May 2007
Hello all,
im 19 years old, and i need some advice on getting my 1st proper car, i had a citroen AX before but it had to be written off and im now looking for a proper 1st car. i have been looking at peugoet 206 on the trader and i have found nothing within my budget. with only £2000 i would like to get a car with the same characteristics of the 206 with the 'boyish' look. i have looked at clios year:1999+ and havent had much luck, the engine size i was looking at was 1.2 or anything in the insurance group 1,2 and 3. if any one could give me some advice on what to look for next as i need to get a car within 1 1/2 weeks, any help would be great :D
thanks Tom Read more
I've never owned a brand new car till now. But thinking of buying one!
Just wondering exactly what things are covered under manufacturer's warranty? Most cars here come with 3 years warranty with exception of Hyundai (5 yr) and Kia Cee'd (5+2 yr)
On Hyundai website, they said brake/clutch/lights etc. are covered for 2 years only. Rest of components 5 years.
Most other manufactuers include the clause that wear & tear are not included.
Could you please highlight your experiences what things are not covered??
If the car is under warranty work, do they provide free courtsey car for that??
Cars I'm looking at - Suzuki, Honda, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Toyota mainly (within £10k)
Thanx Read more
You will usually find that the item you are claiming for isn't covered!!!!!
Every time I hear this phrase, I get a mental picture of Terry Pratchett's Duck Man, and I wonder what the other wardens look like.
I haven't had a ticket for twenty-odd years - it must be the sun getting to me! Read more
I support these cameras - the Council I work for buys DNA swab tests so that traffic wardens who are spat at can try and pursue the offender in court.
This happens on a daily basis, and I don't think people realise what they have to put up with. In my short experience, getting in a car tends to make people think they're invulnerable from the law, and take strong exception when they're caught out breaking it. How many times has someone cut you up, but then react aggresively when you point out their mistake? It's just the same with parking.
I don't think many poeple on here works in a job where they can be verbally and physically insulted like this, and it almost to be socially acceptable. And if they did, they would want their employer to take all reasonable steps to prevent it or bring the offender to justice.
OK, it's easy to blame parking wardens for the system, and no-one likes getting a fine, but as the article says this should actually help the facts be presented should a driver wish to appeal a PCN they think unfair. And whislt there is the odd wheel out of a parking bay, the majority of tickets I see are on cars parked illegally or in disabled spaces etc. The time limited spaces are there for a reason too (often to encourage use of local shops and ammenities instead of all day commuters).
The cost of the equipment will no doubt be covered by income raised from fines such as ASB, littering and fowling (all of which is good news for residents) and the fact evidence will probably help parking decisions be upheld on appeal.
To prove I'm not a Council stooge, I do admit there is an inherant contradiction with council's trying to increase parking compliance, but still financially relying on parking income to help provide transport services.
I'm not sure of the solution, but I'm sure it won't be council tax payers being willing to pay higher llocal/national taxes so that parking fines can be reduced for those motorists who chose to park illegally.
That chap in the Mail article wants people to be able to get on with their own business without being continually harrassed?
"Business" as in breaking the law and abusing public servants when they try and tackle them?
He really, really should try being a parking warden for a few days if he wants to know the meaning of the word harrassed.
And regarding the comments about the ethnicity of wardens, it's most likely that British citizens aren't willing to work at the low wages offered. Again, would the public pay more tax so that more educated wardens could be recruited on higher pay?
er, no.
I'm not a Council stooge, but there's 2 sides to every story, and I think it is important that there is some balance on here (unlike the Daily Mail of course).
Ian
Here's one that's bothered me on and off for a while, on which the Highway Code seems not to give a definitive answer. I'll illustrate it with a real-world example from last Sunday.
Driving through a village en route to lunch at a friend's house, I reached a crossroads and stopped at the give-way line, as there was traffic on the major road. I was turning right and signalling accordingly. As I waited for the traffic to clear, another car stopped at the give-way line on the opposite side, showing no signal and so apparently intending to go straight on.
When the main road cleared, I began my right-turn manoeuvre, but before I'd completed it, the other car also pulled out and indeed went straight across the junction. I'd half-anticipated this and was going slowly enough to stop and let it go, and we each went on our way.
My question is this: who should have waited for whom? All the HC offers is You MUST give way to traffic on the main road when emerging from a junction with broken white lines across the road, which we both did. Had we been at traffic lights, I would unquestionably have given way, but I took the view that we each had a give-way line to cross and I had reached the junction first, so I would set off first. (This, incidentally, is the rule that applies at 'four-way crossings' in the US.) And once I'd done that, you could argue that I was 'traffic on the main road' and the other driver should have waited for me. In the absence of eye contact, which the other driver carefully refused to make, what's the BR's view on what should happen here? Read more
>>Good plan generally - but sometimes you just have to cross, even when you know there are crocodiles about.
Best to resist the desire for a drink first though(!)
Can someone tell me where the fuel filter on a 1998 corsa 1.0 ecotec is situated?
Thanx in advance! Read more
Much obliged Andrew, thank you.
Right then , Friday we're off driving down the to the Languedoc from Calais via a nice Chateau near Orleans, but the difference is this time we are hiring a 9 seater minivan rather than going in two cars.
Anyone any tips this year on the state of l'autoroutes and does anyone know if a Citroen Jumper or Mercedes Vito is charged higher on the tolls than a standard car so we can budget accordingly?
Already disabled the french camera bits on the TomTom and the vehicle is a LHD (pick up at Calais Ferryport) - we are crossing as foot passengers this time.
Much obliged Read more
There'a fixed camera on the autoroute near Boulogne,another on the auto route near Clermont Ferrand and have seen a mobile on the N154 near Dreux.The obvious route is south from Calais and head for Rouen-take the Paris autoroute there for a few miles,then onto the A154 which becomes the N154 all the way to Orleans-I use this route but stay in the Campanile at La Source which is in a forest.From there you get straight onto the Autoroute all the way to Languedoc.Take a 10 min.diversion to look at the Viaduct du Garabit-it's signposted and well worth it.
hi all,
i have just had my 51 plate Ford Focus MOT'd yesterday and it failed.
the reason for it failing was that the Technition could not get the revs to hold at 2500 rpm in order to perform the emissions test. ive since tried to do it and i cant either. it will flow nicely up to about 2100 rpm but when you try to give it a little more gas it shoots up to 3000 rpm.
over all it drives fine, starts fine every time and this is the first main problem that i have had with the focus.
ive been told it could be a tight spot in the air flap?? and also a possible air leak??
anyone with any ideas??
many thanks, jon B Read more
Jon
"A worn belt and tensioner?" I'll never say never on any car; but it'll take quite a stretch of the imagination to see the causality between that and an idle issue?
If a throttle sensor[??] was faulty; I would have expected other indications to show up first.
Still; glad to hear it's sorted - at quite a cost.
Lets treat this as hypothetical.
A 7.5 t Lorry fails to stop after an accident and someone gets the number.
Police ask the company for the drivers name and the company fails to disclose it. . .
The vehicle is subject to an O licence.
The qualified person named on the O licence is no longer responsible/involved in the transport operation.
Anyone tell me what offences have been committed (apart from failing to stop), and what happens next - i.e. who could get prosecuted and what effect might it have on the O license?
Read more
Having held a CPC I agree with DVD - the O licence is a reddish herring. The directors / company secretary of the company (if Ltd) or the partners, on whose behalf someone will be signing as Regd Keeper are the people to focus on. Clearly the transport manager should have the info., but they may not be the person on the V5.
"With prices flirting near the $4.00 dollar a gallon mark, you'd think sales of SUV's would take a hit. but according to the automotive research website, edmonds.com , nationally large SUV's rose nearly 6 percent in the first quarter of 2007. "
This was also reported on the BBC.
A little surprising?
Read more
Apparently they believe the $4 gas price is a temporary thing and it'll be $1.50 again soon.
They think SUV's are safer and more convenient (can just throw kids stuff etc into them). With their raised driving position, it's so easy to drive a large engined, power everything SUV in the US (none of the tiny parking space hassles etc that we get) that I'm not surprised by the reports.
Just had a note from my youngest boy - less than 1 yr old car parked at work on Friday - car park next door being relaid (unknown to him as he gets in at 7 am). Due to high winds the "grit and pink fluffy dice" form the relay has covered his and 20 other cars. The bill will be substantial.
Earlier this year eldest son's car parked at worl when somone decided to cut some pipes in the basement - he is now haviong windscreen, backscrenn & 2 x side windows repon inusrance claim. His wife's carw as washed at aMian dealere by the 16yr odl Saturday boy after getting a warrnty repair - this required a re-spray of roof, boot & one side.
A bit of thought could ahve saved £000's in just 3 cases
Read more
Outcome of compalint re Car Park Grit covering cars
Owner of carpark agreed to clean cars thoroughly and allocated 1 hour for team of car cleaners to come to car park - absolute waste of time - one owner got his car back and not only was the body not clean they had not even managed to get the flies off the number plate.
My son booked his car - along with another 6-8 into a reputable valet company - magic but at a cost of £250 each + Super Polish for an RS4 & S8 took the bill to nearly £550 each.
So much for saving money by getting a carp[ark relaid on a Friday to save Overtime paymenst on a Saturday.
Knowing what I know now (if only I had known when I was your age:o), if I was in your situation I would without hesitation endeavour to buy a Honda Civic (the most recent that £2000 will buy)...in order to get reliability and minium maintenance costs.
Visit www.hondabeat.com/highmiles.php and you will see why.
Do let us know what you decide.