April 2003
Easter Sunday and I'd said I'd visit the parents for lunch and a chat. It's a simple journey, 85 miles up the M40 which is a doddle. So the journey goes without event and probably the last trip my trusty Rover 623 GSi makes there before its gets sold. It all goes without absolutely no event at all until I get off the slip and stop waiting to turn onto the A-road.
Only the engine doesn't feel too great and there's a nasty vibration coming into the car. Check the dials, oil light ok, battery light ok, diagnostics ok, rev counter, wobbling a bit.
So I kill the stereo and get the window down, it sounds like a lawnmower.
Oh dear, it's a clear road so off I go and it sounds like its about to stall at first but it picks up and it's fine again, 60mph.
Next roundabout, slow down, sounds a bit rough, more vibration in the car. So I need to get off these A-roads with no lay-bys. Only now checking the rear view, smoke, not too much but smoke nonetheless.
Oh dear.
I limp into town and try to coast the car, it's not smoking now, it's a James Bond-esque smoke screen. Cars backing off, I'm looking out of the rear view and it's white with that oily blue tinge, nothing in the background just smokescreen.
So I find a road, park up. I've made it within 2 miles of my parents and call home, Dad mutters something about the oil. I had it serviced only 3,000 miles ago, new oil and I checked it a fortnight ago. I open up the bonnet and check the oil. %^%&ing hell ! No oil. Dad arrives, start it up, it sounds a bit lumpy and then ticks over fine nicely on a blip of the pedal, smoke everywhere. I have a pint of the usual oil in the boot for top-ups and we decide to pour it in to at least get something in there. Start it for a while to get it around the engine.
So I call the RAC on Easter Sunday and get a tow home.
My own, Dad's and fellow neighbour classic car nut all think it's a head gasket failure. But it's used all its oil and the water isn't too depleted but it's below min on the expansion tank. As for the mayonnaise on the oil cap, nothing. The exhaust has no sooty water, just lots of soot. All I could think about is I was totally oblivious to this on the way there and it would have not been unlikely to have experienced an engine seize if I'd done any more miles that week.
So the moral of this story, check the oil at least once a week. NEVER rely on the oil light, it never came on at all and there must have been less than a pint in there. I know I check the oil for my other car religiously but for one week on my daily driver didn't and this happens. s**s law? Absolutely. Glad I bought the cheap RAC cover with my car insurance, too right.
God knows what's wrong with it, I really hope it's a slight split in the gasket but with that much smoke I know only too well it could be something a lot more expensive.
Oh crap.
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Assuming:
1)
The insuers arranges collection to a garage who then quotes for repair. The insurers write the car off, and the car is collected from the garage (not know where taken)
The insurers make an offer
2) The car is still owned by you.
3) If you turn down the offer (below reasonable market value), who is reponsible for the storage fees - the
insurer or the policyholder, whilst an settlement is agreed?
3) Can the insurer deduct "storage" from the payout? Would they be required to nofify that they would no longer cover storage charges from a certaindate (particulary if Storage is not mentioned in the policy, or any subsequent correspondance) Read more
Hi
Just looking at the figures for the new Accord in the Road Tests section, and noticed that while the 2.0SE does 0-60 in 8.7s, 137mph, 38.2mpg + 176g/km, the Sport does 8.9s, 135mph, 35.2mpg + 190g/km.
Given that the Sport only differs from the SE in having "Electro-hydraulic power steering; cruise control; 16in alloy wheels; front fog lights; technical metal trim inserts; no sunroof", are the differences in performance and especially economy to be expected? Is it the power steering that's doing the damage?
regards
John Read more
No problem - let's hope your alternator doesn't go up in smoke as well.....
Richard
The rain has come back and so have the wet carpets in the passenger well of my Focus.
I have read all the past threads on this subject and they all point to the scuttle panel above the pollen filter housing. This panel was supposed to have been changed under warranty during the last wet period but the chap said it was the latest type - one with the collecter scoop and there was no need.
There is still a gap between the panel and the windscreen towards the door post. Would this let water into the car?
I removed the carpets and saw that the water was dribbling from the top left hand corner of the passenger footwell.
There is also a gap on the driver side between the panel and the windscreen. Would this let water into the drivers side as the carpets always seem to be very damp.
Any advice / help would be much appreciated. Read more
A lot of people moan about Ford so It's nice to know that they can do warranty work without having to take them to court etc.
Has anyone experience of farmers liability with regard to cows on the highway(fenced)at night.My wife going to work at 9.30pm came round a corner to have a farmer jump out at her waving his arms.The result was a broken grill,badly dented bonnet and a smashed windscreen.The farmer suffered a dislocated shoulder.The police have told my wife she hasn't done anything wrong and indeed the farmer is at fault.I don't think it right that she should lose her NCB through no fault of her own.Any advice welcomed.
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they, in the majority, are not custodians of the countryside as they would have you believe
Indeed. In general modern farming is not wildlife friendly though many farmers do go out of their way to help wildlife.
Back on topic, I have seen a cow leap a wooden fence, and another get back in to a field by climbing between the strands of a wire fence. Daisy is a tad more devious than we would credit.
In many areas it is common to find pigs, sheep and semi-wild horses on the road. Usually just round a blind bend.
******** Volume full & closed, please see volume 9. ********
In this thread you may ask any question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.
It does not need to be motoring related. In fact, in this thread it should not be.
No politics
No Speeding, speed cameras, traffic calming
No arguments or slanging matches
Nothing which I think is not following the spirit of the thread.
I will delete any of the above. If the thread becomes difficult to maintain I will simply remove it.
However, as has been said a couple of times, there is a wealth of knowledge in here, much of which is not motoring related, but most of which is useful.
This is Volume 8. Volume 7 will not be deleted. Read more
pulling the volumes together
Hi I'm new here but notice that there was discussion on the above company a while ago. I've had a very good quote from them for a high demand car.
Has anyone used them and if so could you outline their procedures and how the transaction went?
I must admit to being a little surprised by the excellent price the've quoted, but they are now advertising on the Auto Trader website - should be a good sign?
Any comments would be great.
Thanks Read more
I bought a Renault Megane Dynamique from New-Car-Discount.com and although I felt uneasy buying a car over the net, I was pleasantly surprised by the overall service i received.
The price of the car was almost £2,000 cheaper than my local dealer and they didn't ignore me! The car was about a week late, but they kept me informed and I would definatly use them again in fact I have already reccomended them to my neighbour who bought a Mazda 6 from them and he is due to get it next week.
As far as the process goes they do everything for you (apart from setting up your insurance)
Keep me posted.
Daughter's friend brought round a 1.2 Clio S-reg today with a very noisy petrol pump. Renault dealer says £350 to replace while independent local garage says around £240. The dealer says the flow of fuel is within spec so the pump operation is OK apart from what sounds like mechanical (but plasticky) noise. It has got noisier over the last 2K miles and since he plans to p/ex or sell the car privately in a couple of months he now wants to put in a quieter replacement from a breakers. Since the pump is beneath a hatch under the rear seat on top of the tank it looks like a simple unscrew fuel lines and pump body and drop in the replacement. Is it really that easy? I've sent him off to buy a Haynes manual but does anyone have an experience of changing the Clio pump and what to watch out for? Read more
I don't want to be too negative but the 94 and 98S Clios are entirely different body shapes and it's not impossible that the tank will have to be removed on the later car.
Trust Mr Haynes on this one, and remember that refitting is a reversal of removal.
I have 10,000-12,000 to spend. I'm confused and need direction. What to buy? Saab 9-3 convertible; Audi convertible; Audi 1.8T; Lexus IS 200; BMW in price range? I drive 15,000 mls/yr on A roads - few overtaking opportunities (need a car thats quick off the mark). Any suggestions? Read more
Audi 5 no? My father in laws just brought himself a new one, riddiculously expensive, but i have to say the build and perfromance are pretty good. The TDI's got some poke to it with the bhp you can opt for at the higher range of things. Nice leather interior also and the Audi cd player and charger sounded good too.
I have run a search on this subject, but found little info on the best available locking wheel nuts on the market. With a set of alloys and tyres costing in the region of 2 grand, - what make would B.R`s recommend as the best on the market ???? Read more
>>it is probably worth getting two different sets of nuts
I'd go with that. Remember, if they really want the wheels, they'll get them whatever you do. Two sets will stop all chancers and all but the most determined of scumbags.
Browse
You have a duty to minimise your losses.
However, you insurance company need to satisfy the storage charges.
Until they make their offer, then the storage charges are all their responsiblity. Unless, especially when dealing with a TP Insurer, they advise you that the car may now be disposed of. At that point, give or take a bit for reasonableness, they will stop paying the storage.
If they make an offer to you, you refuse it and then they increase the offer, the storage is still down to them.
If they make you an offer, you refuse it, they don't increase it, and then you accept it anyway, its a bit more difficult.
Will you keep the car ? If not, send them a letter stating that you accept it is a write-off, that you do not accept their offer, but you assume that they are responsible for the disposal of the car.