May 2012
hope you guys can help.. you actually seem to talk sense.. been looking for days!
I bought a car from dealer.. called him first confirmed over phone nothing wrong with the car at all (also stated in his advert, and on his website) travelled 140miles to the car to find a car sales in a field in someones back yard! overlooked it as had office etc, started the car no noises all looked mechanically sound, was what i thought was worrying noise coming from handbrake being released, he told me it was normal car had been parked up for a while (being a woman i thought ok fair enough) guy had brand new range rovers etc thought maybe this was a part ex.... Read more
I've got £2000 to buy a car, I'm used to at least a 1.8 car. For my money I'm struggling so far to find a Honda Civic or Toyota Avensis, but can find Honda Crv's in my price range, but I've seen the fuel consumption figures on auto trader! Anyone have any experience as to whether they really do drink fuel as I do lots of urban and long journeys on the motorway? Are they good vehicles too? Read more
CRVs are great, especially the first generation ones. However the autos drink like fish. Around town you will get no better than 20mpg.
Just spent 3 days motoring on Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium- all had restrictions on HGV's in the outside lane during daylight hors on their two lane motorways.
What a difference it made and if it can be done in those countries without the World ending then why not here- even if it means raising the speed limit for HGV's.... Read more
.My main point still remains---for whatever reason HGV's are to often blocking the outside lane on a 2 lane motorway with their overtaking attempts.
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Recently purchased, I am disappointed by misting up of windscreen in damp weather. I have had a/c regassed and pollen filter replaced but little improvement. Regardless of position of vent control and fan speed, very front vent facing base of windscreen ( is there one ? ) emits very little air. Suggestions please, preferrably not involving revisiting expensive garage. Read more
Sorry to bother you chaps, but my GF's C2 keys are disintegrating and held together by string and sealing wax. A google thing found a firm called keypit but have you any ideas, particularly in the northwest/Merseyside kind of area? Thanking you. Read more
Available on ebay
I'm after a family car, under £6k, that is efficient for town journeys, good on the motorways, and has enough room for the current, rather hefty generation of rear facing car seats. Must be able to seat a 6' tall person in the passenger seat with the baby seat behind it. Can't have under floor storage, must be reliable and have a large boot. If it's a diesel it can't have a DPF.
Hit me up with your suggestions.... Read more
Rear facing seats have caused safety concerns, for your 6 k a Volvo v70 would perhaps suit, high mileage is no problem to these cars either.
I have a Vauxhall Meriva B 2011 that isn't under warranty.
The airbag light was on so I sent the ECU away to have the crash data cleared - but it was lost in the post.... Read more
Hi,... Read more
Focus would be pretty good - I used to do a 30k pa commute in a petrol one and it was comfortable and fun to drive. Can't tell you much about the diesel aspects of one. I have to say, Astras do not appeal to me at all.
Hi everyone.
I'm trying to find an email address to send this letter.
Hello,
I am writing to you today regarding a problem I have encountered !with your Halfords Auto care garage that recently opened in Wokingham.
So the story goes, On Monday the 7th I go to my local Asda store and fill up my CDTI Vauxhall Vectra SRI 150 with diesel, I then drive the 4 miles to home, go to work in the morning of Tuesday 8th and after work I drive home, 60 mile round trip.
Wednesday 9th, I go to start my car and it starts but is chugging a lot and blue smoking with no revs at all, it eventfully stalls. I drive to work in the wife's car and arrange with the Halfords garage at the top of my road (Halfords Auto care) to look at the car and give me a diagnosis.
At 1pm I get a call, the mechanic (Alan) says he is 100% that the tank is full of petrol!! I ask him to check the receipt in the centre console in the car, he does so and it clearly states "pump 2 diesel" at which I'm very confused but he assures me its petrol in the car and that he !had taken a sample from the tank on a new dry rag, put a flame to it and it burst in to flames and so confirming it is petrol. Slightly dangerous in an environment such as a mechanical garage I thought!
So I go to Asda and start !complaining about their fuel but I'm told by the manager that there was no other complaints at all and that it wasn't possible to have petrol in the diesel pumps.
I now return to the Halfords garage Alan again assures me that it's petrol and that's it, no way it can be diesel. The guy (Alan) then recommended a friend of his who could remove the petrol and replace it with diesel fuel as Halfords couldn't do this. I took the phone number from him and thanked him for his time. The guy also never charged me and said not to mention !Halfords to anyone as he would get in trouble for recommending his friend, unknowing what was to follow I agreed.
I called the number and the drain down guy came out after paying £175 on the phone. The guy was very nice and came out within 30 minutes and started the process of removing the petrol. I asked for a sample to go in to a new petrol can as evidence so I could take this up with Asda head office, he agreed. About a litre went into a brand new petrol can and after many sniffing tests we poured some on to a rag and took a lighter to it, I just had to see with my own eyes to believe it. Would you believe it, no flame up concluding that it was in fact diesel in my car after all!
I took a sample from the fuel filter as well as the tank and it's diesel for sure, it was even yellow in colour! The drain down company refused to refund ANY of the £175 despite only coming a couple of miles to my address and spending 10 minutes taking out a litre or so only.
The car has since been to my usual garage and repaired. The fault was a faulty cam sensor and a crank shaft sensor which has now been fixed and the car is running perfectly on the original tank of diesel.
After many phone calls to the drain down company they have now agreed a £75 refunds. I have also spoken to Steve at your Halfords Garage regarding Alan and Steve offered me a £100 discount on a service but to be frank after Steve told me all the mechanics looked at my car and all agreed that it was petrol and not diesel I've lost all confidence in Halfords Auto care and don't want to take up the offer. I do however still want another solution, I'm £100 out of pocket and I'm afraid it's down to the incompetence of your staff, I don't mean to be disrespectful but how can an !entire team of qualified mechanics not tell the difference between petrol and diesel?? I'm very disappointed in your garage and I hope you can sort this problem out and !return the money I have lost during !what has been a very stressful time.
My car registration should you need it is X** AJL
Also my phone number is 07909******
Regards
have I even got a leg to stand on do you think?
!
Read more
Stick to independent garages; They will do the job right (most of them anyway) and eventually, crappy service 'multiples' will suffer
Hi,
I recently bought a Peugeot 307 HDI 55-plate with 90K miles from a trader in south Wales approximately three weeks ago.... Read more
According to HJ's FAQs, or, if it's not there, it's in his column on Saturdays, the onus is very firmly on the dealer to prove it wasn't there before. You don't have to prove that it was. Where the argument falls down is if you paid £2000 or less for a banger. Common sense kind of takes over there.
Ring trading standards and if you are lucky you will get someone who knows what he's on about....
If the guy has been convicted of murder ,he's out on license ,murder carries a mandatory life sentence .he can be recalled to prison at any time .you would have to wonder if he's committed a criminal offense in selling a dangerous car .
That would be enough to have him recalled to prison , in addition how did he manage to get access to a credit card machine ? The credit card companies are supposed to vet applications carefully , if he's using someone else's machine ,I'm sure the machines provider will refund your money ,it's a fraudulent transaction .
I know the above is all easy to suggest ,however this lunatic seems to be in a different league from the usual dodgy car dealer ,it's impossible to suggest a way forward ,you're the only person that knows how far you want to pursue the guy .
You still have the car ,perhaps you could part exchange it ,or sell it on e bay or through a local car auction .
Sorry I can't be more help
Regards
Tony g