March 2005
The new 05 plate has been out for two days now - as far as I can see there has not been a mention of it on here and nobody I have spoken to has even mentioned it. I haven't seen one on the road yet.
I know the change was made to even out car sales a bit, but don't you miss the excitement of the days of the annual letter change? Hearing schoolboys excitedly shouting "Wow, look, an "R" reg!!!"? And even counting the number you could spot on the first day yourself.
Apart from new car buyers and us petrol heads I doubt if most of the population these days even knows or cares when reg numbers change or even what they mean. God, I never thought I would be getting nostalgic about number plates, the original bling! Read more
Evening All,
Does anyone know what the words INSP mean just above the mileage on the dash when the cars first started up? It doesn't flash up anything else, just the current mileage and INSP. After a few seconds, the INSP is replaced by the trip meter.
Any advice would be greatly recieved.
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It occurs roughly a couple of weeks before 12 months since the last service or probably as 20,000 miles comes up since last service. Vauxhall dealers reset it after the service. My wife's Corsa only manages 4,000 miles a year so we only ever see it on the date rather than mileage. I think the latest diesel Corsas go 2 years or 30,000 miles!!
Hello, just a quick question,
Could anyone please tell me the book price for my:
Year: 1993 (L)
Make: Volkswagen
Model: Polo Coupe
Spec: Genesis
Engine: 1.05
Milage: 104000
Thanks in advance Read more
Thats right Hugo (good memory!) i took in an F reg Polo Coupe just after christmas - it was in reasonably good nick for it's age. If it was sold privately i would say £500 is about what it would fetch.
Yours is a bit newer so i guess £700 is about the money it would fetch as a private sale if it's in good nick.
I'm looking for information and opinions on the MB W126 V8 engines (420, 500, 560) in terms of the longevity of the timing chains, general reliability and any items that need special attention in a pre-purchase inspection. I hope Aprilia is around and can throw some of his usual expert light on the matter. Read more
The W124 is a newer design and handles better - more sophiticated suspension. It is also resists the rust better.
Will Citroen's new C6 follow in its great line of quirky, interesting large cars? I thought the DS, SM and XM were all great, but never had to own one, so perhaps that's just as well.
Surely modern computers ought to allow citroen to produce a different (i.e. not German or Japanese) but reliable big car. I still see a number of XMs about so they cannot be as bad as some made out -and they still look terrific. Read more
Same here, I'd be after one when 3 years old and the price of a Perudua Nippa L.
Just heard the following tale today about a lady motorist I know.
She was driving in the Lobley Hill area of Gateshead when 2 cars came towards her at speed, racing each other. The first car swerved and avoided her, but as she turned, shaking her fist at him the second car hit her head-on.
Driver of the first car drove off. 2 people in the other car ran off. The lady panicked and legged it also. On coming to her senses she returned to find another motorist guarding her car as the locals had started to loot it. She couldn't find her phone so asked this gentleman to take her to a phone box where she phoned the police.
On returning to her car minutes later the locals had set fire to the car she had collided with, her car had caught fire and was written off.
Cowboy country or what?
(p.s. lady driver was unharmed, just emotionally shaken and has just bought a Mercedes M class for extra protection) Read more
Whees been on the Ny kastle broon like?
Divn't tak this as gospel.
DVD
Has anyone noticed this?
On two different cars I have driven over the last week and a half, in concrete surface dry multistorey car parks on slow full lock the tyres make a slippy graunching grinding noise and seem to shudder sideways a bit. Neither car has exhibited this before,,
Then Mrs RF reports exactly the same symptom to me today under exactly the same circumstances. Never happened to her before either.
I can only assume that its something to do with salt carried up the car parks by cars. Read more
It sounds like the front wheels are toeing out too much. The problem is, if it is corrected the rest of the tyre still wears at the same rate, the deep bit of tread doesn't catch up the shallow. It is something that needs checking. It,s a simple job to check/adjust. Sometimes power steering is harder on the inside edge of tyres as well.
My car is 6/7 years old with original battery. We use it for short drives and the engine is 2.3 (Honda).
How long should the battery last? I am minded to replace it now. Read more
The battery on my wife?s Maestro diesel failed at 12 months old still inside its warranty in 1993.
It was a Unipart battery and I remember the mechanic saying its funny how some seem to go on for ever and others die young.
They replaced it with a new Unipart type exactly the same. This was in 1993. The same battery is still working perfectly.
Two winters ago it was flat one morning and I thought that was the end of it. However charged it up and two years later its still OK.
Probably fatal to post this as it will no doubt cock its clogs now but my experience tells me to replace it when it finally goes kaput.
Yes they can fail suddenly when you least need the hassle but generally I think its in the morning after a cold night.
And whether motorway and heavy mileage is good for a battery is debatable. This car is generally used for local stop/start supermarket and the occasional 50 mile round trip.
Every couple of months I prise off the lids and top up if necessary so whether this has made any difference is anyone?s guess.
The only special treatment it has ever had and not recommended was when I topped it up a few years with washing up liquid. My distilled water was in a white squeegee type plastic bottle. And alongside was a white bottle of Wilkos dishwashing liquid. Not having my reading glasses on was my excuse. However took it down to the local battery garage where they flushed it out with an hose. Refilled with acid and water and as good as new.
My 1997 Frontera Sport has done 160,000 miles, and, despite the brickbats often thrown at this breed, has been very reliable and mostly still runs sweetly. BUT, in recent months the (regularly serviced) engine has sometimes, and increasingly, started to cut out when cool (not cold) often several miles into a run, and usually when cruising steadily with the foot just eased off the accelerator. The engine can only be restarted by switching off the ignition completely first.
Several garages, Vauxhall and not, expensive and very expensive, have tried to diagnose and/or remedy the problem (nothing shows up on the diagnostic testing gismo) but never with any success. I'm reluctant to dispose of the brute, but it's getting dangerously unpredictable to drive. Any ideas? Has anyone else experienced something similar on a similar vehicle or engine? Read more
Is the subject of Dispatches on CH4 tonight at 9pm.
Should raise a few hackles. Double Valium all round? Read more
Or go a bit further Jesse and encourage individuals to do it for 'credits' to be set against the cost of their own road tax at renewal time.
Browse
There is an immaculate looking C suffix ( not prefix) plate Ford Corsair parked in the car park of the local body shop.
That makes it 40 years old - Not quite the same as Growlers Dad's MK 11 Cortina but pretty near.
Just reverting to the original thread , I don't care for an 05 plate.
Although I have had brand new company cars and could pretty much afford any motor I want , I would not waste my own money on new when the second hand market is awash with ex demonstrators, pre registered etc. Why pay list?