May 2005
I am looking to view some imported cars from America (i.e. left hand drive) or japanese imports.
I am in london and have heard that there are suppliers here where I can view a collection of these vehicles. Can anyone in the know point me in the right direction?
I have tried the standard google search but have found very limited information.
Any help would be much appreciated. Read more
I am about to take delivery of an 02 Peugeot 406 hdi estate. It's fitted with a Clarion CD player which accepts single CD's. My current 99 Peugeot 406 has a 6 CD changer in the back which i prefer. Is it possible to fit a multi changer to the car and if so, do you simply plug in the cable into the rear of the clarion and away you go? I do have a spare multichanger which I would like to use.
Any advice would be appreciated.
--
These are the views of Robin the Technician with 35 years in the trade. I fix, therefore I am... Read more
Not 100% on 406 Clarions but if you take out the Current CD player and I think there should be a spare round lead for Multichangers
My BiL needs to re-gas the Air Con on my old 3 series...he has had an offer from a BMW dealer to have it done for £94.00 including gas and VAT. Is this a good deal ?. Apparantly the menu price is in the region of £164.00. Would he better getting quotes from an indie? Read more
To Jacks.
Thanks very much, Nailsworth is just over the hill to me. Very local.
Browsing Autotrader the other night got me wondering about future classic cars. The most obvious one was a Pug 205 1.9 Gti, but this got me thinking, what about an MG Metro Turbo?? I know all the stigma about being an MG etc etc etc etc, but this
could work in its favour, check out autotrader and you wont find one, either because they have all rotted or been crashed, take this and the fact that they probably didnt make that many into consideration and you could be onto a future classic worth thousands, or just keep for prosperity. What do you all think??? I took a quick poll around the office and many thought I had finally lost it, but that was because firstly its a Metro and Secondly it has the old BL/Rover stigma attached.
All that aside, what do the BR's think, classic or lemon?? Please let me have your thoughts only on the MG Rover and then anything else. Read more
Judging by some of the more in-duh-vidual efforts of the local chav brigade, I fear it's more likely they wish to put the bonnet of a Jag on a Metro.
While I had the instrument panel out to deal with other matters, I took the opportunity to replace a couple of dead bulbs. Here are the local prices for a 509T instrument panel bulb with holder:-
Local factor -- 82p each (if bought in quantity of 5).
Halfords -- £1.99 each (in blister pack)
Renault main agent -- £4.12 each (loose). Read more
I noticed that the rear caliper was sticking on my Mondeo so ran it round to the local dealers to ask them to have a look and release it. The man I spoke to didn't even bother to have a look, but went away for 5 minutes and came back saying that it would cost £474 to fix. He said a new caliper, brake pads, discs and cable assembly were required...Thanks, but no thanks.
Problem is fixed now, by the way.
Why do some drivers keep the interior light on when driving at night?
Are they afraid of the dark? Read more
Trucks often have the cab back lit in red. This reduces
eye strain and it works.
Don't knock it until you've tried it!
--
\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
My A6 has two little red lights in the head lining that project a soft glow to illuminate the central console. It's a very nice touch, and I've spent ages trying to rig up something similar in green in my other car, but it either doesn't work at all, or looks like chavvy interior neons.
What are the main causes of death in cars?
Obviously, cars come to the end of their useful lives when it is just to expensive to repair them, but has anyone any idea of the proportions finished off by accident damage, rust, mechanical problems, etc?
And does anyone have any idea which mechanical problems are the main villains? Read more
What finishes cars off in the end?
-Accident damage that makes them unroadworthey, as seen in my late Pug 309 SRi where the shell was swelled in the middle as a result.
-Very serious corrosion, the type of corrosion that removes subframes when the car approaches a bend. Most of us have probably forgotten about real rust, though I have seen a car on it just off the road side with the subframe hanging off.
-Huge amount of repairs for an MOT or running repairs to keep it on the road.
-Loss of value in a car to render it uneconomical to repair. The local scrapyard had an F reg Mitsibushi Galant with all the extras in a few years ago that had 10 months MOT and was a good runner. It had done 160k and needed front pads and a battery, so it was crushed.
-Two or more of the above.
To my mind, I would like some way of telling scientifically when we should get shot of a car before we sink loads of money maintaining it only to find the gearbox packs up. That is what happened to my last van.
H
Hi there,
I read often, but I do not get the chance to post often.
I am looking at company car options and from the options available we are interested in the current Passat estate. I will not be able to order until July or early August, so my question is is the estate being replaced at the same time as the saloon or will it continue unchanged?
Does anyone know? VW dealer not entirely surer themselves, but then why should that surprise me.
Regards,
Servelan Read more
Many thanks for the pix HJ. So VW have gone the 'sport tourer' route, giving way to the great god Stylist, like so many others, forgetting why people buy estates in the first place.
I can't see that the current Passat estate, or the Focus and Mondeo which so far haven't given way to the fad, are such bad lookers.
If you want a VW holdall then it'll be a Skoda. Nothing wrong with that, but it does restrict choice.
Hi,
A good friend of mine is changing his car on Saturday. He is changing from a '94M 30k mile (yes thirty!) 1.6 Escort Mistral to a two year old Mini ONE.
He has been offered £200 token part-ex for his Escort as part of the deal, however i can't help thinking that this is a woefully low offer, and the dealer doesn't really want the car anyway.
The result being that after a quick check on Autotrader, these cars are going for at least £600 around my area, and i couldn't help offering him £300 for the car if he can get out of the offer the dealer has made him.
The Escort isn't in the best condition, but the low mileage will help it sell (god knows why).
Am i being sensible here? It just seems almost too easy somehow! If i do get the car off him, how should i sell it? By this i mean, do i re-register as the new owner, or would you recommend that i sell it on without officially owning it - to save hassle and time for V5 to come back etc?
The issue i can see here would be that i'm not selling the car from the registered address, which might put off some people, but my game plan would basically to be completely honest with the situation to any potential buyer. Read more
Six months MOT isn't enough for a £600 tag - and if the car's in good shape it's worth your while to get it MOT'd - it's the first thing a buyer will have to haggle over.
With 12 mths MOT it's worth about £300 minimum, as almost any car with a full ticket will fetch that. All someone is paying over that is on history (good in your case), looks (average you say) and repairability (good), as there's loads in the breakers, and every grease monkey can fix it. Still think it's worth £450, no more.
Now she's passed her test Mrs V's quest for her next car has begun. Fed up with the lack of power steering on her otherwise solid Felicia she's gone through some car buying magazines (and the CBCB) and come up with a small short list of cars as contenders.
Ideally the car will be up to 5 years old but she wants a 5 door hatch (kids to carry); up to a 1.6 engine; it must be cheapish to run/insure; fun to drive and above all reliable.
Top of the current list is the Mazda 323 but she's also considering the Seat Ibiza (but with a list of possible faults/problems as long as my phone bill I'm not convinced), Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Nissan Almera.
There is no rush as she doesn't use the car all that often and we'd both rather she got the right car and kept it for some time so, if there are any 323 owners out there (past or present) what's the car and ownership experience like.
Also what are your views on her alternatives?
Many thanks all. Read more
Yep - it's a shame for what otherwise seems to be an excellent car.
Budget:
Offically (when Mrs V's about) c. £4k.
Unofficially c. £5-6k
.jpg)
Get a 12 quid ticket with Jet 2 to germany buy auto magazine drive back with a Mustang at the price you would have paid in the states,no need for import duty or any special tax or changing the lights .If you are serious you would have one by now.