December 2009
Hello,
I have had a Shell Driver's Club card for a few years, a couple of months ago they sent me a V-Power Club card, apparently this offers additional benefits on the purchase of V-Power fuel though points can also be accrued on purchases of normal Shell fuel.
I now have a letter saying that following the withdrawal by Citi of the Shell Mastercard I will be able to collect double points on my Shell Driver's Club card account, no mention of the V-Power Club card.
So any ideas which card I should be using and which is going to accrue the most benefits?
Thanks. Read more
Pulled into a layby on the way back from Southport.
The main road was clear, but the layby was covered in what I would call 'crunchy slush'.
I got out of the car to get to the boot and did not feel under threat of falling over.
But when I tried to pull away, all I got was wheelspin and chattering from the traction control.
Turned the traction control off, still no good, tried pulling away in a higher gear, tried rocking the car back and forth, all to no avail.
There was so little grip, the nose of the car slid with the camber towards the nearside as the wheels spun.
Only fair to say there was a slight incline, but I don't reckon I'd have got much forward motion on the flat.
The answer was to leave the layby in reverse - onto a main road, in the dark, in poor weather conditions.
I wasn't expecting Caterpillar-like levels of tractions, but the lack of grip surprised me.
My conclusion is that Focus CC3s are rubbish in snow.
How does your car handle wintry conditions?
Read more
AshT ( afew days back)
I drive a 2.2 Grande Espace and can say it handles brill in snow and on ice. Took friends to Newcsatle New Years Eve - heavy snowfall on top of ice coming out of the car park up a short, but steep slope. Several cars in front slipped and slided about, most needing a good push and run up to get over the brow. Not so with teh Espace. Gentle away, secong gear, let tick over do the rest, slight slip as we started to move, but happily on our way.
My other car is a Megan EState and that too has handled well in Co Durham with several inches of snow and incresaing thinkness of ice.
BiL's Punto not quite as good, but again, driven carefully managed the ice on our close which has a slight slope to it (about 1:20).
Hi, I believe my Peugeot 307 1.6 Rapier (Petrol) has a BSI Unit Issue, I am just looking for some clarification more than anything.
Tried to turn it over but it was like it had no power to start! Each time I tried to start the car the electrics in the car were going mad with the airbag warning light and loud beeping and also had the 'Economy Mode' error coming up, Got the AA out and they had a look at it and couldn't work out what was going on. When I pressed the passenger side window button the drivers window went down and vice versa!
Other problems are Windows / no central locking / not starting / wipers not operating.
Any clarification on this would be great.
Many Thanks Read more
Not sure on a 307 but the 406 has lots of electrical connectors under the carpet that cause all sorts of weird and wonderful problems if they get wet.
Hi all,
The illumination bulbs on my fiesta are not working. I read a post on here that said they can be replaced by bulbs from halfords, only bulbs there I could find were 12v (the bulbs in the illumination are 14v) and when I plugged them in and turned the engine on there was a bit of smoke from the dashboard.
I've now ordred some propper 14v bulbs from ford, they are brand new but do not work either. I'm now worried I've seriously broken the dashboard. However all other illumination lights work OK and the speedo/rev counter dials etc work fine. Just cannot get the panel to illuminate.
Note - I've checked all the fuses and it's OK.
So can anyone recommend what to do. Will I need to buy a new dashboard? Read more
never had to change the bulbs on a mk5 so post up a picture of the speedo head rear
cant really see how if these bulbs clip in you could cause a puff of smoke
the other lights on these are leds i do remember that and are built into the pcb board
make sure your sidelights work both sides as i seem to remember the dash lights were connected to one or the other
I thought that it would be a good idea to change the oil today but unfortunately I can't find where the filter is located. Can anyone help? Read more
Big Stilsons or a mole grip are also effective at removing this damned cap.
I am considering buying a second hand Prius as my next car, possibly in the next year or so. Not because I'm some sort of Eco Warrior, but mainly because they seem so cheap to run.
I have not heard of any failure issues on any Prius and was wondering if anybody has heard of, or experienced, any breakdowns in a Prius or are they totally 100% reliable.
I was thinking of getting a new-ish one any keeping it for a some years.
Also, after I'm finished with it, do you think a 10 year old Prius would be worth anything after the battery system is out of warranty.
.
Keith Read more
The Toyota Prius forums show as many reliability complaints as the Toyota Yaris forums.
i.e not many. Far less than equivalent diesel or petrol cars..
As for batteries? Not seen a complaint.
And the Prius forums over the US where there are LOTS of cars...
My son's car door has been badly dented by a van losing control on an icy road. There is no jagged metal but we can't push out the dent. There is no jagged trim or metal posing a hazard to others. However we can't get the window to open. As long as he keeps the window clean and clear is he OK legally to use the car pending repair? Read more
Tell the driver not to frequent any multi-storey carparks as paying on leaving
might present difficulties (and anger those behind him - it is the panto season!)
I have lost my key plus remote for my combo van and I dont have the master key what can I do. how can I get a new key cut. Geoff Read more
THanks for your help I will go to a Vauxhall dealer and try my luck there. regards Hornie
Hi guys and gals.
I need help to point me in the right direction. I have just purchased a 2006 Boxster with 26000 miles on the clock. I have the service history and the MOT. All confirm mileage is accurate. However, on carrying out a HPI check, the results bring up an entry to say that the mileage is 126, 000 miles in September 2009. The source of this information is DVLA. It is wrong and not one of those cases where mileage has been clocked etc etc.
My question is how can I get the DVLA entry removed? Anyone with any previous experience in this?
I will appreciate any guidance.
Thanks
Read more
Check it against the National Mileage Register (NMR). This is maintained and updated by HPI (may involve doing an HPI check if not done one already). If this shows the same discrepancy, send to DVLA with covering letter. If this fails, DVLA has a complaints procedure you need to follow. See www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/contactus/if_things_go_wrong.a...x
This has been touched on a few days ago, with regard to were winter tyres required. Having discussed a colleague's trials and tribulations over the few days with his RWD Jaguar = couldn't move on and ice or snow; He has fitted winter tyres at huge expense but reckons they are the answer. I checked the regulations and found the following on the AA site.
"All motorists have the obligation to adapt their vehicles to winter weather conditions. This includes but is not limited to winter tyres and anti-freeze fluid for the washer system. Extreme weather may additionally require snow chains.
The law does not specify which type of tyre is 'appropriate' the general opinion is that any type of tyre except summer tyres is appropriate, including all-year tyres.
Winter tyres must bear the mark M&S or display the snowflake on the side wall.
Motorists, whose car is equipped with summer tyres while there is snow and ice, may not take the car on the road. Motorists in violation face fines of ?20. If they actually obstruct traffic, the fine is ?40."
I am not sure how many people realise the winter tyres are not just a good idea but a legal obligation?
Read more
I am not sure how many people realise the winter tyres are not just a
good idea but a legal obligation?
To clarify, this refers to law in Germany only?
Browse
Somehow Shell managed to change my points allocation from Airmiles to Tokens. I only discovered this when Airmiles informed me they were about to close my account. I have saved over 3K points towards a holiday.
I am not impressed by Shell's telephone set up, thankfully their web site was more informative.