May 2012
My car developed a very noticeable rattle so I took it to the nearest garage and they tell me I need a new catalytic converter. However in order to replace this I need to get the front section of exhaust that contains two converters. The garage said tehy were surprised that it needed replacing as teh car has done less than 60k and has been fully maintained to schedule by the dealership.
I have booked it in at the dealership for them to confirm the diagnosis and see what solutions they offer. In order to aid the conversation, I was wondering:... Read more
How many of the BRs take their wife’s, girl friends, sister’s car in to the garage for it’s service ?
I came across another nasty case of shoddy dealing. This woman takes her car into a main dealer for servicing at the recommended intervals, but when the handbrake failed only 1000 miles after a service she took it into a trusted independent in another town. ... Read more
I have an Astra Mk5 1.4 Petrol. After i had cleaned the car i decided to check the levels, i normally do this once every few weeks so was surprised to see my coolant res empty. i topped it up and made a mental note to see if there were any leaks when running. i checked the oil level and managed to flick some on top on the coil pack. i wiped this away but in doing so i gently knocked a small hose on the top of the water pump, which just fell away. i noticed that the plastic hose connector had just sheared away but i had only tapped it. this led me to believe that this was the cause of the leak and had degraded over time. has anyone else had this problem? is it possible just to replace the connector or does it mean a new pump?
Many thanks in advance... Read more
I have an Auris hybrid t spirit with 17" wheels and 215/45 tyres is there any reason why I can't fit 15" wheels with 195/65 tyres which are fitted to some aurises, to give me a softer ride? Read more
You'll get more MPG as well as a softer ride.
Hi,
We purchased a Honda CR-V 2007 from a trader in December 2011 and 8 days later the engine management light came on.... Read more
If the car is going well, are you sure it isn't something wrong with the light or its sensor?
Went to my local dealer with my 3 year old car, just mot'd and full service history. they know the car and all about it. you would think i'd get a better deal eh? Not on your nelly. salesman said they would not put it on their forecourt but would trade it out.(trade in price was in line with what i expected) in my opinion car needs valeting and polishing. there are a couple of paint chips,1 on the bonnet and one on the offside front wing, but you have to look for them! didn't say anything but went away and compared the price od the car i wanted and if i drive 30 miles I can get a discount of almost £2700 on the new car i'm looking at. my dealer has lost the sale because he didn't think my car was good enough to put on his forecourt, and assumed that i would accept his offer as i have been a customer paying full price for services for 2 cars in 5 years. My question, Shall i tell him? Read more
Hi , From reading the various posts I'm still not sure whether you got a better deal at the second dealer than the first . The only real test is , did you part exchange your car with the second dealer ? If you did , how much less of your hard earned cash did you have to give the second dealer than the first . Regards Tony g
Car at first dealer £12685 px offered £4250 brand new car me ist owner.
Car at 2nd dealer £9999, (bulk purchase national chain,) px offered £4250. have accepted 2nd dealers offer. both got 5 years manufacturers warranty. both cars same spec!
Currently a Blackberry user, principally for the very good e-mail app. The only other apps I use with anything approaching regularity are Google maps and internet browser but even then probably less than once a week.
With RIM possibly going down the tubes and a need at some point in the future to replace my 9700, what are my alternatives? I know the default is the iPhone, but the poor battery life and general aversion to Apple products puts me off. They just seem to make life unnecessarily complicated. Can't decide if I like touch screen phones; everyone in my family who had one, has gone back to button phones. ... Read more
Nokia Lumia is excellent (there are 2 in my family now). And it runs on the Windows platform, which makes things quite familiar. High quality hardware, familiar operating system with good features, can't beat it. Impressive battery life if you're not on the internet permanently.
I have no idea why anyone bothers getting all dewy eyed over Apple products. There are better value, better built products out there for the non-fashion victims amongst us.
Has anyone got an opinion on the BP Olymoic medalions? On the poster in the forecourt they all looked a bit cheesy and in real life at the cash desk looked deciedely tinny to me.
Do offers like this influence your choice of supplier?... Read more
I don't think the medallions are aimed at the driver, rather the kids sitting in the back. Morrisons are offering 12p off a litre when you spend £60 in store - that appeals to me, but their recent Disney sticker promotion was aimed at the kids of shoppers. Pester power.
That's all very well, but what if the young driver does in fact have an accident when insured with iKube? Answer, iKube will recover the entire cost of the claim by increasing the following year's premium. That's what happened to my son: his premium went up by £1800 in one go, which just happens to be the exact cost of the repairs following his accident. Furthermore, the new, higher premium will carry forward to next year. Even if he qualifies for a no-claims bonus next year (which obviously we hope he will), he will pay many hundreds of pounds more than if he hadn't had an accident last year. My advice to anyone who takes out insurance with iKube is don't have an accident (obviously) - but if you do, pay for it out of your own pocket, otherwise you'll end up paying for it several times over by paying massive premiums for the next five years. Read more
419 Scam Read more
The first time that I came across deliberate bad practice in servicing, as opposed to careless, was in Zambia in the mid 60s. A friend took his Citroen car in for a service and watched the mechanics servicing other cars. Cars had multiple grease nipples then and the bearings had to be recharged regularly. The Hardy Spicer joints could be tricky to reach and keep the grease gun on.
The mechanic had a stick with a blob of grease on the end and was dabbing the nipples one by one, quickly. My informant checked his itemised bill carefully and rejected it because it included an item for servicing and topping up a differential. He pointed out that his car didn't have a differential being a Citroen and front wheel drive. ...