September 2011
My father-in-law's car (Merc E320) was hit by a fallen slate from his neighbour's roof, causing £980 worth of roof and boot damage. It was quite an impact, sufficient to cause the interior vanity light to fall off!
His neighbour is denying liability, and she claims that her house insurer has advised her that she is not liable. She claims that her house insurer advised her to tell my father-in-law to claim for the cost of repairs through his own car insurance, who would then liaise with his neighbour's insurer to claim back the cost. This seems somewhat questionable, as it would imply that she was liable for the damage, when she has also denied liability. I am concerned that if my father-in-law goes through his own insurance (he has a protected no-claims bonus) it will hike the cost of cover in subsequent years.... Read more
Hi there,
We recently had the clutch go on our daughters Mini, four months after purchasing it. (not new). It was found that the clutch flywheel had cracked and the plate was worn. The garage changed the lot (we had to pay for the clutch but not the fly wheel. wear and tear).... Read more
Dunno if it applies to the MINI, but on some cars it is necessary to remove the front subframe to remove the 'box and access the clutch. Astras spring to mind as one.
If this were the same and they hadn't lined the thing up on the jig when replacing it you could get exactly that effect....
Now look here you chaps. I had a Range Rover once for about a year and looking back, I'm sure it had winter tyres on it. The tread seemed to be about an inch deep. I didn't have any problems with handling in the summer.
Now I've got a Jeep and I can see the tyres will need replacing sometime in the next year. Is fitting winter tyres on a permanent basis a supremely bad idea or will it make no difference? I can't afford to buy a set of four extra wheels/tyres, especially after paying the monstrous road tax that's been imposed in the name of the biggest scam in the history of civilisation, namely man-made climate change. Read more
When i first bought the Vred Wintrac Extremes for my Hilux i quickly realised just how poor the OE fitments were, stability, car like chuckability and cold wet grip that astounded, on the OE's the tail would out at the drop of a hat, having a LSD didn't help either.
Snow and ice grip was excellent, last winter i never used 4WD except to exercise the system, it went everywhere without murmer in RWD only....
Hi there, can anyone help please?
I currently own a 2004 Renault Scenic 1.6 (petrol) which drinks far too much petrol and costs £215 to tax annually - I think this is far too much (not to mention that it has been nothing but costly trouble).... Read more
The Essex was juicy, very heavy and underpowered. The "Cossie" version of the Cologne was almost a very good engine.
The cam belt on this car has just failed, 10,000 mile before the recommended cam belt change every 80,000 miles. it has been serviced according to Audi's requriements (extended service intervals advised by car's computer)
3 weeks previously the alternator seized with the alternator belt snapping, could this have damaged or weakened the cam belt, and should the garage who replaced the alternator and alternator belt checked the cam belt for possible problems as a result? Read more
This engine has been known to eat the odd lifter leading to camshaft failure or snapped/slipped belts when the cam hits the immovable lifter. (PS don't confuse with the V8s where the chilled-on cam lobes slip on the shaft wrecking the engine)
This is an interesting post, Steve. How does it 'eat' a lifter? I thought the non-adjustable hydraulic tappets were in constant contact with lobe. And are the lobes of the V8 camshaft really just slid onto the shaft and frozen into place?...
Hi,
I'm looking at buying a ford fusion 1.4 diesel with 77000 miles on the clock its on an 03 reg and has a full service history. anyone know weather this would be a good buy?as i am a bit aprehensive due to the high milage?... Read more
Well, at risk of spouting a generalisation here but that would suggest the Fusion has been owned by a more elderly person, or disabled person (motability car perhaps?) on a lower mileage if it had 20k on it. If it wasnt for their prescence in the motability list i dont think Ford wouldve shipped many at all really.
I have a major oil leak around the top of the turbo cylinder, lost about 1/8 of the oil in the car on a 40 mile commute up the M6 this morning, any advice on what to check before I take it into the garage would be appreciated. Read more
I have not has a significant loss of oil on a 80 mile round trip on the M6 over the last day having had a close look at seems like the oil is coming from the rubber connector on the exhaust side and not getting into the Turbo the connectors to that side are all clean, but I have been careful to keep the revs down so that the Turbo does not engage.
There is a small amount of blue smoke coming from the exhaust which I willl investigate further but the first step will be to replace that hose and see what happens. I would be interested if anyone has any thoughts on where it could be coming from....
Hi Guys i have recently bought a for mondeo with the 6 cd sony changer fitted! on start up it says that the unit is not confiqured but everything works cds/ aux etc!
Does anyone know what this means and how to configure it? Have looked for a manual online but no joy! hope you can help... Read more
Hi,
I had a Sony 6CD factory fitted in my 2004 Mondeo Ghia X but wanted MP3 functionality. On buying the MP3 single CD Ford Sony system from eBay I had the same 'Not configured' message....
We are looking to replace our Toyota Aygo (2006) petrol with a 1 to 2 year old car, which is driven approx 6500 miles p.a. We would like to keep the replacement for ten years or more. Daily commute is 20 mile round trip, urban and also motorway. Other trips include around town of 1 to 6 miles. The best options appear to be the Honda Jazz: 1.4 i-Vtec ES; Skoda Fabia: 1.2 TSi (86 or 105) or the VW Polo 1.2 70 S or 1.2 TSi 105 SEL. Polo seems to be most expensive and have the worst reviews. Any advice would be welcome. Read more
Jazz by a mile, I have one in my company, 59-reg 1.4 EX (new model, largest engine, bought at launch so Japanese built rather than Swindon) and despite general abuse and neglect it has been 100% reliable. I drove it yesterday and it goes brilliantly with very tidy ride and handling. Load space is awesome for such a small car.
Only thing I have never liked is that the headrests are fixed at a forward facing angle but if that doesn't bother you then it's a great car....
Used Market Petrol vs Diesel Study
With ever rising fuel prices theres more incentive than ever to switch to a diesel car. The higher prices of diesels have led to many studies by reliable motoring magazines into the 'payback time' for new diesels in comparison to petrol models. I have now decided to look at the slightly lower end of the market at cheaper, used cars to see how both are faring and the costs and potential savings involved detailed and examined.... Read more
Thats like saying air is only relevant if you're planning to breathe ! How many people buy a car and run it till scrapping, resale price is always important.
No sorry i dont agree with that. Most people who buy a used car then trade it in against something else, they dont sell it themselves and the deal you'll get doing that can vary greatly depending on the dealer, car and your ability to negotiate a good deal so thats impossible for me to quantify here anyway as it depends on too many variables....
...Unless the claim contains evidence of negligence then the insurer can have the case dismissed with a simple letter as it is completely without merit...
The task, therefore, is to word the written submission in such a way as to persuade the reviewing judge it is at least worthy of hearing....