June 2006
Hi Guys
Just a quick question, i have a 1997 Mondeo ST24 that only has one key ( The central Locking one ) , my question is , Does anyone know of any way to get a Red Key sorted for my Mondeo besides going to Ford and forking out a hundred quid ??
Cheers Read more
Have seen several questions about insuring car when buying, borrowing etc. Found this site which seems to cover several different occasions when you need instant cover www.tempcover.com
Wonder if any other insurance companies will pick up on the idea. Read more
Local car dealer provide 7 days free cover through Norwich Union when you buy a car, my daughter bought a pre-reg Panda and had this. It suits the car dealer as they can get the car taxed without the customer bringing in an insurance certificate, she picked the car up a couple of days after deciding to buy.
She didn't really need it as already insured, but attached to the insurance certificate was a quote for continuing the cover that looked competitive so maybe we'll try them next time.
I may be changing jobs soon which will see me saying goodbye to my current company car - 320d ES Touring. The new company doesn't offer a car just an allowance. I will have £450 a month to spend on a car excl. insurance. I drive around 30,000 miles a year which will include some business. I need a decent amount of practical space so an estate, large hatch or MPV would be ideal - car before the 320 was an Alhambra. Has to be diesel and have good performance and a reasonable spec.
What do you recommend? Personal Contract Hire or buy something with a loan? I have no deposit and can finance £15,000 over 3 years. PCH looks good as it can include maintenance but will be more limited in my choice. Trade Sales have Mondeo 2.2 ST TDCi's for around £14k with less than 10k on the clock. Read more
Your idea of buying a nearly new car seems to be your best bet as the initial steep depreciation has been avoided. You do not mention whether you have to have a car which is less than x years old or of a certain type for the car allowance. You may have some rules that your new company insists on.
My advice would be to arrange finance from a bank or building society as the rate should be keener than a car dealer. Then the car will technically be yours, so if you change jobs and then no longer need a personal car, you can dispose of it and settle any outstanding finance easily. With PCH this may not be possible, so check any terms carefully.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
Today SWMBOs Nissan Almera was treated to a new exhust. £115 bought a backbox and a mid section with 1 years warranty.
However on removal of the backbox I noticed it wasn't holed, just that the interface flange was rusty and holes were starting to appear around it, but not in the pipe itself. The pipe is just rusty, though there are no signs of penetration.
What is the sense in keeping hold of the old backbox for fitting when th new one dies? I could probably do this myself when the time comes. The new one should last a couple of years or so.
I told the fitter that I was cornish, hence I never threw anying away! He just laughed
H Read more
TIMAX back boxes for Almera (2 year warranty) are around £30 depending on engine variant. The centre pipe with the small silencer is about £40. Not worth hanging onto old exhaust parts when new parts are this price.
I'm looking into the idea of buying a trolley jack. The thing that concerns me it that most of the ones below £50 seem to have a maximum lifting height of between 30 to 38cm.
I'm quite a big guy so I would find a 38cm gap very difficult to fit under. Does it mean that the total gap between the floor and the botom of the car will be a max of 38cm after jacking it up to full height or does it mean that the gap between the floor and the botom of the car will increase by 38cm(eg the gap under my unlifted car is about 22cm so would I then get a 60cm gap)? Read more
I used to gain some extra height by placing the jack on a hard wood block which had holes recessed in it for the wheels to sit in. Not as scary as you might think if done properly. The extra three inches made all the difference.
Hi
I am starting a new business and have decided to buy a mini one for advertising and getting about. I have heard that Mini residuals are quite firm but does anybody know how much the new model will affect this? I have bought all my cars in the past from auction but dont see that many minis come up and am not sure if the price difference will be worth it on a 1-2 year old model against a new one. I had thought about leasing which will cost £200 a month but thought it might be an expensive option over three years.
I would appreciate some advice.
Many Thanks
Tim Read more
I got a 98 petrol Audi A4 recently and it was fine at low speeds and around town, but when I took it on the motorway and tried to increase the speed or the revs go above 2500 the car lurches as if it has fuel starvation.
An OBD Scan didn't show an problems at all and no error messages or codes show on the dash.
It starts first time from cold every time.
The man at the Audi dealers sucked his teeth and wouldn't even give a guesstimate to the problem or a cost to fix it.
Anyone any Ideas on what the cause might be ?
regards
Nigel s Read more
Hi screwwloose
Thanks for the tip, it was the MAF, well it was part of it. the Crank sensor and Temp sensor were also phut, and all together confused the situation but we got there in the end.
Many thanks
Nigel s.
Can anyone help? My wife has a VW Bora 1.9TDi, 90PS which is now used for mostly local runs after a life of longer runs with me. In the winter the heater has always taken a good few miles to get up to full heat (around 10 minutes). I have a newer Golf TDi which appears to have an immersion heater because there is some heat from the heater within a mile or so. Before I ask our local VW dealer does anyone know if it possible to retrofit an immersion heater to the Bora? If so what sort of cost would we be looking at? We have had the car from new and it has always been like this. Once up to heat there is no problem with heat output.
Many thanks,
Servelan ? I read most days but post infrequently.
Read more
A motorist with dementia has been spared jail after being caught driving while banned for the 30th time.
Keith Edwards (57), was given a conditional discharge for a year when magistrates heard he cannot remember he is disqualified.
Edwards was stopped at Conwy, North Wales, driving in the wrong direction while on holiday with his wife. Asked who he was he gave the name Anthony Andrews.
He was remanded in custody for two months until his hearing at Llandudno court.
The prosecution said: 'He has an appalling driving record.' But magistrates said his case was 'highly exceptional'.
Edwards, of Blackley, Manchester, admitted driving while banned, having no insurance and obstructing police.'
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF > Read more
"perfectly feasible to know how to drive where you lived etc but not know that you were banned"
But the point of a ban is not to punish the driver, but to protect all the others who sometimes find him coming towards them head-on. The most obvious solution is to make his car unusable by removing the keys, or worse. It may be harder to prevent him obtaining another, but if his wife won't co-operate in protecting everyone, she is at fault too.
Can anyone please help me. I have an '03 Peugeot 206cc. When i alarm the car using the keyfob it locks but the alarm goes off after appox 30 seconds and the digital display shows that the bonnet has been opened.
This has occured since a rather large woman decided to sit on the corner of the bonnet.
I guess its only a faulty switch/sensor but can anyone tell me where it is and what it looks like so that i can check it out.
All help will be greatly recieved as i have to lock the car now using the door lock so's not to wake the neighbourhood. Read more
New switches are about £18 from Peugeot if its gone faulty or scrapyard & hunt through the Peugeot / Citroen pile, They have been using these switches for around 12 years.
If you take that route match the colour of the connector plug up.
Browse
If you havent got the RED master key & your car came with that system then it can be expensive to code new keys to the car.
You could always ask a friendly Ford dealer if your car needs a RED master key, Pop in with the car & give the parts dept your VIN number.
If yours is the later system now is the time to get a 3rd key & code that ( takes less then a minut & easy DIY ) in case a key gets lost / stolen in the future.