April 2015
A friend passed me this interesting and unusual advice which I guess applies to anyone any thinking of buying a second hand car-although in his case it is nearly always Golfs
Every three or four years he nearly always buys a car from a dealer( not necessarily VW) that has done around 60k, is around 6 years old. His last purchase cost 6k .... Read more
Thinking of purcasing a caravan with a weight of 1200kg.
I understand the curb weight of the car is 1250kg. Do you think this would be ok?... Read more
Personally no. I don't think an Astra estate is big enough, and especially not since it's an automatic.
I understand how to tell how old a tyre is by the DOT mark, but when buying a new tyre what would be the maximum age I should accept? Does shelf life matter? Read more
And here is another thread where the absurd 'recommendations' were discussed.
Need to change from our family sized car to something bigger. A 6 seater would be preferable, petrol. Nothing too powerful 1.6,reliable and cheap to run.We would prefer a manual as opposed to an automatic, lastly decent boot space would be handy. We have a budget of £3000. Any advice would be much appreciated. Read more
Pribably one of the best places for owner reviews. VW Touran - www.autotrader.co.uk/car-reviews/volkswagen/touran...6
Thought it was the water pump leaking.
it is the plastic type thermostate ( near water pump ) leaking not the water pump.... Read more
A fiddly job on these due to the location of the thermostat, but it shouldn't take more than an hour. I've done them at the roadside when I was a patrol.
I have an information message stating:
Water in fuel... Read more
Or even cleaning it.
To replace a front strut is it possible to loosen the pinch bolt and so separate the upper part with the spring from the lower part with the lower arm, driveshaft, track rod , stabiliser all still intact? It looks a straightforward way to get at the strut on my front drive model which (I believe) is based on the mondeo. Would it work? Any hints gratefully received. Read more
Make sure you spray all the bolts and nuts with penatrating oil some days in advance.
Chances are the bolts are all rusted in!...
Hi John,
I dont mean to bother but, since theres a channel of communication i thought i might give it a try ;)... Read more
Ok mate Ill put it like this.. for 40litres of 95Ron petrol it does only 280Km MAX!. :( pls tell me a fix!
just bought a new kia (pick up next week) . kia trying to sell me paint and interior protection for £450 ??
dose any one know anything about this (safe guard )product ? is it worth it or just a selling scam... Read more
Don't!
You can buy the stuff for a fraction of the price on ebay.
I have recently had a new oil level sensor fitted as the Orange oil level warning light came on. The light still comes on with the usual dash warning message and the mechanic seems to think there is an electrical issue. The sensor was around £90 and non returnable, so not happy with the original diagnosis. Have you or any members come across this before, and are auto electricians expensive, as we have limited funds and have wasted more than is comfortable already. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated. Read more
See my experiance, make sure you have put in an original sensor as these after market sensors are useless.
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I'm guessing your friend is retired and this habit is one that dates back to cars of a generation or two ago. If the car is from a dealer the tyres will be, at worst, legal and should have a decent amount of life left in them. The wipers will be fine until they're not, which is a £30 fix at most.
As for the exhaust, I've had my present one since the car was new in 2002 and I've no reason to suspect it won't last as long again. The same car went 96,000 miles before needing any brake parts; the front discs are still original at 140,000. My other car has now had the same brake pad advisory - on the same brake pads - at three consecutive MoTs over 37,000 miles, so they're not exactly wasting away either; if I applied your friend's reasoning I'd be getting rid of it about now with barely worn pads, when I could have just kept those it came with.
My other guess is that your friend stops to fill up when the needle is nearing halfway, "just to be on the safe side". I think he's wasting his time and money.
Edit: even more bizarre, as Brum points out, to throw away serviceable original Volkswagen parts and replace them with high-street cheapies. But I bet his local Kwikfit manager is always pleased to see him roll in. "Oh good, we can have a holiday this year!"