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Yes, with the possible exception of BMW, I think many of the legacy manufacturers have been a bit half-arsed in their attempts. That will end badly for them. Every day they waste, is a day the Chinese get further ahead of them. And yes, sustainable fuel is great - if you don't mind paying...

Yes, diesels are a fair bit better than petrols in that respect. Both my and my son's cars are petrol (and "old" petrol at that)! They're also quite high power output engines (for their time and type) and neither of us, (shall we say), "spare the horses"!;)

Yes... that'll probably be it... :ROFLMAO: :rolleyes: Thank you for your well-informed and insightful comments, as ever. I promise I shall give them all due regard...;) By the way, where did I say my son's car had no problems with cooling?:unsure:

Did it have synchromesh on any of its gears?

He's certainly interesting, but I'm not sure I agree with a fair amount of what he's saying. The main thing to remember, is that he might not be completely impartial... ;)

That must have been a handful!

Ah! OK that makes sense. Mrs. Avocet used to have an old Nissan X-Trail with a similar arrangement, although that only had one fuel sender in one half of the tank, and a little internal transfer pump that used to just suck fuel out of the other half of the tank and chuck it into the half with...

Yeah, although I haven't seen one with two level sensors? We have no end of fun when we modify cars for wheelchair access, because we usually have to make our own fuel tank - typically wider but not as tall, so we can lower the floor for the wheelchair. That plays havoc with the original fuel...

No, nothing else changed. Took out leaky old radiator, fitted new one, refilled and bled system, job done. It's just a crap radiator. I have since found and bought an original, and I might replace the Nissen one this summer if the weather gets hot - in which case, I'll happily post you the...

I bloody hate that! "Managed" temperature gauge readings. The wife's Skoda has it. It also has a "trick" water pump that's designed to speed up engine warmup in the cold. The idea is quite clever - there's a moveable collar round the blades of the water pump. When cold, the shroud surrounds...

I tend to have the opposite problem - all mine always seem to fail open!

No, the cooling was noticeably worse on my Alfa from the moment I turned the key. (Well, OK, the moment the thermostat opened, after the moment I turned the key...)! :giggle: It just doesn't cool as well as the old leaking one did. That was an "old skool" copper matrix with brass header tanks...

Most European car makes use (or have used) them as original equipment in the past. They're very good. Closed length is the most important factor. It has to be shorter or the same length as original, or you'll break something when you close the tailgate! If the open length is a bit short...

Stabilus are a reputable brand with an extensive catalogue. You'll need something with the right closed length, open length, force, damping and end fittings. https://www.stabilus.com/media/default/STABILUS/PDF/Stabilus_Standard_Programm_EN.pdf You might be able to find one for the equivalent...

I have a Nissen radiator on my old Alfa. It's nowhere near as good as the original. I'd avoid them in the future. Weight isn't necessarily an advantage for a radiator - often the opposite. Thinner-walled tubes dissipate heat faster.

Is that actually true? :ROFLMAO:

Probably too expensive as yet, but the Ford e-Custom is quite good. We use them at work. Claimed up to 200 mile range, but a genuine 130-160 (depending on time of year, how much stuff you carry round with you, etc), seems to be achievable. The 2.3 kW power take-off is pretty good too, if...

Yes, electricity is really hard to find. Hardly anywhere has electricity... :rolleyes:

Sometimes it's the way the reinforcing bands in the carcass have been wound. Other times it's the tread pattern that disperses water better in one direction than the other. (Or indeed both).

They have "fuel gauges" you know? :rolleyes: Anyone stupid enough to run out of battery would also run out of diesel.