December 2005
Hi all
I am running two cars, one that I have a few years No Claims on and the other I have just been insured on for the last few months.
My question is, is it possible to combine no claims? For example, if I chalk up one years NCB on one policy, can I add this to my existing 3 years NCB on the other policy come renewal time, therefore giving me four years NCB?
Hope that is clear!
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Hi there,
Does anyone have access to the CAP values for the following car please. I'm thinking of auctioning it:
Renault Megane Renaultsport 225
2004-54 plate
3 Door Hatch
Black
15,000 miles
Optional Stereo Upgrade (Doubt this makes any difference :( )
If anyone has an opinion on its auction or private value then I'd be interested also.
Thanks
K Read more
I've heard a rumour that Renault may be putting the new 2.0 dCi engine in the Megane, tuned to give 150bhp. If you like your current Megane, then that might satisfy your needs.
Otherwise there's a high powered Seat Cupra TDi.
My 2nd car (Escort) failed MOT today on two corroded front brake pipes. My regular garage is closed at weekends, does anyone know the average cost to replace these?
My garage is very cheap labour wise so will be on the low side I hope!
Cheers
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I had them replaced on a punto i had a few years back but was a recall jobby from the dealer so was free :-)
Usually only charges £20 for an hours work so am hoping for £50ish...
Hi
1992 405 1905cc fitted with ignition amplifier integral with distributor
Broke down last night and faulty amplifier suggested by breakdown guy as no spark.
Checked through as per Haynes manual, and then swopped the amplifier (got one for £6, on a distributor, from local specialist breaker) and all now seems OK.
Only point of concern was that Haynes suggests 0.7 and 66000 ohms across primary and secondary circuits of coil, and my meter got 0.8 and 6400 ohms. Unsure if it is my meter, coil, or manual which is incorrect. Anyone sure of correct figures.
If secondary is incorrect, I may require another breakdown truck and amplifier (£27.80 from local independent) and coil Read more
Not too good, leaving out the heatsink compound. I don't know the ignition unit referred to, but seen plenty of examples of things failing due to getting too hot like this. Such as line output transistors in TV.
0.2 ohms (primary) is easily accounted for in the measuring leads such as connection contact resistance.
If there are shorted turns on the secondary to account for the 100 ohms lower resistance, I would expect the spark to be a lot weaker. But it is only some 1.5% difference and so, fingers crossed, it is just meter inaccuracy or a bit of manufacturing spread or combination of both.
HI,
I can't get the 5th and reverse gears even when the car is not running. The other 4 gears seem to be working ok. The problem seemed to happen over night and was not a gradual wear and tear type problem. Read more
Inspect all linkages and bushes, gear box and engine mounts. Regards Peter
The rear light clusters are retained by a clip in the boot, one each side. The whole light unit then tilts from the bottom and lifts out far enough to unplug the wiring. The bumber is retained by torx headed bolts on the top and underneath. Read more
Car is 1997 P registration turbo diesel bought 6 months ago, well maintained/serviced from new.
Over last few weeks - may be a coincidence that we've had cold weather - I've been experiencing intermittent loss of power when trying to accelerate in any gear. Instead of engine revs increasing they suddenly drop and I have to wait for a few seconds before engine picks up. Engine never actually stalls; no warning lights appear on the dashboard.
Can anyone help please??
Thanks,
Paul Taylor
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Many thanks for your suggestion - I'll have a look through to see what I can find.
Yesterday I met the guy who sold me the car and he told me that something similar happened when car only 2 years old. It cleared itself and was OK for the next 6 years! Until I bought it.
Regards,
Paul
Quick question - have a wireless LAN which works well in 1/2 of my house but not the other. Want to buy something to put in the middle as a kind of extender. Have just looked at a bridge but don't want it connected to PC or anything - just want to extend the range. Use Belkin 54G by the way.
Thanks
JAJ Read more
Hey, I can still add to this even though it's locked :-)
Original Microsoft files can sometimes be updated quite legitimately by software installations. For instance a component of windows called MDAC (Microsoft Data Access Component IIRC) has a number of releases and the one on one of the original operating system CDs wasn't very sound. So during installations, if a product found the older less stable release of MDAC it would put a later version on.
If you are running some utility which baselines your OS files (which presumably Sstem File Checker does, or the roll back utility in XP) then when it carris out it's check it will see that some files have changed from the baseline and will trigger alerts, as it is possible that something unintentional or malicious has happened.
However if you are getting these warnings after installing software updates which may have replaced original OS components, by running the sfc stuff you stand the chance of making your new software function incorrectly. What you'd need to do in that instance is re-baseline your OS.
Although that makes perfect sense to me after a re-read, I apologise if it makes little sense and would be happy to try to explain further...
I need to change my current car 1996 clio to something larger - ive got a beautiful 1 year old daughter and the associated pushchairs/highchairs/shopping that comes as part of the package.
The main problem is that the clio rears seats just arent suitable for a child seat to fit in securely. The seat section is so spongey it allows the child seat to move approx 30 degrees from vertical when you tug it forward.
I also need the extra boot space.
Ive also changed jobs which means my driving pattern mainly involves alot of short (less than 2 mile journeys x 5 each day on average) trips but also need to get on the motorway to do weekly 40 mile trips and occasional(monthly) long trips.
Im looking to spend £6k tops but if i could get something decent for £3k id be even happier.
MPG, safety, load space are the main criteria. I'd be looking to keep the car for 3years +.
as short stop/start trips are my main journey what engine would be best diesel or petrol.
All opinions/recommendations welcomed. i'm thinking mondeo size or MPV Read more
Michael is the only person to have mentioned ABS so far, but if you are concerned about safety, you'll certainly want anti-lock brakes. While they are standard on all new cars now, be aware that at the beginning of 2002, for example, they were not standard on the Kangoo, the Berlingo, or the Zafira.
ESP would be good, but is so recent that you might find it difficult to find a car with ESP in your budget.
I recently bought a 999cc Polo for our daughter. On cold starts the engine hunts immediately, then settles to a smooth fast idle after 20 to 30 seconds. The engine runs well and once warm, generally restarts ok.
However, if the engine is stalled, or if switched off before reaching full temperature it is difficult to restart. Flooring the throttle and cranking for 20 seconds generally works, although not great for the cat. It appears to be overfuelling.
A couple of days ago, I switched it off after running for about 3 minutes and no amount of coaxing has brought it to life since. There is a strong smell of petrol, the plugs are drenched and spinning the engine on the starter with plugs out (and warming the plugs on the gas hob)didn't get it going.
This engine has a multipoint fuel injection system, but no obvious hot-wire air flow sensor. Neither is there a water heated auto-choke like old Polos. The air filter is clean & dry, but there is some oil residue in the venturi throat, so it might have been overfilled with oil by a previous owner. Might there be oil in the inlet manifold tubes? Would this be enough to restrict its breathing to this extent, bearing in mind the inlet manifold loops downwards?
Can anyone offer some advice?
With thanks - John Read more
Did changing the sensor improve/correct things? Had exactly the same problem on my daughter's Polo, changed the sensor, now it runs perfectly. Fingers crossed.


Some call this an introductory bonus, some say they're reflecting the bonus on the second car.
If you want a good insurance broker who can look at insurers who do this for you,
Peter Goord Insurance Services 01752 361888