January 2004
A member of the family has a 'partner' who is currently 'serving ' a 5 yr driving ban in the UK.
I have received at least THREE different reasons* WHY he has such a harsh penalty over his head, and all of them sound like the excrement of an ox. (if you get the meaning...)
Unfortunately, the family member, who has a luke-warm IQ, thinks the sun shines out of etc etc etc, and gets rather houty-toity when we start stroking beards and giving it the 'oh yeah?'...
So, maybe somebody in the backroom can explain what a naughty fellow one has to be to get a 5-yearer ...
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List of implausible excuses...
*#1 - He used to go out with a policewoman, who was "a woman scorned", and used her influence to nail him when he was caught for a speeding offence, which then became "reckless and negligent". (Yeah, right ...)
#2 - He was caught driving at over 140 mph on his motorcycle.
#3 - Was set up by the "pigs" (his words), when somebody he didn't know asked him to move his motorcycle in a pub carpark, and as he got onto it, the police swooped.... Read more
Is it just a Manchester thing, or does almost every X5 country wide have a registration that starts X5? Read more
There is one X5 on my school run.
They live 300 yards from school.
i have these for sale on the classified section.theyre 5 stud pattern.does anyone know if they'll fit any other cars-fiat?lancia?cheers, bunny Read more
cheers.already have them advertised on alfa owner.was hoping might be the same as some fiats-multipla or coupe?
bunny
I have a 1.6 16V Vectra and the pipes are cracked in the airconditioning unit, so I am informed . The local Vauxhall dealer wants over £500 to replace the 2 pipes and refill the system etc. I have tried to track second hand stuff without success. Any suggestions from anyone?
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I'm not sure if these particular pipes are available to the aftermarket yet. The main problem is they are usually difficult to remove, so that bumps the labour up. If you can get someone to repair them, you'll still have the removal/fitting expense. Special brazing rods are available from the US, but it's not always successful, so a lot of places try and avoid attempting repair, as they can't be easily tested off the vehicle, so you run the risk of all the labour but still leaking.
I usually suggest getting the correct parts and doing it that way, as the job will then be guaranteed to work first time. £500 seems a bit steep though, but if the parts are only available from VX, then you may struggle to get it much lower.
Welcome to the cost of a/c parts!
I've checked out HJ's how to buy section which gets me started but I'm hoping someone can steer me to a site which goes through the ins and outs/pitfalls of buying with a loan AND specifically clearing finance when selling and buying another in the future.
I've always had co cars but last yr bought a cheapish car with a cash lump sum, but I'd like something more expensive so this will be my first journey into the delights of car finance.
As always - thanks in advance for any advice. Read more
Okay, good credit is something to start with.
You've forgotten to take company car tax into account, which is about £1600 based on 0.4 × 0.2 (emissions based BIK, for a sensible large diesel, probably higher for something juicier) × £20k NB this is based on list, so the actual BIK payments may be up to 25% higher for a car you would spend your own money on.
Would you get a mileage allowance for any business miles on top of your cash? This could tip the balance if this is generous. 40p per mile at 5000 miles per year (okay, we don't all get that!) is £1200 after tax and would pay for your remaining private mileage if you were getting 50 mpg.
At £20k you're looking at an amount larger than most bank loans are designed to cope with. Personal contract hire isn't necessarily a bad way to go, although it depends very much on the individual deal. Sometimes they can get fantastic 'discounts' that don't don't harm residuals too much, keeping the monthly figure down, because there's no advertised cash price at 40% below list or whatever.
Oh and reckoning on 50% retained value at 3 years and 45k isn't impossible by any means, but it depends very much on the car, so choose wisely.
Well Well Well
It seems that the AA and the Police Force have told the country what most backroomers have known for a while.
500,000 drivers in the UK are driving vehicles that are not registered to them.
1,500,000 drivers are driving without insurance.
Well, I'm just glad that legislation was passed to penalise the honest motorists should he or she forget to renew VED on time. I'm sure it'll make all the difference when there are that many people who have decided to go underground with their motoring - I suppose it's cheaper for them in the long run.
Hugo
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Yes Hugo - our glorious leaders seem utterly unwilling or incapable of dealing with those who are at the root of many of the nation's serious problems. et's face it, it's far easier to issue fines and generate revenue from basically decent people they know will pay up.
BTW - did you get my e.mail via Mark ?
I have a punto mk11 it's 2 years old this month and has done 33,000 miles. I have just had my 3rd set of pads fitted (which were very worn - but I managed to catch them before scoring the discs). I had to have the discs changed however because they were below spec. thickness (min. 10.2mm, these were measuring out at 10.17mm with verniers). I admit that I drive the car quite hard and accept that pads & front tyres have to be changed regulary. However I was surprised at the discs. Would you expect the life of the discs to equal that of two sets of pads, or does this sound a bit much? There are drums on the back if this makes a difference.
Opinions appreciated.
Thanks
Mick Read more
Thanks Andy + Dynamic D. I remember now the brake place (kwik fit) said that about the pads being harder, thus increasing wear on the discs. I'm reassured everythin OK now. Thanks for your help.
Mick C
Living up to it\'s stereotype, a Toyota Camry in white. As it rolled up I thought \'that will make a good minicab\'.
It\'s done 360,000 since 1995. Previous owner had a been a busy taxi driver, averaging 1,000 a week for 8 years! Last service with Toyota at 350,000.
Looked very good though. Full years MOT.
£600. Read more
Hi no dosh.
Also if that is the case it hasnt been serviced for 76k unlikly but it does work out like that or was it 66k (miles).
Regards.
Martin W
I want to fit a forward facing child seat in an MX5 Icon (2000W) and have been told by dealer that the car is not fitted with the transponder in passenger seat to deactivate the passenger airbag.
Any ideas on how to overcome this situation?
I don't want to part with the car unless I absolutely have to. Read more
It shouldnt be too difficult to disable the SRS system on the car. It must be possible to either remove a fuse or relay to close the system down. It may be possible, as on VAG cars, to switch the passenger bag off while leaving the drivers bag live. Either way the dealer should be able to advise. Bear in mind that if you do disable the SRS system in toto please tell your insurers!
Andrew
Simplicate and add lightness!!
I have been to look at a Ford Focus TDCi 115 today, all was well until the private seller informed me that he has had a Powerbox tuning thingy fitted for the last 9000 miles.
The BHP is now 130 he says.
The car has 26000 miles on the clock so has done 17000 without this fitted.
My question is will it have done the engine any damage, and does this affect the Ford warranty?
Also, would the engine management need any sort of reprogramming if the Powerbox is taken off? (10 min job allegedly)
Can Ford tell if a car has had a Powerbox fitted then removed?
I could do with a quick answer on this guys.
Cheers,
GC
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Of course every engine is different, and some manufacturers perhaps have better design and production standards than others, but I believe most engines to be over engineered to cope with owner abuse and market variance (extremes of temperature, etc). Many engines also come in a basic state of tune when first introduced to market, so the manufacturer has some leeway to improve spec at little cost later on.
For example, you can bet your life that when the VAG 1.8T lump was first released with 150 BHP, they had a fairly good idea that easy access to 165 (or whatever the exact figure is) and 180 BHP was in the offing (I exclude the 225BHP variant as I understand this has reasonably major mechanical changes).
Volvo produce a 140BHP version of their 2.4 five pot engine for some markets. The only difference to the 170BHP version sold in the UK is software, with identical power and torque between both engines in the low and mid range.
Doesn't the MINI (sorry, Maxi!) Cooper also simply have a chip job over the One to obtain extra ponies?
Finally, a friend of mine in Sweden runs a six year old previous generation Volvo V70 R that has been chip, enhaust, and intercooler tuned to 280BHP (240 standard on his model) for all bar the first few weeks of life. It has now covered over 100,000 miles, is stupendously quick (and he uses it as such), and has been totally reliable apart from an appetite for brake disks.
Browse
Many thnx for the replies - I'll try some specific online enquiries later in the week. (Google is to broad for this type of search!) and hopefully get to the murky bottom of the matter.
THEN it is just a question of breaking the news ... though given the blind-faith aspect, it will probably be ignored as anti-him propaganda.