Home

Tips & tricks!    (...and site map)

This page is dedicated to problems I have come across commonly, but not exclusively, relating to my motoring experiences. More tips and tricks will be added to this page in time, so please call again. If you have any tips to offer, let me know (links/contact page) and I'll consider adding them here.

Contents
1. Modern Rover 75 electrical problem, message centre & odometer.
2. Protect your badge bar.
3. Keep your rubber door seals soft.
4. Tyre flat spots.
5. Wheel ramp moving?
6. Tarnished silver.
7. Stained cutlery.
8. Coughs & colds.
9. Carpets & chewing gum.
Jumble 4sale
Site map

1. Modern Rover 75
The current models of the Rover 75 range have a design flaw in that the electronic 'nerve centres' of the car are in such a position as to be exposed to the elements to some extent. Specifically, heavy downpours of rain have caused problems with the ECU and other electronic management components. My particular problem occurred after such a downpour and affected the dashboard 'information' clock (or message centre) and the odometer where the odometer did not 'switch off' when the ignition was turned off and the 'information' clock did not work at all.
Taking the car to a car electrical expert and plugging it into their computer revealed what I already knew - there was a fault with the clocks. Further, the problem could only be cured by a Rover Service Centre and would cost £450 for the components (not including fitting).
I decided to search the internet and see if others had experienced similar problems.
The cure
Water will gather around each side of the windscreen at the bulkhead channel. There are drain holes at each side of the bulkhead which can become blocked and must be cleared of debris so as not to allow the water to drain onto the electronics nearby. Disconnect the battery and leave for about 10 minutes (you must have your radio code handy to re-enter when the battery is reconnected). Reconnect the battery and, if you are lucky, the computers will reboot to their original state in much the same way as your home computer does. Re-enter your radio code.
The saving
£35-40 for computer diagnosis + £450 for components + fitting and peace of mind!

A = Information clock
B = Odometer

 

2. Protect your badge bar
To prevent scratches on your badge bar from the clip that holds your badge, buy some hose bandage, cut to the appropriate size and place inside the clip.

Arrow shows bandage between clip and bar.

 

 

3. Rubber Door Seals
a. To prevent the rubber seals around my car's doors becoming hard and cracked I use Autoglym bumper care to keep them supple. This can also be used on other rubber components, but do not allow it to seep onto glass.
b. If the seals are already hard and inflexible, furniture polish does a good renovation job. I use Mr Sheen for no good reason except that it works! It does the wooden bits too!!
c. After washing your car, leave the doors open for a short while, allowing the rubber seals to dry
 
4. Tyre flat spots
If your car is to be stood for a while increase the tyre pressures to avoid flat spots (particularly with crossplys) - beats jacking the car up! On larger diameter wheels you may need to increase the pressure to over 50psi. Check your tyres at reasonable intervals and stay on the right side of the law - current legislation dictates there must a minimum of 1.6mm depth of tread across 75% of the tyres width. Stay safe - a depth of at least 3mm of tread decreases your stopping distance by over 44% as opposed to the 1.6mm minimum
(Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents).
 
5. Wheel ramp moving?
To stop your wheel ramps from moving when you try to drive on them, fold, over the bottom rung of the ramp, a piece of strong material such as carpet and lay it in such a position that the wheels of the vehicle run on to the material first, thus stabilising the ramp.
Courtesy of 'Classic Car Weekly'.
 
6. Tarnished silver
To remove tarnish from silver you need a pan of hot water and some foil wrapping. Tear and 'scrunch' up the foil and place in the water, drop in your silver and leave to boil for 15-20 minutes. Carefully remove the silver and dry - vwalla (voila)!! Place in acid free tissue to preserve the effect.
 
7. Stained cutlery
Fill a container deep enough to cover the piece of cutlery (eg. jam jar) with water, put in a few drops of bleach, leave overnight, take out and wash as usual. Works for me.
 
8. Coughs & Colds
Simple colds are best treated using fluids to prevent dehydration and Paracetamol to combat aches and pains and to prevent fever (high temperature). Antibiotics are generally ineffective against colds unless there is secondary infection by bacteria (colds are caused by a virus). Coughs are usually a symptom of something else such as irritation, lung disease or smoking and therefore the source should be treated by your family doctor.
 
9. Carpets & chewing gum
...don't mix! To remove chewing gum from your carpet, place an ice cube on the offending mess and leave to melt. The gum will harden and become brittle. It is then easily removed.
 
Jumble for sale
I have a few items surplus to requirements following my ownership of the Daimler and Triumph which I am prepared to let go. These can be delivered locally (South & West Yorkshire) FOC, p&p at cost. Send email with your details and requirements (see Contacts page).
Daimler V8 (V8 250, SP250)
Head gasket (set of 2), Inlet & exhaust gasket £10.    AC Delco oil filter element (paper) £4 for 2.
Triumph (2 litre 6 cylinder, eg, Vitesse, GT6, 2000Mk2)
Contact points £10 for 5.    Condensers £4 for 2.    Rocker cover gasket (cork, Payen) £5 for 2.    Oil pressure switch £2.
Door check strap fitting £1 (not 2000,?for Spitfire).    Radiator cap £2.    Hub seal £2.    Rotor arm £6 for 4.    Distributor cap £5.
Spin on oil filter £4 for 2*.    Air filter £12 for 4.    Clutch slave cylinder £25*.    Front brake pads £8.    Rear brake shoes £4.
Top radiator hose £2.    Track rod ends £12.    Rear bumper dividers £4*.    Clutch cable £8.    Carburettor air pipe £1.
* Triumph 2000 Mk2 only.
There is £136 worth listed above, why not take the lot for £40! (No offers at this price!).
Also for sale
Triumph 2000 Haynes manual £5.
Triumph 2000, 2.5 PI parts manual, BL £3 (no front cover).
Rover 75 (modern version) Haynes manual £5 (exc. condition).
500Mb DDR-RAM Memory Chip, for the older laptop £10.
 

Site Map;

Index (Homepage)
    |
-My Transport Index
--Daimler V8 250
    -Daimler V8 engine report
--Vanden Plas Princess Mk2
    -1994 Road test
    -Page 2
    -page 3
    -Vanden Plas Photos
--Triumph 2000
--Classic Shows Index**
--Past 'Daily Drives'
--Daimler6
---Page 2
--Transport related website links
--A to Z of Motor Manufacturers
---Page 2
--Lomas Ambulances
    -Lomas Land Rover restoration
--Other Emergency Vehicles (Ambulances)
    -Fire and Police
Contacts
    -Website list*
    -Links to external websites
Tips/Other stuff/4 sale/Site Map
Classic shows (Car shows index)**
    -car shows 1996-2008 has moved, click here
        -directs to picasaweb site
    -Doncaster 40th anniversary 2007
    -2009 selection
    -Steam & commercial rallies
    -Website list*
    -Links to external websites
Genealogy (The Trehearn family tree)
    -Genealogy introduction, links to family names, name index, photo index, Trehearn the name
    --Trehearn-the name
    --Families (names)
    ---surnames (other surname etymologies)
    ---Froggatt family tree
    ---Froggatt individuals
    ----Froggatt individuals page 2, 3
    ---Lomas family tree
    ---Lomas individuals
    ---Kirby family tree
    ---Kirby individuals
    ---Jackson family tree
    ---Jackson individuals
    -----Jackson Individuals page 2
    ---Name index
    ---Photo index
    ---Trehearn individuals
    -----Trehearn individuals pages from page 2

* & ** =same page