September 2016
Replacing car battery : When a garage knows the make, model and age of car is there any reason to ask for the dimensions ? Just happened and before I go to measure would like to know if/why it is necessary. Many thanks Read more
Kit'chens For Sale Plymouth Area UK Go to cheapkit'chen•uk•com
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Hi everyone!
I recently helped the mother in law buy a tidy 2008/2009 Ford Fiesta as her runabout. Bought the car in good faith from a private trader who operates from his own home.... Read more
When I was looking for a sub-£3k car I checked the MOT history on every car I viewed. A couple had irregularities like yours but I put them down on typos – one in particular had a service history where the annual miles remained much the same but the mileage written up in service history (next to dealer stamp) was different to the MOT history and looked as he had typed 86 when he meant 68’. My main reason was to check the reasons for any failure. To me repeat presenting a car with failure items such as worn tyres, blown bulbs, etc. is the sign of a person who does not look after their car. If they can’t be bothered to replace worn tyres would they check things like oil level and tyre pressures. I started my motoring career on sub-£100 cars (seventies) and got into the habit of checking levels/pressures/lights on a weekly basis as a minimum. I joined the RAC when I brought my first car and had one breakdown (points) in the first year and the next over 25 years later. Sadly with modern technology (mainly sensors) call outs have become rather more common.
Just had a week with a brand new Volvo XC90 as a courtesy car. The number of driving aids is mindblowing from blind spot assistance, all round cameras, automatic parking...daren't try that...mirrors that dip themselves, headlights turning round corners, lane assist, adaptive cruise control, do we need all this stuff? Well as a confirmed Luddite I now have have to say these aids are very useful and have somewhat changed my mind. Bit out of my price range unfortunately. Read more
Madf mentioning the freewheel on his Rover 16 made me curious. I well remember the freewheel on Rovers - controlled by a big knurled knob on the dashboard - but I can't remember what the point of it was: i.e. what did it do that you couldn't achieve by coasting in neutral?
I guess it was more automatic - just lift off the throttle and coast - just like a "push bike".
I have a niggling doubt regarding my driving licence entitlements, as I seem to be in a grey area. Having passed a British driving test pre-1992 I am by default entitled to drive a 7.5 tonner and (not for reward) a 15 seater minibus.
I swapped to a Spanish licence when I bought a car here in 1999, and my default entitlements were reduced to 3.5 Tons and a 9 seater minibus, despite my protests. (A friend of mine persuaded the authorities in a different provincial traffic office to transfer all his entitlements!)
On the DVLA website the details of my dormant British licence show my previously held categories, but I no longer actually hold a British licence, so printing off one of those new fangled entitlement codes would be as much use as a copy of Winston Churchill's birth certificate!
My question is: on a future trip to the UK, would a hire company be permitted/obliged to let me hire a 15 seater minibus? This would be a one-off scenario, certainly not worth the bureaucracy and cost of taking the corresponding Spanish test. I have no wish to swap back to a British licence and in fact cannot legally do so unless I migrate permanently.
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In the UK - the C1 and D1 are now subject to full D4 medical every 3 years from age 70 - although drivers on full C/D licences will have been having the d4 medical before age 70.
Anyone who gets C1/D1 from grandfather rights (pre 1997 UK licence) also get C1E/D1E as grandfather rights so there's no issue with trailers.
I was driving home today and was going a lot faster then normal and all of a sudden the engine light started flashing and the car seemed to have a pot off once i dipped the clutch it came right again it seems to do it when i give it some throttle but as i say if i turn it off once restarted its fine and runs perfect again any help would be most welcome thanks in advace Read more
Found the problem i was told the fitter had replaced the two core plugs at the top of the engine turns out only did the one this was at a Garage i never have used as i try and do my own mainteniance so in have replaced the leaking coreplug myself went back to where was supposedly been done and they got and sudden case of memory loss no my guv blah blah blah so i am now waiting for the next thing to go rwrong
My sons lovely E320 Aventguard Estate has developed a fault with the gear box when travelling at low speed in town.
The car goes into a sort of limp mode on a couple of occasions and can be reset by returning to Park and reingaging Drive.... Read more
If you have a new wave vehicle go to youtube and put your problem on there there is a lot of good videos on how to , i drive a Renault auto that has a level tube up inside of the drain plug to drain it then put it back in plus the plug to fill up with fresh ,then get the engine up to temp undo the drain plug [rubber gloves] and with the engine running in neutral [ front wheels off the deck ] undo plug if fluid starts to run out at a tricke thats the level well thats on mine anyway ,any automatic if overfilled will come to greif be sure you know what your doing iv done mine and it works a lot better than when i first got it ,
Iv seen some automatics and they have to have the pan taken off just to change the fluid because they dont even have a drain plug ...
Hi, please just go telling to just get it done, this is my car not a company / lease car and I am very happy with the engine as it is and don't want to risk the upgrade and some of the side effects that have been reported.
I would appreciate views on the attached letter though. They are clearly trying it make sound like it I have to have it done, but as the saying goes, they would wouldn't they!!... Read more
Yes, interesting, thanks, but still no explanation of why a 'fix' is needed if they pass the UK test with the cheating software in place but allegedly without it being invoked.
Remember, we have been told consistently that the cheat was only invoked for the USA test and in no other circumstances.
Hi All,
Leaving my job shorty and handing back my company car (Outlander Phev). New company does not offer a company car scheme but is paying a sign on bonus that will leave me with 6,000 after tax to buy a new car, don't want any finance.
I will be commuting for 1.5 hours a day on mostly dual carriage ways and motorways, only a little on country roads. Need an estate as lots of boot room needed for 2 kids stuff, bikes etc... and we do a lot of camping.
I have been looking at the Mondeo or Insignia diesel estates as seems to meet requirements of efficiency and space.
Any advice on buying, can get a zetec Mondeo for this price, mostly 10-61 plates with 70-100k miles on the clock with FSH. Any ideas on pitfalls with these, big expensive services or parts replacement coming up?
Not sure whether to go with the 10 plates with the 70k miles or the 61 plates with 90-100k miles?
Any help or advice greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Will Read more
Mondeo edge only have steel wheels and a bit of a duff stereo, but everything else is good. zetec might have stiffer/sportier suspension but the edge trusses OK anyway.
Please help. I have recently been in a rta where a car went into the back of me. I only bought the car 2 months ago. The car hire place rang me to tell me that i have to return the courtesy car as my car involved in the rta is sorn! Firstly when i bought the car i went to tax it but dvla would not let me do it as it was already taxed. So i thought no more about it. As i never received tax reminders or and documentation to say the car was sorn furthermore i never sorn the vechile and im still waiting for my log book to arrive but i am named as registered keeper on there database. I was injured in the accident and so was my passenger. The car is taxed now as i made dvla take payment for the next 6 months. Im besides myself with worry . Read more
Assuming DVLA have accepted the back tax and car is now in order then unless DVLA/Plod decide to prosecute or issue administrative fines OP is OK and no worse off then she would have been had car been taxed normally on change of ownership.
If fines/prosecution beckon then further advice may be needed.
You also need to check the position of the battery terminals is correct. !!!!!!!!
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