2009 New Years Resolution-MFW Diary

RosieTiger

StuartGMC wrote: »

RT
In that case it has to be a Jaguar So, there's my incentive!

We wish !!!!! Thats around 3 years away, unless I can make it on my next company car !

Tesco_points_addict

RT I've always fancied an Audi (always did have ideas above my station!) I must get the cronky ford looked at but as i'm still in work:eek: it won't be today:rotfl:. It seems to cluck when turning almost on full lock at a slow speed, feels like it is knocking under my feet??? God I hope me wheel isn't about to fall off:eek:.

I have been sooooo busy today, full day plus an extra shift at my 'real job', two MSs between day and evening shift, all written up just need to add the photo and receipt when I get home as I do not have access to this technical gadgets with just my old lap top and dongle to hand. (why does the word dongle always make me smirk in a rude way?!) I'm like a teenage boy at times!

Will hopefully be home in about an hour (not bad as I left at 7.30am - the dog will wonder who I am by the time I return:rotfl:)

TPAx

StuartGMC

TPA
It may well be a tracking rod then. Do please get it checked asap!

My Dad has a Focus about 4yr old and I think he had a steering related knock which is "common" but not seen as a recall requirement just wear and tear...

Remember that's what you have the emergency funds saved for, even if we hate to call upon them!

Tesco_points_addict

StuartGMC wrote: »

TPA
It may well be a tracking rod then. Do please get it checked asap!

My Dad has a Focus about 4yr old and I think he had a steering related knock which is "common" but not seen as a recall requirement just wear and tear...

Remember that's what you have the emergency funds saved for, even if we hate to call upon them!

Ok will ring the garage first thing in the morning (nice local man) hopefully he will let me drop it off at lunch time...perhaps he might want to keep it forever!

What is a tracking rod??? I take its important, one of the chaps in work tonight suggested maybe the steering column or...or...something else! I forget! I hate spending money:eek::eek:

Its nice to be 'cyber liked' though, or are you just worried I might injure someone other than myself??

TPAx

Zeddy

Tesco_points_addict wrote: »

RT I've always fancied an Audi (always did have ideas above my station!) I must get the cronky ford looked at but as i'm still in work:eek: it won't be today:rotfl:. It seems to cluck when turning almost on full lock at a slow speed, feels like it is knocking under my feet??? God I hope me wheel isn't about to fall off:eek:.

I have been sooooo busy today, full day plus an extra shift at my 'real job', two MSs between day and evening shift, all written up just need to add the photo and receipt when I get home as I do not have access to this technical gadgets with just my old lap top and dongle to hand. (why does the word dongle always make me smirk in a rude way?!) I'm like a teenage boy at times!

Will hopefully be home in about an hour (not bad as I left at 7.30am - the dog will wonder who I am by the time I return:rotfl:)

TPAx

Hi, am loving your diary, am getting through it slowly. It sounds like you've been really busy today.

I'm glad its not just me that smirks at dongle - my boss is always refering to his and I find it hard to keep a straightface!

StuartGMC

Tesco_points_addict wrote: »

Its noice to be cyber liked though, or are you just worried I might injusr someone other than myself??

TPAx

That sounds as bad as dongle in my warped mind... but of course we care about you :A

Dinah93

Had to order a dongle last night. Thought of you x

RosieTiger

Generally knocks from the front suspension are caused by the track rod end - it's a ball joint that allows the front hub/wheels to move and up and down and steer

Tesco_points_addict

Goodness me my typing gets worse daily! What planet was I on whilst typing last night....it was late and I was tired..but if stuart hadn't quoted me I could have corrected my dreadful mistakes and got away with it!!:p

You will all be proud of me, at 8.15am I was at the lovely local garage, it appears I have a broken 'coil spring', I have googled it and it seems to be a fairly common problem with the focus:eek:. Anyway I nodded with a very intelligent look on my face as if I knew what nice garage man was talking about, booked it in on Friday am...anyone know of any good bootsales on the weekend to try and make some money:rolleyes:

Dongle wongle oh where do you keep your dongle

Hi, am loving your diary, am getting through it slowly.

Welcome to this mad thread, but I have to ask Zeddy are you completly batty...you enjoy my mad ramblings and sulks? :rotfl:This lot keep me almost sane

TPAx

StuartGMC

TPA
Part 2 of your car mechanics....

The coil spring is part of the suspension in combination with shock absorbers. If yours has failed then it is likely due to fatigue damage initiated at a sharp flaw and then propagating thereafter to failure (sometimes they try to say you hit the curb but for that to break the spring you'd likely have a burst tyre/bent alloy!).

Once you have it back, get the alignment checked a short while later to be sure all is running true; you don't want to get uneven tyre wear and have to replace them early. See if the garage will offer to do this free once you've covered say 300miles, although they may need to use a tyre fitter anyway.

Part 3 - tyre wear
You should keep an eye out for feathering of the tread, especially these days as we have such rough roads (unrepaired or man-made with humps!). This is a sign that alignment has gone out ("tracking") and in modern cars can occur on both front and rear tyres. Feathering is an early indication to get them adjusted, and is easy to spot if my description helps:

Think of the tread as a series of square-edge blocks of rubber. Feathering becomes clear if the trailing edge of the block (ie that pointing to the back of the car when looking on the top of the tyre) instead of being nice and right angled, has lines running circumferentially making the edge look a bit "feathered" or worn. You need to look closely and this is before you get the bad tread wear, but correcting means you'll get a full life from the tyres (keep them inflated). Remember it can be on the outside or inside of the tyre.

HTH and hoping your credit card isn't hit too hard tomorrow!