December 2006
If we are forced to drive smaller, far more economical cars, are todays superminis a viable option for long distance driving?
They seem to have most of the equipment that you get on larger cars and reading about them, they seem to be rated as comfy and have a fair amount of space for their increasing size.
If you had to give up your top-spec 5-series for instance, what supermini would you replace it with if you were forced to do so? Read more
My Father is looking for a nearly-new diesel automatic. The choice has boiled down to one of 2 cars (nothing else under consideration, not even a Mondeo TDCi...):
Saab 9-3 saloon, Vector Sport finish, 1.9tdi with 150bhp;
or
Volvo S40 D5 SE Geartronic, 2.4D with 180bhp.
Both are around 6 months old with broadly similar specs. Will be sourced from main dealer stock.
There are fewer Volvos around, and so prices are correspondingly higher. Cost to change is UK£2-3k more for the Volvo. Saab diesel automatics seem plentiful in comparison!
He does about 15k miles/year and will keep the car at least 5 years.
Which would you choose?! And why? I said to him that it simply boils down to personal preference - both with the car and the dealership..! Read more
Well, he doesn't read this forum but has come to a decision which seems to concur with many of you. He's bought the Volvo; picks it up next Wednesday!
I've just had 2 tyres fitted to my old C-Class today. The mobile fitters were using hand-wrenches only, but on undoing the wheelnuts one of them sheared. They called me over and I agreed for them to proceed. A 2nd sheared. Doing the other front wheel, 1 sheared and we gave up (one nut wouldn't budge and as it was next to the sheared nut we gave up).
I assume the problem is that the nuts were overtightened (at least one wheel is down to a certain national tyre company, who used an air-gun). No doubt I have no call-back on them as they had the car weeks ago.
Planning to limp home on my 3 wheelnuts, I've booked the car into my local garage, who I assume will have some way of getting the studs out. They have suggested that if the nuts were over-tightened that much there's a good chance I'll need new hubs and that'll cost me a fortune. Is this right? I was figuring on a couple of hours labour...
Am I 'safe' to drive home with 2 of 5 studs broken on 1 wheel (broken studs are opposite, not adjacent). It's 70 miles to get home, mix of Motorway and B roads. RAC? Read more
Simon.
Old C-class to you but just the thing I'm considering for a next car. How have you got on with yours?
DW
Hello -
Recently brought a 1.9GT TDi PD 115bhp Golf through an independent dealer. 13 days in the engine blew and needs to be replaced. Luckily I am covered by the warranty and they have found a replacement engine, ironically with 24,000 miles less than the original engine. I have been assured that the engine is exactly the same as mine. They will be replacing the cambelt too which is a bonus.
I'd like to know if there is anything else I should be checking with the dealer. The new engine comes with a 3 month warranty on it which provides some peace of mind.
To be honest it's been a nightmare couple of weeks with this car and I'm just trying to cover all angles as much as possible!
Thanks in advance.
Tom Read more
i would get the water pump replaced, it's 5 mins work if the cambelt is off and there's no water in the engine. Try to get a replacement with a brass instead of plastic impeller while you're at it. GSF have got them if VW haven't.
Maybe I am naive, but where I live (Nantwich) there was a BIG accident last night (on the Chester road) involving multiple vehicles, and the aftermath was such that part of the road was shut all night. Yet, the only mention of it was a tiny mention on the BBC Local Travel section.
How bad does an accident have to be to be reported? I just hope it has received little coverage as nobody was seriously injured or worse....
On a different tack, the diversion took everyone past my house. Considering the signs said "Serious Accident: Diversion", the speed of the lorries going past my house indicated that they were impatient to make up the lost time.... pity they don't think more about the accident eh, seeing as lorries were involved. Read more
the old A40 is a good road
You can say that again, especially the hill with hairpins that straightens out into a 500mph swoop going westwards down onto the plain ...RIP Leo and your sidevalve new shape Ford van, 90 I think and quite a respectable lick for 1959... Of course coming the other way you had to have some power to get ino trouble...
Since cars are getting a big share of the blame for the theory that "greenhouse gases" are on the increase and that this is bad for our planet, I'd like to throw this into the ring.
"However, the geological record demonstrates that the Earth has remained at a fairly constant temperature throughout its history, and in fact that the young Earth was somewhat warmer than it is today. The general consensus among scientists is that the young Earth's atmosphere contained much larger quantities of greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide and/or ammonia) than are present today, which trapped enough heat to compensate for the lesser amount of solar energy reaching the planet.[18]"
It's an extract from the section entitled "Faint young Sun problem" in this Wilkepedia article:- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun#Life_cycle
Greenhouse gases aren't all bad!
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L\'escargot. Read more
It's all nonsense. The scariest thing is that we are overdue an ice age by a couple of thousand years. When the ice cap advances over the UK, then we'll be worried.
Either that, or there is a God and he is looking after us; he has decided that it is time that mankind develops into a modern race, and we are to be protected from climatic change.
I remember at school, c 1980, being told that gas would run out within 15 years, and oil within 25. It doesn't seem to have been a problem. I distrust so-called experts.
Not motoring though may stop people being caught out. If you get a message left for you something like:
"Hi this is James from the Information Team, this is our second attempt to contact you, please call us on 0871 2089407, Thanks"
It is a scam, the number you call is premium rate and probably cost you £1 plus to call it, it will be a dead line, if you dial 1471 the call has come from 0871 2089406.
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Sorry to be a killjoy, but as Cheddar pointed out right at the start of this thread - "Not motoring"
I won't delete this however; as Cheddar also pointed out - "may stop people being caught out"
Thread locked.
DD
hi,
Can anybody possibly help please.
about a months ago my girls megane indicators started playing up,working,then stopping intermittently.
Now they work but as soon as you hit the brakes they stop !!
She has admitted to "swopping a few fuses around" but i couldn't get to teh bottom of it and everything else seems to work okay.
despairing so if anybody has any help i'd be very grateful
thank you Read more
I have a 1998 Megane which started exhibiting very similar systems - when indicating right the high-intensity rear light on that side started flashing as well (along with the dashboard warning light), braking stopped the indicators etc. It was going in for a service so got the dealer to look at it. Traced to a faulty circuit board - the one the rear bulbs all plug into. Being a dealer they replaced both sides plus the terminals that plug into them - with labour at around £80 an hour that came to £120 all in. The parts themselves are cheap - less than a tenner inc VAT for the boards as I recall, so I would suggest buying one (or even both sides if the fault occurs on both indicators) and fitting them yourself - dead easy - and seeing if that fixes the problem.
Today I am test driving a Volvo V70 2.4 DE 2005 / 55 with 15,000 miles at £19,950 and a Mondeo Ghia X 2.2 TDCi 2006 / 06 with 9,000 miles at £15,990. The total cost of ownership over 3 years and 36,000 miles is £553 per month for the V70 or £480 per month for the Mondeo. The V70 is quieter but the Mondeo has more cabin space and a more engaging drive.
My question:- Is it worth paying £73 a month more to drive a V70 over a Mondeo.
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Don't know much about the Volvo but the Mondeo seems overpriced. FOW are showing an 06 with 11660 miles on it for £13799. I've bought several cars from them over the years & have always been pleased with them.
As I walked through a car park a Harley Davidson came in with what appeared to be a radio/CD player going. I've never come across that on a motorcycle before.
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L\'escargot. Read more
I remeber as a kid, walking through town gawping at the local psychobillies on their scooters with stereos fitted, thinking 'wow'.
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Aim low, expect nothing & dont be disappointed
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I have read in an independant car handbook that if you do regular long trips you'll be better off with a car with the largest engine capacity in it's class as it'll be more fuel efficent in the long term, bearing in mind they're thinking about power to weight ratio?
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)