September 2009
Hi,
Can someone advise on how easy/difficult it is to change headlights on my 2005 Renault Megane Grand Scenic please?
I have had to buy some French ones as I now live over here in France (for the Control Technique) and have just been stung by my local mechanic for work on my other car so cannot afford for him to do these too!!!
I have already bought the lights and they are due to arrive tomorrow - and I need to get my CT done by the end of the week really.
I am a complete novice by the way, and have been told that it's not easy.
Is it do-able by a complete novice, and if so could you advise how to go about it please?
Cheers :) Read more
My car, an automatic, is currently in the garage, has been for almost 2 weeks but the mechanic hasn't a clue what could be wrong with it. He has checked the most obvious things from this error, just info that could be found online, but has come up with nothing. The mechanic doesn't want to start mucking about with the gearbox in case it is very costly for us, we suspect it's because he's worried he won't be able to put it all together again. Before he ran it through the computer it didn't seem to go higher than third gear, after he ran it through the computer and cleared the error it now seems to be stuck in the higher gears.
We have checked with John R Weir, the local dealerships for Chrysler but the mechanic they have who is trained up on this hasn't a clue either. Any advice on how we can get this fixed without it costing us an arm and a leg?
Any help and advice welcome.
Lynn
{correct year entered, following email confirmation} Read more
OK we have now got to the root of the problem and the car is fixed, the solenoid module in a Chrsyler Neon is actually outside the gearbox, there was a break in a wire in one of the 4 units contained within it.
New solenoid module cost £137 but the cost was pushed right up due to the amount of time the mechanic spent trying to locate the fault (10 hours in total although he did have the car for over 2 weeks) so hopefully this can save someone the same expense.
Lynn
Just help daughter renew her insurance on her Ibiza. She has 5 years no claims and is 26 (that makes me feel very old!) and after years of steadily falling premiums her renewal premium from Admiral was £100 more than last year.
Now this happens every year, and we scan a few comparison sites and get a cheaper quote - amazingly almost always from Admiral (or Bell, also an Admiral company), call them up, give them the details and they match the premium.
This year we got nowhere - the comparison sites were bringing up even higher premiums from Admiral group companies. Did eventually find a reasonable quote from Zurich and Admiral couldn't get near it - in fact ran through the details with Admiral on the phone and their premium went up! They offered £60 loyalty discount but were still way out.
To be fair, Zurich stood out a bit - there were similar prices from unheard of companies, but anyone recognisable was much dearer.
I've been pretty amazed over the last few years how cheap insurance has become - my Merc has dropped from £500 to £200 on the last few years with no changes etc. Is the end of that run now? Read more
Sheila's Wheels is E-sure/Halifax Ins services IN DRAG
That may be, but e-sure were more expensive. So how does that work.
Good morning
The scrappage scheme has hs more than just kick-started new car sales in Britain.
However, the incredible success WILL be its downfall as the scheme near its end.a
In the first two weeks of the scheme, a massive 35,000 orders were placed for new cars.
£300 million to support the scheme. I understand this is nearly all gone.
Main dealers chuck in another 1k usually.
I've never seen so many small new/59 plate cars on the road in such a short period of registration. This used to happen when we had the one a year reg change on August 1st.
My brother bough a mid sized, brand new car the other day - models still in stock. However, small ars, fiesta size, ie 'super minis out of stock.
Dealers are worried that they will have a massive lull iv sales is scheme is not topped up ad may will lose jobs directly, and many more will loose jobs indirectly.
I read in the media that Hyundai/Kia/etc doing very well. Ford engine plant doing well.
The bottom line is many tha could not reasonable afford a brand new car a few months ago - hada 10 year old car held for a year, went out in their thousands and bought new on low credit rates over 3/5 years - so stuck with car for 3/5 years.
Trust me, if this scheme is not topped up, many dealers will go under.
Read more
>> If the current dealers can't survive without scrappage then let them go.
Some of the reasons they go may not be their own fault.
It turned out that about two years ago they had been told that to keep
the franchise they would have to upgrade their modest (but perfectly functional) 1970s premises to one of the new glass-and-chrome palaces. They did the sums refused to upgrade and lost the franchise.
Exactly!
Also on the same theme, theres the stupidity of the manufacturers in changing their logos.
three I can think of lately are Audi, Mercedes and Vauxhall.
the costs of re-signing the dealerships, and changing all the stationary is not small - and how many people even notice the change in logos?
Is it just me or has there been an increase recently of these prunes?
I'm not on about the guy how has one headlight working but only a sidelight on the other, but those who seem to think its acceptable to drive with a headlight on one side but ziltch on the other... ie you think you are approaching a motorbike only to find that there's a whole car coming towards you!!
Madness! Read more
The problem is that a lot of people only change broken bulbs if they have to (i.e. come MOT time). We really need to have a more French-like approach, once stopped you can only drive on with them working. Unable to change due to stupid car design, then you need a breakdown recovery truck!
I would also welcome an on the spot fine, and why not. Either you ignored a broken light and you deserve it. Or it just happened, then you are unlucky, but better be told and pay a fee to be told..
DinUK
I made a complaint to the local council about speed bumps/pollution, this is the reply, from defra, via the council. Note the "this kind of irresponsible driving".
I always thought it was legal to drive to the speed limit?
Thank you for your letter of 25 August about pollution. I have been asked to reply.
Local councils within the UK have a number of targets involving cutting pollution, and we are not aware of any councils that are exempt from them.
Speed bumps are not in themselves an actual cause of pollution. If a steady speed is maintained then there is no change in the level of pollution. Additional pollution will only be caused by those who choose to accelerate and then brake in between these bumps, but unfortunately there is no way to legislate against this kind of irresponsible driving.
It is generally accepted that certain areas are in need of traffic-calming measures and any potential increase in fumes must be weighed against the benefits of a safer road for those in danger areas, such as children outside schools.
Read more
. One would have to see the place to know. I certainly wouldn't
take the word of a speed bump lover for it.
Stirring and twisting people's words, Lud... none of us said we loved them and I think I'm right in saying that everyone who has said they support their use have also said that they'd rather there be another way of doing it which was less detremental to the driving experience... as that previous poster has said, if we could get people to drive at sensible speeds there'd be no need for them... but of course we also know that is not possible as there are drivers out there who always know better.
Hi Guys,
I'm planning to buy a 2005 (54) 1.8 LX Ford Mondeo (7 months MOT and 5 months tax) from a motor trader for £2950.
The car has done only 42K and has had only 2 MOTs. I have checked the MOT history from VOSA and there have been no MOT failures. The car has had 2 owners. It was a rental car for the 1st year and since then had been owned by a private owner. There isn't any service history available but the dealer says he should be able to get some from the previous owner. The car is in excellent condition, both interiors and exteriors and drives very good. The log book and the MOT certificates are available. Also, looking at the miles between the 2 MOTs, it appears that the last owner does about 10K/year, which may mean that as a rental car it may not have had more than 10-15K in it's first year. Dealer shall provide with a HPI certificate as well.
Valuation from whatcar is as follows:
Dealer £3,685
Private £3,170
Part exchange £3,110
Trade £2,940
This looks like a deal to me but being new to the UK car market, would look for any suggestions.
Many Thanks,
Sam. Read more
Couple of things, i agree if no history comes through leave it.
Sam only you know if the dealer seems 'right' or not, does He feel right to you, keep that in mind when you examine the service history.
The recent headlamp adjustment failure could be nothing at all, the previous owner might have popped in for a £29 mot test and the garage found the headlight aim to up the cost a bit, or he may have slipped some high output bulbs in and kept them for his next car dislodging the adjustment...or it could be something more sinister.
Maybe get a pro to inspect the vehicle for you, the cost saving gives you a bit to play with.
We have a music festival up the road (Isle of Wight Bestival) and lots of 30 limit signs have appeared at the side of roads leading up to the site. Mostly, the traffic is such that they are unlikely to be going that fast in the first place, but one road is normally NSL and has a couple of these signs (which are at ground level, on metal frames like temporary roadworks signs) behind which the police have been hiding with their speed guns. Aside from the question of what they might be better employed doing next to a large campsite where all sorts of minor crimes will be taking place, my question is how enforceable are such limits? Don't real speed limits have to be in planned locations, to an approved pattern, etc? There are no streetlights on the road in question and, AFAIK, no repeaters either. Read more
Thanks for that. No doubt there's a notice in 6pt Times on p.94, but I was more concerned with their placement at road level (half-way in the hedge in some cases) and the fact that they are not to the standard design (diagram 670 in the regs) with a red ring around them. I'm all in favour of advisory limits encouraging people to drive carefully, but to put up inadequate temporary signs and then nail people for not seeing them strikes me as unfair, and in PR terms, inept.
I feel it's not in the interest of motor manufacturers!
Imagine a Ford Ka or similar but no:
PAS.
Anti lock brakes.
Elec windows
Radio
Central locking
Rear seats
Reduce ir bags
carpets
and
rear ad rear side windows made out of plastic.
This would cut the cost of the car, make it lighter, thus more mpg, less ivsurance, poss less road tax, less to go wrong - so why do the major manfactueres do not do this as some pple just ant a reliable, trouble free, cheap car? Read more
I get the picture - lol. Cheers
I'm approaching the dread day when I have to re-insure the car we have for our au pair. It's a Yaris 1.0 now 5 years old.
Let's assume it's worth £3k, the quotes I got from a comparison site were about £1500 (with a £250 excess) due to young foreign driver. I'm tempted to go for 3rd party F&T which seem to be about £200 or so less.
Any thoughts?
Read more
I have gone TPFT this year for the first time in about 10 years. This is because my car is only worth £300 and this year it doesn't need a new windscreen.
Dave TD
Hi Billy,
Just noticed your request.
I had to do this a few months ago, took me about 10 mins (if I remember correct).
Look at DP messge of 12 Nov 07 22:26 for solution of how to do this job on Renault scenic 2003-9.
rick