Having recently purchased a Toyota Avensis Diesel at auction, I am now wondering about main dealer servicing. Its nearly ready for its first service (at 10000miles) and is just over six months old (02reg). Im reluctant to take it to the local Toyota dealer for a 'service' that amounts to no more than using an unsuitable oil! but I wonder if I need that genuine dealer stamp for the 3 year warranty? Im getting conflicting advice, some people think I do whereas others say its illegal to make you go to a dealer for servicing. What to do?

Many thanks

Lofty Read more

I have recently found an excellent solution for rusted on bolts , ie exhaust and suspension, it is coca cola. It works far better than the so called market leading deceasers. Anyone agree? comments? Read more

I run a 22 car driving school, most of my cars are Vauxhall Corsas, of which on the whole are good and reliable but the one I am about to tell you about is worrying me now! It is a long and drawn out story, but I feel if I cut it short you will not get the full picture. Here goes..... please help!

On Sept 1st I took delivery of 2 new Corsa comforts, all was well and good until..

16th October, the car had a red light come on and felt as if it was running on 1 cylinder (This was one of my instructors reporting this), the car went back to the dealers and we awaited there response.
The car came back 24 hours later, all good until the next day..
17th October, the same thing happened again and the car went back into the dealers.
Again it came out after just 2 hours, we felt confident...
19th October, it happened again!! The dealer changed the ECU and asked what fuel we were using, we told them it was a good make, but they said NO, dont use that....use this brand! I thought that can not be right for them to dictate a fuel brand but nether the less told my member of staff to use what they said. Anyhow, 3 days later we get the car back!! New ECU fitted.
22nd October, the car had been on the road a matter of hours and yep.... you guessed it, it went again!!!! Within 2 hours the car was back on the road.
24TH October, (wow it lasted 2 days) It went yet agian, I was spitting blood along with my member of staff! The car was off the road (bearing in mind every hour off the rd is £17) for 4 DAYS, they said they gave it a decoke, and it was quite coked up.
They were being guided by Vauxhall technical department all the time, I could not understand why a car that had covered 4000 miles and was 6 weeks old needed a decoke!
At this point I had seeked legal advice, and mentioned reteurning the car under the sales of goods act... they were not interested.
28TH October, we got the car back, it lasted a day then had to go back in for the same problem. At this point Vauxhalls agreed to hire us a dual controlled car to stop us losing money. The dealer had the car for a whole week, they replaced the wiring loom, a relay and I beleive the fuel pump.
3rd November the car comes back.
4th November same again the car goes back in, the dealer and Vauxhalls are both well and truly stumped, the only thing they could do is to start replacing parts that had already been done starting with another ECU.
They had the car for over 2 weeks, although it was ready after 4 days they stated they did not want to give the car back until they had carried out extensive road tests. They covered 300 miles in the 2 weeks.... that is 2 days work for us, so really the 300 miles covered were of no value to us.
Anyway, this weekend we get this car back (forgot what it looked like), only to find last night after my member of staff had covered 350 miles its gone again!
I dumped it at the dealers this morning and stated that under the sales of good act 1979 I did not want the car back. Initially they agreed and were very sympathetic, but this afternoon they ring me and say "change of plan"!! Vauxhalls want the car to be taken to Luton to carry out further tests.... you can guess I was not happy. Since this started 35 days ago, we have had the car for approx 5 days and taken it back at least 9 times for the same fault. They stated this afternoon that if they were to exchange it I would not be allowed the full value I paid for the car because it had covered 5000 miles.... WHAT who's fault is this??
I need to put a letter into the dealer tonight, stating I dont want the car back, can you PLEASE help and advise me how to word this letter so I get my point across?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, but the letter must go in tonight.
Thanks in advance.
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At the exit of my workplace there is an odd roundabout. There is a filter lane to the left to join the main road north bound. The two lanes straight ahead are both marked right turn(2nd roundabout exit) where the rightmost lane of the two filters back within 20 yards of being on the main road going southbound. Most people seem to queue in the right hand lane and a few whizz down the left and go round while gaining looks of disapproval of those sitting in the right hand lane queuing, unless they get held up by a bus in which case they sit there looking smug. Traffic from the left sometimes decides to filter onto the roundabout when a right lane traveller has joined the roundabout and is about to exit where the lanes go back into one. As you can imagine the roundabout can be a little fraught! I don't understand why someone has designed the roundabout with two lanes going straight into a single carriageway when it is a pretty small roundabout so there is no room to filter properly when traffic is heavy and it seems to cause lots of horn beeping.





I used to always choose the left hand lane as I was taking the second exit in effect but with the bulk of users being in the right hand lane should I be a sheep and use that lane instead? The left hand lane is also easier to negotiate as you don't have to bother trying to filter back in but there is the risk from right lane choosers who take exception to you 'queue jumping'. Any opinions on the safest way to negotiate this roundabout?
teabelly Read more

FiF,

Will they fit an Omega estate ?

M. Read more