 through to the C4, which was renamed the A6 halfway through it's lifespan, then carrying on as the C5 to current C7.
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jonw
Part of things
Can open a Mouse with a File
Posts: 768
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Mar 26, 2013 14:44:41 GMT
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My old Alfa 145 had the most funny ones.... Wipers: Used to take on a mind of their own whenever it rained. They'd just stop mid wipe then re-start. Gear lever: Was angled to the left so it you went for first you had to either ask the passenger to move their knee or risk stroking their leg.... is that always a fault? Hand brake: Froze on in the cold Cooling: Overheated in the hot Lights: Mind of their own. Alarm: Mind of it's own. Rust: All present and corroding!
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Suzuki SV650R The good Triumph T20 The Bad BMW G650GS The Ugly Matchless G12CSR The Smokey Toyota Hybrid One pint or Two?
Ingredients of this post Spam Drunken Rambling of author Bad spelling Drunken ramblings of inner voices Occasional pointless comments Vile beef trimming they won't even use in stock cubes
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dbdb
Part of things
Posts: 821
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Mar 26, 2013 14:54:24 GMT
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My XJ40's fog lights. They're purely decorative. Left on any more than half an hour they melt. Sometimes they catch fire then drop out of the front valance, leaving only a big hole and a faint smell of burning.
The problem only affects late cars. Early ones don't melt, they fill with water. Jaguar wasn't very good at fog lights.
David
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Mar 26, 2013 15:00:47 GMT
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Thought of another. On a pre '67 Beetle, the glovebox release is a push button at the top of the glove box lid. There is no handle, just a button so to release the latch you need to push the button but to allow the lid to drop open you need to release the button instantly re-engaging the latch.
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tubbs
Part of things
Posts: 59
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Mar 26, 2013 16:02:13 GMT
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207 i got in for gas conversion, you cant pop the bonnet from the inside without opening the passenger door first ? Design flaw or clever thinking ? Everything i come across now I'm looking for faults to report.
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BLU
Part of things
Posts: 347
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Mar 26, 2013 16:24:14 GMT
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Peugeot Bipper van, gear linkage freezes solid in cold weather......
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Last Edit: Mar 26, 2013 16:24:31 GMT by BLU
The future's bright, the future's BLU
Silver 1987 MK2 Fiesta Ghia White 2006 MK6 Fiesta ST150 Yellow 2007 MK6 Fiesta Zetec S Anniversary #279 Green 2007 MK6 Fiesta Zetec S Celebration #471 (diesel conversion) Red 2008 MK6 Fiesta Zetec S Anniversary #893
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Mar 26, 2013 16:49:37 GMT
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Peugeot Bipper van, gear linkage freezes solid in cold weather...... Had a Peugeot Partner do the same, a curse word if you leave it in gear as you can't even start it and go back in the house for a brew while it warms up, you have to sit there, with the clutch in, cold, really cold! Lol
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Mar 26, 2013 17:42:47 GMT
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Automatic Omega's main thrust washer in gearbox is made of plastic, self destruct ever 70 to 100k. Thanks a bunch Vauxhall
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doobie
Part of things
Posts: 271
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Mar 26, 2013 17:44:30 GMT
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just remembered another.... VW T4 van brand new, The present Mrs Doobie has the annoying habit of leaving a small amount of coffee in her cup and not drinking it. This came back to bite her when travelling in said T4 as the spring on the cup holders is so strong that if you leave a plastic cone shaped cup in the holder it will after a few minutes be launched to the headlining and the coffee will end up all over whoever is sitting in the corresponding seat. .... ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Mar 26, 2013 19:57:31 GMT
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Thought of another. On a pre '67 Beetle, the glovebox release is a push button at the top of the glove box lid. There is no handle, just a button so to release the latch you need to push the button but to allow the lid to drop open you need to release the button instantly re-engaging the latch. That only happens if the rubber buffers are old and compressed with age. Replace them (two black rubber bung shaped things to the top left and right of the glovebox), and the glovebox door will pop out nicely when the button is pressed. First thing I've always done when buying a Beetle! Costs peanuts to do, and I'm amazed that it's not more common knowledge that this is the fix to the problem.
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1951 Split Window Beetle - SOLD! 1965 Mercedes 230SL 1966 VW Beetle 1968 Mercedes 280SE
1972 VW 412LE Variant - SOLD! err.... 2004 Toyota Corolla
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RobinJI
Posted a lot
"Driven by the irony that only being shackled to the road could ever I be free"
Posts: 2,995
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Mar 26, 2013 22:08:30 GMT
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MX-5 handbrake is down the passenger side of the centre consul, leading to some unwanted groping. And it is unwanted, always, because (in the time I owned mine at least) only men sit with their legs spread enough for it to be an issue!
The Sciroccos front windows wont wind up at any speed above about 85 because they wind down and forward, leaving the top rear corner unsupported, above 85ish it flexes in and misses the seals as it winds up, so you have to use a second hand to push it out while winding. (Or the more sensible option of slowing down rather than removing both hands from the wheel.)
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ThePollitt
Posted a lot
Fix up, look... at that car on eBay!
Posts: 4,696
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Mar 26, 2013 23:23:06 GMT
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Facelift Vauxhall Nova - pull out the hazard light button on the dash, rotate through 180 degrees and bingo, ignition.
I had one, I know it to be true. I used to take the switch out when I parked the car. Just in case.
Chris
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MonzaPhil
Posted a lot
Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought
Posts: 2,456
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Mar 26, 2013 23:35:25 GMT
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On the Discovery, almost everything.
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This is now a clicky linky!
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When I drove my 306 in bright sunlight, which did sometimes happen, the top of the dashboard was reflected in the windscreen, obscuring the view out of the roughly the bottom third of the windscreen. So with the sunvisor down too, you had about the middle third of the screen to look out of.
A few from my good old days at Halfords:
The headlights on Rover 75 or MG ZT V6s. They're accessed through a panel in the wheel arch, which is fair enough and very thoughtful of Rover. But then when they put a V6 in it, they had to position a pipe of some description hard up against the back of the driver's side one. Great.
Ford Focus battery trays. The battery is held in by a nylon strap that screws into a metal insert set into the plastic battery tray. The bolt rusts into the metal insert, and when you give it a good hard twist to get it undone the insert breaks free from the plastic tray and just spins uselessly. So you tell the customer it was like that when you got there and hope they don't complain to your manager...
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1989 Peugeot 205. You know, the one that was parked in a ditch on the campsite at RRG'17... the glass is always full. but the ratio of air to water may vary.
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Carlton GSi spark plugs were fun. The 12V engine was fine, but the 24V engine had the plugs accessed through the top of the head. Changing them means removing the dual ram setup on the intake to get to the plug cover, not really a big deal. The problem is that plug number 6 is virtually inaccessible because it's hidden under the scuttle.
As for Mantas, so many! They also have sunroof drains which run into the sills and tend to rot them out pretty quickly, and the sunroof assembly has foam in it which holds water and rots the roof from the inside out. The front windows are meant to have little guides bonded onto the bottom of the glass, but after 25-30 years they've almost all fallen off. This means you can't wind the windows up on the motorway because the glass comes up outside the rubber seals. Also on Mantas and mk1 Cavaliers with the CIH engine, the oil pressure sender sits right behind the exhaust manifold where the wires get fried.
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'77 Vauxhall Cavalier coupe 1.9 GLS - the long term project '81 Opel Senator 3.0S '81 Opel Senator 3.0CD '82 Opel Manta SRB coupe '90 Vauxhall Cavalier SRi '93 Vauxhall Senator 24V '93 Lancia Thema 16V Turbo '94 Vauxhall Carlton Diamond
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bl1300
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,678
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On my triumph 1300. The petrol tank sits inside the boot, it is separated from the boot floor by two strips of absorbent foam. Water gets into the boot every time you open the lid, gets trapped in the foam and rots through the fuel tank. First you know of it is a strong smell of fuel in the boot and rapid disappearing petrol.
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Current fleet.
1967 DAF 44 1974 VW Beetle 1303s 1975 Triumph Spitfire MkIV 1988 VW LT45 Beavertail 1998 Volvo V70 2.5 1959 Fordson Dexta
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,194
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Design Faults on your carChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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A few: Alfa 147: - The cup holder in the centre console is only capable of holding short cans. Anything taller and it will be spilt once the armrest is drawn down.
- On the subject of the armrest, the handbrake is a little tricky to get to with the armrest down
- The cup holder on the dash obscures the radio control when in use. It does reduce the risk of spillage mind you (see above) and you can still work the radio via the steering wheel
- The air filter on the JTD requires the removal of the fusebox! You can try to do it without doing the above but the chances of damaging something are pretty high! I believe the above affects the 156 and GT models too (which share the same chassis)
Now for other cars: Phase 2.5 Clio: - The 172/182 require the engine to be practically loose in the engine bay in order to change the cambelt
VW Lupo 1.4 Sport - The oil filter is fairly awkward to access on a car which comes with air conditioning. Even with the correct tool removal is a little awkward
Porshce 944 - These come with an upside down oil filter. Great for making a mess no matter work (many rags seem to work and some puncture the top of the filter)
MG Midget - Only BL would design a car where in order to remove the slave cylinders you need to dissemble the rear backing plate/part of the halfshaft assembly it seems in order to change that or the adjuster!
Mk3 Mondeo V6 - Most things. Removing most simple things requires the removal of something else. From what I can tell garages hate working on them with a passion. Removing the exhaust manifold is easier with the front fan being removed, throttle cable if the inlet manifold is removed, plugs if the inlet manifold is removed. Why do I still own one?
Clearly I have been working on curse word for too long :/
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Last Edit: Mar 27, 2013 8:23:26 GMT by ChasR
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tubbs
Part of things
Posts: 59
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Actually thinking about it, my mercedes vito, a petrol one. Alti right at the bottom of the engine. So it picks up water and dies regularly. The first ine i changed on the van, you can get the bolts out. But cant get the alti out until you remove the suspension strut and driveshaft. If you fit the 90a one then it fits back in through said hole without removing half the suspension first. I found out later.
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