Motoring Tips and Tricks

[roverboy]

MG Rover Owners: Sit back and feel smug as you compare the cost of buying your car with that of similar size/spec German cars purely because Rovers are considered to be poorly-made and unreliable and because stupid, ignorant and vain people will sell their own grandmother to own a VW/Audi/BMW. The truth is that although many Rovers are piles of ureliable and poorly-made scrap, certain models are actually quite good (eg R75/MG ZT without a K series 4-pots) but are very cheap because they don't have any badge kudos. DT_Xtremez_15:

Rover owners: Sit back and feel even smugger than MG Rover Owners as you compare the cost of the car you bought at auction with one bought by someone who has got rid of a BMW and payed extra for the privelage of having an MG badge on the front of their Rover!! The truth is that the K series isn't a bad engine if you know how to replace the head gasket with a modified one!!

Sorry BengO, couldn't resist it!!

 

[Douglas Bader's Right Leg]

MG Rover Owners: Sit back and feel smug as you compare the cost of buying your car with that of similar size/spec German cars purely because Rovers are considered to be poorly-made and unreliable and because stupid, ignorant and vain people will sell their own grandmother to own a VW/Audi/BMW. The truth is that although many Rovers are piles of ureliable and poorly-made scrap, certain models are actually quite good (eg R75/MG ZT without a K series 4-pots) but are very cheap because they don't have any badge kudos. DT_Xtremez_15:

Here's another top tip:

When you wash your car, use two buckets. One with clean suds, the other just plain water. After wiping the car each time, always rinse-off your sponge/wash mitt in the plain water bucket before you plunge it into the suds bucket. This stops you washing your car with dirty water and prevents scratches and 'swirl marks' caused by grit caught in the sponge.

Employ a chap to valet your jalopy for you, saving you time and money. Should he scratch the vehicle, simply thrash the insolent whelp to within an inch of his life and send him back to the labour exchange.

Rover drivers, convince yourself that everything is OK by comparing your matchbox vehicle to properly made German autobahn cruisers and claiming 'value for money' before crying into your pint of mild when the vehicle breaks down and you have to travel the length and breadth of the country in order to source the parts.

 

[TheHogwartsBEngO]

Rover owners: Sit back and feel even smugger than MG Rover Owners as you compare the cost of the car you bought at auction with one bought by someone who has got rid of a BMW and payed extra for the privelage of having an MG badge on the front of their Rover!! The truth is that the K series isn't a bad engine if you know how to replace the head gasket with a modified one!!

Sorry BengO, couldn't resist it!!

touche.

Couldn't quite bring myself to buy a pipe and slippers style 75 (even though they are fantastic cars - I did have a good poke around a connoseur [sp] model and it had every possible toy fitted) - so I plumped for the slightly more sporty MG version.

And although My Man is quite handy with the mechanicals, I couldn't quite bring myself to make him carry out head-gasket replacements and to be honest, it's the howl of the V6 that really sold the car to me.

 

[TheHogwartsBEngO]

Rover drivers, convince yourself that everything is OK by comparing your matchbox vehicle to properly made German autobahn cruisers and claiming 'value for money' before crying into your pint of mild when the vehicle breaks down and you have to travel the length and breadth of the country in order to source the parts.

Although I have never had to source parts for my Rover - should I ever need to I only need to travel about a mile to my local Ex-Rover dealer (now selling Mitsubishis and Fords) who is a member of the 'X-Part' Parts network specialising in Rover parts. They also have kept all of the Rover Diagnostics equipment so servicing and support is covered. Failing that one could try 'Rimmer Brothers' in Lincoln .

 

[roverboy]

Rover drivers, convince yourself that everything is OK by comparing your matchbox vehicle to properly made German autobahn cruisers and claiming 'value for money' before crying into your pint of mild when the vehicle breaks down and you have to travel the length and breadth of the country in order to source the parts.

What model Rover did you have?

 

[TrenchardsLoveSock]

MG Rover Owners: Sit back and feel smug as you compare the cost of buying your car with that of similar size/spec German cars purely because Rovers are considered to be poorly-made and unreliable and because stupid, ignorant and vain people will sell their own grandmother to own a VW/Audi/BMW. The truth is that although many Rovers are piles of ureliable and poorly-made scrap, certain models are actually quite good (eg R75/MG ZT without a K series 4-pots) but are very cheap because they don't have any badge kudos. DT_Xtremez_15:

That's a bit of a turnaround for you isn't it BEngO?

I refer you to Exhibit A:

All I can say is it doesn't matter what size your c0ck is, if you drive a BMW you clearly have a large brain able to appreciate the superb engineering genius that is a product of Germanic automotive mastery

DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[TheHogwartsBEngO]

That's a bit of a turnaround for you isn't it BEngO?

I refer you to Exhibit A:



DT_Xtremez_30:

I never said that BMWs aren't fantastic cars and owning one can be a delight. However, my circumstances have changed (Mini BEngO) so I need a larger and cheaper car. Thanks to the demand for Audis/BMWs etc, Rovers can be bought very cheaply.

When I'm next in the market for another car, Audi and BMW will be towards the top of my list.

I'm just making the point that one shouldn't dismiss Rovers out of hand as so many do (but because they do, the cars can be a real bargain).

 

[Douglas Bader's Right Leg]

I never said that BMWs aren't fantastic cars and owning one can be a delight. However, my circumstances have changed (Mini BEngO) so I need a larger and cheaper car. Thanks to the demand for Audis/BMWs etc, Rovers can be bought very cheaply.

When I'm next in the market for another car, Audi and BMW will be towards the top of my list.

I'm just making the point that one shouldn't dismiss Rovers out of hand as so many do (but because they do, the cars can be a real bargain).

Backtracking is not very becoming of you BEngO. Well done, however, for admitting you bought a sh1t car because your child has impoverished you. It's nothing to be ashamed of, I know I'll have to get rid of the S2000 when the Current Mrs DBRL breeds from me. I'll be keeping hold of the Passat though, none of that Rover nonsense for me!

 

[roverboy]

I'll be keeping hold of the Passat though, none of that Rover nonsense for me!

So you're talking a load of sh!te about spares then!! Believe me mate, I've had everything from ancient Citroen 2CV's to brand new BMW's and I've come to the conclusion that a brand new brand name that you can't work on yourself is the biggest way to throw money away!!

 

[Douglas Bader's Right Leg]

So you're talking a load of sh!te about spares then!! Believe me mate, I've had everything from ancient Citroen 2CV's to brand new BMW's and I've come to the conclusion that a brand new brand name that you can't work on yourself is the biggest way to throw money away!!

I was quoting a friend of mine.

Anyway it doesn't matter what I buy I won't be able to work on it myself, I don't even know how a bicycle works let alone an internal combustion engine. As far as I'm concerned you put petrol in it, you turn it on, it moves... whatever happens in between is a mystery to me. Should it fail to move then I call a man who knows about these sort of things and he fixes it for me for a price.

 

[roverboy]

I was quoting a friend of mine.

Anyway it doesn't matter what I buy I won't be able to work on it myself, I don't even know how a bicycle works let alone an internal combustion engine. As far as I'm concerned you put petrol in it, you turn it on, it moves... whatever happens in between is a mystery to me. Should it fail to move then I call a man who knows about these sort of things and he fixes it for me for a price.

Bring it to me, whatever he's charging, I'll beat his price!!

 

[TheHogwartsBEngO]

So you're talking a load of sh!te about spares then!! Believe me mate, I've had everything from ancient Citroen 2CV's to brand new BMW's and I've come to the conclusion that a brand new brand name that you can't work on yourself is the biggest way to throw money away!!

yes, another justification for buying my Rover. I'm reasonably technically-minded and my Dad taught me a few basic car-maintenance skills when I was young. Looking around the Rover I feel I could get my hands oily now and again and save a few bob (and have fun while I'm at it). With the beemer I tended to open the bonnet, stare blankly at the mass of plastic cladding and complicated computer circuitry and sensors, shut the bonnet, drive to the independent BMW specialist and hand over the credit card.

Plus my beemer was a diesel - and considering I now cycle to work in 5 minutes I couldn't justify the increased diesel servicing costs as I wasn't doing the mileage any more. So I bought a big petrol motor.

 

[TheHogwartsBEngO]

When washing your wife's car one cold Saturday in December - be sure to check the ambient temperature before you decide to 'give it a quick coat of wax before the winter salt gets everywhere'

Trying to buff-off a combination of hardened car wax and ice is not much fun!

(yes, yes, I should have made her do her own car herself, or paid my man to do it - but I fancied some fresh air)

 

[PingDit]

I don't recommend a petroleum-based product being used on soft rubber seals! That's a sure-fire way to make them perish early.

It would be a better idea to use a little silicon-based grease. I had to do this regularly on my recently-traded-in BMW to stop the door seals creaking. Worked a treat.

My Tip: Check your tyre pressures regularly when the tyres are cold (ie not driven for a while). And don't rely on the local garage's tyre gauge - they are not callibrated and tend to be wildly innacurate. Buy yourself a decent digital tyre gauge. Under-inflated tyres have an adverse effect on fuel-consumption - you could save a small fortune on fuel bills over a year or two just by keeping your tyres topped up. That's before you consider the saftey benefits.

On a similar theme - get rid of all that junk floating around in your boot. All that extra weight makes your engine work harder and uses more fuel.

And on the tyre note;

Does everyone realise that in the event of an accident, if your tyre pressures are found to be 4psi outside the car manufacturers recommended pressure settings, your insurance company may refuse to pay out!

 

[needsabiggerfuse]

I've had a smear on my windscreen right across my field of view which refused to clear. Any number of proprietary products failed miserably to clean the gunge off. It turns out the previous owner had used some of this 'silicon-based'(?) stuff which makes rain roll off the screen once you get past 40 mph. Well, it wasn't working anymore (if it ever did). Getting off what was left of the stuff was more problematic though. In the end a clean rag with some paint brush cleaner (mild paint stripper) on it ; carefully rubbed in small circles followed by copious amounts of water did the trick. The amount of grot that came off was impressive. I now have a crystal clear windscreen.

Screenwash made by Sonax is pretty good too. One 250 ml bottle makes 25 litres of solution.

 

[jack brew]

I now have a crystal clear windscreen.

Put a hammer through it, blame it on chavs and get a new one from Autoglass

Vinegar on wiper blades cleans them off a treat too!

 

[needsabiggerfuse]

Put a hammer through it, blame it on chavs and get a new one from Autoglass

Vinegar on wiper blades cleans them off a treat too!

Heh-heh. Yes, I did the vinegar thing trying get the screen clean. Mrs 'fuse complained that the car smelt like a chip shop. I was considering the application of a centre punch and a gentle tap somewhere in the middle, but it's still £50 with the insurance. DT_Xtremez_35:

 

[laboratoryqueen]

For those who like a nice dust free and clean dash, wipe it over with a Bounce tumble dryer sheet.

It collects any dirt and dust really easily and stops the dash from dusting up as quickly.


For cars with leather upholstery and walnut trim (was ideal on my Rover 820 exec) wipe them over with cheap shops own baby wipes, gets all the inground dirt out easily.


Also works very well on leather sofas especially when young children get grubby sticky fingers everywhere.

 

[Hoof_Hearted]

And on the tyre note;

Does everyone realise that in the event of an accident, if your tyre pressures are found to be 4psi outside the car manufacturers recommended pressure settings, your insurance company may refuse to pay out!

Ins Co first - they would have to prove that incorrect tyre pressures were contributory to the accident.

Tyre pressures - these are only "recommendationss" and not a specific determined value.

A car being driven by a 35 stone blubbering waste of oxygen will need different pressures to the same car being driven by a 6 stone anorexic.

Equally as important, different makes of the same size and spec of tyre will require different pressures, with Pirelli being particularly noteworthy of requiring considerably increased pressures (and being noteworthily $hite too).

 

[Hoof_Hearted]

Put a hammer through it, blame it on chavs and get a new one from Autoglass

Don't use Autoglass if you have either a light or rain sensor (for auto-on headlamps or rain-sensing wipers). Autoglass make their own screens in some cheapo african country, and the light transmission through the screen is different to OEM, hence fcuking up the auto lights and wipers.