February 2009
My friend has bought in October, a 53 plate Nissan Almera 18. SE from a Main Dealer in Doncaster, it had 38 K on the clkock and one previous owner. It seemed fine but yesterday It has broken down.
I seem to remember that main dealers have to guarantee their cars for a period of time, under the sale of goods act.
I have yet to ascertain the exact nature of this breakdown, as the owner is a woman, all she can tell me is that it is something to do with a shaft.
Could it be the crankshaft position sensor ?
In any case I told her to call the Nissan garage that sold it.
I thought these were very relaible cars so its a bit of a nusiance.
Any Advice ? Read more
Does anyone know the retail price from an Independant dealer for an Audi a3 Sportback 2.0tdi 140BHP SE, June 06, 40k, silver with 17 " alloys in the South East? no warranty apart from remaining manufacturers. Dealer has had the car a while (3 months+). What would be a realistic offer they are likely to accept Read more
Maybe £10.5-11.5k region at a guess. Relatively low mileage, good spec, about £21k new and three years old.
Thread rules - No negativity or general nastiness.
Theme - humour and weekend relaxation
"Interest"
Not money, the attentions of the law, or even to the car.. Rather yourself - resplendent in leather gear perhaps and looking like a Greek God - or perhaps, pot of yogurt.
Some of you know how it can be - time moves on and it`s normal in your (60+) social circle to either
1) Preen and puff - premium shop clothes - image being all - including `the badge` on the drive. Often seen in shopping centres wearing yellow Pringle jumpers, a brown `bomber` leather jacket - with slacks and highly polished brown leather shoes. Sun browned wrinkled neck and preserved 40 year old hair style being obligatory - along with a leather belt with `neat` gold coloured belt buckle.
2) Found sloping around the history section of book stores, wearing £4 Primark jeans, three £2 Primark fleeces, a shabby fleece head piece and being totally uncaring about how perceived by others - which extends to choice of motor.
Now you may attract or repel. But as time goes on you become invisible to the opposite (or same) gender - as in that `look` up and down - you last got from a stranger 30 years ago.
Last week though, a young woman not only gave me a full face grin - but also a thumbs up. I had just shoved a car out of a junction - leaning into the back of it like Samson in the temple, but perhaps only applying 30lbs force.
I could almost hear the chatter around the office coffee machine later that morning - "Grandad pushed a car out!!
In my thirties on a bike with a tapered red and black leather jacket I often got `looks` - but only with the helmet on. On one notable occasion a teen on the upper deck of a bus making swooning motions - while I diplomatically looked away, keeping helmet on and visor down until the bus departed.
I was once followed into the next cubicle in the Gents while wearing that bike jacket and a foot came under the ... better leave it at that..
I once had a full face - ear to ear grin from a woman coming slowly the other way in traffic - which lit up my professional assessment neurones - while a reflex slightly opened the throttle.
More recently, in the fullness of Summer -( with skinny frame revealed ) I must have attracted `vulnerability` interest... someone offered to change a wheel..
Anyway - when did you last become `visible` and attract `interest` as a motorist?
;-) Read more
Didn't Clarkson pitch a 'this weeks supercar we'd all love to own but never be able to afford' against Stig in an Astramax, sometime back!!??
VB
Getting Home Advice
I'm working in Portsmouth and want to get back to my family on Friay for the weekend in Durham. Usually head A34/M40/A43/M1. Takes 4.5 hours night time. 310miles.
weather forcasters have got in wrong in places and the snow appears patchy. Advice sought from all back room boys (and girls) - do I stick with usual route and risk getting stuck, take a different route - if so which or take a train or plane?
On Sunday night last weekend powered down through several inches of snow in places, but it was quiet. Read more
Well done intrepid BB! Good luck on Friday - it looks like being waaaaaay better!
I was wondering if anybody can help?
My vivaro will start and after 5ish seconds will shut down itself im not sure what the problem can be its only got 70,000 Miles on the clock and i can not really afford heavy bills. Any ideas?
Could it be immobilised or fuel pump?etc?????
header, and username volume lowered Read more
What was the reason?
I actually face exactly the same problem!...
Just head there's a lot of cars stranded on the A38 in Devon at Halden hill. It's extremely steep and you will not get up it in this weather. Three inches so far this evening and getting deeper.
I nipped out this evening with no snow and only just made it back 30 minutes later. Without traction control I wouldn't have got back and I could feel the ESP helping on corners. Should be mandatory on all new cars. Nothing beats pointing the car up a hill and flooring it in 2nd with the computer doing the hard work. Read more
Rescuers were called to the A38 at Haldon Hill, near Exeter, at about 2100 GMT on Thursday after weather deteriorated suddenly.
Many drivers spent the night in emergency centres <<
Hi, I'm after a bit of advice if anyone can oblige.
I was driving to work today when I heard a sharp cracking like noise from under the car, it sounded like a stone hitting the car but I was actually stationery at the time.
Shortly after I noticed what appeared to be smoke coming from under the front end, on closer inspection it was steam and water was dripping from under the car.
Keeping an eye on the temp gauge I continued for approx 1 mile to work and rang the RAC.
The RAC guy said he suspects the head gasket has blown, he came to this conclusion because the radiator/coolant tank had split/cracked, he then towed me home.
Is there anyway a mechanic will be able to diagnose this as the definite cause before taking my engine to pieces?
Prior to this I have had no probems, no loss of power or anything, I did however add some antifreeze to the radiator yesterday and was wondering if the tank could have cracked if I added to much, I remember doing this to an old golf of mine years ago but on that occasion it simply blew a valve.
Thanks Read more
Although these engines are fragile the radiators are more so. I have had recently a 3.5 V8 version which blew its original radiator after about 90k and the quality pattern replacement 13 months later at what appears to be a flaw in the moulding adjacent to the top hose. We replaced it with an OE unit and all ok so far but I noticed the same moulding mark on the OE as on the pattern one. A chemical sniffer test will reveal a leaking gasket.
I would be interested to know (roughly) what volume of coolant (water/antifreeze mixture) is required to raise the coolant level in the coolant reservoir from the min line to the max line (in litres or millilitres). My car is a Ford Focus 1.8 petrol with the orange type coolant.
I know from the Hayne's manual that it takes approximately 1 litre of oil to raise the engine oil level on the engine dipstick from minimum to maximum but I want to know about the coolant so that I can work out by how much the level has dropped e.g. to rule out head gasket symptoms.
Thanks Read more
hi, i just flushed mine out last week. you do check it and fill it cold and then the best way to check it its to run the engine untill the fan kicks in and the the coolant level should be acurate without airlocks. the haynes manual is spot on for the change. if you are in any doubt as there is still some coolant left in then maybe it would be better to flush it as then you know its fully clean as well do not add cold water to it when it is hot though!! if it does need more topping up after youve done, wait untill it is fully cooled down otherwise you will ruin the mixture and scald your self. ALso check rigoursly for leaks as all antifreeze/coolnt has a searching action when new so any poor jionts/leaks should show straight away.
Hi, Have just inherited a Ford Focus. It has been sat on the drive for four weeks without being driven.
Started first time and drove really well. However, the accelerator is sometimes sticking.
Any ideas what this might be please and how could I fix it?
Or, is it a case if taking it to the nearest Ford dealer and let them have a look?
Any help much appreciated.
Read more
Hi L'escargot, When you press down on the pedal after starting off say, there is no increase in revs. You then press down more on the pedal and the engine revs suddenly increase. It is as if something is stuck and then as you naturally keep pressing the engine suddenly gives more revs.
Apologies if this is not exactly clear!
Thanks for your reply.
Ian.
Browse
Thanks for the update, always good to see how these things turn out.
I agree with what PD is saying, this mystical "warranty" is not a warranty at all, it merely means that the car must be of "satisfactory quality" and if it isn't you can get a refund (or partial refund if you've used the car a bit)
Now, I'll bet a month's wages that the dealer's perception of satisfactory quality and the customer's perception differ by an order of magnitude. Yes, if buying a nearly new car then it's reasonable to expect that most things will work for a good period of time, however, as PD rightly points out, if you go buying an 8 year old car with 100K on the clock and the clutch goes 3 months into your ownership you will have a hard time arguing that it isn't acceptable on a car of that age. There is case law to back this up but I wouldn't have a clue where to dig for it.
It's about time that people stopped telling newbies that they get a 6 month warranty on all cars under SOGA, what most people take that to means is "great, if the cd player on my old second hand car stops working I can take it back and they have to fix it.", what they really should be thinking is "great, if something totally unacceptable goes wrong with the car then I have a legal recourse to force the dealer to refund me." Even then they forget that the definition of unacceptable will be open to debate and they may have to be prepared to go to court to debate it.