September 2008
Looking for a pair of rear quarter panels for a Fiat Cinqucento,but seem to be having problems locating a body panels shop online,where I can price them up.
Does anyone know where sells the aforementioned? Read more
Average UK earnings = 23,750 pounds = 29,700 euros ( 2007 Survey of Hours & Earnings)
Average Spanish earnings = 23,400 euros
i.e. 79% of UK rates
Average UK garage labour hourly rate = 75.17 pounds = 94 euros per hour
My last service labour rate (VW Group dealer) = 35 euros per hour
i.e. 37% of UK rates
Probably in the category of proving anything with statistics, but for a large job it may be worthwhile doing it on holiday!
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The Mercedes and BMW dealerships in the larger german cities these days are enormous glass
palaces. The Mercedes dealership in the west of Munich is apparently one of the largest
enclosed spaces in Germany.
True enough. But one thing I noticed is that once out of town there are a lot of smaller 'plainer' dealers, some of which only do servicing. Presumably these are much cheaper to use?
Ive just bought a new front side window to replace my smashed one. I removed the trim cover on the door and the internal covering to get the old one out then i 'cleaned' the remaining broken glass out of the window clamps ready for the new window. I got a shock when the new window arrived with new clamps on which seem to be very tightly fixed to the glass. I'm now wondering should I remove these new clamps to so that I can slide the window into place through the top of the door or do I have to dismantle the whole metal door frame to get it in?
Help please? Read more
Hi,
You need to lift the top half of the door frame out of the door in order to change the glass on this model.
It is quite an awkward job as there are a few bit's that need removed before the frame can be removed from the door, and then you have to make sure that it is re-assembled correctly to reduce the risk of water ingress and/or wind noise.
If you are not 100% confident of carrying out the task, could you take it to a local bodyshop in the morning.
If you were to leave the door trim off and refit it yourself, then i would estimate that a bodyshop would charge about an hour and a half labour to fit the glass for you.
Hope this helps
James
Hi,
i am looking to be a used car, approx 3 years old and have narrowed it down to 2 cars -
the Subaru Legacy 2.5 and the Mazda 6 2.3 Sport.
Would appreciate any views & experiences on the 2 cars and which would be the better choice Read more
Not a Legacy, but my Impreza 2.0RX is now just over a year old and no problems with it. I 'upgraded' the brake pads to Mintex for a bit more 'bite' on a cold morning and the dealer did a free 'software upgrade' to the ECU which feels like its improved the power and torque.
Handling and roadholding is exemplary (much of my driving is on rural roads) and I certainly enjoy driving the car. Economy is about average for a petrol 2.0 litre (currently anything from 28-38mpg, depending on use). A committed Subaru fan now! I have yet to read of a Subaru owner who is actually unhappy with their car.
hi could anyone tell me if a laguna engine 2.0 16v will fit a espace 2.0 16v engine code f4r and does it have to be the same reg and year ? Read more
See previous answer.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=66694&...e
Hi all
I've noticed a lot of new Audis are coming with super bright day running lights that seem to be on permanently. My B-i-L followed me for a couple of hours the other week in his new A4 and in the end I had to ask him to turn them off, they were really distracting. That turned out to be less than easy as the option was hidden away in the computer menu system somewhere.
It's a bit depressing really - I can't help but think that this is much more about marketing than anything else, and worse still it'll lead to loads of other manufacturers following suit to get a bit of "Audi-ness" in their cars.
Is it just me or are these lights an unnecessary and annoying frippery?
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Always on DRLs must be better than the dipsticks who drive on parking lights, or no lights, in poor visibility and should include rear lights as well. When they become mandatory it will be legislation of common sense, or nanny state, take your pick.
Planning to drive /ride from M25 (junction 11) to Surbiton and no further on Friday. Now when I put a Surbiton post code into the GLC website to check it implies I've to pay.
Surely I will be outside the pay zone?
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Congestion zone map
www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/roadusers/congestioncharge/wher.../
Some LEZ zone info
www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2008/01/04/l...l
If you have a few weeks to read it
www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/lez/about/2027.aspx
As already stated :- By car via M25 & A3 or M3 you are nowhere near the congestion zone.
Most of Surbiton is in the LEZ so do not come to my area in an old truck :-)
On 28th January 2008 I purchased a two year old Ford Focus 1.6 Hatchback from my local Ford main dealer.
I purchased the car on finance through the dealer using my part ex and some cash as a deposit.
This car has had several faults and has been back to the dealer 15+ times (lost count) to have various things sorted including;
- Water leak in spare wheel well.
- Poor fuel economy/sluggish acceleration (fixed by updating ECU).
- Faulty CD Player (replaced, still faulty).
- Bits of trim falling off.
In my opinion this is bad enough, however the biggest problem has been the boot catch which regularly opens itself at random and for no apparent reason.
So far this has only happened when the car is parked or stopped, however this morning on my way to work I had to pull over three times in order to shut the boot.
I've had the car back to the garage 8 times to try and get this fault fixed. This morning I called the two nearest branches of the dealer and have booked the car in for the 15th Sept for 4 days for them to try to fix the fault AGAIN.
My first question is, how many chances should a dealer be given to fix the same repeating fault??
My second question is, as this fault has been in existance since I had the car for two months do I have any legal comeback on the car??
I understand this is not a major fault, however I have been reassured that it has been fixed many many times and clearly it hasn't and I believe the car is not fit for purpose.
Thanks in advance. Read more
My daughter had a number of problems with her Fiesta and it went backward and forward to the local dealer with little success;a letter to the CEO,Ford Motor Company,Eagle Way,Brentwood,Essex got her a phonecall from the dealer within 24 hours offering her a courtesy car till the car was fixed and it was.
Can anybody suggest what "goodwill gesture" I should ask for from a VW bodyshop that has had my new Tiguan for 7 weeks to repair a minor parking ding (left by an anonomous car) that they originally quoted 3 days to repair.? A goodwill gesture has been alluded to in my many frequent visits and phone calls to sort the problem out.
Thanks
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Have seen the car since it went in, after the garages first attempt at repair, about 6 weeks ago, I have not seen such an appalling paint match in 30 years, managed to check the mileage then and it was the same as when it went in. The saga is ongoing
So I'm sat working in my hotel room in Makati, Manila in the Philippines. For most of the day (I don't envy them because it's baking hot out) there've been some traffic cops stood in the street below doing vehicle checks.
At first every time I looked out it seemed they were pulling over white guys.
But the last couple of times I looked, it seems they've now moved on to just pulling over every passing motorcycle. One guy in a blue shirt with big stripe down his trousers waves his arms and points down the road to where his yellow shirted buddies are checking documents or something. What's funny is the number of bikers who just ignore the instruction to stop and ride off, and how the cop looks down the road after them, and you can almost see him shrug as he lets them go. Read more
I do hope you've got your insect repellent at hand (and the aircon on)
Even with the AC off, the hotel room stays tolerably cool... and I've not been using bug spray, and have not been bitten yet (although my wife has)
That's ok,as I won't be fitting them.