September 2006
Had my Accord in for a service a fortnight ago at my local Honda dealership. Very mundane, nothing to report. On my way home yesterday, SWMBO phones me; the garage had left a message for me to phone them pronto. I waited until I got home and listened to the message. It related to 'the wheels we have for you' .
Totally in the dark, I telephone to dealer and gave my name. 'Oh yes sir, when would you like to bring the car in?' Feeling a bit dim, I reply that, unfortunately, I have no idea what they are talking about. After being put on hold, the service receptionist informs me that the alloy wheels have arrived and are ready to be fitted. I plead ignorance once again and tell them I hadn't ordered any alloy wheels.
After being put on hold again, the service receptionist finally informs me that when the car was in for a service, the technician had noticed some corrosion around the centre cap of one of the alloys. As a result, a replacement set of four Epsilon alloys were ordered under warranty. Being fitted tomorrow.
Last night a quick search on the Honda forums revealed that corrosion on these alloys has been a problem. BUT, I hadn't mentioned it when I took the car in.
So, well done to Pentraeth Honda, Llandudno.
Oh, and before anyone appears stating that it is the least you would expect, it made me feel all warm and gooey inside.
So there.
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let me be the last to let you down.... Read more
The breakdown cover that came with my approved used motor has expired, so i just tried to re-activate my old RAC breakdown cover that i put on hold last year. They won't honour the 2 months that was left until renewal date(which i would like to use now), and insist that i renew for 12 months from now instead. So, if i have to renew for 12 months now, i'd prefer to buy from somewhere else. Any recommendations?? Read more
Britannia Rescue;even cheaper if you're a civil servant or have a close relation who is.
I have been trying to drive more economically. One of the tips I have come across on the web is to leave the car in gear and ease off the accelerator when going down a hill. I have read that this will only work for modern cars, where the ecu/computer cuts off the fuel. In such cases, it is better to leave it in gear rather than put it in neutral.
Whilst drivign down hill, I have tended to put it in neutral. I drive a 95M 1.6 Escort zetec. My question is will the computer/ecu cut off the petrol when the accelerator is not depressed, or is my car too old to have such a system? In my case, would it be better to leave it in gear and ease off the accelerator, or to continue leaving it in neutral?
Thanks for your help.
Ish Read more
what about that goverment thinking on white van man, back for retraining on greener driving, did it work any body know.. ithink its down to forward planning.
The alternator died recently on my Sharan. The replacement new item died after less than a week. Fortunately it's a company car and won't cost me anything to have it fixed. However, what puzzles me is that there was no indication from the dashboard lights that the battery wasn't charging. When the ignition was switched on a battery icon lit up but when the (diesel) engine started it went out. The first indications that anything was wrong was when the engine was a bit sluggish on the starter motor and the electric windows a bit slow winding up and down. I thought that if the alternator failed then all manner of warning lights would start flashing.
Keep upright Read more
I wonder if the one way drive pulley is failing, and has been transferred to the new alternator. These seem to pack up at about 60k miles onwards, often by coming apart - to the detriment of anything which gets in the way.
659.
tinyurl.com/pt4f6
Not sure if the link is allowed so have disabled it, but a test I will look forward to the results from!!! The future draws closer!! Read more
I saw something on TV a few weeks ago and the reporter had just come back from Japan. The latest GPS systems used over there not only show the roads, but also a respresentation of the traffic on them. This appears to be a version of the system in the link.
HJ's column last Sat, there was a chap featured complaining about a £30 penalty for a six minute parking trangression, he claimed that he had over paid on numerous previous occasions. I have sympathy with this view, this along with the speeding / European Court of Human Rights story got me thinking, the following is slightly shaky in concept though I wonder if it would work:
Park in the said car park, buy a ticket for say 2 hours, come back to the car after 30 mins and drive away, write to the council (or whoever) saying:
"
On xxth of XXX I parked vehicle reg XX06XXX in XX car park between 10:00 and 10:30 a total of 30 minutes however I had paid for 120 minutes (copy of ticket enclosed) therefore if on a future occasion the same vehicle XX06XXX is found to be parked in XX carpark with a valid though expired ticket in trust the remaining 90 minutes of unused, though paid for, time will be accounted for before a penatly notice is issued, Yours ...... "
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Are there any decent pubs yet other than hippie ones in
Bristol or Bath or, cough, anywhere in between?
Wheatsheaf in Corston on the A39. Cracking food and Butcombe
Riverside in Saltford (er... on the river)
Um, that's about it though. If you're ever in Bath though, New Inn in Monmouth Street does fantastic beer (Wadworth pub)
Insured with deleted - as you are calling them gits. DD on my tdi. Phoned this morning to get a quote on a Vr6 and the gits wont insure me until i'm 25 ( nearly 2 years!!). Yet they'll insure me on a 2.0 16v...
Now i'm sure they said themselves ( a few months ago when i phoned them) that if i owned the car they would be oblidged to insure me.
That true??!
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try
www.ecarinsurance.co.uk
they are good and i found them very cheap
does any body know why wheel covers seem to be always coloured silver, only just bought a black car, thought black covers would suit better, espiecally given that they get filthy black from brake dust. Read more
My first car had silver painted steel wheels with just a central hub cap to cover the wheel nuts and bearing cap. The hub cap was chromed with the old Ford symbol, the silver painted wheels never corroded while I had the car (it was 21 years old by then). Looked much better than black steel wheels with tatty plastic wheel trims.
StarGazer
friend of mine has a 2.5 tds 5 door frontera grey/purple on a R reg with 81k on the clock,
he also has his girlfriends fiat seicento 1.1 sporting in yellow with 20k on the clock.
he said if i want i can have them both for £3800. i would buy them to sell on. is it worth it for me?
both have full service history and long MOT's Read more
Well done Adam. Now if you will just provide us with his phone number so we can go and buy them now you are out of the way!
Funny goings on in TVM's parish?
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/5382...m Read more
Like "cos I had had a few drinks George (the dog) said he would take the keys".
Update. Car in first thing. Offer of courtesy car not needed (the walk did me good). Car ready by lunchtime. Spanking new wheels fitted and car cleaned. I'm one very happy boy.
HJ, please feel free to paraphrase the OP and mention dealers name in your column if you so wish.
Incidently, I didn't buy the vehicle from the dealer, but they have serviced it. And, will continue to do so.
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let me be the last to let you down....