June 2004
Right,
question from my father.
He has been leasing a galaxy tdi 90bhp 6 speed, on a 51 plate and done 63,000 miles. Now its come near the end of its lease he has brought the car (wont tell me how much).
It is now out of warranty, but earlier this year had a new lower engine fitted due to a engine mount failure and when he order it he had the option of side airbags installed.
Condition is good except slight scuff on front bumper and 2 seats look slightly tatty plus a few stone chips in bonnet.
How much can he expect for it?
Secondly, he wants a 5 seater now preferably diesel. He wants it to be spacey but crucially reliable, economical and durable as he intends to keep this next car until for over 8 years.
He doesnt want to spend more than he will get from the galaxy.
He doesnt want a citreon picasso or any saloon or estate car.
What takes his interest is the hyundai matrix, mitsubish space star, ford focus, nissan primera and any thing else which represents value for money and durability.
What do you reccomend he gets?
Also should the auctions be a serious consideration particulary the mobility and ex-leasing sales?
So as you can see, value economy a lowish insurance band and overall a durable long lasting car is needed.
New is prefered but upto a year even 2 years will be acceptable.
Your the experts, advise away.
I will get hiom to post some responses for you!
Read more
I will spell this out very simply.
Car : Renault Megane 1.6 16v RT Sport
Year : 99V
Miles : 33k
Replacement parts so far to try and solve problem : Both driveshafts and CV joints, Engine mounts, gearbox mounts.
The noise from the front end sounds like a rumble and is there when moving off, and when moving at any speed. It doesnt change when cornering etc. I think its the wheel bearings, but there is no play when rocking the wheels.
Its been getting worse very slowly over the last 8 months. It is definately not engine related, as the noise only occurs when moving. Speed bumps are rough too. Suspensiona and everything is all tight though.
Help!! What is it???? Read more
Dont know what has happened. Will find out on saturday.
I agree about french cars. They may be built like rubbish, and they cost a fortune in repairs, but they are fun, the engines work and they stick to the road like mashed potato does in a pan. Unlike the equivalent Ford. Plus when i get 49mpg all the time it makes me smile, plus overtaking is great when you can do it in 5th at 35mph!
Seeing the post on the stranded Pug (at MOT garage) prompted a quick search. Inter alia I discovered this advice on selling a car. Under the RTA it is an offence to sell an unroadworthy car, as has been discussed before - whether as a private seller or as a trade seller.
www.car-crime.com/roadworthy.htm
The bit that intrigued me was the bit about not letting anybody drive an unroadworthy vehicle away.
'[when selling an unroadworthy vehicle] DO NOT allow the buyer to drive away an unroadworthy vehicle. Insist that they provide transport to carry the vehicle away or deliver it to them on a trailer/transporter.'
I love the idea of little old lady who is selling her old car prohibiting the Arfur Daley character from driving it off, after he has given her the cash & collected the keys. What world do these people live in?
Read more
For reasons I can't quite understand the friends who have booked our joint holiday villa in France have booked us to fly into Barcelona so we'll have a Spanish hire car for the 2 weeks in France.
Anyone know for sure if there's any problems with that? If so, what are the solutions?
As always thanks for advice Read more
Your Spain/France trip should be fine, but you should always check the small print of the rental company. Hiring in France and driving in Spain is OK (family have done so many times).
I've hired cars from Nice Airport several times (not far from Italian border). Once when we had an upgrade to a 'premium' car we were told we couldn't take it to Italy. The standard cars can go, but I think the insurance coverage/excesses are different.
I have found Europcar booked direct online to be the most competitive (cheaper than Holiday Autos).
Another few tips:
Send the drivers straight to the rental desk when you land, and leave the non-drivers to wait for the bags. At peak times the car rental queues can be horrendous.
The credit card that paid for the booking must be presented when you pick up the car, and in many cases the card holder must be the main driver.
UK credit cards seem to work fine in the French toll booths (no pin needed) and the queues are much shorter in the credit-card-only lanes than the cash ones.
Watch out for the scam where another motorist seems to point out there's something wrong with your car. If you get out of the car, take the keys and any handbags with you. There is often an accomplice waiting...(lots of tales like this on Telegraph travel section)
Have a good holiday!
Rebecca
Hello Folks - slightly more intelligent question about my Kangoo than last time!!!
I have a problem with my Kangoo Diesel. On the first start of a cool morning, ignition on, preheat light comes on and goes off, start engine. The engine always starts first time. After about 2 seconds, the pre-heat light comes back on, and the engine loses all power. It keeps ticking over, but will not increase revs, even in neutral.
The vehicle is in for its fourth repair attempt by Renault (as it is still under warranty - 51 reg). So far the responses from Renault have been "can't find anything wrong with it", "We have tightened the fuel pump and checked for leaks", and, once again, "we can't find anything wrong with it".
On this occasion, they have found an entry in the error log relating to the problem (which was missing on all previous visits), and the diagnosis is a faulty fuel pump. I am not qualified to comment, not being anything more than a back-yard bodger, but it does seem (to this idiot) a strange way for a fuel pump fault to manifest itself. Any thoughts?
Cheers,
D7
Read more
Time for an update! I have had my van back for a few days now after the fuel pump replacement, and so far so good!! No problems starting, and the engine feels smoother. Sorted at last!!
Cheers, D7
Just been on the radio, so I checked it out. £100 for a long term return on Eurotunnel this summer. Good news for people going accross! Apparantly no one was using it (surprise surprise at £300 a go!) Read more
Eurotunnel are due to go bankrupt next year as they have to repay the first tranche of the construction loans: only one problem, they haven't got the money.
I have a 1992 Vauxhall Cavalier. As off yesterday the electricc windows have stopped working. The drivers is stuck half open and doesnt respond to the button. Neither does the passenger side window.
I checked the fuses and they seem fine.
Could it be a relay problem?
If so, where would I find the correct relay?
There are three in the fuse box, two of which are for other things and one is marked 'W'.
Or could there be a diferent problem?
Any help greatly appreciated.
Regards. Read more
Just had another look at the schematic - connecting to pin 13 will not do anything as this is a feed to the electronics which feeds the switches. Try a connection to another 12V supply say from the radio and preferably via a low rated fuse.
All,
I came back to the car park yesterday to find that someone had hit my car along the side - both the passenger side doors have become dented (no other damage). Of course, the driver had not bothered to stop and leave his details. (I didn't see the accident.)
Now, my question is - do I claim this on the insurance, or should I pay the (approx) £700-£800 that this repair will cost? I have comprehensive insurance and full, protected, NCB (although I have 1 accident claim in the last 3 years). Will this count againts me when I come to renew my insurance in Oct? I haven't rung my insurance company (Churchill) yet.
Any advice/info gratefully received.
P
Read more
Thanks all for the replies.
www.corvair.ca/images/NoHoist.jpg
Scary stuff, a possible Darwin nominee here. Read more
Strange. Most tractors have sufficient ground-clearance not to need to jack them up.
mapmaker, the tractor in question is Italian. Function isn't allowed to interfere with form ;-)
I,ve a Saab 9000 2.0 eco K reg and the cooling fan did not come on yesterday whilst stuck in traffic.Saw some steam emerge from under the bonnet but traffic picked up and this stopped.Will any damage have been done, and how do I check the fan?( I'm reasonably handy but the manual is useless!!)Any advice welcome. Read more
Had the heater on full but the guage still entered the red. It was low on coolant but is running ok with no steam from the exhaust.Have already id'd the sender location and that the fuse is ok but the fan is a 2 speed unit and there is a relay in the system. Need to suss out how to check the electrics to ensure the fan comes on the next time.
Thanks Mike H
Browse
.jpg)
V40s are relatively expensive and not all that good, in terms of quality, safety, handling, or space.
I would have thought that £8,500 would be a fair auction price for a car like that - although bear in mind that a relatively expensive, diesel estate won't usually be used for 'just' 15k a year and then disposed of at two years old. £10k+ seems to be the price on AutoTrader.
Also, while it's probably fair to say that an unpopular brand will be the kind of car that people will choose not to steal - it may be that car thieves might only be able to steal a Korean car, as they are not known for their advanced security features.