April 2004
On Saturday I managed to reverse my car into a metal post.Having nearly got over my self loathing for such a stupid unforced error I need to sort out a repair (OR DO I?)
The car is a corolla and only 5 months old.I admit to being a bit of 'a polisher' and I intend to keep the car long term.I guess this means I want to get it repaired.I am happy to pay the excess but worried about getting a poor quality repair
Can I insist to my Insurer (TESCO) that the repair is done at my local Toyota Garage? I have checked that they do bodywork.Basically there is at dent at the angle of the bumper and some paint scuufs/loss.
The toyata outlet says to bring it along for an estimate. Should I do this before contacting my insurer??
Cheers for any advice Read more
After nearly 7 years of loyal service and at 111,111 miles I think my 1996 Citroen Synergie is ready for a new owner. I need an estate so I can put tools and assorted junk in the back as I pursue of my new career (!) of handyman/gardener. The car needs to have 100 - 110 bhp diesel engine and to be able to tow 1300Kg of caravan.
I believe that the local Citroen dealer will give me the best price on the Synergie, say £3.5K leaving me to put in £7K to get a year old C5 estate. So far I have got on well with the local dealer which has a value in itself. I don't want to sell the Synergie privately, I am not comfortable in a Mondeo and I will only have another Volvo if the gates of Hell freeze shut.
What other cars would you knowledgeable folk have me look at?
Hawkeye
-----------------------------
Stranger in a strange land Read more
left field suggestion here
how about a vauxhall signum. almost a hatch, almost an estate and ridiculously cheap to buy after 1 year. loaded with kit as well and very good looking.
Hi there,
A few years ago I purchased a car at Blackbushe and was very pleased, however this was a low cost car. I am now in the market to buy a Mercedes S class (about 3-4 years old) plus a fun car - later shape 911 convertable - that isn't as family friendly.
I will go along to a few Top Car auctions at Blackbushe but does anyone have any advise with regards to payment on such high value cars and also if you think it's a big mistake to try this route to get the best car(s) for my money?
TIA
Steve Read more
"Wonder where the specialists get their cars?"
I should imagine a good proportion might be part-exchanges from main dealers and part-ex's/trade-ins from the public. Afterall, being a specialist they probably have a very loyal customer base.
are you a 'cateyes' dodger?
having low profile tyres I always avoid the cateyes when changing lanes on dual carriageways and also when crossing the centre on a single lane road to straighten a corner when safe.
I believe that a 'good' driver should care for the tyres, but my wife thinks it OTT.
are you a cateyes dodger? as it appears I'm in the minority.
Kev the Rev. Read more
Currently struggling to reach IAM standard - I may get there yet, but I wouldn't put money on it. I'm being advised, where possible, to avoid cats eyes, manhole covers etc. (just as I was advised on a bike 25 years ago!).
No, it's not OTT, just good practice - but don't overdo it.
Just incase anyone else out there is having difficulty selling a car privately. I found a site which might be of interest - www.sellyourcarnow.co.uk, I got offered a bit less than I wanted for my car, but I was fed up with trying to advertise it myself and sold it to one of the dealers on there sttraight away. Read more
When you say privately - was this an ad in a local rag or did you use E&M or Autotrader?
I used Autotrader to sell SWMBO MX-5, ended up with an auction at my house where we got £100 over the advertised price.
Only problem was the remove advert link failed and I had to call
Autotrader who removed the ad in 5 minutes.
Golf GTI Mk2 8 valve(EV engine)1984.Problem with scorching on rev limiter rotor arm. having to replace or clean off scorching about every 500 miles. Car has covered 150,000 miles but runs well. prone to overheating in traffic, dispite using over-ride on electric fan.Wondered if this is related to faulty ignition module.Has anybody had similar experience?
Read more
Get the ignition timing checked and ensure the vacuum advance capsule is sound. Grossly retarded timing will cause the rotor to scorch as it will be out of alignment with the segments in the dis cap when firng takes place causing excessive arcing. Retarded ignition also increases engine temperature.
Andrew
Simplicate and add lightness!!
The fuel tank on my Honda CD25U sprang a leak last week. An AA temporary repair with liquid metal enabled me to get it home.
Ideally I would like to find a second hand replacement as a new one is just under £250 and the bike has a few more miles left in it.
Can anyone suggest a source?
Failing that I will have to either try a fibreglass repair or find someone to weld/solder it. Read more
Got it welded for £30.
Only problem was that we couldn't get the in-tank filter out first, it got melted and that's another £30 to replace. Probably just put in an extra in-line filter for a couple of quid.
Lesson learnt: empty fuel tank completely every couple of years and clean thoroughly inside.
Can I get some advice please?
I recently bought an A4 and questioned the dealer about the cam belt. He gave me a bit of the run around and I am in the process of talking to their customer service dept after having filled out one of their customer satisfaction questionnaires rather negatively.
Anyway in the service book, the prvious owner had had the car serviced at 60K and an independent servicer ticked the following boxes:
air cleaner element renewed
spark plugs renewed
ribbed v-belt renewed
toother belt renewed
Now I know that a diesel car does not have spark plugs (or I could be very wrong!!!) so I am a little suspicious about the cam belt having been changed.
Question - is there any way that I can check whether the belt has been changed (or rather if I drop it down to Audi can they tell)?
The other thing with the cam belt is that I cannot find when Audi recommend it be changed. they say 60k for the 90bhp diesel ONLY but then do not mention when the 110 should be changed. I presume that 60k is the safe side of things. Read more
Why spend your life worrying. When buying any new secondhand car I always replace any critical bits, and start off fresh e.g distributor cap, fan belt. You have a nice car, change the belt and tensioner (get it in writing on the receipt) and then enjoy 5 years of freedom. If not, the belt will go and it will always go and leave you in an Italian lay-by in the middle of now where.
I have a v reg (99) for fiesta and when coming to a stand still the engine revs upto 2500 rpm. once you have come to a complete stand still the engine stops reving and goes back to its normal 850 rpm. Also when going along and you put the car in neutral say at 50 MPH the car still revs. Does anybody have a solution to this, i have change the throttle cable and the air filter but dont knwo what else to do. Read more
See my thread for Ford V 6 Idle problem. This a problem experienced by Andy Bee. The same priciples apply. I also had the problem on a Zetec engine and cured it by using these methods. Top Ford technician told me about disconnecting the battery and getting the ECU to relearn its values but it could also be the idle speed contol valve.
Just bought a new Ignis Sport (very nippy 1.5) a month ago
I currently drive it pretty much as I would if it were a non-new car, that is frequently rev the engine to 4,000 rpm (but not really above that). The Suzuki dealer told me new cars did not particularly need running-in periods. I'd like to have yr opinion, what is considered best practice ? thanks Read more
I wouldn't dare get anywhere near 4000 revs until the car
had done at least 2000 miles. Start off gently, keep
below 3000 revs (ideally under 2000 revs) even when cruising for
first 1000 miles, don't run for extended periods at constant revs
since this can apparently cause damage from vibrations (?)
>>
I wouldn't run it below 2000 rpm with any sort of load on the engine. It needs a few revs on to make sure the oil is circulating. I would try to keep it in the middle part of its rev range, say 2000 - 4000 rpm for an engine redlined at 6000 - 7000.
Browse
.jpg)
OK heres an update
Visited 3 different repair centres one small ,one medium and one large (which I dealt with a few years ago).
Mr Small says he will heat treat and respray.quote in the post.Will be 98%perfect
Mr Medium (lomg established business says 'thats a nice new car,needs a new bumper'. I point out I am worried Insurance company will insist I go where they say. He says 'no problem I'll supply you with 2 quotes'!
Says he will get bumper,spray it and I can come down on a saturday morning and have it fitted 'while I wait!Qoutes in the post tomorrow.
Mr large gave me a printed qoute on the spot(£608) and said shouldn't be a problem with Tesco but I may need some other quotes .(Didn't tell him I will have)Said a repair would be dubious and may not last well long term
So a new bumper sounds best? Mr small annd Mr medium admitted a reheat/spray job would not be perfect especially the rolled edge.
I presume a new bumper carries the best chance of a perfect repair??Just need to see how Tessco play it