Until 3 years ago I'd spent 15ish years in motor accessory shops and factors, I've never heard of Mikayo, there probably a reboxed budget brand or an import, as long as they are E marked they will have passed a minimum quality stamdard BUT that standard isn't very high, although on a corolla which I'm guessing isn't driven very hard they will probably be fine. The budget brand I used to sell were every bit as good as the premium ones at stopping the car but lasted less than half the distance.
As to the disks you really need to measure them with calipers across the braking surface and compare with the minimum thickness although it there is a 1mm lip on both sides I'd say they were dure to be replaced, the lip on the outer edge of the disk is often made up of rust and brake dust so clean it off with a wire brush to get to the clean metal.

As above, work on the assumption it's knackered – it's unlikely the main dealer would have replaced a perfect gearbox just to shut a moaner up, more likely they would have removed the old one, cleaned it really well (or painted it) then shoved it back in telling customer it was replaced.
If you have your's rebuilt with new parts you know it will be good for a long while, i'd start at 25% of what the rebuild will cost you but not go over a couple of hundred, unless he's happy to fit it and let you fully test it before parting with any cash.

Has anyone heard the new(ish) SACD version of this in 5.1 surround? I'd love to hear it like that.

I bought the SACD when it came out (I'd just got a dvd player which could decode them) and it's pretty good, in fact I think I'll dig it out and have another listen later on. I think you can find it on one of the torrent sites as a DTS 5.1 DVD image if you can't play sacds.

oops :oops: email sent :-)

Wanna buy them?

could be interested if the price is right :wink: do they have a seperate av in on them?
email in profile.
Mike

I am going to say ignition switch again, AFAIKR most switches disconnect one of the circuits while cranking, hence the ign lights going off, the light staying on would seem to indicate thats not happening. If you can get to the back of it with a multimeter work out which wires need to be connected to live and bridge the starter circuit. When I ran a motor factors I'd say 90% of the starters that were returned as faulty but bench tested ok were fixed with a new ignition switch, the other 10% were earth/power problems.
What car is it?

Continue with the claim, it is always the sellers responsibility to get the goods to you – no matter what they put in the listing about insurance etc.
If the seller can provide proof of delivery, ie a signature from a tracked mail service then ebay will side with the seller and you will have to fight with RM if you are sure it wasn't you or anyone at your address who signed for it. If all he has is proof of postage then ebay will side with you – and it is the seller who has to go to the RM to instigate a claim on the postage insurance.

It could be the ignition switch on it's way out, used to be a very common problem with old Vauxhalls, and I've recently had similar problems on my campervan. What makes it hard to diagnose is that when you turn the key to ignition voltage passes, so a multimeter on the solenoid terminal shows 12v, but the contacts are worn so there isn't enough current to engage it. Try pulling the plug off the switch and hotwiring it.

I got an Extensa 4220 free from BT a couple of years ago, still going strong – it has had a new screen but acer collected, repaired, and returned in 3 days. The battery is just starting to go but it's lasted as well as my previous £1.5k Vaio's did.
I'd buy another

Don't know if there is a Pirtek near you but I'm pretty sure they will make custom pipes and hoses.

mr nutt +100

BT vision is awful. You need at least 2.5mb for any of the ondemand stuff to work, we've had it for a couple of years and the biggest issue I've got is that the bloody box won't buffer anything. When we got it we had 2.7mb BB fairly consistently and it worked ok, then BT 'updated' some wiring in the village and we now get 1.8mb tops (we are 3.5miles or so from the exchange which is in the next village) as a result none of the ondemand stuff works. At all. There is a 160gb HD in the box, why BT won't allow the machine to sit there and buffer the programme in the background then pop up a box to tell you it's available and you've got 24/48hrs or whatever to view it before it gets deleted. I wouldn't even mind too much if it started playing then paused to buffer but it just throws an error message telling you to phone BT.
Also if it's not connected to t'internet it won't show a guide or allow recordings so if your router/broadband goes down you can't do anything other than watch live TV.
Oh yes, a while ago a firmware upgrade was forced which added 5mins hard padding at the end of a show, this has the effect of throwing up recording conflicts if you are trying to record 2 shows back to back while either watching or recording on the other tuner. This was done because some people complained that there was no way to globally add soft padding to every recording. This renders it useless if you want to use series recordings as eachtime the guide updates you have to go in and resolve the conflicts.
Mines now in a box in the spare room.
Get freesat.

bentley manual is the american version of the HBOL but written by people who know about cars (and how a manual should be written) :) ekta is the VW/Audi/Seat/Skoda main dealer parts lookup software, part no's and diagrams etc. TBH you don't need ekta for a T25 as bits are either available from factors, specialists like Brickwerks or there are a couple of german sites http://www.busparts.de and http://www.volkswagen-classic-parts.de for the obscure obsolete bits.
If it's the original engine then it's basically a 1.6d as fitted to golfs and passats but with a different sump and dipstick.
What do you need to do to it?

cough, might have a copy of the bentley manual in pdf and ekta on cd if you need it /cough

For parts you wont beat Brickwerks for quality, price is good and delivery is super quick. most JustKampers parts are terrible quality, I bought a couple of panels for mine in the summer and I'd have been better using old baked bean tins. Avoid GSF's cheap range, if you've got to use them only buy the premium brand bits, I bought some suspension bushes and wheel cylinders to get through a MOT a couple of years ago, by the next MOT the cylinders weren't returning and one was leaking and the bushes had cracked enough to fail the MOT.

I've just got back from a drive and now have a nice pair of Thule (or exact lookalike) aero roofbars, they were on top of a nice neat pile containing a new looking push lawnmower, a stainless microwave, some carpet, assorted bits of wood and a bag of ladies clothes.

If your in chester try chester exhaust supplies (CES) – not who I worked for but part of the same buying group/trade organisation.
Only problem I could see with using compressors is getting decent safe access past the trailing arm and brakes, normally compressors are used for struts where you cant release the tension with them on the car and have to be fitted evenly round the spring.
Another, possibly easier, way would be – loosen wheel bolts, put jack under rear sill lifting point and just lessen the weight on rear wheel, remove lower shock bolt, jack up until wheel is off ground, remove wheel, replace spring, replace wheel, lower slowly until wheel is just back on the ground, replace shock bolt but don't tighten, lower car, tighten all bolts, repeat on other side.

Where in the country are you? Until a couple of years ago I ran a motor factors and still get good prices from them, if your near Leicester you could even pop round and do it on the drive – got a fairly comprehensive tool kit including air tools. Shouldn't take more than half hour or so.
Doubt you'll need compressors for rears, just jack the car as high as you can, support on axle stands, put jack under trailing arm, remove shock lower bolt, lower jack, remove spring and as the haynes book of lies says replacement is the reversal of removal. It's important not to fully tighten the lower shock bolt until the car is back on its wheels though.

I got one a couple of years ago from ebay, can't remember the seller but they were recommended on a couple of the watch forums, it's a lovely watch nice size and weight and well finished. The only problem with mine is that it gains about 3 mins a month. At some point I'll get it calibrated but it's not that much of a big deal.

if they are anything like a Golfs its really not an easy job
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1980960

Thats rear bushes, op said front – from GSF just replacing bushes parts are c£10 a side, complete arm is <£30 a side. Decent VW specialist won't take more than an hour a side no matter how mullered the old ones are. rears aren't that hard if you, or the garage who does it has the right tool – parts £30ish a side, I was quoted an hour and a half labour to replace mine.

I can recommend a couple of decent garages if you're near Leicester.

I assume it's a diesel with the quoted mpg – good independent should charge less than £250 for cambelt kit, springs will be £40ish each and no more than 1.5 hrs labour (change both otherwise handling will be comprimised) suspension bushes won't be excessive – and it sounds like you can wait to replace them. No reason why the car won't trudge round for another 10 years 250,000m is easily achievable on those engines and boxes if they're well maintained.
I'd spend the £500-600 and drive it into the ground.

Allthepies, thats interesting – I originally was taking 2 Asacol a day and upping to 4/6 if I started to get a flare up, it got to the point that I was taking 6 daily and that wasn't helping. My consultant said that higher doses were innefective and if 6 weren't working then it was time to move on to immunosuppressants.
Doesn't help when everything goes through so fast that they come out undigested.

Mickasaki, when you spend most of your time either in the loo, looking for a loo or running to the loo and when you're there you never know what is going to come out you tend to lose your inhibitions about talking about it. Also once you've seen live footage of the inside of your arse while being pumped full of air which won't stay in with a couple of nurses and a big burly surgeon standing around twiddling the controls it's hard to be embarrased by anything

I was diagnosed about 4 years ago – but think I probably had it since my late teens. After having steroids to sort that flare up out I'd been controling it with Asacol succesfully. I've now been having a flare up since last summer after having erythromycin it now seems that the Asacol has stopped working and I've been on and off steroids since then. I'm currently 2 weeks into another huge course of Pred and I've been put on immunosuppressants. Hopefully that will kick it back into remission.
I've never found diet makes much difference to how I feel but lager definately does, luckily I can still drink Leffe or red wine in smallish amounts.

BTW predfoam is evil stuff :(

Nice area :lol:, knew a few people who lived round the corner from there when I was at school.

If you can't find a box could you use the exif data on photos you have taken as proof of what lens you had?

I'm due one soon, I've got ulcerative colitis and have been having a flare up for the last 6 months which wont go, saw the consultant last week who stuck me on another massive course of steroids and immunosuppressants. After telling me how rubbish I was likely to feel for the next few weeks he said that as soon as I showed some improvement I would be in for one. He also mentioned picolax :(

Good luck, hope you start feeling better soon.

Where do kids sing 'baa baa rainbow street'?

My daughters nursery, they don't actually say rainbow but each time they sing it they use a different colour for the sheep.

If they are really small try an opticians or jeweler who does watch/clock repairs.

Our 2 1/2 year old has only slept through the night when she has been ill – about 10 nights in total. She wakes every night at 11ish and 2:30 ish I don't think its noise related as she does it even if we are not at home. I think it's bad dreams/sleepwalking because when our 8 mmonth old was born I spent a few weeks sleeping on the floor of her room so I'd be able to settle her quickly and noticed that if she had got up and I laid her back down before she started crying she stayed asleep, once she started screaming she would only settle by sleeping with me or her mum.
I've been told by my mum that I was nearly 5 before I slept through.

BTW second the advise to drop the night feeds if you're sure she's had enough through the day.

yep, been with M&S for 3 years now, each time renewal has been much higher than reapplying and the staff at renewals tell you to apply via the website as new business. Used quidco this year so should get £30 extra back soon :)

I've not been out on a bike for over two years, a combination of having two children under three, a knackered knee which took the docs 6 months to take seriously and needed an arthroscopy to sort and spending most of last year and all of this year so far on steroids due to my ulcerative colitis flaring up.
Hoping this year will be better

Had one of the sink units in our old house – £30 from bargain corner!!! It was well hidden behind lots of chipboard and mattresses definately stashed by a staff member as it was unmarked and I got some right evil looks extracting it.
Very good quality but they are huge and having no kickboards the whole floor needs covering and cleaning :(

Just spent a couple of hours trying to thaw ours, unfortunately the boilers upstairs in the airing cupboard and the cowboy who installed it used thin plastic pipe with no insulation.
Going to have to get up a ladder tomorrow :cry:

It's not going to be looking good for me either, docs have put me back on steroids for a minimum of 6 weeks today – last course that I was on I put just over a stone on. Still going to try though.

Why not just keep it as a kitchen and utility room then?

Although saying that our 3 bed semi's 3rd bedroom is exactly 8'x8' we can just fit a cheap ikea single bed, small bedside table and a 4' wide drawer unit/wardrobe in without fouling the door/window/radiator.

Asked a question about the top crown….

heres the reply

if i new wat a top crown was i would b able to tel u but i dont ive never herd anybody call anything on a pair of forks a crown all i no is tht everything is ther redy to go on the bike
i you mean the top clamp then yes i have tht to and the frame is a 24 inch thanx for looking

– benson*09

I'll give it a go, been a bit of a fat bastid for a few years since giving up smoking, bikes have been in the shed since our now 2.5 year old was born, I've been on steroids for most of the year trying to get my ulcerative colitis under control and have put on another 2 stone. Probably need to lose 5 stone in total :(

email is mike(underscore)gee32 at yahoo dot co dot uk

My last car was a 2.0ts one, absolutely lovely car…but, the boot is tiny, and I really mean tiny, it's a funny shape and not really any bigger than a mk3 golf hatch (which it replaced) the suspension will creak and bang even if there is no play in any of the bushes, the v6 lump is heavy and apparently doesn't handle as well as the 4 pots and the water pump will die causing loads of expensive problems unless it's been replaced with a metal vaned one. Oh and over 30k miles I averaged 25mpg
I'd have another one tomorrow though, although realistically I'll have to wait until the kids don't need a pushchair, did I say the boot was small?

I used to run a motor factors which did over half it's business in exhausts, there are several qualities of exhaust even from the same supplier. We used to stock Arvin as a premium brand – they had a 2 year no quibble warranty and Tuberex/Energy as a budget brand – they also had a 2 year warranty but insisted on inspecting every warranty claim.
Bosal also do 2 qualities. If you want to stand a good change of the system lasting 5 years (which is possible depending on driving style) go for arvin or the good bosal system.
It's been a couple of years since I worked there but KwikFit and ATS used to only buy the better exhausts, all the independants used the cheap stuff.
Custom stainless should last longer but only if it's designed well and is 100% stainless, most stainless systems use mild steel flanges and some are welded with mild steel wire, also stainless is more prone to fatigue cracks so has to be secured/suspended well.

An Apollo which didn't have a slot cut in the seat tube, took a while to work out why the seat wouldn't tighten – fixed with an angle grinder and touch up paint.
2 more apollos with badly crushed top tubes – both obviously damaged before paint and decals were added.
A barracuda with no threads cut for the bottom bracket – didn't even have bb or cranks in the box.
An alpinestars almega back in 91ish that came out of the box with bent forks and top/down tube, box was perfect.

Having been and watched a bike assembly line I'm amazed that most bikes come out of the box as well assembled as they do, there is a scarily short time for each bit to be fitted.

Is that a new quote or renewal?
I was quoted £440 for renewal last month, 3 bed semi in leicestershire, premier buildings and contents but no emergency cover £150 xs.
On line new business quote was £300 for comparable cover or £350 with everything and no voluntary xs, even taking the 20% discount thats still cheaper.
I phoned to haggle on the renewal quote and was told that they would not change it but they had no problem with me letting the old policy lapse and me taking a new policy out on the same day!

I can only comment on T25 VW's but anything with factory windows will have seatbelt mountings for 3 belts in the back, if you want to use them though I'd be looking for a proper westfalia rock and roll bed/seat in the back, the full width ones from a multivan will take 2 3 pointers and a lap belt in the middle (as long as you don't have a wardrobe in the back – if you do you should use a lap belt in front of it as you don't want the belt passing through the wardrobe), if it's a 3/4 one then you'll be able to fit a 3point by the sliding door and lap in the middle. I'd avoid all non westy conversions if you're using belts though as the rear seats will be made of chipboard and are designed as a decent bed first, seating second and survivability in a crash probably hasn't been considered.

I've ripped out the leisuredrive interior in mine and fitted a westfalia multivan full width rock and roll seat and a buddy seat behind the passenger. I've only been able to fit one 3 point in the back because of the LPG conversion but this way one child seat goes in the front passenger, the other goes in the rear seat with a 3 point belt and the missus sits on the buddy seat with a lap belt, as it's rearward facing a lap belt is fine. Plus she can play with the kids on the move and there are still 2 more seats with lap belts if needed.