My Mercedes Benz is behaving badly.

I live two kilometres from the German border – i know what German taxis (and taxi drivers) look like. Oh yes, i do. But i hope to take you up on the taxi-day offer, an airbase-to-pub-tour would be a nice idea

Anytime you like arthur so long as its in the uk i dont possess a pass port 🙂

Well for the UK that is nonsense because almost everybody learns to drive in a manual car, there are very few driving instructors that use auto cars (not like the USA where I belive almost everybody drives an auto from the word go). In my case I now have 2 auto cars, a Land Rover and VW Golf. In both cases I can quite happily drive a manual if I want (ie, have done so on all my previous cars for the past 7 years since passing my test, also managed the other day when I drove a courtesy car from Land Rover). According to your theory Arthur..why would I want an automatic? Well:

1. The automatic gearbox in my land rover gives my horse a smoother ride in the horse trailer.
2. Having spent a lot of time in traffic on the M6, M4 and M25 over the past few years I know that the only car I would really like to drive on a congested motorway is an auto…there is no fiddling upto 2nd gear, then back to 1st as you crawl…have you ever had that annoying feeling when sat in traffic of having to constantly be just on and off your clutch? Clutch control is fine, but it gets tedious and makes your legs hurt after an hour or more! There is NO such problem with an auto!
3. The cruise control in my car works better with an auto gearbox and doesn’t come with the restrictions of cruise control associated with manual gearboxes.

So absolute rubbish, it is highly unlikely I will ever go back to a manual car…driving an auto is far superior.

I have found on Cruise controll on a manual is really dangerous!! My mother has a brand new Citroen C4 but when you want to break a tiny little bit on the highway with cruise controll you immediatelly drop from 120 tot 100 km/h which is fairly dangerous on the belgian highways!!!!

It’s only your deserved punishment for driving an automatic. If you can’t shift gears, you shouldn’t drive.

Well for the UK that is nonsense because almost everybody learns to drive in a manual car, there are very few driving instructors that use auto cars (not like the USA where I belive almost everybody drives an auto from the word go). In my case I now have 2 auto cars, a Land Rover and VW Golf. In both cases I can quite happily drive a manual if I want (ie, have done so on all my previous cars for the past 7 years since passing my test, also managed the other day when I drove a courtesy car from Land Rover). According to your theory Arthur..why would I want an automatic? Well:

1. The automatic gearbox in my land rover gives my horse a smoother ride in the horse trailer.
2. Having spent a lot of time in traffic on the M6, M4 and M25 over the past few years I know that the only car I would really like to drive on a congested motorway is an auto…there is no fiddling upto 2nd gear, then back to 1st as you crawl…have you ever had that annoying feeling when sat in traffic of having to constantly be just on and off your clutch? Clutch control is fine, but it gets tedious and makes your legs hurt after an hour or more! There is NO such problem with an auto!
3. The cruise control in my car works better with an auto gearbox and doesn’t come with the restrictions of cruise control associated with manual gearboxes.

So absolute rubbish, it is highly unlikely I will ever go back to a manual car…driving an auto is far superior.

[I] – he did buy his to appear ‘flash’ (and added darkened windows, extra speakers, cruising lights, leather bucket seats, tasteful red trim [go faster stripes], etc. Trying to be a real chav-mobile without the fluffy dice). Nermal

Someone should have told him that it isn’t flash..just tacky!

I live two kilometres from the German border – i know what German taxis (and taxi drivers) look like. Oh yes, i do. But i hope to take you up on the taxi-day offer, an airbase-to-pub-tour would be a nice idea 🙂

Arthur if you want a taxi one day for a long journey send me a pm you will see that im definately not middle aged, fat, smelly or German 😉 well maybe middle aged :p perhaps i could drive you to Germany to see what a real German taxi driver looks like :diablo:

ok so i drive a taxi 🙂 i will accept that point but i do not accept the fact that im fat, smelly or middle aged or indeed german 😮

Judging by the car, you certainly would WANT to be middle aged, fat, smelly and German 😀

Actually, no. A manual gearbox would give the driver some physical exercise, and this would be horribly damaging for the image of the average Merc E-type driver: a fat, smelly middle-aged German taxi driver

ok so i drive a taxi 🙂 i will accept that point but i do not accept the fact that im fat, smelly or middle aged or indeed german 😮

You’ll be driving to Pukkelpop? You grind, i grin 😀

Been to the eindhoven area today :diablo: If somebody sees a Ford Focus with belgian licenceplate trying to take a crossroad in 3rd gear that’ll be me :o. Some people just seem to drive like it’s no big deal, however, for me, it’s really a hard business. :rolleyes: Just need to have some more experience I guess because it’s not going smooth yet. Ohh and I don’t get along too well with my instructor :cool:. not good for exam, not good. 😮 Since I have my temporary drivers license I have never used my bike so often as now. 😀 I even started practicing sports.

Its auto because the germans decided to fit it with a automatic gear box besides who wants a executive salloon thats a manual gearbox thats just for the working classes :dev2:

Actually, no. A manual gearbox would give the driver some physical exercise, and this would be horribly damaging for the image of the average Merc E-type driver: a fat, smelly middle-aged German taxi driver :diablo:

ok thankyou for all the sugestions 🙂

FLASH :rolleyes: in a merc 😮 their more common than ford fiestas 😀

Its auto because the germans decided to fit it with a automatic gear box besides who wants a executive salloon thats a manual gearbox thats just for the working classes :dev2:

As for the fuel if you deside to run a car on veggie oil or something and dont pay taxes on the amount you use you will be prosecuted for tax evasion 😮

cheers chuck 🙂

That’s true. however, i would really like to have an automatic. Especially in the beginning gears is sometimes a bit difficult.

You’ll be driving to Pukkelpop? You grind, i grin 😀

It’s only your deserved punishment for driving an automatic. If you can’t shift gears, you shouldn’t drive.

That’s true. however, i would really like to have an automatic. Especially in the beginning gears is sometimes a bit difficult.

Actually Frank this isn’t at stupid as it sounds, Ian reckons that diesel engines will run quite well on cooking oil !!!!

They will, as long as it’s one of those modern common rail or turbodiesels. But if you’ve got a few bottles of cooking oil, and a nice Merk 200D from 1980, you may be surprised. There’s an interesting smell too.

Don’t listen to that man… His next advice will be to put frying oil in your engine 😀

Actually Frank this isn’t at stupid as it sounds, Ian reckons that diesel engines will run quite well on cooking oil !!!! Next he’ll be telling me that cars need water as well.

It’s only your deserved punishment for driving an automatic. If you can’t shift gears, you shouldn’t drive.

Don’t listen to that man… His next advice will be to put frying oil in your engine 😀

you may need more salt in your gasoline

So Last Lightening bought his E-280 to look flash !!! Where did he say that in his thread. You really are a venomous Norbert, one day, we can hope you will post something meaningful, without having a snipe.

Hello Mr Kettle. You really are rather black, aren’t you. Love, Mr Pot…:rolleyes: Sticks and stones.
My girlfriends brother has something similar, but with a manual gearbox, in silver; I think it was 5 years old with nearly 200,000 in the clock. Nothing but trouble and yes – he did buy his to appear ‘flash’ (and added darkened windows, extra speakers, cruising lights, leather bucket seats, tasteful red trim [go faster stripes], etc. Trying to be a real chav-mobile without the fluffy dice). Even with a Merc dealers ‘assistance’ – for the price of a small kings ransom – it took an age for each fault to get sorted (I think the last problem was with the electrics or timing, but I’m long past caring). – Nermal

i would say go to a reputed garage and get it checked…