Well, I was a naughty boy yesterday and got my first lot of 3 points (and £60) for over 10 years, got 3 points back in 1996 but been good for over 10 years. It left me pondering, how many points have the backroomers (inc. Honest john!) gor on there licences? Be honest now..... :)

Lee

{General question, so omitted your vehicle make/model - DD} Read more

Just saw this - not sure how new it is but it seems a typical emotive stunt,

news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=6410906 Read more

hi every one, are these tyre pressure loss valve caps any good? Where do you buy them if they are, thanks. Read more

We bought the wife,who is a driving instructor a brand new Yaris diesel 4 months ago.Within a week the engine management light showed up.We have now had 3 cam sensors fitted,including we were told by Toyota 'a different version' just last week.Now the light is on again.The dealer is getting another one in,but the wife has now threatened to leave the keys there if it is not repaired this time and a full refund of the car value.I believe we are entitled to this,as the fault has been on the car since new and the dealer has not sorted it.Everytime the car goes into be fixed,the wife looses revenue and clients and cost money in fuel ( 40 mile round trip).What is the next step to take.We don't really want to get rid of the car,as it is a nice sensible learning car,we just need to know how we can resolve the issue,because I don't believe fitting sensor no 4 is the answer.

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No reason why not but read on....when I turned up with my 740 I found, to my horror, that the usual tester was not there (difference of opinions, apparently) and the new proprietor (of a couple of weeks) was doing the tests.
I was swiftly ushered away into the waiting room (after so many years I'd got sufficient rapport with the previous staff that I did the second mans job during my tests) and could only watch while the poor old Volvo was subjected to the most severe rogering that it has ever experienced, I kid you not, it took as long for the man to type out the two failure and three advisory sheets as it did for the actual test, I suppose he thought at 21 years old and nearly a quarter of a million miles the car deserved nothing less.

Now you're all thinking I have had an easy ride for the last few years and of course this is true to some extent but even the garage foreman was embarrassed and apologetic about this result.

The potentially most expensive failure point was leaking front struts. Fairly sure these weren't leaking, I inspected them immediately on returning home and found that the gland nut at the top of the piston, under the rubber shroud, was both bone dry and lightly rusted. The 'leak' was the waste oil that I had previously applied to the spring seat plate, an easy matter to clear up if I had been present during the test. Because I know the car and had the mechanical knowledge to stand my ground I was be able to get this decision reversed. Without knowledge an unnecessary expensive part would have been fitted or the car would have been scrapped.

Were it not for the computerised system I would have simply got a second opinion from another garage, but I now really have no alternative but to get the car retested at this garage, however whether I ever return there in the future is another question. This establishment is well off the beaten track, so relies purely on word of mouth. Therefore if the proprietor gets a reputation for harsh testing he will lose most of his trade. The facilities are fairly low tech so his clientele are those, like myself, who run older vehicles. Luckily my P4 is not due for test for another nine months so I have a little time to find a 'sympathetic' MOT garage, otherwse at nearly fifty years old it has no chance.



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One mans junk is another mans treasure Read more