January 2010
... and this time it was me! I have been halfheartedly trying to sell my wife's old car having bought her a new Yaris. Eventually stuck it on Autotrader which was then followed by snowfall, Christmas and a deep and prolonged lack of interest. My deal with Autotrader ran out last week sometime and yesterday my wife called me to the phone - it's Autotrader apparently. The chap on the phone was friendly, wel informed and suggested various ways to improve the ad and increase the appeal (pity they hadnt done that before I thought). He offered me a good deal and I gave him my credit card details as they apparently dont retain them on record. I had a call today from a company checking my details, and yes, it was a con. I had been mug enough to hand over my card details to what turned out to be a not very bright blagger (not sure what that says about me!). In attempting to use the card he made such a hash of obviously not knowing "his" name and address that the company concerned looked up my phone number and gave me a call.
So next time - dont let it be you! Especially if you are advertising in Autotrader or any other reference for that matter. Phoned the card company and I can expect a call from the BiB so hopefully a good outcome.
MGs Read more
My quest for an enjoyable weekend car is finally over. I'd originally set out looking for a Series III Jaguar XJ6 - having spent many a childhood weekend helping my father maintain his Series II. Sadly, every example I've seen here in Spain has been pooly maintained and an obvious money pit.
This weekend I picked up my (new to me) 1988 Mercedes-Benz 300E (W124). The car is immaculate inside and out and is an absolute delight to drive. Much quieter than the 2001 W203 I had from new - in fact it wafts along silently with no thunks, clunks, squeaks, rattles or groans - clearly those clever Germans knew how to build a car in those days!
Under the bonnet, it's obvious there has been no expense spared, and everything including the ABS, climate control, slide/tilt sunshine roof, windows, locks, mirrors, rear headrests, aerial, and memory seats all work perfectly.
The dealer was fantastic, and prepared the car beautifully, attending to all the items I'd picked up on without hesitation - including a small oil leak from the gasket front of the engine. He even attended to some items I hadn't picked up on! And he also wasn't joking when he said it came with "full history" - a fully stamped Mercedes Benz service book, all the manuals, and every invoice and MoT certificate for the last 22 years!
I even have the original bill of sale - the car was bought from a dealer in Marbella for 9 million pesetas (around £40,000 - the price of a small house in Milton Keynes in 1988 if I recall correctly!).
The burden is now upon me to maintain the car in the manner to which she has become accustomed. Thankfully that shouldn't be too hard - around here garage rates are a whopping 27 euros an hour and every workshop is teaming with old men that have all grown up with these cars. Plus, with no DPF or DMF to worry about, I don't think I'll be losing much sleep.
Heidi is now asleep under her protective cover. She may venture out and take the kids to school one day this week, but only if it's not raining... Read more
Sounds lovely, I've long fancied a 2-door W124 "coupe", they're a timelessly elegant car.
My only quibble is, MB only put the V8 motor in the LHD 500E. A W124 coupe with the V8 from a 420 or 500 would be a wonderful thing :D
my 406 1.9 turbo diesel makes a rattling noise on start up, then dissapears when revved.
it also makes this noise at low gears when engine is under load. the car has done 85,000 miles and i have changed oil and air filter recently.
Read more
thanks canuck i,ll get my haynes manual out and check it out, also could the noise mean i need a cambelt change?
I went through a 'bus only' lane in an unfamiliar part of town - it was entirely my fault. I was struggling to make sense of my directions & at last minute thought I was going to go the wrong way if I didn't turn left, I checked for no traffic & went through, realised straight away what I'd done as the sign registered (I had seen it but wasn't bothered at first as I dismissed it due to initially thinking I was going to go straight ahead), so I went back. I got a £60 fine from the London Borough of Lewisham . I know it was entirely my fault & don't ask for or expect any sympathy... but isn't this nasty, to make a simple honest mistake like that & get penalised strongly for it. That would be a real blow to a low income household, like a weeks worth of food. Is it really necessary - because the arguement is that the UK is such a nation of chancers and blaggers that if this sort of trafic instruction was requested rather enforced, it would become unusable by the intended user as so many would take a liberty - same principle as parking fines. Grrrrr. Thoughts? Read more
>> Stupid greedy short sighted councils.
>>
It's no coincidence that the man who owns these shops is known to be the local drugs lord. On the plus side it means some of his lines are one third of the cost of Tesco's. The council know full-well what's going on (the same thing has been happening in other areas for 20 years) but they get their slice of the action at the cost of the fabric of our once homogeneous society.
Steve Lee, I think I like you.
MD
My wife has a 2007 Honda Jazz (recently inherited from my Grandad) that will run out of manufacturers warranty in March 2010. We cannot tell exactly how long we'll keep the car and I usually do my own servicing (on a 15 year old discovery). We've never had such a new car before and I have a couple of questions that some of you might be able to help with.
1. Should I get a service/inspection done just before the warranty expires (presumably this will cost me and as it is not due a service i'll be duplicating effort)
2. How should I service it in the future? I think I have 4 options, in decreasing order of expense; continue with main dealer servicing, use a local honda specialist, use local independent garage, do it myself
Any views on this will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Ben Read more
Get it serviced one month before the due date at a idie explain it's under warranty and anything they see to report it this gives you time to whip it back to honda for any warranty work if required & you get the service book stamped by the indie.
If you take it to honda they "might" not report any outstanding defects but i do hear on here that honda seem pretty good.
As for next year that is up to you i did mine at 3yrs old got warranty parts replaced had a look under myself if your confident do it you will save some cash just write in the service book date of service.
Hi
my jeep take about 100 squid to fill up and the merc about 80.
i'm not sure if the jeep has a tilt alam by my s class does.
other than park the cars in the garage, which i dont usually do, how else can i/you make the car less prone to fuel theft?
i did post on another thread a while back how someone we knew had their fuel stolen but 2/300 quids of damage to the underside as the cut a pipe or something
thank you!
btw, out our previous address i used to park the merc right up against a wall/pillar and in line with the fuel cap. Read more
>initially i thought "you was" trying to be funny..
>most low lives I've had the misfortune to encounter are usually illiterate.
Mmmm!
Kevin...
Hi Hope somebody can help me before i go mad,
All for injectors (siemens) tested no fault.
compression test no fault.
Maf Sensor changed vehicle seemed to run fine and repaired. I collected car following day to discover fault still there and not fixed.
Mechanics have no had it on diagnostic again and now showing particulate filter fault ?? My car does not have this part fitted as explained by peugeot direct. Mechanics say one minute car runs fine then 20 min later once again missing slightly ??? By the way car did not show any faults on dash when i took it in for repair and also had full service less than 100 miles ago. I have spent £500 so far trying to get fault fixed, can anyone help me here that may of had the same fault or any new ideas ???? Read more
can someone please tell me a step by step guide to removing the alternator, its a turbo deisel thanks Read more
Hi,
I currently own a single key for my combo without any central locking fob. From what I can tell there isn't an immobiliser fitted. I want to get another key with a central locking fob that works.
I'm a bit confused with what I need. Can I just get a new fob and transponder then program it to the van following the instructions in the manual or does it need to be programmed with a special computer. I've looked around for a couple of quotes but they've been about £150 for the key and fob supplied and programmed.
Also is it possible I've got an immobiliser chip in the key I own, and is there a way to tell if I have an immobiliser?
Cheers for any help. Read more
Your van will have an immobiliser.
You can only program existing fobs via the method in the handbook. New / replacement fobs will need to be coded via Tech2 or similar diagnostic readers, and this is only for the central locking. You'll need to have the transponder chip programmed separately, again with Tech2 or similar. You will also require the Car Pass for the security numbers.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1242098...l
not too much damage. Read more
Browse
There's not a single ATM in my area (7 within 50 yards of my house) that have survived without some evidence of an attack, generally damaged or disfigured card slots where piggyback card readers have been fitted then removed. I use a Prime card, you pay a percentage to top it up and then can use it where mastercard is accepted - perfect for fangled interweb stuff and your "real" credit card remains anonymous.