Most dangerous place on earth!

[Guest]

I bought a newish (21 plate) Focus a year ago, and the battery didn't seem to be charged enough for the auto stop-start to work. The dealer insisted they needed the car overnight to give it a full charge. It worked for a few days after that then failed again. One of two things surely, either a faulty charging system or a faulty battery. After another overnight session they decided that the charging system was working but a "battery charge level sensor" was telling the alternator the battery was fully charged when it wasn't. Of course they didn't have the sensor in stock, so I was without my car for another day while they found one. That was replaced, but the stop-start still wasn't working, which was due to... a faulty battery.
Had the service receptionist not been young, female, and very good looking I'd have been more forceful in pointing out that I'd said that a month earlier. (Sexist pig aren't I)
Pete

No, they demand equality today and you have to be carefull of the gender thing, you could have insulted Miss Piggy or Big Bird from Sesame Street...

[Airborne01]

No, they demand equality today and you have to be carefull of the gender thing, you could have insulted Miss Piggy or Big Bird from Sesame Street...

Now you're getting sizeist - there's no hope for you mate!
Steve

[stillp]

Further evidence of my susceptibility to the female gender was in the 1980s when I volunteered to collect an automatic mini from London and drive it to Cardiff where we both lived. She was a rather nice blonde, whose mother had been given the car but didn't want it, and she knew I had some experience of the auto Mini.
My boss and I had a meeting to attend in London so he agreed to drop me off at the address where the car was stored. It was supposed to be under a railway arch somewhere in the hinterlands of the south circular but I discovered that the railway arch was the premises of a garage that had quoted for some work. I found the car outside, and eventually found the car, but the keys weren't in the ignition as promised. Found the keys on the floor, car started and promptly ran out of fuel. So I scrounged a lift to a petrol station and asked if I could borrow a petrol can. Of course the answer was no, but if I bought one and brought it straight back they'd buy it back off me. He didn't explain that the price was £15.99 but the buyback price was £1, but anyway I filled the can, got the car going and drove it to the fuel station, got my £1 for the can (realised later I should have kept it) and proceeded to put 6 gallons of 4-star in the mini. Trouble is, early Minis only had a 5 gallon tank. A little investigation showed that this one had a two inch split in the tank so probably only a 3 gallon tank! The rest I'd bought was sloshing around in the boot, but soon found its way out through the rust holes. I also discovered that the engine mounts were gone, so the engine was rocking back and forth a few inches.
Now the automatic Mini had a more-or-less linear gate for the gear selector, so the fore-and-aft engine movement was effectively pulling the gear selector into gears that weren't selected. This not only made the drive somewhat jerky, but ruined the fuel consumption, so I had to fill up (up to the split in the tank that is) about 3 times during the 140 mile trip home. I had to stop at every services anyway, as the engine oil, shared with the gearbox, got very hot and runny which meant the auto gearbox didn't work properly. I was a smoker then, so the frequent halt were a good opportunity to have a smoke outside the incendiary device I was driving.
I don't think the car was ever repaired.

Pete

[boatman]

Further evidence of my susceptibility to the female gender was in the 1980s when I volunteered to collect an automatic mini from London and drive it to Cardiff where we both lived. She was a rather nice blonde, whose mother had been given the car but didn't want it, and she knew I had some experience of the auto Mini.
My boss and I had a meeting to attend in London so he agreed to drop me off at the address where the car was stored. It was supposed to be under a railway arch somewhere in the hinterlands of the south circular but I discovered that the railway arch was the premises of a garage that had quoted for some work. I found the car outside, and eventually found the car, but the keys weren't in the ignition as promised. Found the keys on the floor, car started and promptly ran out of fuel. So I scrounged a lift to a petrol station and asked if I could borrow a petrol can. Of course the answer was no, but if I bought one and brought it straight back they'd buy it back off me. He didn't explain that the price was £15.99 but the buyback price was £1, but anyway I filled the can, got the car going and drove it to the fuel station, got my £1 for the can (realised later I should have kept it) and proceeded to put 6 gallons of 4-star in the mini. Trouble is, early Minis only had a 5 gallon tank. A little investigation showed that this one had a two inch split in the tank so probably only a 3 gallon tank! The rest I'd bought was sloshing around in the boot, but soon found its way out through the rust holes. I also discovered that the engine mounts were gone, so the engine was rocking back and forth a few inches.
Now the automatic Mini had a more-or-less linear gate for the gear selector, so the fore-and-aft engine movement was effectively pulling the gear selector into gears that weren't selected. This not only made the drive somewhat jerky, but ruined the fuel consumption, so I had to fill up (up to the split in the tank that is) about 3 times during the 140 mile trip home. I had to stop at every services anyway, as the engine oil, shared with the gearbox, got very hot and runny which meant the auto gearbox didn't work properly. I was a smoker then, so the frequent halt were a good opportunity to have a smoke outside the incendiary device I was driving.
I don't think the car was ever repaired.

Pete

WOW Pete you certainly had your work cut out an over paid on that gas can as you say you should have kept it an that mini sounds a heap of jionk did u get it to that lady ? an talkin about fuel how long will deasil keep in a can ? as i had a big mazda 6 deasil an kept a spare can of the stuff in the boot but its now been in the can about 6 yrs so will it be any good ?
chrisb

[Airborne01]

WOW Pete you certainly had your work cut out an over paid on that gas can as you say you should have kept it an that mini sounds a heap of jionk did u get it to that lady ? an talkin about fuel how long will deasil keep in a can ? as i had a big mazda 6 deasil an kept a spare can of the stuff in the boot but its now been in the can about 6 yrs so will it be any good ?
chrisb

Probably not mate; it will lose its 'light ends' and you may well find wax has separated and may cause problems with your injectors
Steve

[boatman]

Probably not mate; it will lose its 'light ends' and you may well find wax has separated and may cause problems with your injectors
Steve

THANKS Steve thats what t thought so will find out where i can dispoce of it as they have closed up the recycle centre near me but for now will leave it in its can
cheers for info
chrisb

[stillp]

Chris, I'd give it to anyone you know who drives a diesel - it'll still burn if mixed with enough fresh stuff. Any farmers or haulage contractors near you?

WOW Pete you certainly had your work cut out an over paid on that gas can as you say you should have kept it an that mini sounds a heap of jionk did u get it to that lady ?

It was junk Chris, although it could have been fixed up with some new engine mounts and fuel tank, and a bit of welding. I did get it to her but I don't think it was driven again, except around the car park of her flats. I think she just abandoned it here when she moved about a year later.
Pete