December 2002
I have submitted...
i think im going to get a mini from a dealer....
the TLC pack has won me over as you get 5 years servicing for £100....very good price.
The thing is, do dealers offer any discounts at all? -i.e. £100-200? or are they all List price? Read more
As somebody said on an earlier thread on the Fireman's strike:-
"We might as well pretend that this is a motoring forum and discuss such things."
So -----
I understand that the favoured second job of Firemen is as a Taxi Driver; which the carry out on their alternate 4 days off.
When they are deservedly and inevitably forced to give their industrial malpractices they can always quit and take up taxi driving or any form of driving full time.
Having got used to sleeping and watching TV whilst on paid duty I hope they remember that it is dangerous to do so whilst driving.
It is possible that they may be asked to work with part time drivers or, horror of horrors, work overtime. That would really go against the grain.
I am certain that there are lots of driving jobs that get a 2/3rds final pay pension after 30 years. They should be aware though that statistics show that full time driving is a lot more dangerous than being a fireman.
Their laudable concern for the safety of the public is really appreciated. However they really do not need to worry as if they do quit for a driving job, there are 40 applicants for each of their jobs and they can be fully trained in just a few weeks. They will be happy to do the job at the present salary and conditions.
does anyone know for sure what the approach is on modern vehicles in relation to venting of the fuel tank - in the old days it used to be a pin hole in the fuel cap, but do they still do this ?
I thought they vented via a charcoal cannister or something ?
Why does the cap make a hiss when undoing it - is it a vacume or pressure ?
The reason I ask is I am having problems with my new Ford Galaxy regarding strong smell of petrol fumes from the petrol cap (only when driving or after stopping) and the dealer says it's normal, blah, blah. I cannot believe this is normal...
I never used to smell petrol from my old cars and surely a modern car should be better... Read more
thank you both for your comments, I have booked it into another dealer and see what happens this time.Otherwise I am going to have to get an independent inspection, from the AA or RAC perhaps.
cheers
I have been looking for a Focus hatchback and went to view one at a local Ford dealer. The carpet on the front passenger side was a little wet. Salesman said "it is coming from the pollen filter, it has not been put back correctly after it was checked" Is this b.....it or an example of the standard of service to be expected? When I checked the rear carpets we were talking serious flooding, definitely not caused by an ill fitting pollen filter. Is the Focus leaky or have I just found a bad one?
Read more
Exactly the same thing has happened to my 99T Focus, it remains watertight until parked with the right hand side lower then leaks heavily into the passenger footwell.
Being covered by a Ford Dealers warranty appears to be of no use either as they insist on charging an 'inspection' fee.
Is it simply a case of putting some of this tape on the plastic cover on the bulkhead? Easier to do myself then leave the car at the dealer for a week and be liable for any cost they can conjure up!
Perhaps my enquiry, made in the CITROEN DEALER post elsewhere, should have been better placed here, so here it is.........
I'm not able to respond to the specific question here, but instead, have a question about Citroen and Peugeot in general. I, at present, have a Yaris and because it's a Toyota don't have any great concern re. reliability. I've been looking at the correspondence about the new Berlingo/Peugeot Partner and am well aware of the comments and experiences regarding French versus Japanese. HJ often expresses doubt over French models (including the Scenic, this week in the Telegraph column). Yet he recommends the Berlingo as much as the Yaris. I'm a bit confused as to whether to expect the French to be as reliable as the Japanes given their poor statistcal showing in JD Power and almost everywhere else - and yet there are so many Kangoo's, Scenic's, Picasso's, Berlingo's, surely they wouldn't sell if they were that bad? The Gas Boards/WaterBoards plus a million other firms use them - they surely wouldn't keep buying stuff that was patently duff?
My Yaris is great - provided you don't want to put anything bigger than a shoebox in the boot. The Berlingo HDI is much more useful - the Picasso equally so. Yet they're as cheap as chips (comparatively). I'm concerned that if I sold a Toyota for a Citroen and it all went wrong, everyone would say "What did you expect?
Finally, it is my perception that Peugeot wasn't/isn't known to be as quirky as Citroen, yet the Berlingo and Partner are virtually identical. Are they made side by side - in which case where's the grounding for my argument?
Advice please - particularly from HJ himself in order to square the points about his recommendation of a brand which, elsewhere, he is much less enthusiastic about.
Incidentally, there's a newer version of the Picasso with black rather than beige dashboard - to reduce the glare problem presumably.
I note the deadline regarding the discount on Citroen's, but cannot help but feel that Citroen have 'always' heavily discounted their models and even if the 17.5percent deal does finish soon, then there'll be another just around the corner.
Look forward to replies in order to put my mind at rest.
KB. Read more
Thanks, both, for info and opinions.
Regards,
KB.
I'm new to the forum, so please forgive me if this is a topic thats been covered. I have recently moved to London, and thanks to Ken my car has been sitting relatively unused since July. Consequently, I'd like to get rid altogether, and maybe spend a couple of grand on a glorified shopping trolley. However (and for those who stuck around this is the point) I owe around £9300 onteh car, and would get according to Parkers around £6500 (don't ask) on a decent trade in. I could at a stretch pay off the balance, but I know i wont get that trade in price if I'm trading down.
Has anyone a solution, or isn't there one? Read more
I believe it is 50% of the total cost, incuding interest.
A friend of mine has a P reg Fiesta which has just needed a new clutch at less than 30k miles. The garage she took it to claimed that it was one of the 10% of Fiestas that had a clutch from the Mondeo, so as well as changing the clutch unit, they had to change something else. I can't find out exactly what as she isn't that car-literate, but I think it was a servo unit. She's now not too happy with it - it's been done about 10 days and is still *really* sharp and she says it just does not feel right.
First question is, are this garage telling the truth about some Fiestas having a Mondeo clutch? (Sorry, but I don't know which model it is) And further, if they do then surely it is less likely to wear out exceptionally early, as this seems to have done. Also, is it ever necessary to change more than just the clutch itself? Lastly, is 10 days enough for a clutch to bed in, or does it sound like there is something else wrong?
TIA! Read more
Well, I had a 1.3 Fiesta and i can assure you that I did not have a Mondeo clutch fitted at replacement time.
Sounds a little strange to me that Ford would fit a clutch from a car where the smallest engine is 1.8, into a 1.3 Fiesta?
Blue
I've put this in Technical matters because it will only interest the technical minded. The car is near Winchester and has been standing 18 months. The engine runs fine. The body is a bit rusty but not too bad. There is starring on the bonnet. The rear bumper is rusted through. The inside is very poor due to a leaking windscreen seal and is very wet. Some of the leather is splitting apart and the varnish all gone. Carpets are rotten. The rear brakes are locked on. It's parked on grass/earth about 10 metres from the nearest tarmac. A land Rover and 10 metres of chain/steel wire should get it out. From then it needs a trailer. A friend owns it and has to get rid of it because the land owner wants the land back. Fairly urgent. Free. 0208 769 6673. Read more
I'm about to change my company car. I currently run a Merc E220 Cdi around 42mpg. Are there any real savings for switching to LPG - I'm thinking of a Volvo S60 and can't for the life of me work out if it's worth it
regards
dominic Read more
True, but with the lpg car you get all the power and fun of a petrol engine with the running costs of a diesel. It runs much cleaner too and no smelly diesel to deal with. I estimate my petrol use at less than 5%. It goes on to gas within a mile from a cold start and I make sure I never run out of gas. It hurts to be burning @ 74p per litre! There are plenty of places that sell it these days, BP seem to be installing it at most of their outlets.
I'm looking for a used bmw 5 series diesel with reasonably high spec (leather etc) and wonder what anyone out there thinks of the car and where the best place would be to find one. I live in edinburgh Read more
We have had 4 bmw's now and they are superb in every respect - 2 of which were 5 series (520 and 525i SE).
I would look for a 525d or 523d depending on your budget. Autotrader is very good and also try www.findit.co.uk .
MPG is very good on all of the cars and really if you can afford a petrol V6 go for one. From the 525 you would regularly get 35mpg provided it was properly serviced. One thing i would say - make sure items like the Air con and the electric seats work corectly as they cost a fortune to get repaired. Also, the brakes should be given a good once over too.
A colour to avoid is known in the trade as 'doom blue' - this is the dark blue colour on the 3 and the 5 series models and is not easy to sell on.
It is desirable to get a car with aircon, alloys, met paint and obviously a full bmw service history is essential. Avoid bmw dealers as they tend to be high on price, especially for diesels. Try to go to a good specialist but ensure their warranty is good.
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Carmad - if a Cooper with a white roof is a bit camp, how about silver with a black roof?