July 2016
General question.
I believe that on my car at least (perhaps on all cars, I don't know) the gearbox end of the driveshaft rotates within a fixed oil seal which has no moving parts.... Read more
Hello everyone, I'm a friendly person in north London who has recently bought a Honda Jazz 1.4 EXL (2012). I hope to get to know some of you in the coming weeks and months.
Main questions:
Scratch and Dent Car Insurance (Cosmetic / Minor Damage / SMART Repair Insurance) - is it worth it?
What are your experiences with claims?
Any recommended insurers?
Do you have to inform your main insurer of a claim?
I've recently bought a used Honda Jazz (2012) from a franchise main dealer. I live on a road - narrow but not super-narrow! - in north London where cars and vans sometimes hit my car and those of my neighbours, causing scrapes, scratches and minor dents.
- I'm considering buying Scratch and Dent Car Insurance (Cosmetic / Minor Damage / SMART Repair Insurance) and would love to know if you've bought similar cover? Is it worth it? If you had to make a claim, was it problem-free?
- Did you have to inform your main car insurer of such a claim? (I thought the whole point of Scratch and Dent Insurance is to avoid making a claim on your main car insurance policy and affect your no claims, premiums etc.)
- Can anyone kindly recommend a good Scratch and Dent Car Insurance company?
(Btw I've also considered GAP insurance but don't feel I need it; i.e. if the car is a write off, the insurance that covers the gap between what your insurance company would pay (market value of car at the time) and the invoice value of the car.)
Any and all advice and help is greatly appreciated - thanks so much in advance! :) Read more
This is going to sound odd coming from someone who makes his living in insurance. But you always have to remember that people are only going to offer you a policy if they think they are going to make a profit on the deal.
Unless I think I'll really need the product or its the law I tend to say no thanks and run the risk myself. Sometimes you win some you don't. More often than not I find you win. This applies particularly to extended warranty on electronic stuff. Eg Argos offering ext wty on say a cheap hairdryer etc....
Thinking on buying 2007 a4 tdi 170bhp model. Not sure what the engine code is atm, does this model suffer from oil pump problems like early 2.0/140 models? Thanks Read more
The 170 may also have a DPF. My 2007 A3 170 did. Driving it during regen phases was a nightmare.
Can i ask advice regarding the fitting of External rain deflectors to a vw t5 2012.and how are they recommended .THANKS. Read more
Just back from Porto, Portugal's second city, although not much bigger than Northampton. However, it has roads and a mass transit system which Birmingham would envy.
Why are we now so useless at moving people from place to place in and around our towns? Read more
Thank you for the correction Avant, I'm one step behind, (much like the government)!
Strange request, looking for a car for my sister who is looking for another car (budget circa £4k) to take the place of her trusty but somewhat battered Wreg Mondeo Estate
1) If possible she would like a smaller car as parking is difficult on her street... Read more
Yes, that what it looks like
The car is coming up for 4 years & for the last 2 years I have used the same dealer. £150 & £173..................
On the ball their call centre gave me a call 4/5 weeks ago telling me a service was due @ end of July & it would be £250 - I said it was too far ahead - I could have sold it by then or even popped my clogs.... Read more
Same Dealer & the price is £155........the service manager was not pleased at the 3 prices thrown about by the Call Centre £250, £185, £175.
Quite happy to get a Honda stamp in the book and they have been OK on the last 3 occasions.
Car insurance came in today - £232 which was £58 up on last year. Tried the comparison sites & £175 was the lowest.
Challenged the renewal cost - the existing Insurer got down to £180 & I took it - £5.00 was little to pay for the lack of hassle. They are taking the full Premium £232 and the rebate will come on the renewal date. Job Done!
My son has his test in a few weeks. He wants to get a car for travelling to work / uni - a general small city car. Budget is £750
There seems to be plenty of Kas available within the price range of £350 to £1000. What's the best to go for?... Read more
At this budget level, condition matters much more than make or model. Some service history would be an advantage.
That said, I'd be looking at either a Ford (lots around to choose from; the Fiesta is less rust-prone than the Ka) or a Toyota (Yaris or Aygo; a better chance of finding a good one). The Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 are the same as the Aygo.
Hi guys
I'm looking to get a estate! Lol
And have been looking at the 2 mentioned above..
I have seen 2 cars going for around my budget of £5500 -£6000
BMW 520d se touring auto
Audi A6 advant sline auto
Both have 2.0 Diesel engines, sat nav and full leather etc and have around 100k on the clock
Both look good just can't really decide the best one
I have only owned VW in the past (and no I don't want a Passat lol)
Something different this time around?
Cheers Read more
Thought it was only me, to be perfectly honest a German car of this type, marque age engine combination, is the very last car i'd want to own.
Some good advice above....
I'm looking for someone in England (preferably) who would be interested in partnering with me in a import / export endeavor. I'm currently in Japan and have partnered up with a local who owns a JDM sports car chop shop and has been in the game for over 30 years. Not only this but he also has a wealth of experience exporting cars. I have access to is online auction account so essentially i’ve already set up everything in Japan.
... Read more
I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to know what a 'sports car chop shop' is (line 2).
Browse
"It occured to me to ask whether there are any moving parts in a seal"
Yes and no - the inner part of the seal where the lips of the seal are, have a little bit of flexibility relative to the outer part which is rigidly fitted into the housing so the seal can cope with a very small anount of side to side shaft movement, depending mainly on the seal material's hardness and the type of material.
Oil seals are a very complicated subject,
I was involved in a warranty job on some hi-power diesels years ago.
The rear crank seals leaked after about 5-6 hours test running.
We kept replacing the oil seals with the genuine part - three or four times- a lot of expensive work to get to the seals.
Nothing was amiss, the 6 inch diameter seal land was perfect the seals were lubricated at fitment, the seals were square in the housing, the housing was concentric with the crank, the crank bearings were good etc.
In desperation we put more tension on the loading spring by removing the spring and cutting about a quarter inch out of the spring and reassembling the spring on the seal.
It worked and didn't leak again in service. The design department was not amused.
The service department were pleased.