December 2007
I note that the girls among my pupils when they obtain their first and subsequent car insurance pay much less than the lads. The reason for this they say is because they are more mature and much better drivers. Surely Strasburg should have something to say about this! Look at the Sheila's wheels lot, why can't we Jim,s wheels? Read more
ive heard that diesel cars can be run on sunflower oil etc. i don't know whether it is true but if it is i will have a go too. also 4x4s have been known to run on pretty much anything if anyone knows or has an opinion please be sure to post a message. Read more
gjimmy, (a belated) welcome to the Backroom! It's a great place. The BackRoomers are pretty on the ball when it comes to many and varied motoring issues. I thoroughly recommend using the Forum Search which may reveal useful answers to your questions.
Reflecting on another year of HJ membership and posts I have decided it could go on forever as when you think the embers are dying a ?well worn? subject will come along and keep it alive!
Here in no particular order are my top 20
1. Petrol v Diesel
2. Auto v Manual
3. Oil change regularity
4. Tyre choice
5. Insurance
6. Speed cameras
7. Global Warming
8. VWs are rubbish
9. French cars are rubbish
10. Drivers of (insert car make here - usually BMW, sometimes vans, 4x4s etc) are all crazy fools
11. Everyone should buy a Mondeo
12. Lights. Their use, lack of use including how long it takes to change them
13. Middle lane hoggers
14. Outside lane hoggers
15. HGVs as roadblocks
16. Main dealers are useless
17. Which car to buy (refer to 11 regardless of vehicle requirements)
18. Road pricing and congestion
19. Fuel costs
20. FWD v RWD v AWD
Over to you to add the next 10 of subjects which can always get a response regardless of how often they are raised.
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On the dualit ?
what size is the hex plug on this model, as I have been quoted 14mm, 17mm and 19mm. Just want to be sure before I order the tool. Read more
i seem to be getting lots of air in the coolant system. i have bled the system as shown in the manual but still no joy.
the problem started yesterday when i parked(facing downhill) coolant started spurting out of the overflow pipe, however i had pulled in a few yards up the road on a level surface no coolant had escaped during the time i had waited for a van to move from my parking space.(approx 4mins)
i topped up the rad with water and antifreeze it seemed the system was almost empty and all attempts so far to keep the system free of air have failed.
has my head gasket gone ?
any advice would be great
visler
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These engines are prone to head gasket failures I'm afraid and pressure in the cooling system is one of the main symptoms of HG failure, whereby the HG has failed between the coolant passages and a combustion chamber, allowing combustion gases to be forced into the cooling system and thus causing pressurisation and resultant coolant loss. HG failure on these engines is usually progressive and rarely happens without warning.
To replace the head gasket and have the head skimmed, prices generally vary between £400 and £700. If your ZX has high mileage, the cost of repair would almost certainly exceed the value of the car. As such, it may be time to look for another car.
Martin
The roads have been VERY slippery lately.
Yesterday morning I dropped my wife at work. On the way back home I was tailgated VERY closely by a large Mitsubishi 4x4 (I don't know the model, its the one with an extended back and tinted windows, 57 plated).
I was driving past a long section of roadworks with a 30mph limit (I was doing a little more) and the 4x4 was nearly on my back seat.
We came up to a large roundabout near my home and 'slippery road' warning signs were in place, along with another '30mph' sign. There was some obvious mud and debris on the road carried along from the earlier roadworks.
The road opened up to two lanes just before the roundabout and the 4x4 pulled out and booted past me. He went onto the roundabout, turned and immediately lost it. The vehicle went sideways, then off the roundabout and hit a lampost which was then knocked over at 45 degrees.
I stopped and fortunately the guy was OK if a little dazed, but the front of his vehicle was quite badly damaged.
A totally unnecessary acident caused by not reading the road signs and/or overconfidence.
Full marks to whoever looks after the lamposts. I went out an hour later and there was already a repair crew nearly finished chopping the old one down. Read more
Is it me or is anyone else thinking that the 4X4 guy in the OP got all he deserved and gets no sympathy.
I am not a regular driver as in I do not do it for a living although I do drive to and from work etc. My experience of overconfidence in drivers is when I drive with someone that does do it for a living - they are shocking sometimes and I think it is complacency because they are driving 8 hrs a day.
Hi,
I have just bought a new battary for my vectra, can i just replace the battary without any of the cpu's on board being scewed or any problems.
Or do i need to get vauxall to do it for me.
52 plate
2.2 DTI sxi Read more
Most places now should connect to a spare battery while changing yours so you dont lose any settings
The Legacy Outback and C Class Sports Coupe are now unnecessary, so which one to do two jobs? I still need carry the occasional school trunk and golf clubs regularly, but town-based so size must be reasonable [and smooth over the speed bumps and appalling road surfaces nearby]. BMW 3 series Estate [up to 2005 shape] fits the size bill. Mileage not over 12,000 p.a. Budget around £15,000.
I'm toying with the old shape 5-door 2 litre Impreza which has a decent boot, as well as the 3 series, but the Focus Estate also meets most requirements. Not sure I like the A3 - very Jap to look at. My gut tells me the 3 series covers the spec? Any better thoughts? Read more
I don't know if it's a "better thought" but I'd recommend you take a look at the Octavia estate. £15,000 gets you a high spec model, lots of space, (usefully more than a 3 series) good ride and handling, decent build quality and in my experience the benefit of a competent and friendly dealer network.
Looking at getting a new Golf GTi tdi.
Basically I'm looking for advice on how to pick up the best deal.
Thoughts being I would pay a deposit just now and pick up the car when the new reg. Nos come out.
I would have no trade in (sell car privately) and pay cash.
Local VW dealer lists the car at £18100 but I've managed to find an on-line broker for quite a lot less than that (approx £16k). Whats the standard of level of haggling open to local dealers.
Also whats the latest on getting the car from overseas? Are there still deals to be had?
Or is this now a thing of the past.
Cheers for any advice. Read more
Think about a Golf Estate which you can have in SE trim and the 2.0 TDI engine - or a Skoda Octavia (built like a Golf). If you don't do a huge mileage you might be tempted by the Octavia 2.0 petrol vRS - much cheaper than the Golf GTI but same engine - which is a particularly torquey one.
Hi all.
My first post though I've been reading for a while.
I'm looking to replace my ageing but excellent 306 in the new year and would like some guidance as to what car to buy.
Nearly all of my driving is on the motorway, so something quiet and comfortable at 70mph is important. (I normally only do 60 as I'm never in a hurry and like to save the fuel costs)
I need to be able to put my bike in the back. (I cycle the last bit to avoid Bristol parking) It fits in the 306 with the rear seats down and the front wheel still in place. I could remove the front wheel if necessary, as I'll have to do if I go for a Fabia (vRS high on my list)
Reliability is important, though with so much motorway driving I never wear anything out. I don't mind paying for a good extra 2 year warranty (this is a car I'll expect to keep for 3 years, maybe more)
Fuel choice isn't important. I am leaning towards a Fabia or Octavia diesel, but a petrol car would be fine if it returns over 50mpg with my gentle driving.
Depreciation is a factor of course. My 306 cost £5k, it's worth almost nothing now but I've had it for 5 years. £1k/year is perfectly acceptable but I'm not interested in a £10k car that's going to lose £6k in 3 years and 60,000 more miles. If that's unavoidable then I'd be looking at just buying something for £5k again.
I'm not big on gadgets and toys, but I do need aircon. The other thing that the Fabia and Octavia often have is cruise control. That I would like.
My budget is £12k, though I'd rather spend £10k and although I'll almost certainly buy from a main dealer, I don't mind private if I can buy a warranty from the manufacturer. (Is this ever done...?)
No no's? Renault or Citroen and anything with a normal boot.
So there you go.
Cheers
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If you are prepared to look at the Fabia vRS, try the estate with the 1.9TDi, much bigger boot, not much difference in performance - chip it if you want more.
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Young women are generally better, safer drivers than young men. I wouldn't say the difference continues much beyond the mid 20's - for every impulsive, risk-taking, road-raging male there's a distracted, pre-occupied female!