Car Talk

[grendel]

thursday am, car is hard to start (it was -4) but i also noticed the dashboard lights very dim, after getting to work I did some checking, this was when i found that all of the function on the main lighting switch no longer worked, fortunately being a volvo the headlights fail safe mode was dipped headlights, some quick diagnostics proved fuses ok, but nothing in the light switch module was functioning, so on to ebay, and an identical part number switch unit in the correct colour was located, so £30 later and after missing the delivery this morning (doorbell batteries flat) and its a quick walk round to the sorting office for 5pm, part picked up it was a 30 second job to remove the old switch and fit the replacement, good news all functioning once more. unfortunately since the car is canbus, there are only 3 wires out of the switch so none of the circuits could be jury rigged to get them functioning, all the joys of a 17 year old car.

[Paul]

7 hours ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

Absolutely spot on. 

Some good friends of mine worked in a well known local tyre centre when i lived in Gravesend. They told me that if anybody used one of those tins of sealent, it meant a new tyre immediately as they`re not allowed to do puncture repairs on that tyre due to the incompatability between the gunk and the puncture repair adhesive, along with the patch adhesive. Originally, when a puncture was repaired with a bottle of gunk, and later properly repaired, the patches would peel off inside the tyre. It`s also worth remembering that these bottles of gunk can cause a molecular degredation of the tyres raw materials resulting in the risk of a complete delamination or blow out, which is why you should NOT use them for any length of time. Imagine that happening at motorway speeds?.

I think that well known tyre company are up to their well known tricks of inventing unnecessary work for themselves, and expense for their customers. The use of a tyre selant should not have any impact on whether a punctured tyre can be repaired or not. The substance used in tyre sealants is a modified latex rubber, not an adhesive. It can be easily peeled from the inside of the tyre before a puncture is repaired. It may require a new valve if the sealant was inserted through the valve. The latex material has no impact on the structure of the tyre, but they were correct that it is only a temporary repair. The manufacturer of the sealant will mark the product with a safe limit for both both distance and speed. Usually something like twenty miles at 50mph. Beyond this safe limit the tyre may begin to leak causing it to overheat and fail. 

[grendel]

20 miles at 50mph would be useless to me and dangerouse as I have a 60 mile journey all on motorway, and I am generally travelling at either 6am or after 5pm, outside the opening hours of most tyre firms, this is why I have a full size spare.

[Paul]

Just checked my Merc kit and it says 500 miles at 70. Holts tyreweld says "as soon as possible" so I was perhaps being conservative, but important to check. Tyre sealants will always be a limited, temporary solution but do also have some advantages. The last time I used one was in the Honda which also carries a full size spare but in pouring rain on the side of the M1 at 6pm on a Friday two minutes spent with a can of sealant was far preferable to getting the jack out. 

[BroadAmbition]

Tired of Tyre talk yet?

The front two boots on Trevor are approaching the wear limiters.  So off I went to my long trusted tyre outfit.  The tyres fitted all round on Trevor are Goodyear F1 Eagles, 235/50 x 18's for goodness sake. they are the extra load capacity variant due to being on the van. I was expecting £200 each - but no, pleasantly surprised they are 'Only' £135 fitted and balanced.  

However, me n MrsG are due to be taking Trevor (Well, to be factual - he will be taking us) up to Jockland, Gourock next month for a week.  They have that snow / ice stuff and lots of rain up there at present, they always have lots of rain up there at present. Driving in those conditions with extra wide soft summer tyres is asking for trouble imho.

Winter snow/ice type tyres is what is called for.  I always intended to get a set of winter tyres for the previous van but never did.  Ideal opportunity to get it sorted once and for all for Trevor.  Having conversed with 'my' tyre outfit, they advise me that I need winter tyres 215/65 on a 16" (commercial rated) to maintain the same tyre diameter as the presently fitted tyres that I reckon they fit to Vulcan Bombers.   I did want to go for 205's but they will be short in the diameter department. 

I have sourced a good set of second hand original 16" Ford Transit Custom alloys.  By tomorrow they will be shod with the new winter tryes - All to the good then.

The present huge alloys - I'll take off all four tyres, saving the two good ones, then treat the rims to powder coating (Black n red) re-fit the two good tyres and buy two new uns.   Sometime April / May these will go back on Trevor

The upshot is that for six months of the year I'll be running on wide low profile sticky summer tyres, t'other six months I'll be on the sensible winter tyres on smaller rims.  Bit of a hit financially in the short term, but what price on not having a RTC?

Griff

[ranworthbreeze]

I have always had winter tyres on the two Saab 93 convertibles I have owned, I have had chains & grips on a number of vehicles in the past but the winter tyres proved to be the best option. Now I have an Audi S3 convertible I am going to see how I get on with the four wheel drive this year and decide on rims and winter tyres if needed.

Regards

Alan

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Quite surprised to see low profile 50 sides fitted to a working Transit.

[Malanka]

Used winter tyres for the past 16 years and continue to do so now we are in the UK. The extra rain performance in terms of grip when the temperature is below 12 degrees is unbelievable if you’ve never used them. Good decision Charlie 

[grendel]

I just had to replace 2 front tyres on my volvo, as I had worn them down near the limits, unfortunately as they were replacing them they spotted the front dampers leaking, so i now have that little job to do as well, I have the parts now, (and tools as i had lost one of my pair of spring compressors) so it looks like a busy weekend coming up.

[MauriceMynah]

If you went to a tyre centre to replace your tyres, be warned that the "damper leaking" ploy is regrettably far from rare. One particular company was well known for it, They put a bit of 3 in 1 oil on the damper and called the customer across to examine it, frequently then getting the job of replacing it.

[grendel]

ah, yes, I know that one, but when I bounce that corner, its a 5 bounce to stop, the other side is a one bounce to stop, the new shocks are gas, so shouldnt leak oil. I was looking to do it this coming weekend, but looking at it snowing outside, maybe not.

[grendel]

new shocks on the volvo is a 5 bolt job, 2 at the bottom, 3 at the top, then its disassemble the unit and swap the coil springs over to the new, I have until the 2nd week in April when the MOT is due, a few other little jobs including the main beam instrument light to get in before then too, at 201000 miles I know these little jobs will crop up. I will check the suspension arm bushes while I am down there too.

[ChrisB]

I ran four wheel drive cars for years but now the Winters are such my last two cars have been front wheel drive. When the rubber that the car came with new wore, I would fit "Michelin Cross climate" which were very good but now I fit "Continental Allseasoncontact" which I find even better in snow. As back up I carry Michelin Snow Socks. 

[scaniaman]

Just starting to get run at 200,000 Grendel, it`s a volvo after all. Had my 740 estate for 22yrs a cracking motor.

Paul

[grendel]

I do have some Sno-grips but shame on me it snowed today and they are in the shed at home.

I do have 2 sets and they are great at going up hills on sheet ice (slowly)

(the snow didnt lay here and its now bright sunshine)

[unclemike]

cant imagine how you lot must drive, 50 years motoring at av 20,000 a year, only once been stuck and that was behind some idiot who stopped on a hill,, never had the need for snow tyres, chains grips etc, good tyres and good winter driving techniques (learnt one bad winter living round buxton)always worked for me.

[grendel]

to be fair I have only ever had problems on sheet ice when forced to stop by other traffic and then trying to get moving up a hill, at least at the moment I have good tyres, but by the time next winter arrives I will be at the point of needing new ones yet again.

[Malanka]

Winter tyres are a legal requirement in Germany. Recently changed. Applies to visiting cars also 

 

M 

[ChrisB]

3 hours ago, chameleon said:

cant imagine how you lot must drive, 50 years motoring at av 20,000 a year, only once been stuck and that was behind some idiot who stopped on a hill,, never had the need for snow tyres, chains grips etc, good tyres and good winter driving techniques (learnt one bad winter living round buxton)always worked for me.

It just makes life easier and safer. I also used to drive 25000+ miles a year in Cortina and Sierra ghias rear wheel drives without problems. But why not make life safer and easier.

[unclemike]

never not felt safe and in younger days could not afford to do it anyway. now dont feel the need

[BroadAmbition]

Quite surprised to see low profile 50 sides fitted to a working Transit.

You and me both

Griff

[BroadAmbition]

We lived in Norway for 3 x years, October through to April, winter tyres were a legal requirement.  Over there, they didn't muck about the winter tyres had steel studs in the shoulders.  I once remember driving down the Dramensvien (a motorway)on hard packed snow comfortably sat at about 80mph quite happily.  Three winters driving over there, I learnt more about winter driving than a lifetime of it over here.  We could also volunteer for the Marines winter driving survival course - which I did, great fun and very surprising too

Griff

[ranworthbreeze]

On 27/02/2020 at 08:10, MauriceMynah said:

If you went to a tyre centre to replace your tyres, be warned that the "damper leaking" ploy is regrettably far from rare. One particular company was well known for it, They put a bit of 3 in 1 oil on the damper and called the customer across to examine it, frequently then getting the job of replacing it.

Hi John,

I once went to a company who tried to do that, after telling them what I thought I never used that company again.

Regards

Alan

[ranworthbreeze]

17 hours ago, grendel said:

I do have some Sno-grips but shame on me it snowed today and they are in the shed at home.

I do have 2 sets and they are great at going up hills on sheet ice (slowly)

(the snow didnt lay here and its now bright sunshine)

I too had a set of these which I carried and used, they were good and got you home, but as soon as you managed to get back to clear roads you had to remove them.

[grendel]

yes, they really only get you out of a tricky spot, I wouldnt want to drive more than a few hundred metres on them, and at no speed either.