The excellent James May in his Saturday column in the Telegraph made the point that luxury isn't paint or leather or bird's-eye maple inlaid with ivory and gold, although those are all right in their way. It is a decent ride, making the Citroen C6 a contender for the best luxury car.

I was reminded of the truth in that when a wife's cousin gave us a lift a few blocks the other night in his shabby old non-turbo diesel ZX, which he had just collected from my mechanic down the back after a couple of chassis jobs. The cousin seems to me a rough driver and a bit of a mimser, but he is a mechanical engineer by training although now a software man (and good at it too). However I was very impressed by the way that car oiled over the cobbles and speedbumps, a different world from anything else I've been in for years.

I haven't driven that car enough to know what it's like over the bumps when you try to hurry. That can catch soft supensions out, but it doesn't always especially if the driver knows the car and the bumps.

Yeah, wouldn't mind a nice C6 actually. Read more

Hi,
Need help - this will be a long post, but probably some elements will be familiar to people here!

I have been using a local garage for a few years, mainly due to it's convenient location nearby. However, I have increasingly become of the opinion that the garage is either:
1. not doing jobs correctly, or
2. not doing them at all

I had my air-con re-gassed in June. Straight afterwards, I noticed a low 'thump' on engaging the air-con after about 10 seconds. I telephoned an air-con specialist, who advised me that the unit had been over-pressured. He said if I continued to use it, I would end with a hole in the compressor.

On complaining to the local garage, they assured me that there was no fault, and re-gassed the unit again, saying all was now fine.

Lo and behold last week, the air-con failed. Fault - hole in the compressor. The local garage first said it was a caused by a stone, then the next day, was told 'probably corrosion'.

After the garage did some work last Friday on my car, to track down an engine management fault, I now have a large 'rumbling' noise from the engine when I switch it off. Not the normal engine 'off' sound from a 02 TDCi 1.8 Focus - it now sounds like something hasn't been bolted back properly! Should I continue to run the engine - is it safe (runs OK ...)

So question - what should I do next?!

I am clearly NOT going to be using the garage again.

What I think I will do is (advise please):
1. Take the Focus to my local Ford dealer, to diagnose the air-con and more importantly the rumbling noise on switch-off ASAP. Get them to do a full written report, to hand to:
2. Local Trading Standards

Any other thoughts/ideas - I am REALLY ticked off that this garage has taken me for a fool, and want to ensure that they don't continue to offer this level of (bad) service... Read more

So after the supplying dealer tried to steal £50 off my daughter by attempting to charge her £200 for the first year service after twice quoting £150, and even then not completing all of the minimal amount of work required, we took our business for the next (more major) service elsewhere and were very happy with the new dealership.

The original dealer called yesterday and said the car was overdue for service and they could do it for £79. I asked if this would be according to Mitsubishi schedule and if they would stamp the book and they said yes on both counts.

Remarkable. I wanted to get into an argument on so many levels but was rendered speechless. Read more

Tubes long gone, neath silvery spokes. Autumn rain and wind, respecting none, lashes paint that mattered not in times anon.

As Winters breath waits in the wings and lavished care of Summers fair caress - of golden hours with cloth and polish - now rot , despoiling, to compost grim. The rotted turnip of the carriage - grit from roofs, into laquer ground.

The brochures lure - the gaudy fly, to catch a fish. Now shedding scales that turn in dreams, to pounds self extracting from the wallet.

Toss and turn now through the night, as Cassandra of the apples eye, sits alone, as yet untouched by fingers unwanted.

But tomorrow. Tomorrow. Dawning bleak and cruel - no longer a Princess clean with virtue. Hands have probed; Ohh.. to feel - those dirty marks upon the wheel. The underbelly probed and prodded..

The MOT by men with hammers, little ice picks, crow bars, spanners.

oilrag
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I went to Calais yesterday and have a few points to post to update the 'scene' there. Eurotunnel was £58 return and we used that as 2 x 90 minute ferries @ £30 return used too much of the day.

French check-in now uses touch screen self-help and we were early; machine offered me an earlier departure and I managed to touch the screen wrong and lose it. Bother! However, I was marshalled into what appeared to be a 'Standby Lane' and when loading was complete there were some spare spaces on board and I was put onto the one I had managed not to book. A result!

I had never been to Cite de Europe and late Saturday afternoon was probably not the best time to go! Vast Carrefour there and a Tesco drinks store and everything else you could and couldn't want.

Unleaded is abour Euro 1.22 per litre and I saw it as high as 1.39 on an autoroute. Even at today's exchange rate it is better to arrive in France with a full tank.

For those who care about these things it is not possible to buy tobacco products at and super or hyper market, only available thru local 'Tabac' shops in towns and cities. One lady declined to sell us any because it was Saturday, so far as my limited French goes but we got what we wanted 100 yards away so that was a mystery!

Nice uncrowded autoroutes, a few speed cameras and no visible police presence.

Hope this help people thinking of a trip before Xmas
Read more