February 2008
I have fluid leaking into the front right-hand corner of the passenger footwell. It isn't water and is constant (i.e. not dependent upon the weather), so I'm pretty sure it's internal. I can't see any noticeable drop in any of the fluid levels. I've checked the pollen filter and there seems to be no problem there. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
{No need to include the car make/model in the subject line. It's included from your choice made in the drop down menus. What would have been handy though would to have included the year of your car, as per the 3 requests that you somehow managed to overlook! As you haven't though, I've used the general dates from the drop down menu} Read more
A manufacturer is currently advertising an attractive package very heavily in the national press and indeed on this very website. So off we all go to local dealer and their response, is they only had 3 each of the cars/package in question and the deal is now off. So why the heavy ad. campaign says I? They shrug their shoulders and say nothing other than the campaign will run in to March. But of course they can still sell the very same car to us under a different deal. I point out that will cost £400 more than the ad. states.
Surely this is not strictly legal? To be enticed somewhere and told that it does not exist anymore? Me personally I did not care, I was more than happy to walk away but my 21 year old daughter was virtually throwing her hard earned cash at them. Fortunately I managed to get her out without signing up but I am now the bad guy!
Why is it that what should be one of lifes more pleasurable experiences always seems to turn in to a grubby wrangle over a few hundred quid? Read more
Isn't this practice a variant on the 'loss leader' practised by supermarkets?
>
Or by DFS who say they "only have two sales per year" - January 1st - 30th June, then 1st July to December 31st.
Never believe sales hype - even the "20% off" in Tesco is a con - just watch them put the price up the week before! Ond of their latest deals was on tea bags - buy one get one free - only if you looked carefully, the two bags together cos only 10p less than buying the two separately the week before.
And how many people have ever tried (and actually been successful) to buy the "£1 each way ticket from xxx to yyy" with easyjet/ryanair? Or the special Newcastle to London on the train for £2.
Don`t you think modern cars are becoming more like `road slugs` in style when viewed from the side?
Sure, there are short slugs and long slugs, but there you are peeping out of the little breathing hole in the side, with that enormous raked windscreen, raked almost to the horizontal in front of you and you have to do the limbo to get in under it.
There`s that long pedestrian friendly snout, out front, just aching for two antennae and eyeballs.
Its no wonder people buy four wheel drives to get into a reasonable cabin with a more vertical windscreen and decent windows not reminiscent of the arrow slots in Barnard Castle.
So, what if we went back to an Art Deco style, a nice square cabin, an almost vertical windscreen that you can put a hand out and touch? Yes, there is the PT cruiser, but I mean more extreme with full Art Deco styling.
Actually an upgraded in style and technology `Elliot Ness mobile`?
More style, less slither, lets hear it for larger vertical windows ;)
Regards
Read more
Have a look at a Nissan Cube
Hi
After 7 trouble free years my Corolla has been written off. The other party has admitted full liability so no claims etc. will not be affected. I have several problems though. 1. The settlement figure does not seem high enough to buy a similar car, this is after I have looked at local adverts (none found), local garage (older version found in similar condition, smaller engine, non metallic but £600 more than settlement figure) and autotrader (none found within 50 miles with full service history). What can I do about this? 2. I have read HJ's review of the 2000 - 2002 Corolla with some alarm about the oil consumption of the 1.6 VVTi. I would love a replacement Toyota but not if it is not as reliable as my previous model. Does the 1.4VVTi suffer in the same way? 3. I have found ex local authority fleet 2002 Ford Focuses on Autotrader, based in the West Midlands for £2000. They've done 100k but have new tyres and are promised to have a superior maintenance schedule and 12 months MOT. Should I be interested in these or can they be a problem?
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks
Paul Hanson Read more
You have just replied to a thread for someone wanting a replacement car from February 2008. I think they may have found something by now.
Your other thread should also be in the for Classified part of the forum. Consider it moved.
Rob, Moderator>
Came across a useful website this morning. It's askmid.com and is the motor insurance database. And my car isn't on it.
I renewed my insurance about a week ago (continuation) and the Post office have taken the premium from my bank. I phoned the PO this morning and they told me that I was insured, and that due to a computer 'glitch' or other (human ?) error, sometimes a car doesn't get linked to the database. Apparently the police are aware of this problem, and if a driver is stopped will contact an insurer before declaring a car uninsured.
So anyone not on the database, stopped by a ANPR check can expect a long wait whilst the officer copes with the automated answering system, and a few music tracks.
Read more
i also have a trade policy but the thing is i went out in my car on saturday and drove past one of them yellow police vans parked up on the corner, the office looked towards me and got on his radio. i got a bit further down the road and there was a police car parked up as i got past it it pulled out and was 2 cars behind me i just thought nothing of it as i am insured and thought the car behind was going to get a pull anyway goes to the asda with my girlfriend and our 3 children comes back down the the road were the police car and van was. got past without a problem the next minute i heard sirens so i looked into my mirror and saw flashing lights behind me so i just pulled into the left hand lane cos i though they wanted to get past me. the next minute they nearly rammed me side on and shouted get the pink fluffy dice key out the ignition and throw them on the pink fluffy dice dash. i was out raged as i had my children in the car who was scared at the time. anyway they sat me in the police car and cautioned me for apparently taking chase, (dont think so) as i am insured and had my children in the car any way they said my car was not on the database and seized it. they did not get a recovery one of the offices drove it himself. he went screeching of in it with his foot to the floor. anyway just got confirmation of my insurance and i am going to try and get my car back today when i do i will be putting a complaint in about the officer who ragged my car to death, wish me look.
{Please OBVERSE the strict no swearing policy this site operates (link below) before posting again, or you may well find that future posts are deleted without warning!}
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=33415
tinyurl.com/369b8m
Perhaps one or two could be crushed as a deterant!
Actually, crushing does not make sense. It should be sold off at auction and the money put to catching more of these cheats!
And the comment re foreign plates. Surely the drivers still need to prove insurance by providing details of the East European Insurance co. If not the same fate should apply.
Link shrunk to fit text window. Read more
I think you're right, Brompto.
I think I remember hearing that the sum used to be half a million quid but was increased a few years ago to 15 million quid.
Not sure of the exact figures and I would welcome being corrected; but that was the order of magnitude of the amount of money to be deposited in order to be exempt from motor insurance.
can anyone help me? I need to charge the battery on my vectra but when I disconect the battery the alarm goes off Read more
As per the handbook, turn ignition on then off. Disconnect battery within 15 seconds. Loosen the terminals with a spanner first so as to make it easier to remove in those 15 secs. I've read that leaving the ignition on while removing it could well put an electrical spike across the ecu and other electrical ciruits and worse case senario trash them.
Hello to all.
Am about to replace the entire exhaust system on a 93 1.1 Fiesta. Before fitting it, would wish to ask if anyone has any recommendations as to what I can do to prevent the new tailpipe rusting up.
Is there some chemical or treatment that I can dip the tailpipe into ( brush on or spray in ) whilst it is still fresh, something which will either counteract the effect of sulpher etc or at least delay the onset of the usual corrosion?
Thank you.
Seeing that its not all obvious that we ask you (like three times) to put the engine and model year in the subjec line, I've done it for you Read more
An internal combustion engine sucks in an enormous amount of air for every gallon of fuel it consumes:
Say 3000 RPM in top gear equates to 30MPG at 60MPH for a one litre car. Thats one gallon of fuel in thirty minutes = 3000x30x0.5(assume four-stroke) = 45000 litres of air approx. Now how much water vapour do you think is going to be in that air?
Vehicle has started to loose oil. No patches on the drive and the sump area is dry. Coolant is clear of any oil. Head and all gaskets on the engine are also bone dry. No apparent external oil leaks are visible.
Exhaust is slightly sooted at the rear box exit pipe and once or twice starting a small puff of blue smoke has been observed that burns off very quickly.
Say for every 300 miles (whilst running on LPG) I am adding a good 1/2 litre of semi synth as top up. I have not run the vehicle for the same distance on petrol though to see if the same happens with oil loss then.
I was told by the dealership, AMS of Grimsby, that oil loss was to be expected due to increased running temperatures.
1/2 a litre for every 300 miles though? Is this right? Read more
Hi DD,
Thanks for your reply.
Yep, 10w/40 semi synth (Unipart) oil.
Vehicle has just had a 60k major service done - yep, already checked sump bolt to make sure it has been nipped up tight!
Plugs are fine, no sign of fouling or overheating on any of them.
Is this just a quirk with it running on LPG?
Simple but pertinent : I have moved , lost some post , how do I know If my car ( this one is a rarely used hobby vehicle ) has outstanding fines against it ? am afraid of using it in town and returning to find it gone .. Read more
What happened to the zebra striped envelopes they pin to the windscreen? Or is levying
of parking fines all done by remote control in London?
See today's news item:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/item.htm?id=4395
"... it has led to a massive fraud where the parking attendant claims that the ticket was put on the vehicle or handed to the driver when neither was the case. As a result, the first the motorist knows of the parking ticket is when they get a document called a Notice to Owner in the post, claiming they haven?t paid the parking ticket.
When I uncovered this scam nearly five years ago, I christened it the Ghost Ticket, .."
"..In the new legislation the government has sneakily inserted a provision that where a parking attendant has started to write a ticket and the motorist drives away, they can send the ticket by post. The opportunities for fraud are astonishing and in my view ?legalize? the issue of Ghost Tickets. .."
Browse
Did you ever get anywhere with this problem ?
I have just bought a Xsara and it has a similar sounding problem.
Something leaking out of the aircon perhaps ?