March 2004
Female friend of mine just part-exed her 306 and got herself an Almera. With the part-ex price agreed at £1800 and a week to go before she picked her new car up, the 306 spits its dummy out and costs friend £800 to fix. Takes longer to fix than expected, friend explains situation to dealer who promptly reduces part-ex value to £750...
Personally, I'd have kept quiet about the repair but there you go. So, is this dodgy practice on the part of the dealer? Read more
Had a discussion (argument) with a colleague this morning on the 'best' technique to use when descending relatively short hills. Not your Alpine pass variety, just a mile or so which proves too steep to keep in check simply by closing the throttle.
I've always favoured braking using a series of relatively forceful (but not sharp) applications of the middle pedal (or the left-hand one for us auto drivers!), whereas my friend advocates steady continuous braking all the way down the hill. I can't really back up my argument with blinding science - it's just a 'gut feel'. What do you think?
I've also found that braking reasonably firmly from the start in normal driving makes it much easier to 'taper off' if coming to halt, avoiding 'dipping' the bonnet - which I find a wee bit irritating when I'm a passenger! Read more
Some very good points here LHM, Graham Hill (for one) never used engine (or gearbox) braking - not even at Le Mans, especially so perhaps. His reasoning didn't really have much to do with heat dissipation, more the adverse effects of repeated reverse loading on the transmission elements. As you (and G.H.) said, brakes and discs or drums are far easier and cheaper to replace than transmissions.
Just occasionally I think I\'m getting more like Victor Meldrew - this certainly prompted that reaction. What do you think of this?
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/3568245.stm Read more
I'm not quite sure what planet some of these magistartes are on but it must be a very long way from here! I feel sorry for the police in cases like this. They spend precious hours processing scumbags like this, eventually get him to court and what happens!
I think it's time senior police officers spelled out to the courts just how much precious time, effort and money the police have to spend to bring these people to book. Perhaps then the magistrates mught act more responsibly. It's no wonder the police don't bother with certain offences when stuff like this happens.
Very complicated I\'m afraid
Some of you may remember a previous post of mine some months back about electrical damage done to my polo whilst it was being repaired by a garage (they set fire to some of the wiring whilst using a battery charger).
They are defending the claim and have submitted a counter-claim for damages (for fixing my car, which they never did). If they have made no attempt to contact me about any outstanding money owed to them, does their counter-claim for the repairs stand any chance of success? It is a village garage and they are relying on \"witness\" reports from a couple of their mechanics who are saying that I authorised them to carry out the work at my expense (this is untrue). Among other things, I wrote to them a few weeks back (before I submitted my claim), asking to see copies of all documentation they hold about me under the data protection act and received no response (I sent two letters, one by recorded delivery which they rejected and I still have unopened). Can they now turn round and say \"well, actually, you owe us 500 quid\"? Will the ridiculousness of the counter-claim help my claim for the damages?
I have an expert report saying that the damage to the car\'s alternator, wiring etc. was likely caused by the incorrect use of a battery charger (i.e. the leads the wrong way round) and in their defence statement, they did state that a battery charger was used.
They have ignored all my attempts to get a response out of them apart from one very abusive (a *lot* of swearing) telephone call to tell me where to go. They have hung up on me repeatedly when I have tried to talk to them.
Also in their defence statement, they denied that they had carried out any further work on the car but I can prove that they sent the vehicle to their own autoelectricians on two further occasions. (I obtained copies of the invoices from their autoelectricians under the data protection act, listing them as the customer.)
anyone know what my chances are?
Any help gratefully appreciated,
~James
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Nothing in the civil procedure rules requires you to use registered post or recorded delivery. Normal first class post will do. Using the more expensive types of post merely gives them an opportunity not to accept delivery of the letter. You have already achieved one important aim in that you are now able to demonstrate to the court the nature of the company that you are dealing with. It sounds to me as if the judge is going to be looking for his biggest heaviest book to throw at them!
I've seen a very good deal on a new 04 reg Vectra elegance saloon. The dealer is vague about when it was manufactured, so does anyone know how I can work this out? I'm guessing it was built towards the end of 03. Additional useful information would be if anyone also knows what happens to Vectras after they roll off the production line - are there fields full outside Ellesmere Port? Thanks for any help Read more
Hi,
For Vauxhalls - I KNOW that all the vehicles have a special code called the SONO number (sales order number). This is in the form AB1234 and is stamped on the VIN plate which is under the bonnet. Make a note of the SONO and ask a friendly dealer to enter the SONO into his computer - this will reveal exactly when the car was made. Don't be fobbed off with can't do it - make a note by looking under the bonnet and ask him (or others to assist you). The service depts also have access to the information.
VIN encoding may also help - but won't give an actual date - just location, model year and assembly sequence number.
Good luck - & let me know know how you got on.
Regards .............. Robert
Hi All,
I have had a look around the forum and not seen any answers so here goes:
I have a \'95 Renault 5 1.4 with approx 80K milage, serviced according to schedule etc.
Recently when I switch off the engine after driving, I notice that there is a whining from the back of the car which stops a few seconds after the engine is switched off. It sounds like what I would expect a pump to sound like when spooling down.
Having a look around I\'m pretty sure that it\'s the fuel pump. If this is the case are these early symptoms that it might be on it\'s way out? (there has been no noticeable change in performance or efficiency)
I just want to know if I should think about replacing it.
Thanks
Alex. Read more
No that I can detect (tried it this morning). It seems only to occur after I have switched the ignition off after a run (doesn' t happen if I just fire up and idle).
I\'ve just seen a Rolls Royce Phantom (the new one) for the first time and I\'m still reeling from the shock. The photographs don\'t do it justice - it really really is pig ugly! Doesn\'t look too bad from the rear threequarter angle but that\'s about it. How can designers get the proportions of that classic radiator so wrong? The grille is too wide and the whole front of the car is six inches too high for the overall shape. I presume someone did admire the Camargue after all? The interior woodwork looked to be of excellent quality but there was so much there that the \'driving compartment\' as RR used to describe it reminded me of a 1950s cocktail cabinet. When I took a close look at the body I couldn\'t believe my eyes. The shut lines around the bonnet and front doors were so wide you could look in and see the rubber stops. I saw it parked outside the casino in Monte Carlo so I was able to compare it directly with drop-dead gorgeous Bentley Continentals nearby and (just around the corner) a real RR Silver Cloud 1 and a real 1920s Phantom in the Prince Rainier car collection museum. Dear dear. At least I would know where not to put my £250,000 I guess. Or maybe I\'m just too picky... Read more
Just a little update...
Last Saturday's Telegraph has just reached me in France and what do I see on the front page of the motoring supplement but an advert for the Rolls Royce Phantom! What's that about?
Surely it must be decades since RR had to advertise and you could probably count the number of readers who might be potential buyers on the fingers of less than one hand.
Reminds me that not long ago Renault was advertising the delights of possessing a company pre-owned Avantime - factory since closed...
The vast majority of motorists may not be wealthy but they know what looks right!
Hello!
If Arosa = Lupo
and Ibiza = Polo,
does new Altea = New Golf?
Is that a good or bad thing?
Thanks
Read more
Length/size of car ain't no guide to the platform it's based on. The platform determines hidden fundamentals like suspension and other 'chassis' components. Wheelbase is just as variable as the overhangs either end.
Prime example: Audi TT = VW Golf. Well, same platform/floorpan...
Hi all, I'm organising a sales conference for a client and I'd like to give away a CD compilation of great driving music to delegates as the theme is F1/performance driving.
Can anyone point me towards a CD compilation currently available on the high st. The age of the delegates is 25-35 yrs old so nothing too old.
I'm not looking for suggestions of great driving tracks, but to quote our mods "I'm sure that won't stop you"
As always thanks in advance Read more
Nice one PAJ, can't believe I forgot one that I've got myself
In common with most of you, I suspect, I commute along a single boring road.
This morning a couple of things happened;
Firstly I was contemplating that I was getting into the habit of driving this road on auto-pilot and I really needed to start paying more attention.
Then I decided I was driving faster than I normally do and should slow down, which I did.
The temperature was 4 degrees outside and the roads were damp, certainly not wet. I was heading south east.
A little while after Aston Clinton I saw an accident on the other side of the road. It looked like some car had completely lost it, spun and taken out another couple of cars in the process. Strangely there was no queue of traffic, and whilst an ambulance was just leaving the scene in a real hurry, no police.
I was wondering about the lack of police and what might have caused it.
About another mile further on there was another car also on the other side of the road, which looked like it had spun and ended up on the dirt next to the central barrier. People in it, and not looking happy, but no-one in attendance.
Weird.
About another 3 ish miles further on there is another accident, also heading the opposite way whihc also looked like a car had spun out and taken others with it. This time there was people trapped in the car and there was police, fire & ambulance presence. Not surprising that the police were not at the others, they were here. Still, you'd think there would be more police than that available.
Another mile further on and there is yet another accident. This time a Securicor Van is on its side looking like it had spun, trashed another couple of cars and then flipped. Again police, ambulance and fire in attendance. Their lack at the other two accidents got more understandable.
Another 2 miles further on, b***** me if there wasn't another accident. This time looking like a car had got sideways and slid into another.
Finally at the M25 junction were more police closing the road.
I can understand the police and other services were severely stretched.
But what on earth had happened ? None of the accidents looked like they had been there very long, and had probably occurred after 8am.
It wasn't icy. It wasn't even slippery. But this level of carnage is unknown on that road.
I could only imagine two possible scenarios;
1) some vehicle had been through dropping oil or diesel everywhere.
2) some vehicle had gone through the area like a nutter cutting people up and knocking them off the road.
Clearly a sobering lesson, but if anyone finds out what caused it all, I'd be very interested to know.
Sympathies to the considerable number of people who had their lives take a downturn this morning - at least some of them through no fault of their own. Read more
Could it have been a trail of spilt diesel? Seems odd that there should be accidents one way and not the other. The relevance of OAT gauges must depend on where they are located. VWs used to have them in the front bumper, my Peugeot's is in the base of the passenger side exterior mirror.
Browse
Take it to another dealer and get a good P Ex value
H