January 2012
Hello All,
I think I kow what may be said here, though I would like some confirmation before I take any action.... Read more
I currently drive a 51 plate, 2.0 laguna Dynamique and am very happy with the car but a new job has meant a 100 mile round trip commute. I am in the market for a car maybe 2003-2005 for about 3k and would appreciate some thoughts on whether a petrol or diesel would be the most sensible. Ecomomy is the key really which made me believe that diesel was the best option but having read some discussions on here it seems that diesel although cost less at the pump actually are more of a risk and it maybe worth looking at a smaller petrol engine instead. Any suggestions/advice would be most welcome. Many thanks
Would suggest going for the 100 or 130hp VW 1.9TDI in an old-shape VW Passat or Bora. The 150 version in my Seat Leon is laggy and does not pick up until 2000+ rpm and the ride quality is appalling.
The car has also had numerous build quality / reliability issues and I beieve VW cars are better than Seats in that respect....
Has anyone else noticed this?
It can sometimes take a couple of seconds to respond to a mouse click and the top 'drop down' menus have a habit of dropping down when moving the cursor back to 'Back Room'.... Read more
Spot on. On both 8 and 9 it's the one that looks like a broken page (hah!) to the right of the URL bar.
Time will tell what 10 has to offer here.
MG Motor UK has signed double touring car champion Jason Plato to spearhead its new assault on the British Touring Car Championship.
The manufacturer will join the series with two five-door MG6 GT cars run under the auspices of the MG KX Momentum Racing team. The cars will be prepared by Triple Eight Race Engineering, which successfully ran the factory Vauxhall squad for many years.... Read more
The previous model Fiesta and previous Polo look very alike, especially as 5-door versions: you have to look quite carefully to see which is which.
I've been here a few days and everyone I converse with is steering me towards petrol cars.
I do a fair bit of mixed driving right now but in a few months I'll be making longer trips (60+ miles to 120miles+ return trips).... Read more
I had a Focus Mk1 1.8TDCI for 5 years and was happy with the performance, especially given a Celtic Tuning remap which made the car much more responsive and improved economy by 2-3mpg (52-53mpg at indicated 75mph). The engine is noisier than the 1.6 and 2.0TDCIs though.
The engine is a known quantity now and the likely faults are known, i.e:...
A guy ran into the back of me and admitted full liability - everything is sorted insurance-wise.
There is now a Vehicle Identification Check VIC marker on my car as it is an economic write-off - I don't know if it's a C or D.... Read more
I believe the sole purpose of the VIC check is to ensure that economic write-offs aren't used to provide a false identity for a ringer or stolen car - the point being that they can be repaired and put back on the road - all VOSA is doing is checking it's the original vehicle and not a ringer or stolen car.
Rural Roads Should Be Part Of The Test, Says IAM
- See also
Mon, 23 Jan 2012
The IAM is renewing its call on the government to make driving on rural A-roads a mandatory part of the driving test.
IAM research shows that 82 per cent of rural fatal and serious casualties are on single carriageway roads compared with just 18 per cent on motorways and dual carriageway roads*.
However the current driving test fails to take this into account. While good instructors understand that experience on a wide variety of roads in different conditions gives young people the best chance of survival, all too many merely educate up to the existing test standard. Knowledge of parking, emergency stops and low speed manoeuvres is important but dealing with high speed corners, bad weather, and overtaking are far more vital skills.
The recent report from the IAM The fast and the curious*1, found that new drivers themselves felt unprepared for real life scenarios and would welcome extra help.
The IAM has written to the road safety minister to outline its views on how it believes the government should tackle deaths and accidents of the highest risk group on our roads, young drivers. This starts with improving the driving test to include training on our most dangerous roads – single-carriageway rural A-roads.
IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “More than half the cars on our roads are rated as four or the maximum five star in European safety tests, and the figure is even higher for new cars. Our roads are also getting safer in their design*2.
“But the roads where drivers, especially young drivers, are most frequently killed and injured are still not consistently part of the driving test. The minister recently announced young drivers would be allowed to use motorways when accompanied by an instructor, but it is single carriageway A-roads where the real problem lies.
“Driver and rider error is a contributory factor in two thirds of accidents*3. We can only improve our cars and roads so far. The challenge now is to improve the humans that drive them, to continue our outstanding record of road safety.”
The IAM is the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, dedicated to improving standards and safety in driving, motorcycling and cycling. The commercial division of the IAM operates through its occupational driver training company IAM Drive & Survive. The IAM has more than 200 local volunteer groups and over 100,000 members in the UK and Ireland. It is best known for the advanced driving test and the advanced driving, motorcycling and cycling courses. Its policy and research division offers advice and expertise on road safety. More at IAM
I seem to remember you recently said on here you had to take your test 3 times before you passed. What went wrong?
Well i didn't fail on the manouveres, obviously.
2011 BMW 530D = Goodyear costs £347
My 1996 Mercedes E300D = Michelin was just under £69... Read more
In 1985, yer Astra 1.3 could nevertheless top 100mph and would grip pretty strongly on a corner, yet came with 155/70x13s.
Hardly surprising since the maximum grip of a tyre is given by F=muR...
I'm on my first diesel in nearly 30 years, and in the 30-odd months I've had it I've never come close to putting petrol in it. It has a big label on the filler cap with the word "DIESEL" on it, and the pump has the same word on the pump handle. Where's the problem?
Hi to All, has anyone changed their clutch and used a solid flywheel instead of a DMF. If so does it make a lot of difference. Iam a very gentle driver and wont be towing anything. Gentle meaning no fast pull aways or racing. Will probably only be doing a maximum of about 10 000 miles a year. Have had a quote of £620.00 for complete change using DMF which I thought was very good after pricing up all the parts seperately. Have just got the car cheap 75 000 on the clock. Any info or advice much appeciated. Read more
There is no smf for my ve
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Thanks Bromptonaut, good information again. It really looks like the 'foxes are in charge of the henhouse'. We are DOOMED: DOOMED I tell you!!!! Now, where is that brochure on emigrating? Cheers Concrete