October 2009
Have just had MOT done on our Almera Tino and the garage flagged that the angle of the headlights was wrong, they looked like they were continental. The car got through with a pass by the guy sticking some black tape all over the headlights so that the lights were within the boundaries of the test.
Has anyone heard mention of this before? It is a UK right hand drive car and the lights do seem to point in the right direction as best I can tell even if not right for the test.
This is the first MOT we have had to have done since buying the car just under a year ago.
Read more
Disappointed to hear that Skoda are no longer supplying a spare for the Octavia. The proper alloy spare was a selling point when I bought mine Read more
if you do the same thing at every fill up... e.g. I do 4 clicks of the pump when it reaches full ish.. then presumably you'd get the near enough result you'd need to do a meaningful comparison
in other words it doesn't have to be totally full every time, as long as you fill it to the same point every time
similar engine in my wife's car and the worst it has ever done is 33mpg around town
Hi all,
I poseted here a few months ago regarding my ST that was stolen and being unhappy re the valuation. The original post was hidden by one of the mods as it gave a lot of specific information - I was given the option of leaving it open but took the advice of the mod (think it was pugmod).
Basicly I bought a car below market value (11k when it was worth 12.5k) and the insurance company refused to pay 12.5k for it initaly.
After a total of 21 phone calls they have payed out the full amount I was looking for.
They agreed in the end that the T&Cs were subjective, it said something like "Market value is the price of the car on the current market. Where below market value is paid for the vehicle the price will be adjusted accordingly."
I still plan on lodging a formal complain to the ins company and if they dont change the T&Cs I will refer it to the financial ombudsman.
I also plan on filing a complaint on the basis of undue stress and inconvienence.
All the best, Craig. Read more
well done i didnt think you would get it
but please leave percy vearing out of it ,hes in our darts team see
I currently drive a 14 year old Volvo 940 estate with MOT and Tax expiring in January. It goes okay but I have a feeling it is on its last legs (struggles to get above 50, reaches 60 in about 10 mins on a flat road and doesn't really have any vim when trying to start uphill at the traffic lights). Body work is okay, bar a few scratches and small dents and the does still essentially do the very basics. I'm looking at a variet of cars all priced around the £1500 - £2000 mark and what I'm pondering is how do you negotiate (can you negotiate much) in this price bracket?
I'm rubbish at haggling and have always come away from car deals thinking someone else would have done a better deal so I'm trying to work out the best way to approach such a deal.
Is it better to try and trade-in the Volvo or leave it out of the deal and try and work on the power of cash? I might put the Volvo up on Ebay and see if it gets any bids in an auction or I might consign it to the recycling centre. Would a small dealer give anything for it?
Most of the cars I've seen on the web seem to be untaxed or running out of tax and I wonder whether this is a negotiating point in my price bracket? The age and engine size of the cars I'm viewing would give 12 months tax at £190 - is it reasonable to expect that amount of money off or tax thrown it on a bargain car?
A £1500 car with no tax is really (cost to me as a buyer) a £1700 car - is it better to say 'how much off for the Volvo? or how much off for cash, or a combination or none of the above! Any thoughts much appreciated. Read more
Why not register with the Volvo Owners Club forum, and put the question simply in the 940 section.
Anyone local care to come and suggest what might be wrong?
Anyone want to swap a poorly running 940 for something smaller?
There are people around who love these cars. If it were a 240 for example, near to me, I'd snap it up in return for helping you find something else.
Hi
I bought an 08 ex demonstrator 300C diesel (with the merc 3.0 engine) which had very few miles on the clock when I purchased it. It now has about 2000 miles. On occasion the engine seems reluctant to start - sometimes I have to churn it for 5 to 10 seconds before anything happens which can't be normal on an almost new car. I generally only do journeys over 5 miles in it so its not used for short hops and it has yet to have its first service.
Can anything think what the problem might be?
Read more
new type of keys for the 08 on has no blade for the ignition. the blade (that is hidden in the back of the key) is only for the fuel flap and doors. If you have a blade for the ignition then its an 07 model year. Another way to tell is the last 8 of the vin will start with an 7 if an 07 or an 8 if an 08 model year.
Having serviced my son's Mazda 6 Diesel at the weekend, I noticed the rear pads will soon need replacing. To change these is it a simple job of push back the calipers and replace or do I need some sort of tool to ratchet the caliper pistons back? I doesn't look complicated - but then the xenon headlight bulb didn't - and that took an hour!!
Advice and guidance is as always, much appreciated
Robin the Technician Read more
hi you ll need a caliper winder tool to wind back the pistons (make sure you grease the pins when refitting as they are common for sticking and causing the brakes to bind)
A friend of mine is probably retiring early in January
He has had a company car for over 30 years, and now has to buy a new (S/H car)
Suggestions of cars please - Criteria
£5-6K
3 or 5 door with room for doggy in back
Lowish ins group (he has no NCB)
Reliable
Not Diesel (he doesent want pump/injector/DMF issues)
Not Turbo (he doesent want turbo issues)
4-5 years old with average mileage
Replies on a post card please
Read more
Last of the old model Honda Civic.
i get the impression the Skoda is a more roomy car
But the Kia has that dammned 7 year warrenty
Virtually the same money on the scrappage scheme
both nominally the same weight & towing capacity & indeed fuel enonomy
Looking at a level 2 Kia
Or a SE in the Skoda
both have ESP as a cost option
decisions decisions Read more
>> KEY question is the VW a chain cam engine?
No its belt driven
Exactly, it'll cost hundred to replace the belt. The Kia is chain and the servicing isn't actually very expensive. My dad pays about the same to service his Ceed as the Corolla before it (and Toyota servicing is very reasonable).
Hyundai i30 might be better value than either (although only 5 year warranty).
Came accross a group of motorcyclists (3, 2 "under training") yesterday - all three displaying L plates including the one with the "instructor" tabard.
Honda Accord with yellow label of a large Scottish care dealer on the outside of the screen COVERING the high level brake light! Wonder how often they wash thier car? Read more
"group of motorcyclists (3, 2 "under training") yesterday - all three displaying L plates including the one with the "instructor" tabard. "
There is a bike centre around here whose instructors sometimes use the direct access bikes. They simply put an electricians tape cross over the L, this was also done by the instructor from another centre to the bike I used on my test as I was no longer a learner.
It?s a pity that parents teaching kids to drive don?t use this method on their stuck on plates.
Boris
I washed my Hyundai i30 yesterday, a rare occurence but a water rinse/shampoo/final rinse got all the dirt off, except on the roof and part of the bonnet. The dirt looks the same as the rest but seems to be stuck on the surface. The car is nearly always parked under a tree and I wonder if this is casued by resin from falling leaves. Any suggestions for removal gratefully received. I thought of using white spirit or paraffin but wondered about damage to the paintwork. Read more
We have some Douglas fir trees and this year, for the first time in my memory, they've dropped some sort of resin on the Prelude, when parked under them at odd times during the summer.
It's the most difficult stuff I've ever come across and I had to resort to white spirit and a re-polish.
Browse
I have heard of this before.
A freind of mine bought a new Fiesta some years back and noticed the unusual pattern and oncoming traffic flashing their headlights.
The dealer had to order new headlamps and fit them. That was a new car, though.