DTA (UK)

If he hasn't got any stock then let me know as I also stock vacuum hosing and silicone tubing. Dan

OK - sorry, I may have got him confused with someone else who's gone skiing. But I do know John's not around at the moment. Dan

Yep - he's gone skiing. Think he's back next week at some point. Dan

Thanks Paul! ;) Dan

Cheers for all the help chaps! Much appreciated. I think I'm on the right track now.

Good idea - what fuse to get though... The battery is rated at 7.2Ah and the bulb draws around 3Ah current so presumably a 5Ah fuse will do the trick?

Many thanks for that Andy - nice to see that common sense hasn't let me donw today! ;) Cheers, Dan

Morning! I am looking to put together a proper test rig for the HID kits I sell. Now, I know just about bugger all about wiring up electronics so thought I'd pass this by some of you who "are in the know" before I c*ck it up. Please have a look at the attached wiring diagram I quickly threw together. Basically, I have a 12V battery, a rocker switch and a wiring loom connector. How do I connect everything up so that I can use the rocker switch to turn the HID bulb on and off at will? The rocker switch I bought from Maplins yesterday has two terminals on the back marked "1" and "2". I take it this relates to positive and negative connection. If I connect the lot up as per the attached diagram - will anything work? If not could you explain how I need to run the wires to make this work? Incidentally, I also saw another style of rocker switch whilst at Maplins - this had four terminals on the back with a pair of "1" & "2"'s marked. If I had bought that type of switch would I have connected the positive and negative wires coming from the battery to a pair of "1" and "2" and then connect the positive and negative wires coming from the wiring loom connector to the other "1" and "2" terminals? Many thanks for your time and explanations! Please assume I'm "thick" where it concerns electronics so layman's terms are most welcome! Cheerio! Dan

Pics appear to be of the study model of the Alfa 8C. (Limited) production has been cleared with the first customer cars expected to be delivered this summer. Stunning car but at £110k a bit much for an Alfa. Oh, and all 500 have already been sold! The 8C shares the same platform as the new Maseratti GranTurismo - now that is a stunning car!

Hi Diane, The Waterman is a great venue! We (my wife, her mum and I) went there for the first time this past Saturday. Great food and big-ish carpark. Beautiful country side views and close to Hatton Country World - great day out for families (ie bit of country farm shopping, lots of play grounds and animals galore!) I highly recommend this pub. Dan

Cheers Stevie - very much appreciate the offer! Let me see how I get on today/tomorrow and I'll let you know whether I'll take you up on your very kind offer. Cheerio! Dan

Sure - no problem. The twin filter setup was created to allow more air to pass into the engine for cars running high bhp. However, there is one major constraint - the air still needs to pass through only one air flow meter. This set up is basically an upside-down T-piece with an A'PEXi filter bolted on to either side. I would only really suggest the use of one of these if you're pushing the 400bhp boundary. If you are then the best solution is to install a real twin intake system (ie two separate filters running to separate air flow meters) and an engine management system (like AEM for example). I do sell the former (ie the type you've seen for sale) and have these in stock priced at £300 including the filters and delivery. HTH Dan

I've got one of these - absolutely brilliant piece of kit. So much so that I'm selling these with my Meguiar's stuff - coming in April. Make sure you get a 750mA transformer - anything less isn't acceptable for this polisher. Dan

Hmmm - that's a good thought. I was just on the Maplins website and saw they have various 12v batteries (non-car related) which could be used. I think that in the interest of time (I need this to be operational by this coming saturday) I'm just going to pick up a cheap battery from a scrappy and continue the search for something better after the weekend. Cheerio! Dan

Here you go, a pic of an A'PEXi induction kit installed on my own 300TT. Note that the kits no longer include the metal brackets. Regards, Dan

A'PEXi stopped production/sale of their BOVs several years ago. Any that are on the market today are either second hand or copies. HTH Dan

Not 100% true - the ALC will "maintain" line pressure during shift points which is not the same as raising the line pressure over all. There have been many threads and debates about whether the ALC promotes the demise of autoboxes and to be honest, there has never been any conclusive evidence to support this. Autoboxes are built with certain acceptable tolerances and an ALC does not exceed those tolerances. IMO it is more likely that drivers will drive their car "harder" when they know the ALC will shift faster. This extra strain on the drivetrain (not just the gearbox) is the likely cause of an autobox failure. FYI - HKS has discontinued the production/sale of their ALC-II due to poor demand (not excessive compensation claims for damaged gearboxes). If you do end up buying a used ALC-II make sure it comes complete with the wiring loom as it will be useless without it. HTH Dan

Or £70 for a brand new A'PEXi (in stock) ;) Dan

Thanks for your thoughts chaps - has given me plenty to think about. The only reason why I was after a small sized battery is space saving. I need to transport all the exhibition equipment (gazebo, table, stands, etc) and stock in the Zed so the smaller the parts the more I can get in! Having trawled the internet I do think I'll just go for a regular car battery. Gives me the best chance of making it last the day :) The HID kit wouldn't be on continuously (only for demos) but the indicators would be flashing away all day (@5W per bulb). Thanks again - you've been most helpful! Dan PS - I hadn't thought of a bike battery - thanks Vijay!

Hi guys/gals, I am looking to put together a testing rig for the HID kits I sell (at the moment I connect every single one to my car to test it ... long a laborious process). I also want to just this "rig" for display purposes at shows, etc. What I'm after is a 12V car battery which is small in size (don't want a full size one) yet is able to run a single HID kit and possibly several indictor bulbs at the same time. I have no idea how much current these items draw which I why I need some feedback from you. Any help is gratefully received, expecially any recommendations as to which battery to buy and where to buy one. I need one for next weekend (Honda show at Gaydon). Many thanks! Dan

Yes, sorry - I got side tracked :headvswal It is always useful to see whether your A/F ratio works throughout the rev range and this "toy" will tell you that. My guess is that you'll spend more time worrying why the display has gone red ... ;)

Seen these before - reasonably useful piece of kit. However, I like some of the claims they make on their website about this product, namely: "Helps to save Fuel Stable Electric Equipment Help Prevent Air Pollution" Like anyone who buys this kit is concerned about saving fuel or the environment. And how exactly does this kit "stablise electric equipment"? LOL ;)

We [DTA-Motorsport] can provide performance chips mapped for 555cc injectors and your specific modifications. Lead time is roughly 7-10 working days and we'd obviously need the exact details of the modifications. Priced at £65 plus £5 delivery. Feel free to contact me through PM, e-mail of phone (07044016586). Our performance chips have been custom developed inhouse and are a cut above all the other "off the shelf" chips (ie JWT/Mines/etc). We've had a lot of succes running very fast 300's on 1/4mile runs etc and the chips are generally very highly regarded. Regards, Dan

Hi Mario, We sell Daikei steering wheel hubs which retain the use of the HICAS system, cruise control and airbags (if so equipped) and they fit both LHD and RHD cars. They cost around £95 delivered to Germany. Let me know if I can be of any assistance to you. Regards, Dan

Wish I could ... my mum (and dad) currently live in Dubai so I only see them once or twice a year :( I'm going over in April :dance: ) Regardless, they are deserving of every bit of love and spoiling you can bestow on them!