September 2005
I have long thought that radio traffic reports were a good way to find out why the jam you are in occurred. And now proof.
M1 southbound 12:16 today about 5 miles from M25 junction. Two car smack outside lane opposite carriageway. Cars in outside land and people milling about in the central reservation. Two inside lanes and hard shoulder looks clear. Had a recently happened look about it. No police on site but a tailback to the M25 junction of stationary traffic had built up so say 30 minutes old?
12:21 Three Counties Radio traffic report. M1 clear. Two further traffic reports before parking up and switching off engine at 12:50. M1 clear... Read more
Hi All
I've spotted a low mileage 2003 Porsche Boxster at an independent dealer which I fancy; the ad says;
".... was very lightly damaged, repaird by approved body shop, no welded panels replaced, as new condition throughout, any inspection welcome, hence bargain £23,950 may p/x..."
....which is a good price , and it looks nice in the photos. Given the above should I go near it? And if I do what could I do to confirm his claim that it was "very lightly damaged"
Thanks
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Here's hoping; in fact a local independent dealer who has a good reputation says he can find me a good one, so I'll probably go with him....
Hi,
I've diagnosed a problem with the CL on one of the rear doors on a '93 Cavalier saloon. The soleniod is sticky.
Does anyone know how to actually replace is as it seems to be mounted on a plate and you cant get to the mounting screws. Is the way to remove it by unscrewing the 3 star head screws which hold the lock in place and withdraw inside the door?
Comments appreciated?
Thanks ......
Robert Read more
thanks ...............
Hi folks
I'm looking to hire a car in Ireland over the Xmas/New Year period, to roll around visiting friends and relatives once I've gotten fat on turkey+trimmings. Probably for about 5-8 days (something like December 28-Jan 4th), over 1000 miles. I'd prefer to collect in the northwest, but could do Dublin if that as cheaper.
Any ideas where I can go to get good deals on a small car? The basic 2 or 3-door Fiesta/Corsa/Yaris type of car is all I need, and I'd be quite happy with an older car (or even a smaller one).
So far, the prices I have found vary wildly. For the seven days from Dec28-Jan4, I found the following prices for collection from Dublin: £340 from Budget, £280 from Dan Dooley, £195 from carrentals.co.uk, £211+CDW from Avis, £189 from Holiday Autos, and the best value is a very tempting £146 from all-inclusive-car-hire.com (the price really does seem all-inclusive)
Has anyone any experience of all-inclusive-car-hire.com? I never heard of them before.
At home, I find the best deals come from small independents -- there are several businesses around here which buy ex-fleet cars at 3 years old and run them for a few years, but I dunno of nay such businesses in Ireland. Anyone else know any?
Any suggestions welcome! Read more
Try www.auto-europe.co.uk. Price for Dublin Airport on your dates seems to be around £150, or £160 with no excess. That's with EuropCar I think. (Auto-europe are just brokers.) There are some other pickup points in Ireland, but I didn't price those.
I've used them (auto-europe) a couple of times before and they are good to deal with. Their terms are generally reasonable (insurance, excesses etc), and everything's done via web/email.
When I did have a problem (with Budget, in Australia, charging me when they shouldn't have), I just reported the problem to AE via email and they sorted out the refund.
If you do decide to use them, try asking for a quotation rather than booking immediately (it's an option on the web site) - you might find the quotation they send through is slightly cheaper than the web price.
Clearly there doesn't need to be a real shortage to provoke panic .Just the possibility is enough to get people queueing to get another few gallons . So how could we stop this hysteria?
How about:
Garages have not a maximum amount, but a MINIMUM during these times .Could be say 20 litres , or expressed as a cash amount .If you can't get the minumum in your tank you pay for it anyway , and any difference goes to charity ! Read more
I remember when we had the blockade a few years ago.
I was in a queue which took about 20 mins to get on the forecourt .
The guy ahead of me bought 10 litres .He had probably used a half a litre in the queue . The 10 litres filled his tank , so my guess was he was filling his tank to the brim frequently .
After the blockade was over I was in the Tesco at Sandhurst .While I was in there some idiot joked on the radio that the blockade was starting again , and by the time I wanted to leave the store the road outside was blocked with cars queuing for the filling station
I was asked by my daughter to go with her when she collected her Hyundai Getz, which had had new pads on one brake. Two weeks ago the car was serviced, as part of the deal, which includes the long warranty and three years paid-for servicing, at the dealer in {deleted as not relevant and touches on our no name/shame policy. DD}. Last week the car started making a scraping noise, which was found to be worn brake pads. £85 please.
On the service sheet, with all boxes ticked, including the air-conditioning, which the car doesn't have, the brakes were reported as having been checked. When we challenged the service manager on this, he said that the manufacturers have cut down the time allowed for servicing and therefore they were unable to check the pad wear. They do have time to check the boxes on the form they give you though. I suggested that after five years of this servicing routine the car would not be much good, and he conceded that.
I told the salesman that I intended to buy a smaller car than my Mondeo when I retire, but would not touch one of theirs, and quoted the service manager. Said salesman said the manager wouldn't have said that. I don't carry a tape recorder with me.
I feel that this kind of prepaid servicing is a swindle, as it is not done properly.
Does anyone have similar experiences ? Read more
Good result - but it's always soooo annoying that it takes a call from the media to make these people back down. I suppose they think that 9 out 10 people won't take it further, but they don't realise (or care) that those people will probably remember this for the rest of their lives and tell everyone they meet about the poor experience with that brand.
Just got back from Italy and had a remarkably good renting experience, against everything I was expecting in the circumstances.
Bought a cheap last minute fly drive and accomodation package, so was expecting the "fully inclusive" car hire to be the minimum insurance. Also wanted to add a second driver. So before I went I found all the prices to upgrade the insurance and add another driver, so as to be prepared for the hard sell when picking the car up. Worked out it was likely to be about 150 to 200 Euros.
No hard sell. Second driver added free! Also turned out "fully inclusive" really was - NO excess on insurance, already at top level of cover.
Then the worst happened. During the week, a dog ran in front of us. We slowed right down - and the driver behind hit us. Our Italian is strictly what's in the phrase book, his English is non existent. We try to communicate. The front of his Renault is badly damaged, headlights smashed etc. Back of our car (Renault Modus, fantastic little thing) has a small hole in the rear bumper and bumper has slipped down a half inch if you look carefully, that's all. After a lot of non understanding, he shrugs his shoulders and drives off with a wave and a cheery toot. Amazing!
Of course, we get back to the car hire place on the last day anticipating the third degree - so many tales on here of people putting a tiny scratch on and getting charged the earth. We explain. The guy looks, shrugs, says he can't see any damage - we point it out and he shrugs again, says the other bloke's damage is "his problem", doesn't bother with the other guy's reg or name that we wrote down, signs the form to say the car was returned in good condition, gives us a copy and off we go.
Good old Avis. Still reeling!
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You're right about the damage. I checked 50 cars (yes really) as we were walking past a traffic jam in Cagliari and 38 had a scrape or other damage of some sort - and that was just on the side I could see.
Very few "smart" cars at all (as in nice new shiny ones). No Lexus spotted all week. Probably not even a dealer over there! Handful of BMWs, more Mercs (but decidedly older ones), LOADS of Renaults, few Lancias.
But this was Sardinia - almost certainly a different story on the mainland. Ferraris to do the shopping in there I expect.
Help!!
My VR6 Golf is leaking coolant from the engine coolant housing but the housing seems to pretty well concealed under all sorts of pipes and things. Can anyone tell me what special procedure/tools i need or can provide any help that will make thibgs a bit easier..for me to sort out (I have a new engine coolant housing and a seal but thats about it)
Thanks in advance Read more
I'm no technical expert, but I've seen plenty of cautions against using "radweld" products. My mechanic's opinion is that they can cause more problems than they solve.
I have read recently that certain BMW engines (manufactured in the 90's) were the subject of a recall to prevent possible damage due to high sulphur content 'mainly in low quality supermarket unleaded'
Is supermarket fuel really any different in quality to branded fuel - I do recall hearing this claim many years ago when the supermarkets started selling fuel and were undercutting local garages but is this still the case. At my local supermarket, I think the tanker that delivers the fuel is a BP tanker. Does this mean the fuel is BP or is this just a delvery vehicle? What I know for sure is that 20 or so years ago there were about 12 garages where you could get fuel locally, now there are 2! That must be the same everywhere though.
So if the supermarket fuel is lower quality, is it worth long term paying a bit more for better quality? Assuming you find an alternative!
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Presumably you missed this thread:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=22...9
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What's for you won't pass you by
Thanks, Yes I do now recall this one. I'll blame it on Sunday morning - I'm sure you know what I mean!!
Cheers
Hi all
I`m new to the backroom and was just wondering why I get a car on motability but have to pay for the wheelchair out of my hard earned? any explanations very welcome thanks! Read more
I don't need to be sensitive about it Stuartli, I am in that state.
Radio 2 works well however before I leave the office I allways check out the BBC web site www.bbc.co.uk/london/travel/travelinfo/m25.shtml
Its updated every 15 mins, has different geographic sections covered in detail and is based on traffic cams and police info. It hasnt let me down to date.
I would also recommend Trafficmaster which is based on realtime traffic movements
www.trafficmaster.co.uk/
I might not be able to avoid the jams but at least I know where they are and how long it will take me to get home
Drive Safe