November 2002
My dilemma: a 1997 Lexus GS 300 with 80,000 miles against a 18 month old Ford Mondeo LX hatchback with 12000 miles. Both are automatic, both are from main dealers and both are a whisker under £10K (prior to some good,hard negotiation, of course). Strange bed-fellows, I know, but they are a result of an exhaustive search looking for a vehicle with excellent front leg room and comfortable seats. The Mondeo has marginally the larger cabin all around. With a hatchback it is undoubtedly the more practical, insurance is around £200 cheaper and day to day running costs should prove lower. However, a used Lexus will be prepared to `as new` standards and will have an excellent warranty and dealer back up. Numerous satisfaction surveys suggest I will enjoy Lexus ownership far more than Ford. That said, the motoring press generally agree that the current Mondeo is an excellent vehicle and far better than many `luxury` competitors. As with all things automotive, the ultimate issue - and the biggest cost - is going to be depreciation.
So, what would you do??
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Alas, I am one of the unlucky owners of a 2.0 Omega and have
just been told that a pinhole in the front downpipe of the
exhaust will mean replacement of the cat as well (The two are
one if you see what I mean)
It seems a bit extreme to discard the cat for a holed pipe, has anyone out there had a similar problem? Or can anyone recommend
a cheaper solution than replacing the £250+ cat!
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If the corrosion is very local, you might be able to drill the pinhole and block it with bolt/nut/washer.
If you can't get to the inside of the pipe to do this, you could try using a heavy gauge self-tapping screw instead. In this case, you could open up the hole using a round taper punch so as to form a wall for the screw to bite in to.
Following up on earlier comments here I have been getting quotes for the above.
- One place wanted £249 incl VAT for back box only (they couldn't supply the rest)
- Crombster's place in Scotland do a fully fitted system for £330 incl VAT & fitting but they want the car for 1/2 a day (hard for them to fit it without, I suppose)
- A London place offered one for £550 + VAT + p&p (no fitting), then within seconds reduced it to £360 ++ when I said it was too dear.
However, Halfords can supply a Jetex system for £398. Which, given that a standard replacement is nearly £300 (albeit fitted) seems good value.
Does anyone have experience of Jetex? It has 25 year gurantee (which is long enough for me).
And I just ordered EBC pads (as recommended by many here) direct from UK agent - Green Stuff for front @ £39 + VAT, standard Kevlar for rear (no Green Stuff available) @ £16.20. Impressive prices...(plus of course VAT & P&P) Read more
Robert - stick it in the classifieds here, you never know when you might get a bite...
Is it a good idea to buy a 13,000 mile 4 year old Corolla. I've heard it's better to buy a higer mileage car (given that both cars are the same age) than a low one. Not sure of the reasoning behind this tho'. Read more
Low mileage usually means short journeys or that the car has stood for weeks, neither of which are good for it.
After a £250 replacement alarm control unit damaged by leak into passenger footwell and a leak that supposedly can't be traced but could be a cracked pollen filter casing I now face the same possibilty of it happening again. Any other known cases? Any solutions? VW cover up?
hfo Read more
How correct you are but Ford still now all about the problem and have replaced some failed electronic control units effected by this problem on galaxys free of charge
chris
Hi all,
A while ago I posted on here about my woes with my 306. When cornering and travelling at low speed across rough ground, I can hear a creaking/banging type sound coming from the O/S front wheel area. The general opinion was that the arb droplinks needed replacing. Well I replaced them, and guess what, the noise is still there. Does anybody have any ideas? I have pinned it down to about 3 components. It could be the wishbone bushes are shot. (Any way to test these, visually they look ok.) It could be the lower balljoint on the bottom of the strut (Again, where do I push/pull to test for play?!) or it could be the strut top mounting. I have ruled out the driveshaft as I have already replaced this. Does anybody have any ideas, as replacing bits randomly is starting to get expensive!
Cheers
Ross Read more
1. Check the lower wishbone rubber bushes - look for any signs that the rubber is separating from the metal. But on my 306, this was associated with some vibration under braking, not with creaking/banging.
2. You've already done the anti-roll bar drop links, but ....
In my case these were associated with what I described as rattling (not creaking/banging) when driving over rougher surfaces. Being on the anti-roll bar, the rattling was worse on surfaces where the two wheels were moving independently - driving in a straight line over a speed hump produced no rattle (just the usual boing / crunch!).
3. Check the pinch bolt on the bottom ball joint is (very) tight. When my garage fixed [1], they forgot to tighten the pinch bolt and it allowed a little bit of movement. Just enough to make an occasional knocking noise. Not loud, not often and didn't worry me until it was spotted during an MOT.
4. None of these fully fit your description. Which just leaves the top suspension mounting which (touch wood) I haven't had any problems with yet.
Just heard on the radio that this is a new site.
www.parking-appeals.gov.uk
I expect it could get quite busy ;-) Read more
i checked the parking area this morning and its a £60 fine with a £30 discount for paying within £14 days.
If i'd seen a ticket, i would have paid it straight away just to get it done with.
We now have to contact the councils 'Parking Shop' !!!
VW Bora - nice car, shame about the dealers
Wouldn't it be great if there was an HJ radio station dedicated to cars and AOR? I would listen to it. Imagine the phone-ins - all those reps on the road. Read more
It's called BBC Radio Two.
Does anyone know which company runs the service station near Oxford on the A34, by the A44 turning?
And does anyone know if it has just one main restaurant area?
(am trying to arrange a fail-safe meeting point)
Thanks very much.
Rebecca Read more
Thanks as ever to all who replied. In the end I drove all the way, cutting out the need for a meeting point altogether. On the way home, as I was on the roundabout heading for the A34 I glanced at the services and I couldn't see that they were under any one brand (Granada, Moto etc) but it was only a quick look so could have missed it.
Anyway, thanks again for all your help.
Rebecca
Motorists are to be directed to drive on the hard shoulder at peak times to relieve congestion. Sensors in the road will detect jams building up and gantries will flash intructions. The idea is to be tested on a stretch of the M42 near Birmingham. Read more
I thought I heard something about the hard shoulder being used to ease congestion near junctions by allowing those wishing to exit the motorway at that point to use the hard shoulder to do so when the nearside lane was blocked. It was implied that this would only apply in these circumstances and in certain well known trouble spots.
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Although the Lexus is a far better car, I would be inclined to say that if you cannot afford a lower mileage Lexus, then take the Mondeo. The warranty will take care of the car for a couple of years, plus it wont cost megabucks to repair. 80'000 miles will ensure there will be a few components in need of replacement, and i'm sure they will not be cheap.
If your happy to keep the cheque book handy and deal with the higher running costs of the Lexus then there is no competition from a Mondeo.