bcstudent

I think you might mean Mechanical Fuel Injection... http://www.auto-solve.com/mech_inj.htm

Like Clarkson said, there's only one drawback to buying a Honda Civic Type-R - you end up with a Honda. I'm not entirely sure what his point was but it seems relavent enough! As I've mentioned in another thread before, I have a mate with a 2003 Civic Type-R and another mate with a 1996 Golf VR6. The Civic can't shake the Golf from a standing start to 140mph. At best it can pull out around two to three car lengths. I have to say I find the Civic devoid of character too.

Nice! What's that interior out of if I might ask?

Crikey - I wouldn't pay that for a whole car these days!

I doubt you'd notice a change in the power through the removal of the catalyst. They're not half as restrictive as the rumours make out provided they're working properly. It'll have to go back on for the M.O.T. as well - too much grief in my opinion....but that's all it is, my opinion. How about a VR6 conversion for a quick torque boost?! Maybe "quick" is the wrong word....

Photoshop has a lot to answer for.

No offence intended by starting this thread. I was just mildly curious as to the responses it'd get - the question is based on my own experiences only. I feel I have to point out that a large proportion of my male friends also don't know which end of a screwdriver to hold and their cars are, as a result, badly maintained.

Pictures can be deceiving! Trust me.....worlds apart. Your Corrado is THE cleanest example I could imagine. It's a credit to you.

Maybe my car has had a lady owner with a brillo pad in the past. That would go some way to explaining the disgraceful paintwork at least. Come to think of it, I haven't seen the paint for several months through the filth.

That's the funniest thing I've heard today....all 27 minutes of it. I'm still pretty sure it's the funniest thing I'm GOING to hear today though. :D

Can somebody explain why "lady owner" is considered a good thing in a car advertisment? The majority of women I know have no mechanical savvy at all and haven't got a clue what constitutes good maintenance. For example, I can remember a case of my mother topping up the expansion tank of her brand new Seat Leon Cupra with washer fluid......nice! How can that possibly be a good thing? My point is, even if women are less aggresive behind the wheel (a questionable point in itself), how does that make a difference if the car they're driving is badly maintained and developing wear beyond its years?

I came back to my old 1990 Mk.2 several years ago to find someone had ripped the whole aerial, including the base, off the roof and bent the roof panel in the proces. I can testify that the aerial in question was neither theft-proof nor drunken-moron-proof.

I swear I was close to breaking the sound barrier on the way to Norwich today. Unfortunately my speedo only reads up to 600mph. Ho hum.

I know what you mean...30 in four months. Bonkers.

Welcome to THE forum. If it's not a slipping belt (I assume you've already considered this) then the sqeaking noise is more likely to be coming from the bearing for the rotor shaft than the pulley. If it were me I would strip the alternator and replace the bearing rather than try to lubricate the old one. This is assuming you're positive the noise is from the alternator and not the water pump bearing or the timing-belt tensioner.

I would say an airlocked matrix preventing the water from circulation through it was also a possible cause. Cable problems at the heater box should be obvious if the controls are too stiff or too loose.

My Corrado is full of car park dents....I doubt I'd even notice another one!

When unleaded was first introduced it was said that the 16v KR engine wouldn't run properly on it without modification. I only put standard 95 octane fuel in mine and it doesn't pink at all on standard timing. It's a bit gutless but I think that'd be the same on any fuel. Occasionally when fuel is cheaper (like now) I fill up on something a little higher rated but it appears to make no difference whatsoever.

For the same reason that some alcohol is 140% proof maybe?! This is some info I found somewhere: "Octane rating [the figure seen at the pump] is an average figure based on two methods of testing fuel. The Research Octane Number (RON) is a calculated number, while the Motor Octane Number (MON) is a measurement of pre-ignition resistance in a specified research engine. (RON + MON) / 2 = pump octane rating."

Nope. Turbo and supercharger combinations have been used in the past, possibly most notably in the Lancia S4 rally car. It combines the low-end grunt of a supercharger with the top-end power of a turbocharger. The theory is sound but I'd question the ability of a student on an HND course to complete a project of that scale himself - money no object or not. The problem with a massive supercharger is that it would sap a considerable amount of power itself. To be honest if huge power is all the guy is after then maybe a massive turbo would be the path to follow. Regardless, still sounds like the sort of talk that would come from the mouth of an over-indulgent White Lightning drinking 17 year old.

I'm sensing more than a little sarcasm in that guy's response too. That's probably what I'd have come up with as a reply - I like his style.

My neighbour was a massive Porsche freak with a 928S2 but he finally saved up enough for a tidy 1993 968. After he got the 968 he was a total arse and didn't have anything nice to say about any car other than those badged with 'Porsche.' My experience of Porsche owners has consisted mostly of the snobbery that Phat was talking about. The guy who wrote the letter is clearly clueless and, no doubt, hung like a church mouse on a cold day. "Lesser cars" indeed....there's no help for some people.

If anyone's got any info. regarding different turbo bearings I'd like to read it. My mate is always running on about 360 degree thrust bearings and such like but he really doesn't have a clue what he's talking about.

What's the significance of having a Clifford alarm? I'm assuming they're good at draining batteries.

My mate had an E-plate Scirocco Scala and I really liked it. The brakes were hopeless though as Storm said.