August 2008
My tax renewal arrived and the dvla want £120 for 12 months.
But in 2009 my Smart Roadsters goes into a different band and is £90 for 12 months.
Am I correct in assuming that if I get a 6 month disc for £66 now I'll pay £90 in March for the 12 month?
I assume the dvla won't rebate the £15 differance if I spend £120 now. Read more
I'm asking for a work colleague who has the aforesaid vehicle, with DSG gearbox, approx 14K miles (memory failing rapidly, mine) on the vehicle.
He's pretty sure it doesn't have a DPF, if those better informed know differently, please say.
My friend has owned this vehicle for about 8 months, he doesn't cover many miles, but the thing drinks diesel, he gets on average 38 to 40 mpg, he bought it used with very low mileage, one of a pair being offered through the dealership.
At the weekend, he did a motorway section on cruise at 70mph, and the vehicle was averaging only 37mpg at that speed, by the time he had covered a few more off motorway miles and got to his destination, he had just managed to get the average up to 40.
He has checked the fuel computer and is convinced its accurate, i assume by brimming and comparing.
Seat have had the car back and can find nothing wrong, but they do say that a customer who bought the sister vehicle to my friends is complaining of his fuel consumption too.
I assure you my friend knows how to drive economically and well, and with all his previous cars (Bora diesel last) he has easily beaten the published economy figures.
Thoughts please gentlemen. Read more
Just to let you know.
My friend returned his toledo again, they could do nothing else with it, and have given him a good deal on another car.
He now has a VW jetta 07 with the same 140hp 2.0 diesel, but with the 6 speed manual and his first trip at the weekend (he uses his motorbike for short hauls/commutes etc anyway) saw him back to his usual 55mpg, so happy chappy there.
Thanks all.
Hi,
I have a 1995 Punto SX (1.2) which is giving me a few problems at the moment. Untill this point, this car has been amazing. I have done 167,000 miles with no problems at all. Now however, i feel the car may have a terminal problem which would mean it will most likely have to be scrapped if it proves too costly. Anyway, if anyone can offer any advice to help me keep my punto on the road it would be most appreciated! These are the problems i have had leading up to the most recent breakdown:
-Firstly, a few months ago the the engine started revving by itself.
-Then, and slightly more serious, at completely random times the ignition warning light would come on which was followed half an hour or so later by the car ceasing to run. It was later decided that this was because this warning light meant that the alternator was no longer charging the battery and that the engine was running solely off the battery- hence the inevitable break down shortly after the light came on because the battery was completely flat. This light did occasionally go out of its own accord before the car broke down. We would charge the battery and would carry on as normal til the next breakdown...
-Now, however, it has gone a step further. It started with the ignition light coming on only at higer revs and going out at low revs (same consequence as above). Then, one morning i tried starting it and the engine turned over but never picked up. It went to the garage where it was concluded that it might be something to do with the immobiliser - in which case it would be upwards of £250 to fix (new keys, locks etc...), which i cant afford at the moment.
Does anyone know if these three problems are linked? Has anyone had similar problems? Is this a simple problem that can be sorted in another, less expensive way?
Hopefully someone may be able to help out on this one. Any advice would be most welcome.
Thanks
Tom Read more
Hi, firstly ive never had a punto so bad it needed to be scraped.
Firstly check the main earth cable that goes down to the gearbox,give it a good tug.
There have been problems with the stepper motor on the throttle body.
You could also replace the water temperature sensor (blue one)
Crank angle sensors also cause a few issues.
I would be very surprised indeed if the 'CODE' unit was at fault.
It does sound like the alternator had had it.
Hi Guys,
I am new to the forums and if I have posted this into the wrong forum, please feel free to move it.
I have bought a car off eBay which was a Cat D insurance write off, but had been repaired. The guy insisted that the works done were all carried out by an Insurance Approved Workshop and that he would forward all the documentation to me regarding the write off.
I bought the car - but the guy will just not forward me the documentation. I badly need this because my insurance company said if I need to claim, and the work was not done properly then it may invalidate my insurance.
I was probably foolish accepting the guys word, but he sent me email after email explaining how little damage was done and that it was an easy repair. I have had a mechanic look over it and he said it looks fine - but without knowing what damage was done and without knowing if it was repaired to insurance standards I am worried in case I ever need to make a claim.
Is there anyway I can find out which insurance company wrote it off so I can ask them directly what the damage was?
Thanks
Rob
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They have no way of knowing. An enquiry of the MOT database will show a valid MOT covering the vehicle. My neighbour managed to tax his vehicle online the other week even though he had failed the MOT - the existing MOT was still valid on the 1st of the month.
VOSA roadside checks or a plod stop don't care less if you knew a fault exists. It is up to the driver to keep it in roadworthy condition.
I have been surfing the web to try to find out if there are any ways of saving fuel, I have seen an advertisment for a device called 'Pilot Green'. I believe that its one of those magnet type devices you attach to your fuel line.
I was wondering if anyone had tried this type of thing and if it actualy worked?.
If not can anyone recommend an alternative (Apart from the obvious of course)
Many thanks Read more
Snake oil.
A forum search will reveal more. Here's a couple for starters.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=43694
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=16799
I just found this - not nice to watch. Although it's a type of incident that you can't do anything about, it's certainly going to make me think the next time I'm on motorway / dual carriageway.
video.corriere.it/?vxSiteId=404a0ad6-6216-4e10-abf...0
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im guessing the lorry had a blowout seemed too quick to be a jack knife though braking
Went to the local Audi showroom for a simple MOT and unfortunately as I was backing out , heard the L front bumper scrape the 6 month old A5's L back door.
Stopped car , went inside , spoke to the salesman, who mentioned that this car was unfortunately a customers car and that he would come out and take some photos of both cars , which both of us did,also that he would contact the owner of the car and that he would get the other person to contact me with his insurance details.
However after 2 hours, I get a call from the manager of the showroom mentioning that my details have been passed to accidentexchange and wasnt very forthcoming about what it was although i did get the name, insurance company details and phone number of the other party, who was not at the showrooom at the time.
Looked up accidentexchange on the net and it seems to be a hit and run claims company?!
Does any one know if i should contact the insurance comany covering my car first or the other driver first.
Any idea about this accidentexchange from the forum members, wondering what the need is for a third party company to be involved in an insurance claim? Read more
The A5 is a 2 door coupe. Perhaps it's an A6?
Georg Kacher the German CAR Magazine contributor has just used Audi's personalisation scheme to specify his A5 3 litre TDi Quattro. Some new colour from PPG called Boonard Biege after an artisit. And special wood and leather. It costs but you get a slight rebate from saving the cost of standard leather, wood and paint.
Grr......ambulance chasing legal types. What a shame the credit crunch won't crunch them!
Okay, enforce the law. But £70? Over-staying on a pay-and-display is only £35 around here. Sorry for the long URL. Tinyurl failed to tiny-ise my link.
www.dailyecho.co.uk/search/display.var.2422321.0.7...p Read more
>Okay enforce the law. But £70?
Plus the cost of the taxi fare to the kerb?
Reminds me of my driving test examiner's comment when I parked at the end of the test- "Do you run excursions to the kerb?". He passed me then, although if he'd read this news item that morning he might not have...
F
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Try going above their heads with that stuff Rich suggested. That should get their attention !
Mondeo MkII 2.0L Zetec 1999 120,000 miles is just starting to clunk a bit at the front. An engineer reports the lower suspension arm bushes separated and suggests new arms. A reputable supplier has quoted £85 or £25 each for the arms. This is a bit of a mystery, is the difference in price in the quality of the bushes or the structural properties of the arms ie torsional stiffness etc, or simply a matter of brand ? Worldly wisdom would be appreciated.
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>>(CEng MIChemE)
The upsetting thing is that our respective institions (I'm CEng MIMechE) obviously haven't done their job in making the distinction clearer. (What exactly is it that they do that warrants our subscriptions?) It is left to unreasonable types like me making a fuss when someone misuses the term engineer.
What really gets my goat is when a company deliberatly mis-uses the word to enable a higher hourly charge out rate for their service staff. When photo-copiers/central heating/telephones are repaired, they are repaired by fitters, by mechanics, sometimes, perhaps, by technicians, but, they are designed and developed by engineers.
No-one confuses a nurse, a GP, and a consultant, so the BMA has worked for the medical professions.
If I called myself a doctor (medical), a lawyer, or an architect, I could be arrested and charged with an offence. Anyone can call themselves an engineer in the UK without breaking any laws.
We have the slightly silly situation where if you want windows installed in your house, this must be done by a certified FENSA installer, gas fitting, by registered Corgi. But, *anyone* can design the windows and the boiler!
Browse
I believe that's correct - plus, of course, 6mths tax is dealer than half of 12mths, so that works against you too.
I presume (not sure about this) that you could cash in your 12mths tax in say May, and then take out a new one at the new rate. But I really don't know if that's feasible, and for a tenner or so, it's not worth the hassle.