August 2012
My wifes Jazz only covers 1200 miles p.a. (100 miles a month) and all journeys are within 10 miles of home. We have had the car from new and It has been serviced every year. Last year it cost £200 for an Interim Service and M.O.T. It is now due again and we are wondering if we could save some money and only have it serviced say once every 2 years or maybe just have the oil changed each year instead of a service? Any views would be welcome. It will of course have to have an M.O.T. and I have just discovered that Halfords Auto Centres (ex Nationwide) are doing them for half price if you book online. I am also going to see if my local council have an M.O.T. centre as this was mentioned on Martins Money Tips website. Any comments welcome. Thank you Read more
i came across a Honda Civic 1.6 I-VTEC SE 5DR AUTO 2001 for £1,649 28.8mpg and a honda Civic 1.5i LS 4dr Auto Saloon 1998 for £600 that does 34.9 mpg
i just want a car to get a from a to b... Read more
Please bring someone knowelegeble with you, of you know nothing! Bring a torch, prepare to get dirty by inspecting the chassis, if you see any rust try to touch it, if the rust is dropping, you better avoid it. Check engine oil look out for any cracks on tire because that always happen to age unused car. Talk to the seller, ask to see if they can provide any history or receipt, study them carefully look out for mot advisory or has it even fail ( yellow and red colour sheet), if you can't get hold all of them, check it online with the newest mot sheet, you will able to trace the history of it. Honda civic is a very reliable car, I would say the engine is a gem!
Hi
Yesterday I noticed tapping noise in the engine bay (towards the stealing wheel area) immediately after turning the engine off. It lasts for probably 5-8 seconds then stops.
The cars starts fine and the only problem it has that I know of is it is due an engine service (booked in for tomorrow) and the check emissions light intermittently coming on.........which I believe to be linked to the oil change being due.
Does anyone know what the tapping noise may be,or had a similar problem?
The only thing I can think of is the starter motor, but the car works fine and I'm not mechanically minded!
Many thanks in advance. Read more
Briefly, mother-in-law's Fiesta written off in collision. Liverpool Victoria offered £2,200, which seemed about right based on local market.
A few weeks later receives a letter from new owner of supposedly written-off Fiesta, asking if she can provide service history!... Read more
I wouldn't see a problem helping someone out. Let the new buyer have the service history,
Garages will charge the insurance company near the market price. Sold as salvage, it will be bought by a one man band or a private buyer who value their labour more cheaply....
Hi All
I have a private PCP deal with Santander that is due to end in Feb 2012. I wish to end the deal and return the car to them to avoid the balloon payment. Based on my calculations I will have paid back 50% of the whole loan in Dec this year.... Read more
Hi phil ,previous posts have confused a vt with the lease purchase deal that you have ,
A vt will add a negative, though legal marker to a credit file .If you return your car at the 50% paid marker ,you have completed Your side of the transaction .The finance company shouldn't mark your experian account with any negative comments .
With regard to bvrla guidelines ,you can download these from thier websites .Because they tend to support leasing companies ,I would have a written car inspection done by a BMW dealer to counteract any attempt by Santander to charge for unnecessary work .Basically the lease agreement will state that the car must be in reasonable condition for its age and mileage ,no bald tyres ,bodywork damage etc .
Finally ,do you think you could sell your car for more than the 50% outstanding.Check autotrader for the selling price of cars the same age as yours ,with similar mileage ,you can start advertising it now before the agreement ends ,of course you must settle the whole of the agreement if you sell the car .
One issue if you do decide to sell the car ,if it's a lease where vat is added to your payments as a seperate charge ,you have a lease ,not a lease purchase .
Thier are added complications in selling a car that's on lease ,you will need to check with your finance company if you decide to sell the car .
Regards
Tony g
Car is a 2007 (MKIII) Ford Mondeo 2.0l petrol, 74000 miles.
Just bought this car recently, and have noticed an annoying fault with it.... Read more
So, I lived with this problem for 5 years on the Daewoo and you're telling me it was potentially a leaky hose all along? lol.
I hated that car, in no small measure down to the throttle response......
And why is this news exactly? Read more
Stunning in the CGI yes, in the metal, umm - no! Lacks the flair of, for example, forthcoming new Seat Leon range...
Why don't you name the Credit Hire Company? They are not all rogues and there are some extremely good and honest ones. You fail to mention that Insurance Companies account for 80% of referrals to PI companies and get a kick back for doing so Only 20% are referred by Accident Management Companies or drivers appoint their own solicitor to handle the claim. Is this column funded by an insurance company or do you work on a commission - seems to me you would be better spending your efforts and time investigating the insurance companies who actively deny the policy holder the right to choose where they have their car repaired by charging them 'An Admin Fee' if they choose to take their car to a bodyshop of their choice and not one of the insurance companies 'preferred bodyshops'. I wonder how many of your readers have checked their policy and found that little clause? Read more
My wife had another driver run into the back of her car at approx 20 mph. She was taken to hospital by ambulance and ended up being signed off work for 2 weeks with a possible cervical disc prolapse and seat belt injuries. Our car has £7000 of damage awaiting repair. Our insurers (Co-operative Insurance) very quickly referred the matter to Albany Assistance who despite being told that my wife cannot drive because of the injuries sustained continue to telephone to arrange for a hire car to be delivered. They also pushed hard for us to purchase a variety of insurance products including a Collision Damage Waiver which sounded like it had more loopholes in it than tin of spaghetti hoops!
Clearly there is no point in her accepting the hire car as it is no use to us until she can drive, in the meantime the other driver's insurers, Liverpool Victoria, have offered to provide a hire car free of charge. Once my wife can drive I will take them up on the offer in the interests of keeping the costs down. Also this will mean that it is not in their interest to hold up the repair of the car.
My beloved corsa has now reached the time for it to go (wheel bearings gone again and glow plug issue to be resolved)!
Once I get it repaired it will be time for it to go.... Read more
Unless your annual mileage is very high you'll probably get better value for money from a petrol. As well as the Ibiza (or Polo or Fabia) 1.2 TSI, consider a Fiesta 1.4 or Toyota Yaris 1.3. All these have plenty of 'pull'.
Used French cars are more vulnerable to abuse or neglect by a previous owner, but a well-looked-after Clio 1.2 TCE could be worth thinking about.
Hi Just changed the injector seals on my 1.4 tdci i tried to start it and it would not start. i had bled the injectors before starting .... so i decided to tow it to start it this worked and car was running fine however the power train light flashed a couple times but went out and didnt come back..... went to start it this morning and nothing ... it turns over but it is not firing i also have a flashing power train light when i turn engine over ....... any ideas? Read more
Browse
One point about the Honda CVT. The automatic gearbox oil MUST be replaced every 24,000 miles. The oil is very expesnive and is only available from Honda dealers iirc.
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