January 2002
To start, for anyone not aware of the fact, I drive an Omega.
The Omega came second last in JD Power about three years ago. The odd thing is that I know three other people who own them, and the four of us all rant and rave (to the point of utter boredom) about what a superb car it is.
Now, the only difference between my survey and JD Power's is the size of sample, but I find it a bit odd that our results should be so out of kilter. Could it be that the people responding to JD Power, being self selected, are those who have a particular mindset?
Sililarly with the Consumer's Association "Second most unreliable car on the road" comment mentioned in the Frozen Doorlocks thread. Another smug, self-satisfied, self-selected sample, perhaps?
Any comments?
V
PS, just remembered a fifth owner I know, who is on his third Omega. He's a fleet manager, so he's got the choice of the fleet. Read more
Hi,
I know it's late! HJ has kindly given me permission to abuse the Backroom for my own use. I need to pick your brains.....
I am currently in the 2nd year of a company sponsored MBA. The company I work for has nowt to do with motoring (St.Regis Paper Co. Ltd - D.S.Smith Group plc) but I have chosen an organisation that has recently undertaken a marketing campaign within a field of my personal interest in order to write a critical assessment of their choice!
I have chosen MG due to my obvious links with the company through my brother David Lacey who works for MG-R.
I would be *very* grateful if you could e-mail me to the above address any comments you have on the strategy used by MG to market their product(s) and your opinion on the success of this.
The main focus is on the *image* that MG has portrayed through their ads and whether that matches your opinion and whether it has altered your opinon of MG and not on the actual product itself although I would be grateful for any feedback.
Please send any replies to my e-mail to avoid clogging up the Backroom.
Many thanks in anticipation, your help is much appreciated.
Guy Lacey
guy.lacey@freedonkeyrides.fsnet.co.uk
guy.lacey@stregis.co.uk Read more
AS GUY WROTE, PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR OPINIONS ABOUT MG ROVERS TO HIM. THAT KEEPS IT PRIVATE AND NON LIBELLOUS.
HJ
When SWMBO and I were looking for a 'bus' for the kids and MIL we discounted the Voyager purely because at the time no diesel version was available although I loved it. Now there is a turbodiesel available I am interested but I have been informed that it aint a Chrysler diesel under the hood but something from southern europe?!?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Also, since the really cold snap hit, my Espace Turbodiesel 2.2 R reg has intermittently flashed up the ABS light, the Airbag light and tonight the service light for a few seconds, any clues?
Ay thank yow Read more
It's a VM engine, complete with seperate head gaskets. I'm sure you've come across these before. Big problems with the a/c evaporaters on these as well. And you know my thoughts about Espace wiring!
I just posted the following note way down the page under another topic but thought it might be useful to repeat it here as a new subject ....
A lot of recent correspondence about difficult starting of diesels seems to relate to a particular Vauxhall diesel engine. I understand that, with these engines, the accelerator pedal should be fully depressed for starting at temperatures below 10 degrees C. This will give an enriched mixture by over-fuelling and may answer the cold-starting problem that has been aired in this forum several times. Read more
It is the 1.7d or 1.7dr as fitted to Cavaliers and Astras (non turbocharged) engines which this applied to. I still have my 1994 Astra 1.7d estate (recently got a Vectra DI) and fortunately have never had any statrting problems in over 100K miles. On cold mornings I used to cycle the glow plugs a few times and press the accelerator down by about a sixth of it's travel. I once tried starting it as suggested and you should have heard the noise and seen the smoke!! (normally it never produces much, if any, visible smoke).
Do not start a car by pressing the accelerator if it is turbocharged, the turbo bearings will not like it!
Been to the local auctions tonight, looking for a cheap car. Seems to be rather a lot that are put through by finance companies without documents - particularly logbooks.
But what are the implications of that? Firstly in terms of the car's history (are they simple reposessions?) and then practically; how easy is it to get a new logbook. Does the absence of a logbook mean that the car can't legally be driven on the road?
Any answers gratefully recieved, and thanks. Read more
Plenty of sense here. Repossessions are usually snatched back without the keeper's knowledge so, if its a FIAT it doesn't come with a red key, very few will come with spare keys and unless the keeper kept the service history in the car they won't come with that either. But not all snatchbacks are dodgy and they can represent the best bargains of all for private punters for the simple reason they are too much hassle to deal with for most of the trade who want to buy on Friday, then sell by the next Saturday and put their money into something else.
HJ
Father in law got a nice present for New Year, a speeding notice from Queensland Police. Apparently they've got a very nice pic of him doing 73kph in a 60kph zone, 41mph in a 36mph, thought he might like to add it to his holiday snaps obviously. Only draw back is they would like 450A$ (£164) for it, no points though, but still makes our fines look pretty good value!!
Mind you he reckons the QPD had it in for him as they random breath-tested him (negative) the day before he flew home, says he's never had a ticket or been stopped in 49 years of driving and then has to fly halfway round the world to break his duck! Read more
Unfortunately this was a GATSO and QLD plates in QLD hired from a QLD company who have already passed all the details on to the QPD and billed father in law for 35A$ on his credit card for 'administration'. FIL's comment was that he'll pay if they track him down to his UK address as he doesn't want to run the risk, however small, of trouble with immigration next time he visits. Must say in their sort of temperatures and at his age I can't blame him for not wanting to sit around the airport all day!
Out of interest will let you know whether they bother to chase him up.
Just read the thread on road salt and again I an thinking of investing in a pressure washer. Hhowever an ex-colleague - who previously used to run his own under the arches type garage - swears that they are not good for your car, strip too much wax, paint and sealant off and blast water where it shouldn't go.
What does the team think? Read more
Do anyone have preference for a sponge or one of those brush heads that water travels through. It seems that the brush gets in more awkward corners but does anybody think it scratches the paintwork more than a sponge.
I have not been reading threads on here for too long but have never seen any items for sale. Is this frowned upon, forbidden?
What about giving away unneeded items?
John R Read more
have you tried putting them on yahoo auctions, as you get some money for them, and the buyer pays for the postage, also the only correspondents that you get is through email.
Interesting article about contesting speeding tickets as violating a right to silence in criminal proceedings.
news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1740000/174033...m Read more
They can send them anyway they choose, including carrier pigeon. However, the difficulty would come in when someone denied receiving it and they could not prove it had been delivered.
Hence the registered mail.
My car was pulling to the left and the tyres had worn on the inside edges.
I decided to have the wheel alignment checked and adjusted (properly mind, with a £20,000 machine not the normal simple equipment) I found that the car handled better but still pulled to the left.
I have just bought two new tyres and the car no longer pulls to one side at all. It just goes to show the difference that unevenly worn tyres can make.
Hope this helps someone out there. Read more
The combination of the wheel alignment (by a proper garage with proper equipment worth £20k) and new tyres. Plus of course full checks for worn suspension and alignment of the front and rear subframes.
The haynes manual is quite hazy about how to adjust the subframes - especially the back one, I think the position of the alignment holes is more clearly shown in the section on removing the charcoal canister.
The fancy wheel alignment equipment will also tell you if the chassis is twisted or not - a nice thing to completely set your mind at rest.
My main point was that the tyres were causing the car to pull quite a bit to one side. The car now seems very neutral, but as with any car, will drift to one side depending on the severity of the crossfall of the road.
Once the tyres are worn thet will not correct themselves after the wheel geometry has been corrected.
Please let me know how you get on.
Browse
large fleet users will only have copies of bills for stuff they have PAID for
stuff like a snapped cam belt will most often (for a fleet car less than 3 years old, regardless of guarantees made available to ordinary punters) be done free to the lease company and car company will pay
so lease company data isnt a perfect source of info either