October 2003
Hi all,
I recently had an incident in my Ford Racing Puma in which I was driving round a roundabout and someone pulled out in front of me. I shot straight into the side of the other car damaging the front quarter of the car.
The other person admited liability and the car has been repaired. However when the garage put the car on their 4-wheel alignment machine they found that the back was massively out. It turns out that the rear axle was 'bent'. The mechanic and I came to the conclusion that this must have happened at a different time (before I had the car).
As I have only had the car 4 months and I bought it from a car dealer, do I have every right to take it back and demand a full refund?
Thanks in advance,
Mike Read more
I have Volvo 850 TDI Estate. Recently it developed a problem where the headlamps stay on even when the ignition is switched off and key removed. I replaced the headlamp rotary switch but this did not resolve the problem. Even if I remove the switch and unplug it, the tail lights remain on. I suspect it could be a relay problem. Please advise.
Thanks ... Gary Read more
I concur on the ignition switch - it is often forgotten when diagnosing faults.
Had a Xantia TD in lately with an intermittant heater blower fan - turned out to be an ignition switch fault believe it or not!
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
There seem to be a few of these showing up at auction, just now & as I'm thinking of an estate, instead of my van & don't do the miles I used to...........
I know I should go with 110 diesel, if it's to be a 406, but £5000 ish for a 50K 3yr old V6 as opposed to twice the miles on the oil burner, makes you think!!
VB Read more
Thanks for input, guys.
I'll maybe try one for a run first.But please don't be surprised to still see me chugging up n down the motorway in my Maestro van, in 6 months time. Just clicked over to 311,000 miles today!
VB
On Sunday I was following a Ford Maverick, who indicated left, pulled over and stopped, I indicated to overtake, got halfway alongside to notice a red temporary traffic light, a BMW was on my tail, the guy in the Maverick jesticulated.
Where were the traffic light signs?
Why did the guy in the Maverick indicate left when he stopped for the light?
Why did the guy behind in the BMW toot his horn when I stopped because the light was red.
Then a driver came through the lights from the other direction who also jesticulated.
And why do they always place these lights on a sharp blind bend, so you sit and wait for someone to spin around the corner into the back of your car? Read more
Not me I'm perfect ;-)
In fact my only failing is my extreme modesty ;)
An aquaintance has purchased a nearly new Vectra ('51 reg) with an auto gearbox. He has owned autos for years, and every one did not run backwards downhill when in Drive. Except this one. He has exhausted the local Vauxhall dealer, they have referred him direct to Vauxhall, who say that the new gearbox does not have antirunback feature as a fuel economy measure.
Can anybody with similar car advise ? Read more
The point is that the modern autos give an extra choice. You don't have to use the handbrake on a hill if you don't use the footbrake either and just let the engine and torque converter do the job, just like it always did. You can choose to use foot brake on the flat and not use it on a hill.
Can get a Skoda 1.2 54bhp for £6880 with free insurance?
Is this a good buy compared to a Yaris T2 1.0 at £6500 with free insurance ? Which is the best?
Skoda is bigger, has very cheap GP1 insurance group etc. Yaris more reliable.
any thoughts.... I know neither will win any races. Read more
Just to put my 2p to answer your question to welliesorter.
We bought a base 1.4 for Mrs FiF, and don't regret it. Now 18 months old and nothing wrong on delivery or since. Touch wood!
The 1.4 is the 8v 68 bhp [50kw] and its no tarmac burner, but driven well definitely has no problem keeping up with the pace of traffic around town, or even on quick rural and motorway roads. A few reasonable journeys in it ie 200miles plus round trip but mainly used as a local run car hence fuel consumption given the type of use nothing to write home about. Even three/four up with some luggage definitely not an embarrassment. Any long runs we usually use my car.
I know HJ is fairly disparaging of the 8v engine but the others were not suited to our type of usage and the extra cost of the diesels could not be financially justified.
Looked very carefully at the Yaris and whilst the sliding rear seat is a good design idea, can't help but feel that was a Toyota bodge solution to a boot which was just too small. That alone tipped the balance against what is a very nice car though.
How many times have you all heard of this one?
2 partners share a car, both with some or full NCD.
1 partner maintains relevent NCD, but other partner neglects NCD and when he/she needs to insure a car in the future...
WALLOP! NCD = 0 because he/she has not insured a car in years!
The people who bought my Xantia had a brilliant idea,
As they each drive the one car just as much as the other, they take turns in having the insurance in each name.
Sounds simple - unless those insurance types out there can think why they should not be doing this?
Hugo
"Forever indebted to experience of others" Read more
I have a similar policy with Fizzell (aka Liverpool Victoria). Well worth it!
I used to work for Liv Vic on the life assurance side of things, but no more, having set up my own business. Still the best deal for my car insurance, covering my Alfa and Mrs ND's Laguna with full protected NCD based on my record and Mrs ND's history as a named driver. Full business cover was added at little cost and a modification to my car (it's been superchipped) was no cost, with a new certificate confirming the modifications to satisfy my cynical streak.
Hello - need some advise please. I seem to have driven my second hand Fiat Uno 45 999cc engine (13 years old) without oil. Now, it has sprung a bigger oil leak than the earlier one, and does not retain oil. I have put in 3 litres roughly but the bottom of the car and parts of the engine, belt are coated with oil. The dipstick does not show any oil. I was very happy with the car as it had sone only 36,000 miles with another single owner and had been serviced every year. Could you please advise what to do so as to get the car into a decent position again. I do not know how much it costs, what do to etc.
The story regarding the leak is - drove to the office under high pressure of work (despite oil light coming on for a few seconds). Drove back in the evening from office to home. Then put in 1.5 lts but the dipstick did not show oil. People said let the oil go down, check tomorrow. So I went to a neighbouring village for meetings friends and came back late. On the way back (at around 40mph to 60 mph), there was a slight smell and lot of smoke upon reaching home. Opened bonnet - saw smoke. Put some more oil into the engine. Found mayonnaise in it (seemed to have earlier too but not so white).
Could you please advise what I should do and whether it can work again? Does anyone know a good garage in Northampton? Read more
The driver's seat on SWMBO's 306 Sedan has worked loose, and armed with Haynes manual, I intend to fix it myself.
Before I do however, is this a known fault with a known cure, please, such as tightening a bolt, or perhaps replacing a pawl that I could order from local motor factor or Pug dealer beforehand?
As far as I can see without dismantling, the entire seat assembly is free to move backwards and forwards about half an inch on the runners, which are firmly bolted to the floor.
Many thanks. Read more
What have Mercedes done to the Sprinter please to endow it with a top speed akin to its name, apparently well in excess of other vans, and with better unladen motorway pickup than some cars, similar unladen? In many respects this is better than a Tranny hogging the overtaking lane for mile after mile as it creeps past whatever is being overtaken with a speed differential of 0.05 MPH, but whatever has been done, it is quite marked.
I ask after seeing yet another courier company Sprinter being driven at warp factor nine, tailgating hard up the jacksy of the car in front. I was cruising at an indicated 80MPH in the inside lane, and both came past me on level ground like I was going backwards (95+ MPH).
It's not just here, but in Germany too that I have noticed The Sprinter Phenomenom. Read more
driving around all the coal mines , in there v8,s caused a lot of proplems ,,
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errrrr No. Now you have had an accident in the car, you have very little chance of getting your money back. To have any chance at all you are going to need a full written report from a qualified motor engineer. He will have to state, and be prepared to testify in court, that there was 100% no chance that the accident you had had anything to do with the alignment.
If the back was massively out how before the accident how come this didnt show up in handling or tyre wear?