If you are lost for something to do on Sunday and don't mind braving the New Forest, this is a good way to spend the day. The Museum is actually a motorbike heaven for those who don't know.
Sammy Millers Motorcycle Museum near New Milton is hosting a rally for over 200 MG's this Sunday (June 3) with everything from a 1937 model up to the latest model. You would be able to chat to all the owners! They are then taking part in a New Forest run, ending up at Exbury. For those who are worried about the Lyndhurst problem you do not need to go via Lyndhurst to either destination. The event raises money for the local air ambulance service and the Hampshire Children's Friendship League. Read more

Here's a web site with pictures of the new Renault Twingo that we should see in right hand drive this time:
www.avtomobilizem.com/modules/articles/?art_id=652

Looks ok, best Renault I've ever seen. Read more

it was starting fine then it took a little longer to start then a little longer an now it won't start at all it is turning over and it is firing but it just won't start does anybody know what this problem would be i have checked all the ht leads and i have put a new rotor arm and a distributor cap on the car but stril won't start if anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated cheers Read more

Hi There,

My sister got a BMW 316 from deleted because of the 'no naming / shaming' rule {edit by DD} 4 weeks ago however a couple of days ago when she was driving round a small round about she lost the front end and nearly went off the road. She stopped the car and walked back to the roundabout to see if there was anything on the road but it was dry and the road was fine. She decided to take the car to a small local garage to get the car checked. After taking the car out for a test drive the owner of the garage agreed that there was something seriously wrong with the car as there was no feeling at the front end and also said it was the worst BMW he had ever driven. When they put the car up on the ramps they were shocked to find the front bushes were very soft and a bolt was also missing (not sure of the full details) They concluded that the car was not safe to drive and she should take it back to the garage it was purchased from right away to get it repaired.


So off she went back to the garage in question who got a technician to have a look but he said the car was fine. They then got another technician (BMW trained) to have a look and he agreed with the local garage to what was wrong and also recommended that all four shockers should be replaced. However the sales department have refused to pay for the repairs and are continuing to say it is wear and tear.

The car is 6 years old and has around 65000 miles on the clock.

She is now waiting for their head office to get back to her but she is not confident that they will help her.

Can you please give advice.

Thanks

{Some names removed / generalised due to our no naming / shaming rule. Also subject header made less vague - DD}

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The Amalfi Coast is about 25 km of drop-dead gorgeous, vertiginous scenery stretching along the southern shore of the Sorrento Peninsula below the Bay of Naples. Ancient Norman and Saracen fortifications dot the headlands. Buildings cling to the steep cliffs, defying gravity. Lemon and orange trees grown profusely, flowers bloom everywhere, the air is heavy with scent. Driving around here is a unique experience, too.

The coastal road is best described as mostly single-track as it passes through inhabited areas and somewhat wider elsewhere. It clings to the precipitous cliffs, often hundreds of metres above the sea, and follows the convoluted coastline except where a bridge here or tunnel there takes a short cut. Seen from below the road appears even more terrifying than when you’re on it; in many places it is cantilevered out from the rock-face on concrete slabs.

Driving here demands much skill, nerve and, often, patience. The road width, as I have said, varies enormously and is at its narrowest when passing through one of the near-vertical towns that line the shore, where buildings jumbled together in a plan whose logic is lost in history seem to defy any through-route. Bends are frequent, severe and often totally unpredictable. Traffic is often heavy, and this is Italy, many drivers are local and they are in a hurry. Life in Italy is mostly leisurely, in my experience, but driving is a big exception.

But perhaps the biggest shock is that there are not only cars of all shapes and sizes (and, yes, that does include six-door black limousines driven by suspicious-looking men in very sharp suits and dark glasses), and full sized coaches, thank goodness passing slowly through to allow their passengers to point their cameras and video cams through the windows, but also – terrifying to behold – local buses the size of large coaches, with a sharp turn of speed, whose drivers have a heavy right foot.

True, there are traffic marshals with walkie-talkies on the extended narrow stretches, but they operate only at peak times and their real function is to prevent two large vehicles meeting at points where they would stand no chance of passing. You had better know the exact width of your car, because there will be times when you have to get your nearside to within a couple of centimetres of a stone wall or some solid object.

Here’s a typical scenario: you meet a coach; there’s not much room and you slow down. As the two of you approach, out of nowhere appear dozens of scooters and motorbikes going in both directions at incredible speed, overtaking both of you and scything into the narrowing gap. The air is full of a cacophony of different raucous exhaust notes. Somehow, you realise a split-second later, there wasn’t an accident. Or, on one of the almost-straight stretches, you will be overtaken by an ancient and battered Fiat that would surely never pass an MOT, its lights broken and hanging off, which immediately hits its brakes in virtually an emergency stop before negotiating the next bend. A kilometre further on, you invariably catch up with it, bottled up behind a slow lorry.

If you think that’s hair-raising, try driving in Naples. “Should you decide to travel into Naples by car,” says the guide book, “be prepared for highly stressful driving, heavy traffic and parking problems.” It repeats, “Driving in Naples is highly stressful.” I drove across Naples one day last week in the evening rush-hour. For reasons too embarrassing to relate, we had no detailed map, though I’m not sure it would have helped. Having visited Ercolano (ancient Herculaneum), which is sort of in the southern suburbs, in the morning, we wanted to see the Solfatara at Pozzuoli. With only the vaguest of guide-book directions we set out for the north-west.

There are few direction signs (a common failing in Italy). Often road-markings were either never there or are now obliterated. Typically, a wide street will have no lane markings, so you might be driving along in what everyone else seems happy to call three lanes, but when it all slows down, people start to squeeze into any gaps and suddenly there are six cars abreast. Basically, people will drive anywhere to gain a few metres. You learn that if there is any gap whatsoever between you and the car in front, it will be filled by someone driving straight out from a side-street or someone overtaking. Unless the traffic is very fast, pedestrians will walk out and force you to stop and, as they cross, you'd better not rev your engine, or they will just slow down and stare at you. Watch out for drivers doing three-point turns. These happen anywhere, without warning. Someone just decides they’d be better off going the other way, so they just do it. It goes without saying that no-one indicates. The most used item of equipment is the hooter.

To prevent a nervous breakdown, do as the Italians do. I am tempted to say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans,” but I guess that’s another story. Relax! Take it easy – but make damn sure you concentrate and keep your reactions razor-sharp. Don’t get ruffled – no-one means you any harm, no-one gets personal. I never saw any example of road-rage, or anything like it. Just point your car where you want to go and if there’s a gap get into it. Everyone else is doing the same thing, but it all sorts itself out. From above it must look like pedestrians moving along a crowded pavement.

The only bit of driving in Naples that did get to me was returning the hired car to the airport – and here’s some advice: allow an hour to get from the motorway to check-in. The distance is small, but I didn’t see a single “car hire return” sign and, as I had picked up the car in darkness, it was hard to remember where the compound was. (It’s shared by all the major firms.) We drove round the airport approaches four times and had to ask the way (in very bad Italian, but the guy had no English) before we found it. Another family in the car park said they’d had the same problem and that their sat-nav had been no help. You have been warned.

I have to say it was a great holiday. Let me put in a good word for the Fiat Panda we hired. Though its 1.2 petrol engine seemed gutless at times, everything else about it was good. Great air-con, slick gearbox, sharp brakes, good handling, comfortable. It was the right size for the roads and was great fun to drive. But does it really need a “city” setting for the power-steering? Does it really need power-steering at all? Read more