What car/driving related urban myths have you heard of?

[LuS1fer]

Ten from Jalopnik (including the Roller one)
http://jalopnik.com/5855586/the-ten-greatest-autom...
My favourite one is the alleged faux pas with the Nova name in Spanish countries and the great point they make that it's like people not buying a notable kitchen implement because it could also be read "no table".

[Thin White Duke]

JonnyFive said:

Yeah, it's legal to drive around in street lamp lit areas at 30mph limit IIRC.

Yep, a quick google search threw this up:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Hig...

Now that I know, the next time I'm driving in such an area at night, I'm not going to use the
headlights (unless conditions dictate otherwise) just to see how others react.

No doubt I'll get shouts from pedestrians, and other drivers will flash their lights at me - unless they think I'm
a gangster looking for my next victim!

[Thankyou4calling]

Potential classic thread this.

[The Wookie]

LuS1fer said:

Ten from Jalopnik (including the Roller one)
http://jalopnik.com/5855586/the-ten-greatest-autom...
My favourite one is the alleged faux pas with the Nova name in Spanish countries and the great point they make that it's like people not buying a notable kitchen implement because it could also be read "no table".

That one about the $50 Porsche sold by the jilted wife... correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't exactly that happen to a radio DJ who was flirting with some celeb on the air?

[martin84]

Ok how about this one

You're doing 70, something (probably an Audi) overtakes you doing 140 and your female passenger has a tut, followed by a sigh and then says 'he wont get there any quicker.'

[Seti]

The Wookie said:

That one about the $50 Porsche sold by the jilted wife... correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't exactly that happen to a radio DJ who was flirting with some celeb on the air?

Yep, except it was a Lotus and iirc was put on e-bay with a buy-it-now price of c£100.

[snowdude2910]

The Wookie said:

That one about the $50 Porsche sold by the jilted wife... correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't exactly that happen to a radio DJ who was flirting with some celeb on the air?

Tim Shaw's wife sold his lotus for a pound after he told jodie marsh (I think could have been another similar type) he'd leave his wife for her. He did work on 5th gear for a bit (ginger bloke) but doesn't seem to anymore

[loafer123]

AndyBrew said:

I've seen taxi drivers flash their lights at night when approaching traffic lights with the belief that this act turns them to green?

It does, if the set of lights have the sensor on the top.

[otherman]

There was a bloke who drove a reliant robin over his inspection pit. Friend of my mates brother, in fact.

[JonnyFive]

loafer123 said:

AndyBrew said:

I've seen taxi drivers flash their lights at night when approaching traffic lights with the belief that this act turns them to green?

It does, if the set of lights have the sensor on the top.

I often drive home from working (Nightclub) and see Taxi drivers attempt this often..

Never worked so far

[robsco]

That if you run your fuel level too low, you start to suck up all the dregs at the bottom of the tank which is bad for your engine. Who made that st up?

[loafer123]

JonnyFive said:

loafer123 said:

AndyBrew said:

I've seen taxi drivers flash their lights at night when approaching traffic lights with the belief that this act turns them to green?

It does, if the set of lights have the sensor on the top.

I often drive home from working (Nightclub) and see Taxi drivers attempt this often..

Never worked so far

To be fair, it isn't going to be instant, or someone coming the other way would end up sliding through a sudden red on their brakes, but it does work on some lights, especially temporary ones.

[Shotgun Rider]

loafer123 said:

It does, if the set of lights have the sensor on the top.

I've seen it work several times on traffic lights set up for roadworks but never on permanent ones.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/s...

[tvrgit]

loafer123 said:

To be fair, it isn't going to be instant, or someone coming the other way would end up sliding through a sudden red on their brakes, but it does work on some lights, especially temporary ones.

No it doesn't. There is no such thing as a headlamp sensor in traffic lights, temporary ot otherwise.

[martin84]

robsco said:

That if you run your fuel level too low, you start to suck up all the dregs at the bottom of the tank which is bad for your engine. Who made that st up?

People always buy this one but nobody ever asks where the dregs came from or how they got there. Baffling.

[Fordo]

Here's a good myth you always hear

'no point getting an LPG car - the government will make take away the LPG tax break any week now...'

been hearing that for years and years - but lpg always remains around half the price of petrol.

there are many other reasons I wouldnt lpg a car myself, but the sinister governement waiting to up the price of LPG the moment i buy one, isn't one of them

[martin84]

The fact theres only one garage within 15 miles of my house which sells LPG would be the main thing to put me off it, its in a pig of a place too, right off a dual carraigeway with a 7-yard slip road to rejoin after refuelling.

[snowdude2910]

martin84 said:

The fact theres only one garage within 15 miles of my house which sells LPG would be the main thing to put me off it, its in a pig of a place too, right off a dual carraigeway with a 7-yard slip road to rejoin after refuelling.

Yeah but if it runs on lpg you can run a fast as fook car for the same as a cinquecento so short slip roads shouldn't be a problem
worth noting I haven't yet checked your garage incase you already have such a car

[williamp]

the X-type is a class leading mondeo in drag, yet the Audi is a quality car with no connection to the class lightweight Seat/Skoda/vw

[DanielC4GP]

Dangling a CD from your centre mirrow will stop being caught by speed traps as the shiny side will bounce the laser back all over the place.