Is it dangerous to have slightly different profile tyres on the same axle? I have a loan car which has 195/55/R15 on 3 wheels and one odd (the spare I think, it's not an alloy) on 195/60/R15s. The odd couple are on the rear of a fwd car. The tyre presssures were all over the shop, 2 front wheels on 38psi and one rear on 15 psi (the odd wheel) the other on the same axle was 46psi! Any idea what the correct pressures are for a primera? I've put them around 34 at the front and 30 at the rear (slightly warm). I assuming a previous driver saw the odd sized wheels and thought it would be sensible to even up the sizes by over inflating one and underinflating the other!
teabelly Read more

I've been driving for years so should know this but I don't.
I have to park my car with great precision-about 15 mm clearance along rear wheel arch and rubbing strip.(It's a long silly story). I park on dead level ceramic tiles so everything is very controllable. I manoeuvre entirely with the clutch pedal and the engine on tick over.
So all I'm doing is applying engine power to wheels aren't I? That is not slipping the clutch is it?
Clutch slip is where you put 3000 revs on and let the clutch in to get out of an underground carpark with 4 on board--isn't it?

Or have I got it all wrong? TIA Read more

Before I start I don't profess to a huge amount about cars and car buying so please don't berate me for my lack of knowledge. The very fact I'm asking for help here tells you I would appreciate your advice.

OK, it's new car time (or rather nearly new, I don't buy new cars), I've got a budget of £12K-17K (17 is absolute max not one penny more), I want a car that's 2 years old or less and I'm looking for something in the luxury/presitge/executive end of the market and I'm looking for a Saloon or Executive hatchback type of car.

I know I can get a 1-2 year old X-Type 2.5L V6 Sport for about 15K which is nicely in the middle of my price range. The 2.5L has AWD and the V6 provides plenty of spunk.

Why I like the X-Type: I think it's a nice mix of luxury, power and praciticality and I like:

The drive is smooth and comfortable but sporty enough to be fun and felt like there was plenty of power left if I wanted it.
The quality inside is nice and it feels like a luxury car and has a great finish.
The Cabin Space is large and comfortable, I'm a big guy (6'2" and 19 stone (it's all muscle honest ;) ) and I don't feel cramped and actually have to pull the seat forwards.
I don't particularly like the instruments on the X-Type but I'll learn to live with them.
I have a wife and 2 kids and there is plenty of room for them when needed.
I quite like the external look of the car particularly the sport version.
It will be quite expensive to run but I'm not too concerned about that.
As a status symbol I quite like the X-Type it's a bit understated and (I feel) allows me to show off a bit without actually doing it overtly.
Basically I can't find anything I really don't like about it.

Obviously before getting into this I have done some research and these are some of the other cars I've checked out and tried and very briefly what I thought:

BMW 3 Series (various): Drives ok, is VERY barren inside and EVERYTHING is extra, doesn't feel like a luxury car at all, instead feels like a nicely crafted metal box that someone happens to have attached four wheels and an engine to in a rather clever way.

Audi A4 2.0L FSI Sport: Again barren and boring inside, and simply pathetic drive even the 2L Disel Jaguar is a more exciting drive than this POS. A bit cramped inside, no quality finish and SO DULL.

Audi A6: Too expensive anyway, but better quality, the drive is just as flat and boring though. Are only the Audio TT's any fun to drive?

Mercedes C Class: Mercedes have WAY TOO MANY models so maybe they have something I should have tried and haven't because I simply don't know about it. Anyway the Merc was OK but not that fun at all and they seem VERY common now. Maybe if I was looking for a cheap deal I might buy one but I'm not after the cheapest car I can get here. It may have won some awards but it didn't ring my bell.

Volvo S60: I haven't test driven this one but I am thinking I might, it looks quite nice and they are quite cheap. Anyone tried/got one and do you like it? Worth a look?

Lexus: I think this would be too expensive and they don't seem too common either, is this worth examing further?

OK, help me out here, is there something I have missed that I should be looking at? Or things I should be aware of before buying? Please don't just slag off the X-Type but also say what you would choose instead and why it is better than the X-Type.

Thanks,

Darkheart Read more

What happens if you find yourself at a toll without cash or credit card? Read more

Hi all.

Tell me;

a) Why they're so cheap 5k, 36,000 miles.

b) Why I shouldn't get one.

I only ask because Renaults seem more reliable than Citroens and Peugeots but maybe I've been in the lucky ones.

Cheers
Read more