November 2004
I recently went online to purchase a new car from an Internet Car Sales Co, purely because becasue of the feedback and recommendation I saw. I have to say, they weren't very helpful at all.
I ordered a car for a September Delivery a good 8 weeks before September, paid my deposit and was told to wait and my car would arrive.
I waited and waited and low and behold, I got an elmail saying that the car would now be delivered in the middle of Septemeber, then I was instructed to use there TRACKING feature, I did this and the next day it changed to End of September. Every couple of weeks the date changed and eventually I'd had enough and cancelled the car when the date changed to end of November!
I went into my local Vauxhall Dealer and I got a better deal from them, I saved more money and they even threw in mats and flaps.
Has anyone elswe had any horror dealing with any internet car sales companies?
Astra Driver.
I've edited this to remove the name of the company involved for a number of reasons that I'm not prepared to divulge here.
If you would like me to explain my actions to you via e mail, pleas e mail me at hugo_moderator@honestjohn.co.uk
Regards
Hugo BR Moderator Read more
Having now got the Almera back, I noticed that the brakes judder when fairly hard braking is applied. I'm not talking emergency stop here but simple harsher than normal braking can cause this.
Wifey noticed this in the car before she picked an arguement with a wall in it. The car has been services a few months ago and she does very few miles. I would be surprised if she had done more than 1000 miles since its last service.
The car has ABS but there are no warning lights coming on.
Hugo Read more
Ladies & Gentlemen
I am in somewhat of a dilemna with which I would like your help.
I am about to change my car and have a ready buyer for my existsing car so no trade in and a total of £12.5k to spend on a replacement.
I drive 25-30K miles a year so realistically should be a diesel. Only me and the wife so configuration (hatch/saloon/ragtop) not important but it must have cruise control & Sat Nav. New would be good but up to a year old acceptable. No supercars (although I'd love a TVR I really couldn't bear the running costs.
The best I have managed so far is a Nissan Primera 2.2 dCi SE 2005 spec with Sat Nav & cruise plus lots of other stuff on it as standard. It just dosn't seem right to put my hand in my poscket for that sort of dosh for a Nissan.
Any suggestions? Read more
Took delivery of a 53-plate Mondeo Ghia TDCi, registered this year, on Saturday for £12.3k. It had 8600 miles on the clock and my wife are I are delighted with it.
The only car we test drove before that we liked better for refinement and handling was the new Volvo S40.
We tried the Mazda 6 and it was just didn't bear well in comparison to either when it came to handling. Refinement was good - road bumps and noise was almost gone, but I'm used to driving a VW Polo and it was just too much of an adjustment. There was really no confidence there. The Mazda 3 we tried after was good - but it just felt cheap. I didn't like the hard plasticy trim or the stying and image. I think I'm still biased against Japanese and French cars, despite all the blurb telling me I shouldn't be.
The Mondeo was just easy in comparison and I hope that as I get used to it, I get better and better at driving it. The first 2 or 3 gears really do need babying. The ride and control at speed makes it worth it however.
My Citroen ZX 1.9 (Non turbo) Diesel has a strong smell of Diesel fumes at the exhaust (a lot stronger smell than normal - and most other diesels produce).
The car runs fine and does not produce any black or grey smoke when accelerating. I have also noticed that the economy has dropped off a bit lately around the same time. I have changed the air filter, and the oil recently (the car is regularly serviced) as well as using some injector cleaner in the fuel, and this had no effect on either the economy or the smell.
The car has done 79000 miles - and I am suspecting that it could be the injectors that soon will have to be replaced. It has the Lucas injection pump. Does this sound a likely cause of these symptoms? or is there something else that I might have overlooked as I am fairly new to Diesels. Read more
Try changing the fuel filter
madf
I have raised the question of "Photoblocker" in this forum before, and I believe it was rated about the same as Snakeoil. The article in Auto Express issue 829 raises some issues though.
"The Association of Chief Constables says Photoblocker doesn't even work", they would say that wouldn't they, but they do not give any reasons? But the main point of the article is to warn motorists that if caught using the spray you could be fined £1,000, "using the product breaches the Road Vehicle (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001, which say it's illegal to tamper with a plate in a way which stops it being photographed". Call me old fashioned, but if they say on one hand that it "doesn't even work", how can it be illegal at the same time. Also why has this spray not been tested once and for all on Top Gear, they managed to get hold of a Gatso to test the speed you could go through it without setting it off, or some similar program, perhaps it does work and they are frightened to show it? Even the last sentence of the article sums it up, whether Photoblocker works or not remains a mystery.
Regards chris7 Read more
Leaving out any moral issue, surely a company cannot advertise( or
even produce?) a product that is expressly designed to break the
law. i.e obscure the number plate.
When that question was tested in the USA, wrt to peer-to-peer filesharing software, the courts there ruled that it was OK as long as there was a legal use for the product.
I dunno abt UK law on that sort of thing, but I'd be hard-pressed to think of any legitimate use for Photoblocker -- unless films stars spray it on their faces when they go out, as anti-paparazzi ply ....
I have a Peugeot Expert van which had a radio cassette fitted and which worked ok.
I decided to fit a radio/cd player and bought a peugeot/clarion unit. It has the same connections and everything works fine (radio & cd) when the ignition is in aux position. However, when I start up the engine the radio works fine but the cd player won't work.
Has anyone any ideas? Read more
Try not switching on radio.Start engine give a few seconds then try switching on radio/cd.If you get same as before then its cd fault.Not wiring..freezing could be due to memory not clearing and as power is re`enstated memory is full and error message or freeze occurs..Only usually occurs on cheap units..
--
Steve
Y-reg Toyota Corolla. Does anyone know if it is possible to disable the passenger side airbag either by the use of 'official' software or by say unplugging the wires?
This is to allow a child seat to be placed in the front passenger seat.
Thanks Read more
Thanks for the information - it's in line with what others have told me. The car is a 5-door so not too much hardship to put the little'un in the back, just more convienient in the front.
Thanks again.
The prices for the new fiesta ST have been released, very tempting for the next CC.
35000 miles per year in a 3 door supermini though, should make the commute "fun".
tinyurl.com/4sxmg Read more
I'd take the Super 1600 rally version (0-60 5.2 sec, 220PS and 205NM) if it wasn't for the price (£85k), 19.7MPG road use, and 4.8MPG rally use!
I wonder if anyone has any thoughts over choosing one brand over another? I am needing to replace the fronts on my '03 Toledo TDi soon. Currently it rides on its original Pirelli P6000s and in the past I have always tried to replace like with like. Would I be better off looking at something different?
Any thoughts much appreciated.
John. Read more
I would go for Pirelli P7, they came top in the AutoBild test and last longer than P6000s (treadwear 260 vs 180) They are the generation after P6000s. They look conservative, but I find them lovly in every criteria.
Mk III Golf P Plate 1.6 engine. Is the Temp Gauge driven directly form the sensor or is it driven from the ECU. A strange fault where the engine appears not to warm up and between 6 to 9 minutes into the journey the engine will just stall once, it will willingly restart and not fail again on that journey. On other trips the gauge quickly rises to a normal temp and never stall/cuts out. It this a sensor problem or a sticking stat fooling the cold choke system Regards Peter Read more
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Discs.Just changed mine on my Vectra,as I had the same problem,and it's now cured.
Ken.