MOTORING
RELATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Over the past few months I have received
questions on many different subjects and have endeavoured to provide some answers either
from my own knowledge and experience or by tapping into the vast expertise which is now at
our fingertips (courtesy of the internet).
If I feel this information may be of interest to
other people I will add it to the site for all to share.
Q:
I have a problem in
the winter with my garage roof Garage roof of single pitch of Box
profile Plastisol roof sheets. In the winter the condensation runs along
the inside from the high end at the door dipping at the low end where
bench and tools are. What can I use to insulate the roof that will
follow the contours of the sheets.
Thanks
A:
I must stress I am
no expert.
Thank you for providing so much information as it does make it far easier to
do the necessary research in order to try to suggest remedies.
I have found the following product which is purpose made to solve this
problem - if I have understood correctly. The special insulation fleece
appears towards the foot of the page in question.
http://www.grampiansteelbuildings.co.uk/Roofing.aspx
http://www.rollaclad.com/anti-condensation-roofing-sheets.html
Q:
(continued) I have contacted the company and the product is only
supplied attached to NEW roofing panels. They tried to sell me a new
roof!!!!!!!!!!.
Will investigate the possibility of using 25mm thick insulation. However
when visiting a reclamation yard to see if any was available I was
recommended to fit an extractor fan in one end of the garage Quote “Believe
me it will work I am an electrician” I wonder.
A:
(continued)
I see from the rollaclad site
that they say ventilation is provided in order for their insulation to work,
so it does make you wonder whether it is the ventilation which prevents the
condensation as opposed to their product!
There are some companies offering a anti condensation foam spray services
but I have no idea how costly or effective that would be.
I think perhaps the advice given to add ventilation where you can may well
be the best answer.
SOLUTION FOUND
BY MR. ANTHONY NORTON (the original enquirer)
Ignored the contours and cleared the stuff close to the roof then bought the
foil faced rigid panel insulating material 25mm thick and cut it to fit
between the roofing supports. Cutting it slightly longer enabled it to side
in and stay in position Where it needed to be stuck I used an Invisible Grab
Adhesive Cartridge in a sealing gun. This was useful to stick together the
off cuts. Cuts very easily with a knife and most brands have a grid on one
side to guide the cutting. Fairly expensive and you need to get the correct
type of glue to match the board. Looking out over the roof on a frosty
morning it’s very clear where the insulation stops as I have one more strip
to do. Its effective and no more drips. Do not use Polystyrene as this is a
fire risk.
Q:
I am trying to change a damaged steering wheel but keep the airbag in a
year 2000 Espace. having taken off the steering wheel I am faced
with a plastic collar electrical connection for the air bag which turns as
would the steering wheel. I can't see a way of disconnecting what appears
to be a sealed electrical unit or dismantling/unattaching the plastic
collar. Will I need specialist tools as well as knowledge? Would
appreciate any assistance.
A:
I am certainly not qualified
to answer this question but, according to my research, it is not a good
idea to tamper with airbags as they can be extremely dangerous if not
handled correctly. Even cutting the power can apparently sometimes
set them off and they are, of course, an explosive device.
What
I cannot understand is if you have managed to get the old steering wheel off
leaving the airbag in tact why you cannot just fit the new one using the
same method (in reverse).
As
both the steering and air bag are such important elements I would be
inclined to get expert assistance. Also if the original steering wheel
has been damaged there could be a possibility that the steering column also
needs to be checked.
I
was giving this more thought and remembered that I had been told that in the
UK you have to have a special licence to handle airbags. I have done a
little more research and thought you may find the information on the Health
and Safety site very interesting. I am assuming by your email address
that you are located in the UK.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/PUBNS/indg280.htm
| "How often should you rotate tyres
(tires) and how do you know when they are at the right pressure if you don't have a tire
gauge?" |
© Todd
Marna |
The only thing I could think of here was the valve caps which
have an integral gauge, but other people knew better!
We have now received some more advice on tire (tyre)
rotation:-
In Finland, where we have to use
different tyres in winter and in summer, rotation is no problem -- every time you change
tyres, rotate them. This guarantees even wear throughout.
In an area where tyres do not need to be regularly changed, a visual inspection of wear
could be the first thing to do. Car accessory dealers sell groove gauges to measure groove
depth, another good indication when rotation becomes necessary. Otherwise, I would suggest
an interval of once a year.
Driving habits have a significant effect on tyre wear and thus on rotation frequency, but
let's not get into that here.
Many modern tyres have a specific direction of rotation marked on the sidewall with an
arrow. Never set your tyres to roll backwards as this may be a safety hazard. In practice
this means that you can only rotate such tyres by changing them from rear to front and
vice versa on one side of the car.
Thanks again to Kimmo
Linkama of Finland.
Janet Drone gave the following
advice:-
"How often you should rotate tires depends on the
quality of the tire. For example: Goodyear rotate every 10,000 miles, other
tires of less quality, every 5/6,000 depending on the wear.
The maximum pressure for the tire is written in small type
around the side of the tire, next to the metal wheel rim. It is the PSI (pounds per
square inch) number and will read like this "(44 PSI) max pressure". Max
pressure means the most air to be put into this tire NEVER exceed this amount. This
maximum pressure is used when you are carrying a heavy load, however, this is not the
daily standard amount of pressure. The daily usage, standard amount for the tire
65/175 R14 is between 32 - 34 pounds of air. For these size of tires and the 15's,
this standard pressure is used.
(Your vehicle hand book gives the pressures
required for your particular vehicle - sometimes the front tires are different to the
back.)
To get correct PSI readings always check the air pressure
before you drive your vehicle while the tire is cold. Why? because of heat and
expansion. Heat/Expansion will increase the gauge reading by 3 - 5 pounds.
To give you more information regarding tires, the size is in
large type around the side of the tire. It will read like this 65/175 R14.
This tire is considered a size 14. When shopping for tyres always use the following
example XX/XXX X XX.
With regard to knowing when tires need air - Janet suggests
learning what your tires look like when they are at the correct pressure e.g. how much the
tire bulges, how deep is the rubber from road to rim etc. with experience it soon becomes
obvious when they are low on air. It is also advisable to get into the habit of
checking your tires weekly or every time you fill up, this way they will always be safe.
Nick Twist says -
Don't rotate them. If you don't
change the tyres around you will see by the wear pattern if there is a
problem with that particular wheel/suspension unit. Problems such as
tracking adjustment, worn bearings, binding brakes, even worn out dampers
all give different wear patterns. If nothing else the tyres will wear out
two at a time for a less dramatic replacement bill.
If you can add anything else, or have a question you would
like answered please email us at june@hintsandthings.co.uk.
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