September 2005
I wonder if people with their ear to the ground can shed some light?
I have been trying to buy a car (lets say an 'executive' car) from an auction (I employ an auction buyer) for the last 6 weeks or so. Currently, these cars are fetching typically 7-15% ABOVE the glass/CAP guide book price. Previously, I have never paid above GLASS guide - usually a good 5%-8% less.
My auction buyer tells me that limited supply driving prices. Sounds reasonable. September usually sees up to 0.5 million cars being registered. We are now coming towards the end of September, yet supply hasn't picked up. Where are the 0.5 million second hand cars? Read more
next tues
have my eyes set on this car
95% certain to buy
has anyone not bought a car after a test-drive? Read more
test drive
went there expecting too drive --manual-3door--hatchback
got there--car was sold an hour before.
instead given dsg--5 door--hatchback--too drive
dsg-(automatic)very impressive smooth.never know what gear in--its that smooth.
braking is brilliant.
acceleration--excellent.
leather seats--comfort--excellent
stearing wheel---excellent
parking---hav too get use too judging distance.
ive--asked too drive--a manual next week--although dsg is nice--i like to hav a performance car--having too change gear.
dsg is £1500 extra---leather--£1200 extra----
get back too u next week
the salesman talked the car up--but it really spoke for itself
i will get back too u next-week
on the manual
My Golf was imported from abroad and has the headlights/rear lights permanetly on when the ignition is on (as per Volvos).
What I would like to do is to set them so that they automatically come on when darkness falls, iaw the auto light switch setting. My book suggests this can be done via the MFA computer, but the VW agent says this is not an option on my model and when asked whether he could do it, the answer was not yes, but probably with difficulty.
Does anyone have some advice / guidance to give on this? Read more
Looks life the car has been programmed for daytime running lights. These can be switched off using the appropriate long code by the dealer. www.openobd.de gives a full listing of which code does what.
BTW auto headlights on a golf can be a pain - they can switch on everytime you go under a tree! Good for the N M25 where all the tunnels are though.
Joe
tongue firmly placed in cheek
www.deadbrain.co.uk/news/article_2005_09_16_4604.p...p
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>>
{Mine still works, but I'm only doing the topmost one ;o) DD.}<<
Good!
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Adam
Hi all,
The car is Audi 80 tdi 1992.
The problem started about a year ago. The engine stops (cut off) while I am driving at a slow speed (below 30 mph) and when I try to start it again the glow plugs light comes on but dim. It will take about 30 seconds for the glow plugs light to go off and then it will start (it will not start while the glow plugs light is on). This problem has been happening once every 3 to 4 weeks. Then the intervals of the engine cut off was happening every week and the time taken to start it about 2 minutes. Since last month the problem got worse and the engine stops every day and it takes few hours to get it started again and some times it takes a day.
I have replaced the relay but the problem still there. If I remove the relay the glow plugs light (dim) still on and in the normal circumstances it should go off.
Any idea why this is happening?
Thanks
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Yes, he did put a fuse in the circuitry.
Morning Chaps,
I've got about £3,400 and My R-reg renault Clio 1.2RN to trade in, so I reckon thats about 4k to spend on getting a new car.
I've had a good look on Autotrader and have narrowed my cars down to a
Mondeo, Astra or Focus all around the x-reg mark with upto 40,000 miles on the clock. What do you guys reckon, I was more tempted by the Astras but not to sure about them? any advice would be much appreciated.
thanks
Lee Read more
I've not seen a reliability survey which includes the Mk2 Mondeo for quite some time - all the ones in the last few include the Mk3, not the Mk2. The Mk3 is a bigger, more complex car with, I assume, more potential for faliure. Much of the Mk2 Mondeo is the same as the Focus, such as the engines etc, and will thus offer similar reliability.
Don't forget that you'd be looking at a 2001 (last ever) Mk2 for same sort of money as a good 1999 Focus - and a £3.5k 99 Focus would be a £2-£2.5k 99 Mondeo..
I have been thinking about changing my Y reg Mondeo 2.0 Petrol Zetec Estate with 127k miles on for a 2000X A6 Avant 1.8T Quattro.
The Audi is up for sale at £7500 and looks in good condition, not sure what the mileage is on it at the moment.
I think mine is worth closer to £2000, plus it's aircon has been dead a while and has three parking dents and the paintwork at the front is fairly well chipped, and the steering pump makes a massive mooing sound when the engine is turned off...
Opinions on what I should do would be welcome!
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If you cannot get to an auction in Newcastle try Auto Trader with a Newcastle post code or buy the mag,there are plenty around Leeds
To quote from an article (in a club magazine) on seized wheelnuts: ". . . tyre fitters usually cause the problem with air wrenches . . . the bolts being dry . . . The problem was compounded by the little use I was giving the car and the length of time since the wheels were last off (18 months and 1000 miles)."
In this instance, the whole hubs had to come out and a great deal of expensive work was done to rectify the problem. Lessons: use your car frequently, take the wheels off regularly, use correct torque settings. Interestingly, the specialist mechanics involved in this case did recommend applying copper grease to the nuts -- there is a thread about this elsewhere. Read more
I read the same article, with considerable interest. The manufacturer concerned, a prestigious German producer has recently publicly admitted reliability and build problems. What has not been admitted by them is the crime of poor design, of which this was a perfect example. In this instance, the seating cones on the wheel bolts are spaced from the bolt heads, which are on extensions of the bolt shank to bring the heads flush with the (alloy) wheel outer surface. The consequence of any excess torque here is that the head shears off the bolt, leaving the wheel firmly and immovably fixed to the hub via its seating cone. I wonder if the designer knew that bolts are available which do this as a design requirement? Why the owner of this vehicle chose to sacrifice the hubs rather than the wheels is a mystery to me; apart from paying a huge labour bill to drill out the hubs in situ, he will very probably have consequential problems with wheel bearings and other components later. On a more useful and general note, I would regard it as a requirement to lubricate the threads and particularly the seating cones of wheel bolts or nuts with copper loaded antiseize compound at least annually to prevent problems. I have never ever had a wheel come loose due to this. Extended servicing intervals, fast fit brake and tyre shops and a general lack of attention to detail during servicing all conspire to make this a common problem. 659.
I need a car to do a 25k per year commute. I'm looking at a diesel
Should I go for a newer car with high mileage or an older car with lower mileage?
i.e. is a 52 plate Mondeo with 110k a better or worse buy than a V plate Mondeo with 50k?
Any advice welcome Read more
Ooops - I meant comparing the two Mondeos (don't know where vectra came from?) One is not so old or low mileage and one is not som new but has very high mileage.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
In a perverse sort of way perhaps we should be grateful that petrol and diesel are so heavily taxed! After all, it means that oil price increases make a relatively small percentage difference to the price of petrol and diesel at the pumps. The price of my heating oil has gone up a staggering 45% in the last 9 months!
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L\'escargot. Read more
"Which expert do you want to believe?"
I cannot reply in the positive but in the negative.
Virtually NO economists or stock market analysts got oil prices correct. Most analysts were saying £40 per barrel in 2005 falling to $25 by 2007-2010.. last year and early this.
The US IEA - an official site has a January 2005 forecats which is very similar relying on:
increased output from Iraq!
increased output from Saudi - mainly havy crude which COST to refine
and huge increases in output from Canadian tar sands,(Reserves equal nearly to Saudi)
The shallowness and politicisation of the IEA's position can be summed up in the fact that at $25 per gallon Canadian Tar Sands oil would not justify the $billions spent on it.
So distrust all economists and especially anyone employed by the US Government, financed by it or in any way influenced by it.
It was President Johnson (I think) who said US motoring US style was "the American way of life" and no Government could or would change it.
So excess consumption will continue until market forces act. Mind you I expect teh US may have recession in 2006 or 7 which may moderate demand and prices for a while.
But as Western oil refinery capacity is stretched and no new refineries are planned for the US or UK to make any meaningful imapct on the output of aviation current trends will continue.
See the UK Government planning the doubling or airport capacity etc.
Sheer short term blindness (what can one expect of a politician like Mr Prescott who can't walk 100 metres?) so - fluctuations apart - more price increases due next year...
madf
Isn't it the case that, for instance, the 3 series outsells the Mondeo? Even the 3 series is pretty dear, and not many about according to AuctionView.