March 2007
I notice my local Total station now has a pump for Excellium Diesel, which I assume is meant to be the equivalent of BP's Ultimate Diesel. Does anyone know whether it's the same fuel, or different - in which case, which one is best for mileage, performance, extending engine life, etc... (oh yes - and the environment, how could I forget). I run a 2.5 V6 TDi Passat, and having run on ordinary diesel and BP Ultimate, I can't say I've noticed any difference other than in my pocket, though I may be churning out less noxious fumes if that's what BP would claim. Read more
Hello people, I've just signed up. Thanks for a highly entertaining forum.
Wondered if someone could give me some advice on how to deal with DVLA over a problem that's arisen over a scrapped car.
Two years ago (Feb 2005) the car suffered a catastrophic engine failure and was taken off the road to rot in a corner of my garden until I could decide how to dispose of it. Following a reminder from DVLA I sent them a SORN in Jan 2006.
To cut the story short, I eventually gave the car to a friend in the motor trade to deal with it as he deemed fit. Not knowing at the time what he might do with it, I signed the 'change of keeper' section on the V5 and left it with him.
In September he told me that he had sent the car to a breakers' yard for scrapping. The V5 which I had signed had gone with it, so I needn't do anything more; the breakers would deal with the paperwork.
In December though I got another SORN application reminder from DVLA, which, on the advice of my trader friend, I (probably unwisely) ignored.
I've now had a penalty notice from DVLA asking me for an unpaid licence fee plus £40, rising to £80 if I don't pay by the end of the month.
I've written back explaining what has happened, but for some strange reason I don't have much confidence that it'll do any good.
Question is, how do I get out of this? Even if I were to pay the penalty (which I'm loathe to do), how can I stop DVLA sending me SORN reminders every year, given that I no longer have the V5 to tell them the car doesn't exist any more? Read more
In December though I got another SORN application reminder from DVLA, which, on the advice of my trader friend, I (probably unwisely) ignored.
Very unwise. If you had read the rear, specifically the section "if you no longer have the vehicle" you could have save a lot of trouble and/or cash.
I am a great believer in buying a good spec "old model" prob c. 2+ years old when most (no - not all) of the initial depreciation has been taken taken by the previous owner(s).
I have been considering a Signum automatic with Elite spec. and would appreciate any comments and experiences of this model from others on the Forum.
The Signum has never had rave reviews and not liked by motoring journalists but to me it appears a very practical motor with a great spec. and good reliability which can be had for reasonable money. For instance this was on ebay but remained unsold - I think:
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&ss...1
Should I avoid the larger engine and go for the 1.9 diesel ? Is there anything that I should look out for ? I am really not concerned with 0-60 figs and have low annual mileage so mpg is no big deal but dont want to throw money away unnecessarily.
Thanks in advance for any advice. Read more
I'm suprised the signum never sold in greater quantities because I like the idea of it as a bit of a crossover type car. I'm sure if it had a german premium badge (not opel) it would sell in greater numbers.
This week the drivers side wiper stayed in the up position. Dismantling the linkage the reason is that two of the plastic bushes (one on each piece of linkage) have worn and one was loose enough to dis -engage.
Just been to Toyota and I cannot buy the bushes alone and have to buy a whole linkage assembly for £100. Breakers want £40-50 for a secondhand linkage which I don't think is good value.
Car is 2001 and last of the older shaped version.
Does anyone know if I could just get the bushes from anywhere else please?
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As jase1 says really.
But ive cut and shut a few linkages for fiats in the past with old fiesta bits.
If you can turn your hand and find the bits in a local recycle place (scrappy) then you could always have a go as you could use nuts and bolts to make the linkage length right.
Long term keeping of the car would make me go big dealer down big town though.
hi, the steering has gone a bit stiff particularly when turning left , is there an easy way to lube the rack and steering box without a load of hassle Read more
As Lee says, bottom uj. Common problem on the Fiesta.
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Fullchat
hi, im doing an oil change on a cit zx1.4i what would be the best oil for such model its done 100k, and any other advice for a "self service" appreciated thanks Read more
cheers dave
I bought some of those Holte Wipes to clean the inside of my Windscreen but they just smeared it, Wiped off the excess with a paper towel but now they mist up all smeared and type of shiny - What's the best way to clean them ?
It's one of those Ford Quickclear screens if it makes any difference.
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Holts interior screen wipes, yep bought those once myself, utterly useless left the screen worse than it was before i cleaned it. No wonder they were reduced.
I find that most domestic glass cleaners work well (eg windolene and the supermarket equivelents), as long as you use a microfiber cloth, or bounty kitchen roll.
Hello there.
My first post here.
So, what do you guys reckon; Is the Cadillac BLS the most pointless car on sale in Europe, yes or not?
Well, I think it is.
The Cadillac BLS is the most pathetic excuse to waste money that could have been invested on newer Saab models, IMO. It's basically a warmed-up Saab 9-3 and in terms, means the BLS is just as uninspiring to drive as the 9-3 and its more refined, albeit plebeian Vectra. The car, which both the Disaster (BLS) and the "Stylish Veccy" (9-3) are based on.
GM is ruining Saab with a tarted-up Vectra, a Dame Edna Everage on its last legs and a gargoyle-like American SUV.
Saab is in desperate need of an Audi A3 rival, I wouldn't even mind if would turn out to be a tarted-up Astra, because the new Astra is actually a very good car. But NO. Instead, the idiots at Detroit decided that Cadillac should have an A3 competitor. Oh great! I can even see the mess this is going to be...an old creaky American brand trying to look "cool" and trying to be all things to all men. That's the perfect recipe of a miserable commercial flop.
I hope they fail. Yes, that's right. I hope Cadillac fails, so these presumptuous yanks will finally learn the lesson, that we don't give a damn about their appalling cars. And I say to Mercedes-Benz to get rid once and for all of that huge fat lemon called Chrysler.
DON'T FORGET TO POST A COMMENT.
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Need I say more?
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L\'escargot.
Used to drive in London a lot, made one of my infrequent trips to the smoke today, A371/A361/A303/M3/M25/A20, into Woolwich then Dulwich and Wandsworth and back out down the A3, across though Byfleet/Ottershaw/Chobham/Lightwater to the M3 again. A few observations:
Busjams:
Following a bus in London a 20mph max, it stops, moves on, stops, moves on, stops, you cannot get past because there is a queue of traffic coming the other way, yup that's right ...................... following a bus! Nightmare!
Humps:
Raised "cushions" in Nightingale Lane between Clapham Common and Wandsworth, a challenge for Chris Bonnington, criminal, simply criminal!
Holes:
The roads around 'Sarf' London are worse than ever, there are two pot holes on West Hill, Wandsworth, alone that a small hatchback could get lost in!
Headlight:
Noticed that I had a dipped beam out, stopped at a garage and bought an H7 bulb (10 quid, ouch!), it really is so easy to change a bulb on the Mondeo, open the bonnet, unclip the grill, pull out two pins, pull the light out, unclip the back, change the bulb, reverse the procedure, 3 or 4 mins and on the road again. Some cars need either a trip to the dealer or a couple of hours with Snap-On's finest, perhaps even an hour waiting for the AA on a dark winters's night!
Home:
As per most Friday's there was a reasonable amount of traffic on the roads tonight though I had a really enjoyable run back to the west country, music on, down the M3/A303 and across the ranges using the torque to waft past slower traffic without having to change down and zipping along undulating, twisting roads at a fair lick, the car seemingly enjoying it as much as I, responding precisely to every input, doing exactly what is is told and nothing more, and getting me out of trouble by providing an indecent amount of grip when I barreled into a corner a bit to quickly, really wouldnt have minded another 60 miles or so!
Regards.
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Have to agree with the M3/A303 bit, it might take a bit longer, but it's far more entertaining as a road, used to use myself Bath to Greenwich etc. M4 is yuk.
From What Car? (story dated today)
Volkswagen is ordering a review of its own quality procedures following a series of embarrassing low scores in recent surveys.
The move was ordered by VW's new boss, Martin Winterkorn, because he feels any perception of low quality will affect VW's international competitiveness.
Part of the way VW is tackling this is to replace the current head of quality at VW, Falko Schling, with Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler from Audi: Audi's reputation for quality is unrivalled in mainstream motor manufacturing.
As part of the drive to renew confidence in its cars, VW has already replaced the proposed door seals on the next-generation (Mk VI) Golf, which is due out next year.
The next car to go under the quality microscope is the Polo - VW is reviewing the trim materials used for its dashboard.
www.whatcar.com/news-article.aspx?NA=224439 Read more
Martin, many thanks for a - er long response with many points to discuss.
Firstly my facts on VAG platform and component sharing are gathered from a couple of friends who are designers at Bentley and work very closely with Audi so I am pretty confident they are reasonably accurate - either that or my friends & their colleagues would benefit from a day's training from you on what their company really does with it's component and platform strategy. I'm sure you could teach them alot judging by your last post.
On the subject of the 'poor sod' who chose to share his/her views on VAG ownership on the web - well I am not going to lower myself to talk about someone who is not here to defend him/herself other than to say that clearly they have had some impact on your life that you feel strong enough to remember & bring them up when I assume they are not participating in this discussion - but also as oilrag states the web is a great leveller and gives the 'poor sod' an opportunity to share his/her bad experiences with your good ones.
You stated in a response to Aprilla that you 'kick up a right fuss' when it suits you - is this 'poor sod' denied this option ?
The reason I raised the Japanese Vs German issue was as a follow on discussion from Aprilla's point about Subaru quality. You are quiet correct Martin Winterkorn did not raise the subject specifically and I did not realise that precluded the rest of us from using it as a comparison. Given that the Japenese usually set the benchmark in the automotive world for quality and reliability then to use them on a quality subject posting seems fair to me.
Although you seem against me raising the Japanese Vs German point you then go on to spend alot of time detailing the sales figures of these companies in the UK - which only tells part of the story. If you look globally at the sales figures for these companies then clearly the Toyota/ Lexus brands sell many more cars than VAG could ever wish to. I would just add to this that the UK market is heavily biased by Company car owners who don't really care if the car goes wrong in the same way a private buyer would - hence the strong German car presence on our roads.
As you say we all choose cars that suit us and given the opportunity on a forum such s this to then share our experiences in my view is great.
Browse
I have a straight 5 2.7 diesel (Merc) and I can't tell any difference either.
I do use Sainsbury's City Diesel quite a bit and my car runs just fine on it, producing some of its best MPG figures: See: www.honestjohn.co.uk/motoring_answers/index.htm?id...7