June 2014
Is there a modern day equivalent of the W124 or at least a car with the same reputation.
I am looking to purchase an estate car that would not necessarily do high mileage - 8K to 10K a year so petrol would be the order of the day. I am an old f*** so an automatic would be useful and I will look after the car. It would be well looked after and I would plan on keeping it a long time (potentially running it into the ground) so longevity and long term reliability are key factors for me. As such - something that is well engineered would be a must.... Read more
Thought I post a few words up about my Dacia Sandero 1.2 Access having owned it for a year now.
Looks and drives like a small van / previous gen Clio (not surprising as it's based on a modified previous gen Clio floorpan)... but not in a bad way. It has a little more body-roll around roundabouts and corners compared to a new model Fiesta, and the steering wheel takes a good bit of twirling to manouvre the car around the supermarket car-park. None of this is a problem, and the up-side is that it's a comfortable car that smoothes out our pot-holed roads more than the previous small, cheap cars I've owned ('06 Fabia VRS, '54 Mondeo TDCi, '08 Pug 107 Urban Lite, '54 Focus Zetec, '59 Corsa Life, '62 Hyundai i10, now my Sandero 1.2 Access).... Read more
Tried the 1.2 engine in the Logan MCV
I was impressed with how well it pulled the estate, because its an old engine doesnt mean its a bad engine....
Unless the Citroen or Peugeot version of this car are considerably cheaper, the Toyota will be the one to go for due to the 5 year warranty Read more
I have just taken delivery of a brand new Clio. The door fit harks back to the days of British Leyland! All four doors have paint damage around the catches and the passenger door is so far out of allignment that it makes an awful "crack" when it closes. The car is to be booked into a bodyshop for re-alligning the doors and paint repairs. I have half a mind to reffuse this and demand a replacement car as it's an extreemly poor situation to be in given todays production standards. What do you think? Read more
Thank you both, glad you are of the same mind! I have just been to the bodyshop that the dealer will use and they are not happy to do the paint because if it goes again then they could end up repairing it forever! They think that to fix the dor they can move the catch post and not the door even though it is 1mm out of true. Off to the dealer now, will update later.
I can't seem to find a way to sort this shift lock from being stuck, without sticking a thin object to it, to unstick it. I called the car delaers where I bought the Qashqai and explained that it needed to be fixed (I assume it's covered under the warranty?), but he said I had to bring it to their showrooms. They are at least a 2 hour drive away. Have any of you ever found yourselves in a similar situation? If so, what did you do please?
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A little bit more information would be useful - we're not mind readers here.
How old is the car ? How long ago did you buy it ? Did you buy it from a main agent, or an independent ? Those are rather critical questions that people need the answers to before giving some reliable advice
My exhaust has a hole in the back box and from the noise when I tap it the inner skin and baffles appear to have collapsed. Shoving a stick up the pipe and stirring it round it sounds like a bucket of nails. Would this be the cause of the popping back and slightly rough running?
It's due in for replacement on Wednesday along with the MoT, it's perfectly driveable though slightly irritating. Temperature reading as normal. Safe to continue using without secondary damage? Read more
Yes it will cause running as the engine requires some back pressure to run smoothly. Should be ok in the short time to replacement.
Just bought a new model Golf DSG - the 122bhp version.
I have been trying to work out if there are any significant fuel savings between the 3 modes(economy, normal, sport) and also having the stop/start function enabled.... Read more
Has the use of mineral oil completely sorted out the problems with this gearbox? Have there been any failure reports in relation to gearboxes filled with mineral oil?
It's not been that long since VAG started to fix this problem. I'd suggest another year (or maybe 2) before any other problems start to crop up in sufficient numbers to know whethet it's all sorted or not
Hi, please can you help me. i need the key code for my radio - 3500 RDS Eon, serial number is MO16755 Read more
hello,
Thank you for your support....
I'm looking to get a second hand family hatchback with a budget of ~£10,000. I do a lot of motorway miles so need a diesel.
I was aiming to get a car with low mileage <20,000 with a good warranty. I'm hoping to keep the car for 5years so looking for reliability and good fuel economy... Read more
You can get a 2011 Kia Ceed 1.6 diesel hatch at cargiant for £6800 with 4 years warranty still on it Or a 2012 diesel auto estate (big boot) for £8800 with 5 years warranty left. Both around 20k - 30k miles so 70k to 80k left for you before they go out of warranty.
Hi
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Many thanks for asll the replies. It was in fact an admin charge. The £100 speeding FPN came through the post two days later!.
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Browse
All of the "Audi-layout" VAG clones (Audi A4/6, VW old Passat, Mk1 Superb, Exeo) are excellent long term propositions if bought with the right engine and transmission. The outright dog is the 2.0PD but some other engines such as the 2.5 diesel with the VP44 fuel pump are also unlikely to brighten your life in the longer term. The CR diesels and most petrols are usually OK. (The 1.9PD is good, but old now).
Apart from long life with cheap maintenance (from an Independent), these cars all come into their own on snow and ice, unlike their rear-driven rivals. Progress on ice has been likened to a "yak on heat" and I can certainly vouch for their outstanding grip with the heavy engine well over the driven wheels. On one memorable journey through the Surrey hills following an unexpected heavy snow storm, the number of BMWs and M-Bs in the ditches was a grim reminder of their shortcomings under these conditions, I got home - on good Summer tyres....