July 2001

Mark

Is it just me or is it quiet tonight Read more

David Woollard

If you're desparate you could guess at a value of the 3yr old Kia Magentis for Martin Wall. Bit like a "how many sweets in the jar" competition.

David

Simon

Has anyone got any ideas what our new Shylock of the Exchequor will do to the price of heavy oil?
The company I work for is reluctant to purchase Golf TDi 115 PD's due to fear of heavy-handedness on the smelly stuff. Instead they are proposing the 1.8 or 2.0 petrol with LPG conversions.

Thanks to any Mystic Meg's out there.

Simon Read more

Stuart B

Guy Lacey wrote:
>
> £33 for same journey - 550 miles? In a diesel at 60mpg at
> 78p/L I assume. Very high economy - must be a Lupo diesel!
>
I calculated it @ 481 miles (autoroute) 50 mpg 75.9p/litre round here
50 mpg is in a Vectra basically on a long run keeping up to the limits as appropriate. If I take it steady say 60mph then on a run like that, ie mostly M-way its a gnats above 60mpg. Week in week out its 45mpg plus without trying to be economical. Did drop to 38 on a recent few hot days in 80% urban traffic with the aircon on full welly.

For 550 miles, it would be £37.90, BYW 550 miles? I can recommend the Philips Navigator map book if you keep getting lost.

Its like I've said before, there is no right and wrong answer on this one.
BTW have you shot that Jonathan Livingstone Seagull yet?

Cheers, have a nice rest of the weekend
Stuart

Rebecca

OK, not a life or death question, but maybe someone has an idea?...

In my aforementioned new car at the top of the windscreen, by the rear-view mirror, there is a mirror-shaped (but bigger) clear 'sticker'. Does this serve any purpose?

I was in a Merc yesterday and noticed that the graduated tint was designed so that the same shape as my 'sticker' was marked out in black dots on the windscreen too.

At the lights this morning there was a Ka either side of me, one had a similar design as described above, the other was completely clear.

What's it all about then? Read more

David Woollard

Just had a look at my own car, spooky it's also got a funny thing in the same position....but a sort of coloured double chevron.

Ah wait a minute that'll be my Citroen Car Club sticker!

David

Chi Kwong Chiu

HJs Car-by-car breakdown page seems to suggest that the next generation Audi A2 is due just over a year from now. Surely this is a mistake as the current model has only been out for a couple of years at the most....not long enough to recoup the tooling costs etc....

Does HJ infact mean the new A3? Looking forward to hearing your views as I'm currently in the market for an A2 but am understandably a bit reluctant if it's going to be superceded only a year or so from now..... Read more

Martin Wall

Hi

I notice HJ gave a good write up to the Kia Magentis V6. Sounds like a good big motor for motorway work. No doubt early depreciation would be fairly steep, hence if you were planning to buy one of these you would need to keep it for a while (say 5 years) - yes?

What is a Magentis likely to be worth after 3 yrs/36000 miles?

-Martin Read more

Mark (Brazil)

They're very popular here. Mostly they got that way, I think, because of the price.

However, I travel in them from time to time, and given the price, they seem pretty good to me. Especially the 4WD thing, whatever its called.

Richard Loweth

8.30am this (Thursday) morning and i telephoned the "0845" number on the back of the MOT Certificate. Yes! The "thirteen month rule" applies to NEW CARS and those on any subsequent MOT equally. So i 'phoned the garage and, after a mild roasting they agreed to re-test, that morning, while I waited, at their cost and date it to expeire 18 August 2002.

Many, many thanks to ALL OF YOU who contributed. Even my motor racing friend thought, wrongly, that "thirteen month rule" did not apply to NEW CARS...but the Ministry confirmes it does! Read more

Barry Key

I have found a very useful service at M.K.O.K Service Station Peartree
Bdge Milton Keynes MK6 3BX (01908) 606848 . They hire their workshop
facilities (including hoist) for a very reasonable rate (no problems about
asking questions and getting assistance, although I felt this warranted a
drink). My question is, is there something similar closer to Enfield? Read more

Mark (Brazil)

Yes, I'm still in the office and very, very bored.

Another interesting site..

www.transtat.detr.gov.uk/roadsafe/ Read more

Ian Aspinall

Seems to be working OK now - both the .com and .co.uk versions. Nice site, although there seem to be a few motorways missing - M62, M56 & M60 for instance.

Mark (Brazil)

www.autosafety.org/autodefects/FORD-Escort.htm

Things in life which make you go "oh".

Its an American site, but certainly I found it interesting. Read more

Mark

Just a post to say more SPECS cameras have appeared on the M6.

I noticed them today between J6/7 northbound on the "roadworks" that are allegedly occuring.

There is no warning of cameras as you approach the raodworks and no camera sign so I dont know if they are working yet but they appear just past the J6 bridge with another about 1/2 mile short of J7. If they are working they would have caught about 80% of the traffic stream I was in.

Please consider HJs advice about not allowing these damn things to earn a penny.

Must go my deathray needs some extra work

regards

Mark Read more

John

Came through this section on m6 this morning northbound and late morning southbound. Northbound cameras are definitely on over lane 3 in 40 limit in roadworks. Warning signs everywhere.

South bound they were just adjusting them on the outer lane again only.

I think they are live and they are mounted on the bridge overheads. Every bridge.

Similiar type to the ones in Nottingham and it's believed they only monitor one lane. Rumoured to be able to record 20,000 cars aday as there's no film in them and they record direct to computer database which discards the cars doing below or at the legal limit.

Limit is 40 not 50 as normal so its easy to go over.