August 2006
By which I mean without an overnight stop.
I'm considering driving to Germany next year but it will be a 200 mile drive to Folkestone and then 470 or so from Calais
I think this will be feasible in a single day...
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As newsagents' shelves become more and more stacked with magazines about cars, it occurs to me that there are no 'motoring' magazines as such!
I've been buying Car magazine for the last year or so. It has always leaned towards top-end cars but now it's gone all Gumball.
The weeklies - Autocar and Auto Express present us with a make-believe world of computer generated (or are they the real thing?) pics of possible frothcoming models.
And then there are magazines devoted to performance mods, 4x4s, individual brands or even one single model (Porsche 911).
The AA used to publish 'Drive' magazine, which was a general motoring magazine. OK, it was a bit string-back-glove in places but I'd buy a monthly general motoring magazine in preference to what's on offfer.
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And it's free. Thank you, HJ - we perhaps take all of this for granted but believe me it's appreciated, not least your honest and realistic road tests.
Hi All,
Had a ride in a new shape golf 2.0 tdi with leather and all the trimmings - a beautiful car! Seemed really well made. Got me thinking though, If I bought the equivalent Skoda for significantly less, where would the cost reduction have been made in terms of engineering/body/paint/interior trim?
Cheers,
D. Read more
Many years ago the Skoda dealership in Preston (Ribbleton Lane?) used to be similar but did, IIRC, a pretty good trade in Estelles etc.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
I have seen a nice Vel Satis, a 3.5 litre V6 with auto transmission.
Is this a Renault or Nissan engine? Read more
Is it not essentially the same engine thats in the Nissan 350Z?
Hi,
First post here, hope it's the right place.
I've got a '99 VW Golf 1.8T, bought second hand (privately) over 4 years ago when it had 60k miles on the clock. I've since had it serviced by my main VW dealer since.
It went in for a service about 6 weeks ago and had a major (120k mile) service, including a new sump. I was told by VW this is often required as the thread on the sump itself becomes worn beyond repair. All the usual stuff was done too, ie. oil caange, oil & air filter etc.
Since the service I've covered around 3k miles, of which around 2k have been motorway miles. In the last week I've had the oil light come on when I go round roundabouts, sharp corners. etc so I checked the dipstick. There's not enough oil to even show on it. My car's never needed any more than 2 litres of oil between 10k services before.
I took my car back to VW as I wanted them to check out a noise that's only started since they replaced the front anti roll bar bushes, and mentioned I wasn't too happy about there being no oil in the car too.
The head service guy at VW said it was acceptable for a VW to use 1 litre of oil for every 660 miles. This equates to 15 litres of oil between 10k services, which seems a huge amount and defintely nowhere near the 2 litres max I've put in myself over the past 3 or 4 years.
Does anyone know if VW really do see 1 litre of oil usage per 660 miles as acceptable, and how does this match with other cars? Am I just being fobbed off? Would a new sump explain the massive increase in oil usage over the past 6 weeks?
I'm not happy with other work that was carried out during the service, and the response I've had so far does nothing to make me feel any better about the service VW provide. Read more
Thanks for the replies.
Car was returned to VW and I explained the issue about the oil and another problem which started after the last service.
The head mechanic didn't want to accept any responsibility on behalf of VW, neither did he seem particularly happy about taking the car back to fix the two issues free of charge, despite my last service costing just under £1,000.
Anyway, picked up my car at the end of the day and had a full engine of oil, and found the engine mounts hadn't been tightened after the previous service. I was told the engine mounts were slackened as part of the cambelt change.....? I had no apologies for my inconvenience and still no acceptance of wrong-doing on their part.
All in all, I was less than impressed and have put together a letter I'll be sending off to VW HQ - will keep this post updated when / if I get a response.
Gunther is going back to VW on Wednesday.
I washed and polished him at the weekend (because the dealer had done a shocking job and there were bits of polish and wax all over him) and noticed that the paint finish on the bonnet is really bad. There are white spots between the paint and the laquer that wont polish off, and even a totally matt patch on the back bumper, which, now I've noticed it, I can't stop looking at.
The leasing department of our organisation take delivery of the car and then give you a time to come and get it. I assume they check the vehicle over before letting the delivery driver go, but they've missed the paint faults (probably because it was dirty when it arrived).
I know it's only paint, and I know it's a lease car, but it IS my brand new car that I'm paying for on a subsidised lease, and I don't think it should have these faults. Do you think they'll try to put it right, tell me to go away or allow me to reject the car? Can you reject a lease car?
Thanks
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>>All's well that ends well, with the result that they wont be getting my servicing business, and our fleet dept are reluctant to use them again for all their messing me around. >>
Reckon you will now be pigeon holed as a customer who expects good service plus perhaps have gained some respect by these guys. Therefore you might well get better service at this dealership than starting a new relationship with another one. I would take it in for the first service or whatever is next due and see what response you get.
In general, how much faith can be put in these indicators?
I have a 'maintance free' battery which performs fine but the 'Green' indicator does not appear. The window appears dark indicatiing that the battery needs charging according to the legend, but after driving around 40miles this indication shows no change?
I am concerned that come winter the battery will not cope.
How do these indicators work?
What battery tests should be done to get its real state.
I have just acquired the car and am wondering wether to demand a replacement battery or not?
All comments, especially those based on experience are welcome.
Regards
WBD Read more
I have one of these indicators on my deep-charge liesure battery. Indicators are green-white-clear. The indicators work just fine although they can be difficult to see at times.
Family of 6 need to upgrade beaten up old 405 estate and need some advice! There a fairly big list of criteria new car needs to fit!
This is sole family car, so needs to be fairly economical to run - (at least, no really big 4x4's)
At least 6 seats
Not too low slung - We live out on the moors and lanes get big ruts - 405 just about ok, old Mondeo would lose it 's exhaust from time to time.
And this is the stumbling point - must occasionally tow small horsebox - combined weight of 2 ponies 600kg max, plus trailer weight . Local use only, but it's very hilly.
Question is, would an MPV fit the bill? In an ideal world, I'd have a Subaru Forester with 7 seats, but haven't seen any of these, and realistically, £6 to£7 k is the most we can afford. Are any of the MPV's man enough for the job ( I think the tow weights do come within most manufacturer guidelines, but I am concerned about safety and handling using an MPV and not a 4x4
Thanks for any advice! Read more
There's a diesel 4motion (4x4) version of the current VW Transporter Shuttle that might fit the bill. You wouldn't be stuck for space to carry tack and baggage when towing the pony box either.
Have a look at the CBCB for details.
Might also be worth checking the caravan club's towcar recommendations - I seem to recall the Skoda Superb and Fiat Multipla winning towcar of the year at various times, and neither is 4x4. I've seen a Ford Galaxy tow a 25 foot trailer-sailer boat (probably 1.5 tons all-up) but I can't vouch for how well the rig would handle on the road!
Hi,
I've got a journey to Silverstone next month and have just run the start and end points through the AA route finder. The journey is quite straightforward, mostly all motoway, but it does say to use the M6 toll road. I've no real problem with using this section of motorway, but ...... do I NEED to use it or is there a toll free alternative and if I use it exactly how much will the toll be ? I expect to be passing through sometime in the wee early hours if this makes any difference.
Thanks in advance,
Oily. Read more
Going north you do not join the toll road until Junction 9 of the M42 where the Toll Road and M42 separate but having got that far it is a pain in the neck to get back to the M6.
Where the M6 and Toll road separate there is an un-tolled link to the M42 north - works for M42 south to M6 as well and is much faster than the A446 past Coleshill.
I have been asked to sell a company Vauxhall Vectra. This is a duelfuel petrol / LPG car, manufactured as such by Vauxhall.
Is there a premium for such vehicles in London where the driver can be exempt of the Congestion Charge fee?
There is a saving of approx £2,000 pa to the right commuter ... a sum not to be sneezed at!
Otherwise I will just take it to the nearest auction house and flog it.!!
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There was an article in Autocar 26 July page 41, regarding this topic, and they concluded proper factory conversions were selling at a premium of about 600 GBP.
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Quite do-able - we usually end up near Munich in a single day;
Tips - use Eurotunnel - presuming their aren't any hold-ups, that saves quite a bit of time over ferries - book one nice & early (7am) ... and ... check roadworks on your route before you go !