April 2002
My thanks to the EU Commission and CIG for proving this info.
In it's latest new car comparison report the EU Commission states the UK is the most expensive country for buying new cars. UK pricing is upto 57% more expensive than Europe. The reasons?
Is it because 'our' cars are right hand drive? Er, no, European law states any rhd surcharge must be reasonable. The actual cost of rhd is rarely more than £150 per car.
Is it because the pound is strong against the Euro? Er, no, as more than 70% of new cars in the UK are not made here, the strong pound ought to make ALL cars on sale at UK garages cheaper, not more expensive.
Is it because of our tax system? Er, no. Countries such as France and Germany have similar taxation on new cars as the UK but their prices are still way below the UK. Holland, where average tax on a new car is a massive 58% as opposed to our 17.5%, still have cheaper end car prices by some margin.
Is it because 'our' cars are better equipped? Er, no. Even adding major items of equipment to 'European' cars, the EU still found UK prices way above the European average.
Is it because the UK buyer is prepared to pay what the manufacturers asks in the UK and is happy to have 'haggled' maybe £700 or £800 off the screen price? You bet!
UK car prices are also showing signs of going up again with popular small to medium hatchbacks rising 6.4% in the year to Feb 2002.
Import your next car from www.cars4importing.net ! The manufacturers will NEVER make UK prices the same as Europe Read more
My trusty 1987 GTi 1800 8v is losing gearbox oil seemingly from the circular VW end plate located on the far left hand side of the gearbox (the clutch operating arm end of the g/box visible behind the nearside wheel). This end plate has been levered off/refitted before and the haynes manual says it should be replaced so is this why there is oil dripping out ?? Is it simply a case of tapping on a new plate or does the oil mean something else has gone.
Thanks in anticipation
Ian Read more
This plate is removed to gain access to the clutch release bearing.
It needs to be replaced every time it is removed as it is impossible to remove it without damaging it
After many years in Germany family circumstances force me to return to the UK .My question is where can I find a good gas convertor firm in the north of England for my Explorer and roughly what is the cost.
Thank you Read more
since all the gas equipment came from either holland or italy its no great surprise that adapters are available from one to the other the uk has only recently standardised to the dutch bayonet so there are a lot of cars running around the uk with all the different types of fillers the lpga dont like it but it happens
dave
Hi all,
There have been a couple of recent threads on cars hitting young kids which l glazed over not wishing to get too involved lest l pulled back a bloody stump. (Feelings run high on these issues quite rightly).
In Norwich, especially in the immediate suburbs there appears to an increasing trend of bored young kids ranging from angry 8's to furious 14's to taunt and obstruct cars that are already going slowly due to the kids presence.
Two tricks:
1. Run up the road in front of the car eventually slowing to a stop in a crowd in front of the car where they subsequently taunt and hurl abuse at the occupants.
2. This is the especially good one: Crowd of surlies walking on/off curb as car attempts to get past. You can tell by the body language that there's more. They eventually give enough space for the car to pass. As the car picks up speed to pass, one or more (timed by furtive over shoulder glances) dart out in front of the car forcing an emergency stop (proper slam on brakes or hit kid). Off they run cackling like @!#$ gremlins.
And repeat.
Not only is this dangerous to all concerned but as l have witnessed can be very intimidating for the drivers. Perhaps their responsible parents who didn't want the mewling little brats in the first place, told them one too many times to go 'play' with the traffic.
Personally if this happens to me, l make sure l clip one of the little gits. A mild fracture might well save his life by teaching him to respect the dangers of cars/traffic in future. (Of course l jest).
...
dan Read more
I remember as a kid we created a BMX track on the village green.
It culminated in a jump onto the exit of a blind hairpin bend. If you were any good you could jump into the middle of the LH carriageway. I guess we developed very good hearing.
Whatever a car would have done to us would have been as nothing compared to what our parents would have.
And IIRC you could get an extra turn of speed by grabbing hold of the trailor when the silage bales were being towed back to the farm...
Then there was our mate P****. We used to dare him to walk on a frozen pond which had accumulated in an old quarry... and he did.
1997 900 convertible, with built into dash radio/tape/cd
turn on the radio and it expects a code entry - enter the code given by saab, nothing happens...
is there a trick?
certain combination of buttons?
or does it need to be re-programmed? Read more
many thanks - problem solved
Anyone got any idea how you change the front wheel on a Reliant? More to the point, where do you keep the spare?
Read more
Auto-Solve is an automotive technical web site for professional mechanics, with over 150 pages of technical information, waveforms and tips. We will shortly be moving to subscribers only, but are offering the first 100 application free subscription! Please check out the special offer on our site www.auto-solve.co.uk. Read more
Excellent site Simon, thanks
Mike
OK people, it's weekend... I'm off to Ian Cooks Virtual Pub for a pie 'n pint (zero alcohol of course).
See you all there.
Last one in's buying!!! ;-)
John R Read more
Who the hell let you lot out................and what the hell are you on ??
Someone please tell me when it's safe to come out
This guy must have been a character!
www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motor...l Read more
Dave,
one thing I noticed was,
done only 12,000 miles engine had been decoked @ 10,000 miles........
Presumably been using supermarket petrol then ;-)
Further to the discussion in the selby rail crash thread: I thought I'd share the debate under a more interesting title!
For the back ground go to:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/phorum/read.php?f=1&i=52437&t...3
John S: Don't think so John. I *think* I saw it in motorcycle news.
IIRC it was in a racing formula where less cylinders confered some sort of weight advantage/disadvantage.
The design was to get around this rule. Either by claimng a two was a four or vice versa.
The cylinder was like a pair of bog roll cylinders taped together with th ejoined bit 'missing' and the 'two' pistons were directly linked and went up and down together.
I'm not sure it wasn't an April fool but it seemed genuine at the time.
I don't know what era the bike is/was from.
I reckon Doug is on the right track with the Honda. I'm 30 per cent sure it *was* a Honda.
Maybe I dreamed it? Read more
Have a gander at this:
www.lexcie.zetnet.co.uk/delticengine.htm
Very informative!
Matt
Browse
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I'm not trying to deny you a living. If you're going to advertise, you should make it clear you're advertising and pay the people who are giving you the space.
HJ is providing you with the means to contact an audience and the audience. Try that anywhere else and you'd have to pay. Seems only fair to me (and I'm not linked to HJ) that you should help him, after all he too is
Import-ant wrote:
> ...just trying to earn a living.
Lee.