Decent Socket Set

Yep, the instructions on mine said that as well. We set ourselves a limit of 50 on open grade-sep dual carriageways motorways if traffic was light (though I must admit we crept towards 60 at points), about 20-25 on open single-carriageway main roads, and anything else just simply exercised extreme caution, particularly on approach to junctions. We never once came into anything remotely approaching strife, apart from the moment of stupidity by me I mentioned, and even then it was a fairly simple case of my mate in the car behind just keeping it straight so the only vehicles damaged would be those two, and it worked fine. The basic theory was that as long as we approached junctions very slowly, and just kept the speed right down in built-up areas, then all the towed car would need to do if the towing car had to brake was steer it so it stayed directly behind the towing car, and keeping the solid towbar as straight as possible. Seemed to work fine.

Peter

Yep, the instructions on mine said that as well. We set ourselves a limit of 50 on open grade-sep dual carriageways motorways if traffic was light (though I must admit we crept towards 60 at points), about 20-25 on open single-carriageway main roads, and anything else just simply exercised extreme caution, particularly on approach to junctions. We never once came into anything remotely approaching strife, apart from the moment of stupidity by me I mentioned, and even then it was a fairly simple case of my mate in the car behind just keeping it straight so the only vehicles damaged would be those two, and it worked fine. The basic theory was that as long as we approached junctions very slowly, and just kept the speed right down in built-up areas, then all the towed car would need to do if the towing car had to brake was steer it so it stayed directly behind the towing car, and keeping the solid towbar as straight as possible. Seemed to work fine.

In fact, if the Halfords employee who happily let me walk out with a replacement one had actually used his brains and looked at the time on the receipt, and the location of the store I bought the original from (somewhere near Shoreham by Sea) then he could have quite easily figured out that there's no way in the world I could have done that distance at 20mph in the time I did! If these guys had brains they'd be dangerous :-)

As an aside, the diff that was the reason I bought that car from is still sitting in my back garden and will fit an early 2 litre Carlton Estate, or a later 2.3TD one. The ABS sensors appear to be intact, and the driveshafts are still in place. First offer gets it.

Peter

Isn't it illegal to tow an unroadworthy car with no MoT on the road anyway?

Brian.

Brian Ruth ( snipped-for-privacy@kick.that.spam.ucl.ac.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Just as illegal as it would be to drive it.

It's also just as illegal as it is to tow any ton-and-a-half unbraked trailer.

The only exemption is for emergency recovery - which really means "off the motorway at the next junction"

I had a feeling it wasn't the most legal thing to do. As it happens we got pulled over on the M25 on the way back, just before the M3 junction - they said that they'd had a few phone calls that it was being towed at a very short distance between the two cars, which was absolute bollocks, as there was a traffic car on a bridge about a mile before they pulled us over - phone calls my arse.

Anyway, the copper asked if I had bought it for spares, observed that I had a solid tow bar, asked where we were taking it to, and that was about it, we drove away and went home. They could clearly see that we were employing a bit of common sense, and we went away. No questions over roadworthiness or MOT, even though most of the light units were missing (definitely the rear ones), and no check of the brakes either.

Peter

I towed my mate's S60 45 miles back to Hull a few weeks ago, M62 / A63 on a solid towbar - no-one batted an eyelid.

oops -meant S80...

But I'll wager that S80 had tax and MOT, and didn't have its rear light units missing :-)

Wasn't that the auto one you were on about? How's the auto box now - still ok?

Peter

Yeah - it did... was OK apart from lack of coolant and big hole in radiator!

Yep - still OK - still have to smile about it, for the first time in its existance it cracked 30mpg! Shame mine wasn't doing so...

I remember a similar thing happening to my Carlton CDX shortly after I first got it - had just picked up my sister from the airport in it, and at the top of Egham Hill it ran out of fuel - I say ran out - I didn't know that was the problem at the time - got a gallon but that wasn't quite enough. Anyway, got my Dad to come out and tow me home and it was quite enjoyable watching the trip computer average rise from about 36mpg to 45mpg.

Peter

Newell Rubbermaid, who own Irwin & also bought up Record, Gordon, Marples etc.

Mmmm, I'd like to have seen you remove the nuts holding the exhaust pipe to the manifold on my E46..... I used britool bi-hex socket of the correct size - not a chance, perfect for reassembly though. How do you get around seized up fittings like that ? I guess I should have got hold of an OxyAcetylene torch.

Steve

Probably aftermarket mild steel nuts that had rusted badly. If the nut is already damaged through rust or previous removal attempts, then obviously a bi-hex isn't as good. I really meant using one on a nut in good condition.

The real trick is not to let it happen by using the correct nuts. Some hope with Kwik Fit etc.

A nut splitter would be my first choice if there's clearance for it.

Good point, I agree, good condition nuts - generally no problem.

Car was 3 year old ( fully main dealer dealer serviced ) E46 on original exhaust - I was changing the clutch. Nuts, as I recall were brass, the new ones (oem) certainly were. They had been assembled with no anit-seize paste and were very tight and rusty - far worse than any I'd seen on my previous knackered old heaps :-) Nut splitters - you've got to be joking - climb under your car and have a look at the exhaust fixings, I bet they're similar, no clearance whatsoever :-(

At one point, I thought I was going to have to spend hours with a hand-file, filing right through the nut - it was a nice start to a lengthy, difficult, introduction to working on this car. My swearing really improved during the job.

I reassembled with anti-seize paste to correct torque. After several weeks of therapy I was able to lead a fairly normal life :-)

Steve

In tight spaces a Dremel or a DRemel with a flexible shaft works well. Those little Mapp gas & Oxygen kits aren't bad either for occasional DIY use (snag is you can get a bit addicted to them & then it's cheaper to pay the cylinder rental to BOC)

I've never known brass nuts to round off their flats with the correct socket - the threads usually go first so they just spin round and round. Different problem, though.

I think you need to speak to the AA or RAC, they quite happily tow cars on straight bars, on and off motorways, to local garages etc.

If it was so illegal and dangerous, would they do it?:

Does an unbraked trailer have someone sitting inside it steering it?

(I missed the post before this, so am replying to this).

Peter

SimonJ ( snipped-for-privacy@mine.net) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

It's illegal EXCEPT for emergency recovery purposes. I think you might find that the AA and RAC use the bars for that only, and use proper recovery vehicles for anything else.