>> More interesting is the fact that you can't turn the lights off, even 
>> when the engine isn't running. Sounds like a nice recipe for a flat 
>> battery!
> 
> Most cars now will switch off any electrical devices after a certain 
> time to avoid a flat battery.

Here's to hoping...

>> I have never seen any car anywhere with 6 gears in my entire life.
> 
> What has that got to do with what actually exists and is being made out 
> there in the real world?

Well, I've seen quite a few cars, and almost all of them had 4 gears. I 
suppose alternatively I could pluck numbers out of thin air and claim 
that had more to do with reality. :-P

>> I still don't really see what the advantage is. (Other than that 
>> bigger numbers sell more...)
> 
> You can keep the engine revs in your desired range (eg for quietness, 
> fuel economy or performance) for more of the time.  If you only have 4 
> gears that span from 5 to 120 mph, then you are going to be forced to 
> use a very wide range of the engine's rpm, with 6 gears you get more 
> choice of whether to stay 1000-2000 rpm for quietness, 4000-6000 rpm for 
> performance, etc.

And yet, the gears are spaced so that changing gear is only useful at 
speeds below 50 MPH. Once you're doing more than 50, you're in top gear 
and there's no advantage. That's what I don't get.

> The other extreme is trucks, they have like 30 gears, and they need that 
> many because the big diesel engines typically only produce useful power 
> over a very narrow range of speeds.

...seriously?? O_O

>>> Uhh, why?  I have never thought to myself "oh i wish i had a 7th gear 
>>> to change up into now".
>>
>> I think that all the time...
> 
> What benefit would that give?

It's just that when the engine revs get high, you feel like you should 
be changing up a gear. (But there aren't any.)

I guess it might allow you to cruse along the motorways at high speed 
without having to have the engine running at 8,000 RPM, which might 
reduce wear a little... but no, not much of an advantage. (And yet... 
this car has 6 gears for some reason.)

>> I was under the impression that drum brakes are more efficient.
> 
> The problem with drum brakes is that all the heat builds up inside and 
> can't go anywhere, a drum brake designed for a certain application will 
> be bigger and heavier than a disc brake capable of dissipating the same 
> amount of heat.  Anyway, today, only the smallest cars have drum brakes, 
> and even then only on the rear two wheels where not much braking effort 
> needs to be done. I think they are cheaper, and help with connecting in 
> the handbrake or something.

Interesting. I always through disk brakes are cheaper, so they use those 
where they can't afford to fit propper drum brakes.

>> I already did that. It tells me it's a 2.0 L engine and that the CO2 
>> emissions are 191 g/Km (I don't know if that's measured or spec'd), 
>> and the date of manufacture. Doesn't tell me anything extra about the 
>> exact model. (In fact, you have to tell then the make and model along 
>> with the registration number.)
> 
> Hmm, I thought I recalled it giving more info than that.

I had expected it to also... but no.

> Maybe try a 
> couple of those online insurance quote websites, they quite often take 
> your registration number and give you the spec.  Or if all else fails 
> simply take it to a Renault dealer and ask them, they will likely check 
> the serial number and find it out for you.

Yeah, I could do...

I know it's a Renault Megane Dynamique 2.0 L pretrol, but I can't figure 
out exactly what engine type it is.

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