June 2003
Hello All,
I wonder if anyone could tell me whether my wife needs "Commuting" or "Business use" on her car insurance.
I am unsure what to include because her permanent place of work is a mobile classroom that is towed between local schools. Each week it is moved to a different school around Bournemouth. She drives to her mobile classroom and works from it each day.
So, does the mobile form her permanent place of work (therefore requiring only commuting) or would her drive to work be considered to be visiting multiple establisments in the course of her business day, therefore requiring business use.
I would be interested what Backroomers think because it makes a difference to our premium of course.
Thanks very much
from Jason
p.s. Is anyone on here a supply teacher, because that Would seem to be a good comparison?
How are birds supposed to know its a sanctuary? Read more
Just bought a low mileage L reg Clio from garage. Took it back straight away as clearly had coolant leak. Garage did pressure test and said "No it didn't". Had to drive a fair distance away and found coolant still being lost. Took it to the nearest Renault garage who diagnosed a "loose bolt just above the water pump; it's tightened and alright now". Drove it a bit; leak no better. Took it back to original garage which sold it and said "It still leaks" They did another pressure test and repeated "No leak." I said "What's that drip then?" You could see it on the wishbone by the driver's front wheel!
They've had it back and have fixed it by "loosening all of the bolts in the head and re-tightening them according to the prescribed sequence". They haven't replaced the gaskets or anything. Does this sound like a proper and likely solution? They said they didn't want me to think they'd only done half a job and so now I'm beginning to think that's exactly what they have done.
Would appreciate any views.
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Have owned a Renault 12, Renault 11, Renault 18 , Renault 21 and Renault 19 over the years. (OK - for years I thought they were the bee's knees - until I bought a Citroen.....) In every case, I changed the coolant every 2 years, using proper Renault coolant - never a minute's trouble.
In those days I did all my own servicing - very meticulously, supposing I say it myself!
Now that I have the C5, with 3 year warranty, I can't touch it! (Grrr!)
Graeme
Hi,
I have a 1999 T reg Vauxhall Astra 1.7 TD, and want to know whether I am OK towing a caravan with a weight of 741kg gross max.
Any advice welcome!
Many thanks.
Tim Read more
The 2000 Astra brochure quotes 1150kg max braked trailer weight with a kerbweight of 1189-1264 dependent on model, so 85% is 1011-1074, so you should be well in. Max noseweight is 75 kg.
This is doing my head in, bought the car about 2 months ago private, ive had the tracking done 4 times, 3 times at autocare (they re-did at twice a week after the 1st time) and 1 time at a vw dealer, i also have 3 brand new tyres on and the back right is nearly new (2 tyres at the front are avon, back 2 are different)
The reading from the VW dealer told me that i have a slightly bent rear axle as the reading said it was pointing about 1.17 degrees to the left, would this be the actual cause of it, as i know you'll never get 0 degrees, and it does it at any speed.
Also the steering feels a little lumpy, when you turn the wheel sometimes, its feels like the wheel drags. Ive checked the bearings in the wheels as well, but no joy. The thing is a new rear axle is £600 !!!
any ideas much appreciated Read more
Try this site www.uk-mkivs.net Lots of info about MKIV Golfs/Boras etc. Very friendly site.
link ammended. DD
My Mum has a Clio which she only uses very occasionally. The rest of the time it is garaged (near the sea). Last year we found that all of the tyres were going more or less flat in the space of a week!
We took the car to a tyre dealer and he spent a whole day buffing the rims to remove rust. He reckoned the tyres were losing air at the rims. At first, this seemed to do the trick.
This year, however, we are right back to square one! Leave the car for a week and 3 of the tyres go from 30 psi to flat!
Any suggestions?
Is it still legal (sensible?)these days to fit tubes to tubeless tyres?
Would a new / good secondhand set of rims be the answer?
How about the stuff you can inject into the valves to seal punctures? Is that only for a 'get you home' solution?
Has anyone else seen this phenomenon with a Clio or anything else?
Graeme Read more
Upto a few years ago,any tyre shop would put a tube in for you!!;are tubed tyres still made? because if they aren't how do the people with cars from before rhe 60's manage as many rims were not suitable for tubeless due to the design and manufacture?
Hi All
I have a VW Golf 1300 Mk2 82,000 miles.
After a few minutes driving and going over 60 mph I hear an intermitent high pitch noise from the front of the car. After this time the noise can sound at lower speeds. It also occurs whilst in neutral.
A mechanic has briefly heard this and he says it is the brake calipers possibly seizing, possibly due to brake dust. This results in contact with the disc thus giving the noise. The seizure is therefore occuring as the wheels warm up.
From reading similiar problems I believe the cause is due to front brake calipers possibly seizing, possibly due to brake dust.
How do I fix this problem? Do I just remove the calipers and brush off all the brake dust? Do I fit new \"retaining springs\"?
The pad thicknesses are well above the min.
If it\'s not the calipers could it be a warped disc?
Thanks
Andrew
Read more
www.performancevwmag.com
is the site
VAG is the vw audi group ie \'proper\' car parts
couldn\'t comment on suitability of the calipers but Andrew E will know as he seems to know everything about vw brakes
Hi,
I have a '99 Vectra 2.0 Di and I'm about to change the oil... or not, as it seems. I don't have a socket large enough to take the top off the oil filter housing, my largest socket is 1.5" (imperial I know, but it is the largest I have) - even my large adjustable spanner won't widen enough - not that I could get it in a position to use anyway.
So, does anyboy know the correct socket size for the oil filter housing? I'm guessing around 45mm.
What with the unecessarily large socket required for the oil filter housing and the torx socket required for the sump plug - it's turning into an expensive service!
Kind regards,
Cyrill666 Read more
OK, 36mm socket purchased from Halfords in York - last one they had... after a brief search in the garage for the torx bit needed for the sump plug, I completed the service no problems.
Thanks for everyones input, invaluable as always.
Kind regards,
Cyrill666
Hi, hope you can help !
Car is cutting out when stationary or slowing down. Garage have just charged £268 in total for the following yesterday -
clean out injection system
replacing regulator valve
oil filter
air filter
Full service
and some other bits and bobs but problem remains !!!!!!!!!!!!!
should i stop the cheque ?!! Cars are not really my fortay ! what exactly should i be getting them to do. should i take it somewhere else ?
cheers Read more
Hope this is some help. I'm retired now but after a career in Technical Support one does develop a certain amount of "nouse".
Been there done that with intermittent HDi power loss which was so annoying that I almost phoned the scrap-man. Typically a 306 HDi will cut out for about a second on a five mile drive. If the accelerator was left alone (foot off) during the "hiccup" the power would return. The impression given was that fuel starvation was occuring - it probably was but not in the way that one might expect! Computers all work in the same way of course and RUBBISH IN = RUBBISH OUT so for a while the Throttle Position Sensor became the chief suspect. Eventually it was noticed that "pedalling" the accelerator during a "hiccup" did make a slight change but how could the potentiometer track be intermittent in all positions?...
Hi,
Following on from my previous message out Nissan Micra K11 requires a new fuel pump so we got a new one , it retails at £104 vat :eek: from nissan (got it for like £90 though as I know someone there), local motorfactors wanted between £180- £350 :eek:
Anyway, you need to pull the rear seats out to get to the pump.
Trouble is I cant see anyway of getting the base part out, anyone know how?
See below for pics
The clips are shown in the locations below
www.khlmporte27.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nissanseat2.j...g
Close up of clips or whatever they are
www.khlmporte27.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nissanseat.jpg
Anyone know how to remove the back seat? (well remove the clips) without ripping them to bits.
Haynes manual = useless
Thanks
Matt Read more
Managed to get it off in the end :-)
Replaced the fuel pump and its all working now.
Thanks
Matt
I have been asked to help ferry some old folk from their accomodation to a day-care centre and back maybe 2 or 3 times a week. For this I will get paid an hourly rate and some pence per mile, and suddenly I'm carrying passengers "for hire or reward". Fair enough, but my broker won't even talk to me about hire or reward, much less give me a quote. Google chucks about 7000 insurance companies back at me. Any ideas or recommendations to short circuit the inevitable long process of getting a quote that's a bit out of the ordinary?
H.
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Hi - hope you still look at this site, as it is a while ago since you posted. My husband is unemployed and at age 58 he has still not had any luck with employment. He does "meals on wheels" as a volunteer and reported this to his insurance company who made no change to his policy. We live in semi sheltered accommodation and there are many people who use a taxi for shopping or visiting the hospital. Several times my husband has helped these people out. However with the cost of petrol he now would like to take these people to where they are going on a mileage basis. Meaning a round trip of say 8 miles (town centre and back) would cost £3.60 for petrol. Is that hire and reward?
Mega SNIPQUOTE!
Browse
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So if your wife has no fixed place of employment it may be possible that as far as the Inland Revenue is concerned she has an 'area based employment' in which case all travelling within that area will be qualifying business travel, even if it is home to each location. She will then be entitled to a tax deduction of 40p a mile for the first 10,000 miles in a tax year and 25p a mile for each subsequent mile.
Look at the leaflets on the inland revenue website, and if she thinks she qualifies submit a claim, you can go back 5 years but need a diary or a mileage record. It has to worth trying.