February 2006
Yesterday having viewed the Ford Direct website for a Ford Focus Zetec Climate I was directed towards a local Ford Dealer.
I spoke to the salesperson and told him my requirements. I then realised the list on the website was a pool the dealers dip into and cars are delivered after the purchase is decided and a deposit made.
Off he went and came back with a hand written list of about 8 vehicles with differing mileages and shades of blue. I made a choice and test drove a similar vehicle. My own 99 Peugeot 406 Exec Est 75K was inspected for a trade-in.
The hand written list indicated a price of £9995 for my chosen vehicle. The dealer offered me a straight £2000 for my trade-in which I thought was reasonable.
I committed to a deal + a years VEL. The invoice provided me with a mileage and registration number of the vehicle I had purchased. Having returned home I again checked the web site and found the exact car with an indicated price of £9750 - some £249 cheaper.
So it would appear that in reality I have only been given £1750 for my px.
Today someone unconnected rang me and may be interested in buying my Pug privately but I will not know until Wednesday. The Focus could take 1 to 3 weeks to be delivered.
I would welcome Backroomers comments as to whether I have a reasonable case for approaching the dealership re the apparant overcharging. When I was in retail(many moons ago!) if a product had the wrong price tag on it had to be sold for that price (always lower of course).
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Fullchat Read more
Has anyone tried the Trupart wiper blades. I read in a survey that they came out on top for quality and value. I was going to buy Bosch blades but might try these, the only problem the survey said was they came with various adaptors and it was fiddly to find the right one. Read more
I don't know about Trupart, but having bought Halfords own brand and Bosch in the past I've come to the conclusion that it's best to stick to the car manufacturer's genuine spares. Genuine Ford wipers for my Focus are the same price as Bosch and are as good as, if not better, in all respects.
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L\'escargot.
No, HJ, can't say I have, I'm afraid.
What is it? Is it one of these shops which will sell your stuff on eBay, take their cut, and pass the rest onto you? Read more
I´d never sell chocolate on eBay. Far too risky. It´d melt in the post.
VWGOLF DRIVER MK2-1989-This car is excellent in every way except one-The dreaded Pierburg 2E2 carb suffers from "carb icing" symptoms in winter months only..(in summertime car is 100% ok)-
Are there any quick fixes for this problem??The hot air intake pipe is all intact,and the flap inside air cleaner is not jammed..Ive heard that the flap can jammed open to allow continual hot air in cold weather,if this a possible remedy,how do I go about this?and exactly how do I get to the flap in order to jam it open?Car is too good to scrap/renew over such a minor,but also very annoying/potentially dangerous problem.Will not consider replacing carb with Weber etc
Tony
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Chaps, Had the same problem with my VW Mk 2. Removed A/F box and excersised hot air flap as it was seized to let hot air in only. Wd40 will do it.you can check it works by sucking on tube that operates flap. Then renewed corrugated 50mm hose from stove to A/F box. cost about 4 quid. Use jubilee clips to secure Engine now idles smoothly and wont cut out after a long run.
Just after a bit of advice about the latest Merc CLK guys.
My dad's toying with the idea of buying a diesel varient, now it seems that the 270 CDi has been discontinued and that just leaves the 220 and the 320.
The 320 looks spectacular, but to be honest at present it's a little over what he was looking to spend which is about £30K or less.
So that leaves the 270 diesel that would realistically be in budget, but I don't know much about this engine. How does it compare with the 220 version? Is it a powerful enough engine for the size and weight of a car like the CLK?
Oh, and what's the reliability like on this model? I know Merc have had some quality problems lately but I don't know whether any of them affect this model.
Sorry for the generally rambling nature of my questions, it's just a car that I know virtually nothing about.
Ta in advance for your opinions!
Blue Read more
I won't be due for replacement until 2008.
>>
I meant to say that the CLK is due for replacement in 2008.
I'm already overdue for replacement...
Is there anybody out there able to help my battery ran flat at the weekend and now my radio just comes up safe , ive phoned a local main dealer and they want £19 +vat just to send a fax off does anyone know a cheaper way of getting it to work Read more
I have seen people on ebay sell this servive for about £1.99
>> brought me to the door of my sisters house in
Austria
>> after a 1000-mile+, 120mph+ (in the legal bits) journey
I would love to a journey like that...
I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys driving. Roads on the continent are (in general) so much less crowded than here, and if you know where to look there are a huge number of cheap hotels. We got a booklet from Accor hotels which lists all of their branches, and they have them in almost every major town.
Well! I've gone and done it!
Just placed my order for a new Audi RS4
4.2 V8
Quattro
Manual
Optional Satnav plus +TV, Black optic pack, Silk Nappa seats, Armrest.
Now all I gotta do is sell the soot-chucker and find about £35k to bridge the gap! (ouch!!) :-O
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MoneyMart
Current car: 55-reg Audi A4 2.5 V6TDi Quattro flappy-paddle
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RS4 Avant and Cabriolet just announced.
This car is coming up to its fifth birthday in May and I was wondering how long the car's battery was likely to last. What are the usual symptoms of a car's battery being on the way out?
The lights dim a little when the rear demister is switched on, but the car is starting without trouble.
Any advice? Read more
If it is the original Vauxhall battery (AC Delco) then I've not had one fail under 15 years old - four different VX batteries. Unfortunately when they do go they fail without much, if any warning. Usually you get the impression the starter motor is not wanging over with quite the same enthusiasm on a cold morning, then within a week it can be dead. Looking at the Haynes manual for the latest Corsa (X reg to present) you need to dismantle half the plastic shields above the battery to get it out so worth reading up on this when it is time to change the battery.
I have the chance to buy my old company Volvo V40 Diesel.
It's a 115bhp, 53-plate with a tidy leather interior and 100k miles on the clock.
I know it has been treated reasonably throughout its life. Serviced on time, never been smashed or thrashed, and spent most of its life cruising at "motorway speeds" on the motorway.
The HJ CBC seems to focus on the petrol, so I would value opinions on:
What is its value?
Is it as bad as the petrols?
Should I buy it, to replace my Pug 306 HDi?
Thanks
Simon Read more
Well, I paid £7k for a 2003 52 plate S40 1.9D(115) Sport Lux with 55k miles in January and I've put almost 1500 miles on it so far, without even a blink of the eye.
I'm very happy with it, but of course having driven the V40, you will know that it's a good car anyway.
Browse
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An end to this sorry tale!
Re-visited the dealer and spoke to manager. Started blathering on about 'bonnet charges' again. When I showed him my print off showing the price of £6750 he stated that the prices were set by Ford and the dealer added the charges.
As discussed above he was duly informed that the web site stated that the prices were set by the dealer and varied around the country. "Oh do they?"
When I also informed him that none of the other branches added these spurious charges he realised he was trapped and relented.
New invoice issued, I'm £250 better off.
He did itemise the so called 'bonnet' and admin charges on the new invoice but they ammounted to the web price.
Maybe I'm still paying more than the Supersite prices but Ford Direct does have a standard and some peace of mind with the dealer being local.
So hopefully now The Backroom has some information as to the workings of Ford Direct and how it can be make the best use of it.
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Fullchat