General Never Shouted Out Like This Before

[amethist]

I am not going to gloat here but. :D The 4x4 was towed away on New Years Eve, hopefully it wont return.

Hubby is happy and our cat is now going out again, not often, but going out in the day for a few minutes at a time.

Hubby said "If he comes to say anything about it, tell him to go tell someone who is interested."

So we will sit back and enjoy the door open for now, let the fresh air in when we want to without the fear of the fumes.

Amethist

 

[ISupportHer]

LOL, glad it is gone! Hopefully forever! Well we can hope.

Not sure about the legality of letting it run. Here, remote starters are popular so that people can do just that!

ISH

 

[cherryblossom]

In the UK, it is an offence known as 'quitting', to leave your vehicle unattended, with the engine running, on a public road. Exceptions to this are the emergency services, who leave engines on to power blue lights and equipment (fire pumps). I also do not think its an offence on public property (ie a private driveway), but I could be wrong about that. The offence carries a £30 fine and a ticket. Whether on public or private land, insurance companies will not pay out if you left the engine running, unattended, and your vehicle was stolen.

Anyway - A very happy new year for you. Great news!!

 

[amethist]

So much for the 4x4 being towed away. It is now back and sat on his driveway.

Our cat has gone into hiding, front bedroom in the darkest corner, furthest part of the house away from it. Hubby has gone into a tail spin, and I have a headache.

Next time I see our local policeman, I will ask him where we stand with it, maybe there is a bye law that does not allow vehicles to be left running on driveways.

 

[lovinbiker]

Next time I see our local policeman, I will ask him where we stand with it, maybe there is a bye law that does not allow vehicles to be left running on driveways.

I did always think it was illegal to leave a vehicle running and unattended for sure it is on the queens highway as they say but I always thought that it was anywhere.

Hopefully you can get some good answers from your bobby.
Oh If its a land rover I apologise on behalf of all land rover drivers where not all that inconsiderate.

Hope all works out well for you
LB

 

[lovinbiker]

In the UK, it is an offence known as 'quitting', to leave your vehicle unattended, with the engine running, on a public road. Exceptions to this are the emergency services, who leave engines on to power blue lights and equipment (fire pumps). I also do not think its an offence on public property (ie a private driveway), but I could be wrong about that. The offence carries a £30 fine and a ticket. Whether on public or private land, insurance companies will not pay out if you left the engine running, unattended, and your vehicle was stolen.
!

All very well said CB Im not sure weather its an offence or not on private land I always thought it was and its certainly not a good idea for the reasons you said.

Oh I worked for the police and they have a lock system that allows them to take the keys and lock the doors while leaving the engine run to power the lights etc.
I think they would lose a lot of police cars if they didnt:eek:

 

[cherryblossom]

LB - Yes, we have the same engine run lock on our ambulances, but you can't lock the drivers door if the engine is running. (duuno why), and the handbrake has to be applied before you can remove the keys. And the keys have to be replaced in the ignition in order to drive away. And the correct 'button sequence' has to be applied on the electronic pad thing! Removing the handbrake, without replacing the keys causes the engine to stall. (I have done it several times, and always feel like an idiot!). Jump in, engine running, try to drive away - STALL. Feel like a fool then flap around trying to work out which of the 20+ pockets (trousers, shit, jacket, hi-vis etc), you left the keys in LOL! Or did you give them to your colleague? Only to find some keys and realise that neither your house keys, or your private car keys will re-start the ambulance. Eventually find the right keys (why did I put them in that pocket? I never put keys in that pocket!) Then you have to press the correct sequence (which I'm sure changes every time!) on the electronic pad thing, otherwise all the sirens start blaring, and cause widespread alarm, shock and further accidents!! LOL! PTSD? Who? Me? I'm not sure? I can't remember? (no patients were hurt during this incident!!) LOL

Amethist - Next time the engine is left running - just pop over and remove the keys and take them to the police station. It would be your neighbourly duty to stop any thieves taking off in their beloved 4x4 ;)

 

[lovinbiker]

otherwise all the sirens start blaring, and cause widespread alarm, shock and further accidents!! LOL! PTSD? Who? Me? I'm not sure? I can't remember? (no patients were hurt during this incident!!) LOL

Amethist - Next time the engine is left running - just pop over and remove the keys and take them to the police station. It would be your neighbourly duty to stop any thieves taking off in their beloved 4x4 ;)

Yes sounds very simliar to the police cars but I dont think they was as complicated as that just needs the handbrake on, and keys back in before driving off I think long time since I drove one lol
Im sure it was simpler than that to prevent the scenario you just said haha:D

Love your suggestion for Amethist yes your preventing anyone from taking his car how helpful :D
Or you could mention it to your local yobs and they will do it for you without the bit about the police station
Just kidding :eek:
LB

 

[amethist]

Oh it now gets better. You will all love this.

It seems his monster has had to have some major engine repairs done, due to damage done by the cold weather we had here in December. The insinuation being that because I asked him not to leave it running for 20 minutes at a time was the reason. Not said out right, but the meaning was there, something about the diesel freezing, as well as making a point of telling me how much this was costing. MMM trying to figure that one out for various reasons.

Here is where the confusion to me arises. he DROVE it away to be repaired himself last Monday, yes he DROVE it.
So 1, If it needed major engine repairs done because of diesel freezing, would it have been drivable ?
2, Did he put the right coolant in it in the first place.
3, Did he have the correct strength of ant-freeze in it for the weather condition, as many driver were caught out
with this one.

He told me all this on Thursday, as well as going on to tell me that they had there house broken into on Monday evening around or just after 6pm. Some jewellery was stolen along with a bottle of Vodka.

Now here's the rub with this. He took it for repair on Monday late after noon, around 3.20pm. I saw him leave as I was coming home. He returned before it was dark, as again I saw him being dropped off. Yet he says the house was empty until 6.30 pm.

Anyone else going "yea right"

Oh and it is now back and parked up again. I am not going to let this get to me, but I am annoyed at the way we were half blamed for this. Especially when he had been told before the bad weather it was not running properly and needed to be fixed by professionals, and not just bodged by him. We heard him being told this by his brother.

Not managed to get hold of local police as yet, and no LB, you have no need to apologise for Land-Rover owners at all. It is a Mitsubishi Pajero, Inter-cooled Turbo (Imported version of the Shogun).

Amethist, having a moan. because I can. :D

 

[cherryblossom]

Good on you girl! Moan all you like.

As far as I'm aware leaving your engine running when you first start up in cold weather is considered to be determental to your engine, and battery. (Not to mention the noise and air polution!). All of the cars engine parts don't get equally warm, when you aren't actually driving - this causes condensation which causes corrosion, and also the water (condensation) mixes with the oil in parts of the engine lubricated by oil. It also means that expansion due to heat doesn't happen across all engine parts equally, causing engine damage (because the parts don't quite fit right!). Also the oil doesn't pressure up properly for the first few minutes if stationary, so parts of the engine that should glide due to oil, only have residual oil (and condensation), which causes engine damage. When only 'ticking over', the engine takes a very long time 20-30 minutes to 'warm-up' properly, where as if driven it will warm up in about 5 minutes or less.
Leaving an engine running, would take hours and hours to charge the battery, and if he turns on all the heating fans, and heated screens then if will more likely flatten the battery, than charge it. Repeatedly doing this without taking it for at least 30 minute drives will damage the battery.

Diesel doesn't freeze until about -40C. Again, my understanding is that it can cloud and form a gel when exceptionally cold. My understanding is that additives are added to diesel fuel in winter months to drop the gelling point from around 0 to -10, to around -20C. Small amounts of water freezing in the fuel system and fuel filter is more likely than diesel forming a gel. In which case a hair dryer to warm the fuel system would be more appropriate than trying to start the engine!

The best thing any of us can do for our vehicles in the cold weather is to put on plenty of clothes, scrape all ice/snow off the car, and around where your vehicle is parked. Start the engine and drive away, as soon as you start the engine. Then stop as, and when necessary to remove layers of clothes as the car warm up. It might steam up on the inside when you jump in, so you may need to be stationary for a short time, but 2-3 minutes should be the maximum 'idle' time, before you start doing your engine serious damage over time.

Oops, I seem to have written an essay - but now you have some ammunition to fire back at him!! Also you might want to check if what I've said is true, because it's just stuff I've picked up over years, and can't guarentee it's correct!! (But it sounds good hehe!!)

 

[KP the nut]

Our local police have been around advicing people not to leave engines running and leaving unattended. There have been a couple of thefts resulting in serious injury to the owners who try to stop them.

Maybe your officer could advice something similar, because of course you would hate to see the vehicle stolen;).

Love
KP

 

[lovinbiker]

Here is where the confusion to me arises. he DROVE it away to be repaired himself last Monday, yes he DROVE it.
So 1, If it needed major engine repairs done because of diesel freezing, would it have been drivable ?
2, Did he put the right coolant in it in the first place.
3, Did he have the correct strength of ant-freeze in it for the weather condition, as many driver were caught out
with this one.

Oh I have to comment on this thread purely because its vehicle related LOL. Your 2 points above amethist are very good indeed I suspect the answer to them is no.
There is certainly no way not leaving it run for ages on end will have any affect unless he was trying to prevent the coolant freezing and thus cracking the block or popping a core plug out. CB is not entirely correct but some points are very valid, diesel engines take a long time to warm up esp when fitted with a viscous fan run from the engine which I believe the pajero has as in effect its cooling the engine as sooon as its started so at tick over with no load
in cold weather it will alomst never warm up.

An engines wear is caused when the engine is cold and next to no wear happens once all the components are up to temp and the oil is warm and circulated. If he leaves it run then knocks it off before driving off then he is causing condensation to form in the engine which will conataminate the oil and increase wear etc.

I have no idea what the fault he is trying to say is caused by not running it and to be honest I doubt he knows either. As CB said diesel wont freeze unless its sub a very very low temp, However if he is running it on chip fat/cooking oil it will cause both increased emissions in some cases and will allways have problems starting in cold weather.

Any way im probably broing everyone now so will shut up but what im trying to say is theres no reason he needs to run it unless hes not got antifreeze in it or chip fat in the tank( which I believe is illegal)
LB