September 2004
Anyone used ChipsAway (chipsaway.co.uk) for their "professional paint repairs"
I've got a tiny but deep scratch, less than the size of a 1p coin and just wondered how much they'd charge and if they were any good? Read more
can anyone tell me how to reset the service dash light on a 1994 toyota previa? Read more
Yes, I think so. There is a grommet on the instrument panel (near the 'Oil Change' light). Remove the grommet and poke something into the hole to depress the button. That should do it.
About to buy a diesel for the first time.
Sat in one today, key in ignition and turned to put the electrics on (so I could check the lights n stuff) but didn't start the car.
On the dashboard.. along with the usual red battery lamp that stays on if you don't start the car.. a yellow engine icon with a fan in the middle also was on & didn't go out.
Like I said.. complete Diesel newbie
What does that mean? Should it have been on? Read more
Had a colleague who had a Cavalier 1.7 TD for two years, always complained about starting and rough running until warm, eventually someone mentioned the need to allow the glow plug light to go out, started 1st time every time, sweet as a nut! Just shows the value of reading the hand book.
The Hollywood film about this and its creator, Preston Tucker (played by Jeff Bridges) was on ITV this afternoon, and entertained me and the other B-J's. The sabotage of his enterprise by Detroit was all too believable - does anyone know how accurate the film was?
I certainly remember reading about Ford's later difficulties in introducing the same sort of safety measures (such as seat belts and padded dashboards), because the other manufacturers a) thought it was an unfair advantage, and b) felt that it implied that you might have an accident! Read more
I have seen the movie, also Disco Channel showed (a probably more accurate) feature on Tucker a few years back. A fascinating "Only in America" story of irrepressible optimism and entrepreneurship. The fact the venture was doomed adds to the fascination somehow.
I put Tucker alongside Raymond Loewy who designed the lovely futuristic Studebaker Starliner post WW2, when all else America had to choose from was cosmetically updated pre-war offerings from the Big 3, then designed the gorgeous little Studebaker Champion before ending a flamboyant career with the Avanti. Always way ahead of his time.
I've just compared the trade value off my present rover in Parkers Sept 04 with Nov 03 guid and according to Parkers it has lost 44% of it's trade value over the last 10 months, and if this continues until Nov 04 it trade value will be 50% of its value in Nov 04.
My dilemna is do I keep the car for another 2.5 years, or do I replace now with say a 2001 51 reg Ford Focus Read more
As David says, you have already suffered the depreciation. Economists would call this a "sunk cost", and it should be disregarded for the purposes of making your choice.
All you can affect from now is the depreciation from now, by choosing whether to sell or not. My view on this is that the depreciation you are likely to suffer from now on is likely to be smaller if you keep an older car than if you buy a new one.
V
Hi,
I'm selling a car and wanted to get it valeted first.
I get the feeling that some valets are pro's who can make your car look and feel like it's just rolled out of the showroom again, whereas others are just glorified car washes.
Can anybody recommend a national chain of valets or a local outfit in the NW Surrey area that they have used or know does a great job?
Cheers... hb.
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Why pay?
If your selling privately, get down to HSS or the local dry-cleaners and rent a carpet cleaner. Clean all the upholstery. To clean the plastics, there are many products available, butI use a very mild solution of caustic soda (using rubber gloves) to claen off the grease and then use a wax to give is a sheen.
Obvioulsy vacuum the car first and give it a good wash outside. If your selling privately, people will want to see a well cared for car, not one valeted, as otherwise, what are you trying to hide.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
Am tempted by a 1984 Merc 280TE which has full MBSH up to 70000km and has been maintained by an enthusiast for the next 50000km with mot records. I have not seen the car but the owner seems to be frank and honest about his descriotion, i.e. some paint touch up below par at but mechanically the car is perfect with blue leather. Asking around 3500 pounds.
1: Other than what is in the car by car breakdown, is there anything else to look out for ?
2: Will this car head for classic status in the long term ?
3: I am looking at using this car for long trips only and use my Honda for the urban trudge.
Require a sanity check as the power + practicality proposition is tempting!
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Yes, I think the autobox is suffering with worn bands - I don't really want to get into that, so I've pointed the owner at a local guy I know who tackles these.
The local car trimmer has done a few W123 seats and seems to be able to source springs at a low price (not the dealer, I assume!).
Just reading a few threads about oil and oil consumption makes me wonder when do you all top up your oil? As soon as you notice it's dropped below maximum, when it's mid-way between max and min, or when it gets to minimum? I'll start the ball rolling; I top mine up when it gets just below the midway between min and max, unless I'm going on a long trip away from home, in which case I will top it up to max irrespective of how far below max it has dropped. NB using this methodology, I have not had to top up the oil in my car or my wife's car for about 7 years now :-) Read more
Sounds like you're doing the right thing, then.
Hello Everyone
Fairly soon, I plan to change my 4 year old Vectra CDX DTI. I bought it pre-registered from a car supermarket at £8000 under list and its covered 90,000 fairly trouble free miles.
Though I would like a 'premium' car, my budget would only buy a car a few years old, particularly if I want a similar specification (leather, climate etc). As as I do 20K+ miles per year, I'd like as long a warranty as possible and low running costs.
I'm now looking at either a pre-registered or nearly new high volume car instead, such as a Vectra Elite. I've seen a pre-registered one (1.8 petrol) for £13K, which seems a good price to me. This appears to be a couple of grand less than the price of 'nearly new' diesel, but over a few years, the costs of ownership would probably be similar.
Having read about the importance of 'running in' a new car, I am concerned that a nearly new one might have been thrashed, or could be a 'lemon' that the first owner has sold on as quickly as they could. I'd prefer a diesel, but this concern is putting me off a little. Am I being over-cautious about nearly new cars? Any views people may have on this would be welcome!
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Private sale will be better for you in my opinion. Motorpoint don't give great trade-in deals as their margins are very low.
Interestingly, I heard that Opel badged Vauxhall VX220s actually make more 2nd hand than Vauxhall badged ones!
Does anyone have experience with air conditioning cleaners i.e. products which are designed to eradicate bacteria, fungi, mould, viruses etc. from car air conditioning systems when they get a bit whiffy? I note that a proprietary product exists for this purpose, i.e. from Comma. Or any alternative techniques e.g. running the a/c with the heating full on and recirculating the air?
Oz (as was) Read more
This question has been asked quite recently ....
Thanks DD for drawing my attention to the other earlier dialogue on this subject (said with slight red face) - I failed somehow to find it via 'Search'.
My experience with the Comma product too was that, despite the heater being on full, I somehow failed to sufficiently maintain the product in vapour phase, and finished up with a large puddle of condensed soapy/lemony smelling liquid in the rear mat. By good luck I had clear plastic overmats in place at the time which retained it all.
The vapour that did actually get through the system does seem to have helped.
Oz (as was)
This is ChipsAway's public website:
www.chipsaway.co.uk/
and details of how to take on a franchise with it:
www.franchisebusiness.co.uk/chipsaway/