August 2010
driving in traffic with a van parked immediately before a light controlled pedestrian crossing, when "driver" approached o/s van door. anticipating that said individual may do something stupid I operated my horn to warn him of my proximity. my attention was by this time on the traffic/road ahead when the noise of a collision to my car made me stop on the zig-zags before the crossing. On inspecting the n/s of my vehiclefront wheel arch, and the rear wheel arch. I presumed that this damage was caused by the van door being opened as I passed and this was confirmed by the damage to the rear bottom corner of o/s door on the van. Iasked the driver why he had opened his door and he replied, "I only opened it a little. there were not any witnesses and there was no other damage to either vehicle but my insurer states that if the third party submits a claim they will have to settle in their favour.
how can this be when the van driver opened his door onto passing traffic without ensuring it was safe to do so---surely this must constitue negligence on his part?... Read more
i bought a secondhand mazda approved mx5 in jan, in june i had an accident which was deemed my fault the paid for the repair, when it came back it was due for an MOT. The car failed due to worn pads and a 40% imbalance in the front brakes. I think contributed to my accident. When i looked through the paper work i noticed on the check list that the only item not to have been checked off were the brakes. Could someone please let me know were i stand in all of this please.
thanks v much Read more
You need to clarify who you think should be compensating and who didnt tick it off on the checklist.
But my thinking on this is forget it. If the insurance co. thought there was something iffy with your brakes, they wouldnt have paid out. Your timescales are on the borderline of what is considered reasonable for warranty on a second hand car and brake pads are consumables after all. A lot can happen to them in 6 months....
Hello I have a problem I'm hoping you can help with.I have a ford courier 1.8 TDDi 2000 it starts ok and runs ok at low revs but say you go to over take someone and put your foot down it starts stuttering the best way to describe it is if you were quickly turning the ignition off and on really fast.if you just accelerat steady its fine.
do you have any idea what the cause might be
cheers
how and where should I check for this
cheers
Hi
last week my fiesta started pulling to the right we had a look and my drop links had basically had it, after changing these it has started knocking from the passengers side, when its just me in the car it knocks but if i have a passenger it does not. also does not knock going around corners and when i get up to 4th gear it stops then too also it still pulls to the right if anyone has any ideas what it could be i would be very grateful.... Read more
Hi had same problem on mine it turned out to be the wishbone have a look at the rubber mounts on the wish bone if there worn or slightly out of place iT causes it to make a knocking there only about 20 quid
Looking at buying one of these, about 4 years old with 80K miles. What are they like for service cost (I currently have 98 1.8 Passat that I home service). Any known issues that I should look out for, I understand engine has chain driven cam, is that right? Read more
For servocong costs, ring your local Toyota dealer. They will compete on price.
...
I have the chance to buy a 2006 PAssat 2 L diesel estate at a good price that has only done 30K miles. Had one service at 20K main dealer. It is an ex company car so has been looked after. Question is does it still have a rubber band cambelt (rather than the sensible chain that ford and others have adopted) and if so when is it supposed to be changed. I have the old passat and the cambelt went at 70K but they said it was because it has not been done for 5 years. ANy advice and idea of cost welcome Read more
I was under the impression Ford had gone back to cam belts in their new engines.
Hi All. First post here, but a long-time reader – thanks for all the great insight.
A sad reason for this post – driving home last night, I was involved in quite a serious accident. I was driving on a West Country lane - around the outside of a curve. My view ahead of my lane was clear, but my view of the oncoming lane was obscured by a hedge and the tightness off the bend (perhaps 40 degrees). Out of nowhere an oncoming car travelling at high speed struck my drivers-side wing with his front drivers side corner. I had no time to see him and react, so could not brake. The first I knew was the airbag in my face and my car juddering to a halt, as it spun to the side of the road.... Read more
You don't want your insurer to "fight" for you on this. Head on collision on a country road means the chances are they will settle 50:50 and get their money back by bumping up your premiums.
I have a free liability dispute service at www.autosure.eu which any Honest John reader can use. It means you get expert accident investigators on your side to fight your case and they work entirely for you and not your insurer.
In your particular case the photographs and video you took will assist greatly. Please contact me (quoting Honest John) for more information.
lucy.bonhamcarter@autolaw.co.uk
I've never polished/waxed my car in the 6 years I've had it, and the yellow paint is starting to fade a little. 3 questions.
1) I'll be going to Halfords on Monday, what do you advise me to buy in order to restore some of the shine?... Read more
I have had the car 3 years and had no problems at all. I took the car to a safari park today and crawled round the park for around 45 mins in first gear having to stop and start. On leaving the animal park and heading to the exit I noticed that there was no response from the engine to pressure on the accelerator. after a few more yards the EMS warning light started to flash and I pulled over and stopped the engine ( and to check the manual). I restarted the engine and had same problem, limped on a few hundred yards and I stopped the vehicle for about 5 minutes. Started the engine again and everything was fine but drove it to my local VW garage (which was just closing). Told them the story to which they said the diesel does not like "poddling around" and possibly the PDF had become blocked. As they were too busy to run a fault check until next week they said to give the car a good blast on a dual carriageway for at least 10 minutes and then bring it back for the fault check next week. Has anyone else had this type of problem and was "poddling around" the safari park in first gear likely to be the cause? Read more
SOLD MY NEARLY 3 YEAR OLD CAR BACK TO SKODA DERLERSHIP - WE AGREED A PRICE SIGNED DOCUMENTS V5 SENT OFF, THEY CONFIRMED THEY WILL PAY THE REST BACK TO SKODS FINANCE, GET A CALL 2 WEEKS LATER SAYING DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF WEAR AND TEAR TO THE VEHICLE AND THE WORK THAT NEEDS DOING THEY NOW DON'T WANT THE VEHICLE. BUT I HAVE A RECIEPT AND THE VEHICLE IS NOW NOT LEGALLY MINE, I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO. THEY ARE SAYING I NEED TO COLLECT THE VEHICLE AND IF i WANT i CAN GET SKODA TO PICK THE VEHICLE UP BUT THE 3 YEAR DEAL ISNT UP UNTIL OCTOBER THE ONLY WAY FOR ME TO GET RID OF THE VEHICLE BEFORE OCTOBER WAS TO SELL TO A SKODA DEALERSHIP. LEGALLY WHERE DO i STAND AS THE FINANCE COMPANY STILL DOESN'T HAVE THE MONEY AND I DONT OWN THE VEHICLE PLEASE HELP Read more
Assuming they saw the vehicle then the deal is a deal and you can hold them to it. If you contact me via the Honest John legal advice section I may be able to "persuade them" as to your rights.
Cases like this define why you need proper functioning legal insurance:
www.autosure.eu
not the junk policy that is often sold with your motor insurance.
Browse
As Bathtup Tom says it is all about the position and nature of the damage. If the door is already open and the damage is to the front of the moving vehicle then there is usually an argument over liability - the theory being the door was already open and you should have driven around it. Insurers will often settle these 50:50 because there is an argument over the timing of when the door was opened.
If the damage is to the side of the moving vehicle then usually the case is winnable by the moving vehicle as there is usually a good argument that the door was opened into the vehicle and the stationary car was responsible for the damage.
As always a witness and some photographs greatly help your case.