March 2006
Hi all. The wife's likely to enrol on a part time (4days pw/13 hours total) college course shortly and we're wondering if becoming a part time student and using her car to drive to/from college is relevant to her insurance and, if so, is it likely to be grounds for her insurers to increase her premiums. She has a full comp. policy with limited mileage but as the journeys invovled will be short that won't be exceeded. At the moment although she's only had her full licence for about a year she's been insured for 3 years with the same company who give her a discretionary discount equivalent to full NCD. We obviously don't want to lose this but don't want to take chances either so thought we'd ask here before giving them a call.
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BBC2 Wednesday evening - looks like AMS is setting up a second-hand car sales challenge this week for the teams - could be interesting. Read more
People, it's television, it's entertainment, it's not real. Those of you who run your own businesses ask yourselves, would you actually let complete strangers have direct contact with your customers with so little training? Just out of interest have a look at the number of product placements in next weeks episode.
Mate at work is buying a golf - 1998 to 2000 depending on what his budget will get - max 4K.
Unfortunately due to insurance he is limited to the 1.4S or E spec, although he should get a newer car for his money being entry level.
I have checked the CBCB and picked up some pointers for when I go and have a look at some with him but is there anything else I should look for? Will definately check the timing belt and tensioners have been done but what is VW recommended intervals?
He will be commuting max 400 miles a week so it needs to be reliable but unfortunately I am in the unknown with this particular model.
Thanks in advance Read more
bbroomlea: Mate is now getting a 51 plate Focus 1.4 instead.
As a 1.4, he should find the Focus less asthmatic than a Golf. One friend swapped a 95 MY Passat for a 1.4 Focus (see - no axes to grind!) and is happy with it. Its not a ball of fire, of course.
Incidentally, he was perfectly happy with the Passat over 10 years too - just unwilling to pay the premium for a new Golf over the Focus or Mazda he could get within his budget.
Here's hoping your mate's experience of the Focus is closer to all those German drivers who put it top of the TUV survey rather than the inhabitants of the Focus Forum!
- Gromit
The MV6 is playing up. 1998, approx 125k miles. After about an hour of running, it starts to misfire. The engine light doesn't come on, or even flicker.
Some of you will remember that I had the crankshaft sensor repalced last spring as it was cutting out when hot. This seems to be another heat related problem.
Is the ECU likely to have a fault code (I have details somewhere on the paperclip trick) or am I into a "trial and error" sequence with the garage? Read more
>I suspect if were speaking face to face it would all be much clearer.
No problem. English is not my first language ;-)
Kevin...
Hi
I am a car salesman who works for a large group who specialise in the prestige market.
I am just curious to know if people still buy from the internet?
Having worked in the industry a few years now, it seems dealers are able to offer better deals now than they ever have done and its driving business back....maybe its more flexibility from the manufacturers to dealers? or maybe they are steering away from the internet?
Do you use the internet to negotiate the price?
Would you buy from a dealer if they could match say, the What Car Target Price or drivethedeal.com?
To give you an example, I sell all prestige cars new and used from bmw's to porsches throughout the country, and after being quoted drivethedeal.com prices on several cars - im still in most cases able to match, if not better the deal...and i know that hasnt always been the case!
What are your views guys? Does the internet still have the edge that it used to? Read more
Several years ago my father ordered a new car from a dealeship after phoning around all the Peugeot dealerships in the London area to play one off against the other on the price of the car.
He eventually got the local dealer to beat the cheapest price around, on the condition that he went for a gold/brown colour instead of the silver that would have been his first choice. He took the deal.
The internet didn't even exist in the form it does now, but I felt that was a good lesson.
So, when I bought a new vehicle I scourered the internet and local dealerships and went to look at the van at my local dealer, fully expecting to simply test drive it there then buy it elsewhere.
The salesman discussed prices, offering standard discounts. That's when I started to put some cards on the table.
To my mind I had the best of both worlds. I got the internet price with the local service. I would have been prepared to pay a few hundred more through the garage if I had to, but I didn't have to.
The dealer will make money on the after sales care. Most dealers would not sell at a loss, I assume, unless there are business reasons for doing so.
I don't think most dealers are incapable of competing with internet brokers etc, so whether they will try or not may speak volumes about their attitude to the customer as a whole.
H
Hello there,
I hope somebody can help me. My problem is a ?rhythmic rumble? coming from the front of the car when driven. The local MOT tester said it was definitely transmission and not tyre noise when he drove the car. It passed so assume there wasn?t any bearing movement. I had replaced both outer CV joints before the MOT test, replaced the OS inner CV joint (dry from exhaust) and cleaned/greased the NS inner CV joint post MOT. I have also cleaned the disc to hub faces and changed the wheels around. All bolts are tight. It sounds like an unbalanced shaft, effected by different road surfaces and there is not any judder through the steering wheel or when braking. It?s difficult to tell which side it?s coming from but think it?s the NS. Should I replace the NS inner CV joint (age & 105k mls), could it be the hub bearing although there isn?t any movement or perhaps the gearbox drive flange end? I am reluctant to hand the car into a garage where they could charge me a ransom and still not find the fault.
Any advise gratefully received. Desperate.
Martin Read more
I?m with Rodger diagnostics of the wheel bearing, I have already changed them on mine.
How to check it.
Jack up front of car and secure on Axle Stands. (Do not continue if this is not done.)
Start engine and put in 3 gear. The wheels will run.
Get a yard brush and jam it under one wheel to stop it turning and listen to the other side. Repeat with other side.
You will soon know which one is worn.
tinyurl.com/foz74
If you have time scroll down and check out the video (takes quite a while to load even on broadband and needs sound for the commentary later on).
The question is "Where will you see them first in the UK and on whos vehicle?"
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Hi,
I've only asked a question on here once before, but the answers were so helpful I thought I'd come back.
Contrary to all that helpful advice on my first car, I bought an eleven year old Renault Clio (my budget got very very small after I posted here). Anyway, I was trundling round when I heard (and felt) this really nasty grinding noise from the front driver's side tyre. My mum half-diagnosed it as 'something to do with brakes', and I remembered that the seller told me about how he'd had all the brakes done and that the work was guaranteed for a year.
So I took the car back to the garage, and I've just had a phone call telling me that it is indeed that brakes, but that they cannot honour it because it wasn't me who had the work done. I smell a rat, so I tell them that I shall simply take the car back to the orignal owner and get him to take it to another branch. This convinces the manager to honour it, but he says that he wants the sellers postcode to 'complete the paperwork'. I'm not going to give it to him, because the work should be done in my name, so that (by the manager's rules) the guarantee will stand on today's work.
I'm pretty sure I'm in the right, but any pointers would be gratefully received (I've tried googling to no avail).
Thanks very much x Read more
Nope
Hi,
does anyone know of anywhere where you can buy ex company vans like Royal Mail or BT vans?
Many thanks in advance..... Read more
Can vouch that the control on bodywork state and repair is
pretty strict on them these days and servicing is regular so
tend to be pretty good buy but obviously that will attract
a premium.
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BT vans tend to be one or two driver usually and as the guys
spend a large part of their time in them they tend to keep
them up to scratch. Plus their managers are expected to
inspect them every so often to make sure they are kept
reasonably clean and tidy.
Funniest thing I've read all day!
Mate works for BT, vans get the living colours kicked out of them, and his last Transit wasn't serviced for 20,000 miles.
I've got a 2002 Rover 75 CDT Estate (4 cyl common rail diesel) and do all my own servicing etc. Is there a way of resetting the service lights without resorting to specialist equipment?
Andrew
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I think that the reset on these is a bit hit and miss.
There is a thread on this subject here.
forums.mg-rover.org/archive/index.php/t-76910.html
Browse
We were told by the broker that going to college/school was classified as commuting - so looks as though you are ok.