March 2005
I have owned my ford focus 1.8 zetec for just one week and the central locking is no longer working properly (locks then unlocks) , Should the dealer fix this problem and if not do i have any rights ?. thankyou Katherine. p.s it is not a main dealer but has been dealing on the same site for over 14 years. Read more
What are these like for servicing costs, cambelt etc. and which spec / engine size are best? Read more
Sorry the cost is mileage/years dependant. My £1300 will cover:
1. Five 20k services (5*£150)
2. All other advisory work so 2 cambelt changes (2*£200), brake fluid, antifreeze, pollen filetrs etc etc
3. All routine replacements, so brake pad and discs, windscreen wipers etc etc (not tyres, exhausts or body work.
4. Extends the warranty from 3 yrs, 60k to 4 yrs 100k
Overall I think it is pretty good value.
No I cant do mechanical/electrical work myself, (ask the local A&E!!). Garage owners pay me to do work for them and I pay them to do a job for me. Simple and keeps me out of harms way.
May I nominate the Kia Picanto? Aside from having one of the currently fashionably stupid and meaningless names dreamed up by marketing pimples over expense account lunches, it looks like it was put together from the leftovers on the production line after the assembly crew had gone home. Ugliness elevated to an art form. Growlette calls it the Placenta, with the obvious connotations of what happens to that.
Might be useful as a dog kennel, but I respect my dog far too much to put her in one, she'd never forgive me.
Why don't cars look like proper cars any more? (Mutters grumpy inanities, takes another San Miguel from fridge and goes outside to finish T-Cutting 1969 Mustang, a proper car if ever there was).
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Saw a BMW 645 convertible this morning on the way to work. Why anyon would pay serious money for this mis-shapen lump is quite beyond me. A quick look at the dashboard reminded me of a FIAT Brava I hired some years ago - styled by the blind.
Mark
We're off to central France for Easter. They are having a very cold snap at the moment, -20c up in the hills I was told yesterday. We will be going in our Megane but should I have anything done to it to prepare it for a rather unpleasant experience. It's only one year old so will still have the factory antifreeze in. Also does diesel freeze up these days or is that something from the past?
In the past on the farm we used to put some petrol in the diesel tanks to stop the fuel waxing but I wouldn't want to do that on a modern hi-tech diesel and it may not be necessary anyway. Read more
Thanks RF for the advice. I am hoping it will be warmer by the time we get there. The main roads are clear but the side ones blocked apparently with thick snow. Better look at getting some snow chains and take a shovel.
Holidays? Who needs them...
Anyone been? I am not a biker, but love the things. I leave for Daytona on Thursday, en route to Sebring for the first ALMS race of the season on w/e 19/20 March.
Would appreciate any experiences of Bike Week, and suggestions of what to look for... Read more
No individual insurance required for the demo rides and I am sure that the hire bike firms will have insurance on offer. Only hire a bike if you want to ride beyond the Daytona festivites, the street are too crowded to fully get your money's worth out of it locally.
I don't know how the demo ride operators feel about paper licenses, but you will be fine if you have a picture one. Carry your helmet and some basic gear (boots, jacket etc) as some of the demo rides require it. As I mentioned before some of them have helmets on loan but those can give give you a nauseous feeling as you slide one on that is still wet with the sweat of the many riders who had it on before you did.
Surely once you have 3 or 6 points from speed cameras ( for like 34mph in a 30 limit ....) you are a safer driver than before? Because you'll drive a bit more carefully,
So why the extra insurance premium?
Are there any insurance companies out there targeting this market? I for one would be most interested.
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Pass the tin opener.
the worms got out long ago
this morning on the m1, while driving from yorkshire to gloucestershire, saw two unmarked police cars (several miles apart)stopping two cars that had overtaken me a few minutes earlier. guess that the two motorists had been doing 90-95ish as i was doing indicated 80-85. one was a maroon vauxhall omega, the other a black 5 series bmw. got me thinking are there any makes of cars that you can safely presume aren't unmarked policecars?
secondly, as i turned a corner in cheltenham i found an elderley gentleman driving up the middle of a road on/in an electric buggy thing. no lights, reflectors etc. what would the legal position have been had i hit him? or had he pulled out and hit me? aren't they supposed to use the pavement...? Read more
Just had 20k service, no rattles or squeaks, no extras, like it more every day, now getting 40mpg daily on mixed driving, front tyres look like i'll get 25k out of them, backs are down to 7.5mm they could do 50k or more. If you want a 4x4 cheap and haven't had one out on a test drive get it booked in now. Read more
Is it really that good!!
We thought about it before we got the MB - never actually sat in one and thought it was too big for daily commuting and visiting our client's in London.
40mpg - is it the auto disel?
SWMBO is buying a new VW. Dealer is offering a coating for the paintwork - diamond coat or something similar. Says it will protect the paint. The price is £200.
Does it work?
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I had Diamond Bright as a no cost extra,one thing I have noticed that is an improvement over my normal Autoglym shampoo is that there is no residue left on the glass after using the conditioner. ndbw
...that some MOT test stations deliberately fail vehicles in order to boost the parts and labour section of their business or else serve as a opportunity to take "back-handers" ...therefore, should:
Commercial companies conduct MOTs?
Each town/district have a MOT test station(s) that is/are funded out of the MOT test fee and by the Road Fund License?
A town/district MOT centre, run by civil servants or contracted out to a service provider with no commercial outlet or association with the automotive trade?
Would this measure produce fewer failures due to non-incentivised staff (failures often equals parts and labour for the test station)?
Would this measure improve the overall safety standard of vehicles (of MOT age)?
Discuss... Read more
Years ago my wife took her Talbot Sunbeam (in fetching bright green) to Mann Egerton in Morden for its MOT. After the test the mechanic offered to take it to the scrap yard! Thats what I call good service.
We now live in Eastbourne and Eastbourne Bus Company do MOTs at the garage. No commercial interest whatsoever and a good impartial test.
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\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
Browse
the dealer is responsible, it's fair to assume the fault was present when you bought the car:
www.oft.gov.uk/Consumer/Your+Rights+When+Shopping/...m
Your rights
When buying from a dealer, the law says a car must be:
of satisfactory quality - it must meet the standard a reasonable person would regard as acceptable, bearing in mind the way it was described, how much it cost and any other relevant circumstances. This covers, for example, the appearance and finish of the car, its safety and its durability. The car must be free from defects, except when they were pointed out to you by the seller.
as described - a car said to have 'one careful lady owner' shouldn't turn out to have three previous owners, all males under 22
reasonably fit for any normal purpose - it should get you from A to B
reasonably fit for any other purpose you specify to the seller - for example, towing a caravan.
These rights are not affected by any mechanical breakdown insurance (often sold by dealers if the manufacturer's warranty has run out), guarantee or warranty giving additional protection.
If you inspect the car, or someone does so for you, the dealer is not liable for any faults which should have been uncovered by the inspection. It's a good idea to get a description of the vehicle's condition from the dealer: ask whether there is a pre-sale inspection checklist.