In my experience, "newer" drivers tend to know a bit more about the basic workings of an engine and gears than the more "experienced" driver, in general.
It would be interesting to put through a selection of "experienced" drivers through the full new test (Theory, Hazard Perception and the rest) to see if it makes them more defensive drivers.
But perhaps that's just me being boring.
--Nick.
So what other weekly checks don't you do?
Tyres..so you could be running around on dangerously underinflated, illegal tread or damaged tyres. Washer bottle..so you could end up on a motorway with no washer fluid and a filthy windscreen unable to see out. Bulbs...so you end up driving down a road with only one headlamp which also goes OR your brake lights don't work.
All of these can happen between services and all are dangerous to not only you but other people on the road too.
The trouble is that things have been dumbed down so much that people can't do the simplest things now.
I once pointed out that someone's brake light had gone - the response was that the car was going for a service in a months time.
I guess that if an oil light comes on - some damage will have already occurred. (my assumption).
John
In message , John writes
In many cases, the simplest things have become complex. There's a letter in this week's AutoCar complaining that you can't get at the headlight bulbs in the Polo, the manual of which reads
"It is no longer possible to replace a bulb without first removing other vehicle parts. This applies to bulbs in particular as they can only be accessed from the engine compartment. Special skills are thus required to carry out this work"
I wouldn't be surprised if we get to the point where opening the bonnet voids your warranty...
I wouldn't think so, necessarily, if the oil was checked and topped up immediately. A very risky game to play, though.
I'm sure I read somewhere that one of the new Audis has it's bonnet bolted down to discourage owner intervention. New designs such as this and the Polo mentioned above seem to fly in the face of the practical side of the new car test. Not much point expecting a new driver to change a bulb etc.
In news:edadnR-Dj56S snipped-for-privacy@pipex.net, Taz decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows
Audi A2 was originally designed to have the bonnet bolted down. The grille was going to open instead for the topping up of fluids.
Some TVR Tuscans have the bonnet bolted shut.
Pete M ( snipped-for-privacy@blue-nopressedmeat-yonder.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Not just "was", it does.
"Almost one in two cars on the road are missing about half a litre of oil. It takes only a few moments to check. So what is it that stops us checking the oil or the windscreen washer water levels: the hot engine compartment, difficulty in finding the dipstick or fear of getting our hands dirty? The A2 offers you a completely new level of service friendliness. It is the first production car world-wide fitted with an instant 'service module'. Instead of lifting the bonnet, there is a compartment behind where the radiator grille normally sits giving easy access to the dipstick, oil filler and the screen washer water."
That's probably to stop it falling off.
In news:Xns95DFC4307597Dadrianachapmanfreeis@130.133.1.4, Adrian decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows
Dearie me. That's abysmal.
No wonder most of the youngsters you see with new cars limit themselves to Fsking terrible neon lights and stuff. Engines must be a mystery to most of them.
Imagine buying a new Audi A2 as your first car (frightening, but someone must have), someone says "what's under the bonnet?" and all you can reply is "er, dunno. It won't open".....
Pete M ( snipped-for-privacy@blue-nopressedmeat-yonder.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
I dunno if the bonnet is actually bolted down, or just if you don't have to open it.
I think Audi are missing the point somewhat, though :-
No - it's usually sheer indolence. Of course, then you get the "Why's my car need the oil level checking - it was serviced in 1852" brigade...
As a general case, probably not.
Damage will be increased wear on the lubricated surfaces. The oil light implies oil pressure is dropping and this means the galleries will be emptying. If the light goes out again quickly, this is probably not a sign of any damage.
If the light stays on, though, that's bye bye engine fairly quickly, more often than not. I should think in minutes.
Should my oil light flicker, I would check the oil as soon as humanly possible and hopefully not drive anywhere if it is low. If it came on and stayed on, I would switch off immediately. Cheaper to be towed than replace the engine.
It's possible to have an oil light come on when the oil supply is still adequate, e.g. the wire can come off, but it would be mad to rely on this possibility.
Oh dear...
By the time the oil pressure light has come on, the mains and big ends are already gouging chunks out of the bearings.
Older vauxhalls oil lights for example come on at 4PSI.
In message , Adrian writes
And they call that clever? My 1995 Laguna would let you check the oil level at the start of every journey from the comfort of the driver's seat. On the early models, the temperature gauge showed the oil level when you first turned the key (it was quite alarming to see it whizz to the top of the scale) whereas the later ones show the oil on the trip count as a series of '0's and dashes if you press a button shortly after inserting the key.
When the oil nears the minimum notch on the dipstick, the display shows 'Oil' even if you don't press the button to ask it. The 'Serv' light illuminates too.
Okay, so you still have to muck around in the engine compartment when it needs oil, but unless there's something seriously wrong, that shouldn't be very often.
David Thornber ( snipped-for-privacy@thornber.demon.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
So did my '82 CX.
The message from Conor contains these words:
Not always. I had someone rip a hole in the sump of an LDV Convoy with the Peugeot engine in it - drove about a mile home with the oil light on. Repaired the sump, filled it up expecting it to be seriously upset - and it never missed a beat. Was still going strong several tens of thousands of miles later when I left the firm.
The message from Adrian contains these words:
Had a Transit once with a pull-knob on the dashboard which showed green if it was OK and red if it didn't. Seemed to work by trying to pull the oil through a small hole. If there was oil, a vacuum was formed 'cos the oil didn't move fast enough and the green indicator was pulled out against a spring. If there was air, no vacuum and the spring held the green sleeve in allowing the red to show.
I think it was a Transit. Years ago.
In message , Adrian writes
But you'd surely never entirely trust it, would you?
Steve Walker ( snipped-for-privacy@otolith.demon.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
It always worked well enough for me. So did the one in my '89 CX, and the one in my XM works fine, too.
Sure, it doesn't give you the *exact* to-the-millimetre dipstick measure, but it gives you a very good rough idea.
Full scale movement is roughly equivalent to the difference between Max and Min on the dipstick.
How to stress an engine within 100 yards - travel 75mph in 5th gear to 30mph in 3rd gear off a motorway :-(
Firstly as other people have posted check the oil level. If that seems to be ok what about the oil pressure switch sensor?
Shell bearings need a flow of oil, not necessarily at a high pressure.
Depends entirely on the running clearance and the oil pressure that the light activeates at. My old A-series metro wouldn't hold oil pressure at tickover yet ran fine for months - ass soon as some revs were placed on the engine it would go out. The shells were worn when I swapped them but no chunks gouged out.
My father has an A2 - someone was bound to buy one in the end. When you pull the bonnet release lever the grille pops down and lets you check and top up the oil, radiator and skooshy fluids.
There's also a couple of catches that let you remove the "bonnet". It doesn't have hinges, it lifts right off and lets you look into a dark hole at the bottom of which somewhere is the engine.
Douglas
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