September 2016
Hi
can anyone confirm if the Ford replacement of the Instrument Cluster for £99 is still in effect as mine has now started to go wrong, in 2008 watchdog and Ford agreed to exchange it as they produced a new version to fit in Ford cars from 1998-2005.... Read more
I too can't see the wood for the arboreal weeds of these threads. Could we perhaps have a permanent information/google guide in black in the list of permanent threads at the top of the page? Read more
For anyone who hasn't already seen it there's a thread about the supply of Ford Radio Codes which I myself, and many other Forum Members who also assist with supplying codes, have contributed to. This thread appeared earlier this year in "Discussion"
Hopefully, it will explain the situation and answer some of the questions which are now being asked:...
Just value shame the duster doesn't come with a gutsy 2 large diesel for towing caravan s Read more
The American EPA test has just rated their version of the car at 238 miles and their test is known to be pretty accurate.
Opel has said it is likely to get 250+ miles in the European NEDC test. They are being pretty conservative in stating that, knowing that the test itself sets unrealistically high expectations. I'm willing to bet that this car will do the 238 like it's US cousin and the fantasy number produced by the NEDC test will be closer to 300 miles.... Read more
Hi,
I wonder if someone would be able to help me out with my problem. Just recently I have passed my driving test and now I would like to buy myself a small car. I am 33 years old so the insurance is not as high as it could be with younger people but still a pain. I am considering my options. Should I take up finance and buy a new car or shall I buy a used car as I'm a new driver? I don't mind a used car as such but I haven't got much knowledge about cars so advice would be appreciated. How old the car should be, does that affect reliability? What should I look for? Thank u very much in advance. Read more
Both good wee cars. As before chain driven engines require fresh oil and filter every year so if there's no or little history on the Yaris (it doesn't mention any in the ad) I'd leave it. Aygo is a fine first car, motoring doesn't really get cheaper.
Look for slipping clutches, crash damage, leaking or badly corroded radiators and noisy timing chains. Otherwise there's not much on them to go wrong and they're easy enough to sell on and cheap to run and service.
This one sounds good with 5 doors and a very nearly full service history but remember these wee backstreet dealers source almost all of their stock from auctions. Fine if it was traded in at a main dealer and it's too old for them but too often they've been tatty and needed paintwork which is almost always poorly done and will flake or rust in no time. Look for overspray and uneven panel gaps. Many dealers will retail any decent trade in stock rather than trade them on. Ask to see the HPI report to see if it's been a write off or has outstanding finance. Dealers will have carried one out so if they won't let you see it you know there's an issue. If you want you can pay to do one yourself but why do so if they already have?
A day stood at an auction would open your eyes to the state a lot of the stock these guys buy in. That's why I prefer to buy privately from the owner themselves, bypassing the middleman and saving money but you have zero comeback in a private sale so only suits those who know their stuff.
Some more reputable small traders have deals in place with larger local dealers to buy trade in stock off them which can be a source of genuinely good cars. Ask where it came from.
We are now 3 months into waiting for our car to be fixed...absolutely nothing from the insurers or bodyshop for ages. I used to ring every couple of days but have got fed up awaiting any concrete news. Value of car £7000 appx. Work so far around £5000 and well over £10,000 in hire cars. Read more
Any wonder premiums are going up? complete lack of common sense. Up to now it has cost over £10k more fixing it than writing it off and here I am in a brand new XC90 at who knows how much a day.
Bullitt and The (original) Italian Job are most likely the greatest car movies of all time, but there are countless car chase/crash scenes which will always be remembered. Any thoughts for a top ten?
For utter hair raising madness, the car - train chase in French Connection is an all time classic. Much of the shooting was apparently done with no permits and one near-miss was actually unscripted. How did they get away with that?
Pierce Brosnan as James Bond controlling his BMW from a smartphone (?) whilst slumped in the back seat was amazing for its day but the spread of parking-assistance and driverless cars makes this look dated.
There are countless lunatic chases in episodes of The Sweeney and The Professionals (at least Regan and Carter's driver used a siren most of the time!) but my all time favourite is the opening scene of The Professionals, where for a reason never explained in any of the episodes, a Mk 1 Granada is driven straight through a plate glass window. The six year old boy inside me would have loved to have done the stunt driving for that scene!
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Excellent choices so far!
Not sure whether Basil Fawlty giving his Austin Countryman a 'damn good thrashing' counts as 'action' and for sheer psychological drama the early Steven Spielberg film 'Duel' was a corker in its time.
In idle moments I read new car reviews on HJ. Sadly but surely my 04 x-type will probably need replacing before I do. (It'll probably be a Dacia).
The 'big thing' seems to be the display screens (anything up to 12") which control everything from radio to heating/ac to navigation.... Read more
I really do not get where 'modern' vehicles are going, I feel there is evidence cars reached the peak in the late 90's for durability, ease of repair without not needed complication. Complication is fine if it adds value but only where it is useful to the core purpose.
Rather than huge screens a more useful feature is all new cars with factory fitted HUD units so the drivers eyes do not leave the road. I HUD unit that has settings in which it can be configured in a way that the driver wishes....
As readers may have noticed I an due to change to Leon (which has given over 3 years sterling performance) soon and based on my requirements came up with a shortlist. It has to be petrol, be a bit bigger than the Leon, be able to accomodate a spare and have a decent roster of kit including climate. No polished/laquered wheels.
So the list included Volvo V60 - bit too small, Leon ST - same passenger space as hatch, Ceed GDI-T - too slow, Mazda 6 - great kit, great deals but hardly any bigger than the Leon inside but 2ft longer.... Read more
Looking to buy a brand new CRV in 2012 - dropped into local Honda franchise (now closed) driving my immaculate 13/14 yr old Xedos that I boughy in 199 rather than my immacualte 4/5 yr old Xtrail.
I was stopped on the road in, wound down the window - the "salesman" advised me that the cars "under £6,000" were round the side!!!...
Just read an article that reports hundreds of ccj's being awarded without the knowledge of the so called offender. As you can guess the parking sharks are head of the queue. One man had a ccj against him for an unpaid parking invoice from Parking Eye. He had sold the car 5 years previously and had proof of this, but had moved house. He only found out about the ccj when he applied for a mortgage, and was refused. It still took him over a year to correct the situation. Needless to say PE were not able to comment. The court said they sent the papers to 'the last known address', which is clearly not an exact procedeure for such a serious matter. You just wish that poiticians would simply address the situations in society such as this to make life easier for people, instead of the usual head in the clouds subjects they use to justify their existance. My advice is to inform everyone you are connected to when moving house, it keeps your records up to date and should avoid this situation. But I would make it incumbent upon the plaintiff (parking sharks) to establish the correct address beyond doubt, otherwise they are fined heavily and pay redress to the defendant (joe public).
Cheers Concrete Read more
Sorry for the delay in coming back here. Out all day yesterday.
The article was in the Daily Mail or Telegraph, can't remember which. The parking sharks were not alone, just more prominent. Most of these companies put the debt collection into other hands for collection or harrassment. I am just surprised that a court is willing to post out very important papers to any old address without the need to perform at least a few cursory checks. The court must have access to electoral rolls and other information that can locate people quite easily. I would still make it a pre-requisite for these companies to establish absolutely, the correct address for anyone, on which they wish to serve court papers. If they get it wrong, as in many cases in the article, then they must bear all costs to reinstate credit ratings and pay damages....
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This sounds like a case of dry joints common with french cars , the french like things to be biodegradeable lead free and non violent so use solder manufactured to EU standards but it has a hi alloy content , take a piece of EU solder and put next to a hi lead content one and you will see the EU one is very stiff whereas the hi lead one is softer , dependent on your skill set you just take it out and use decnt solder on all of the connections on the board ,
11 years is trucking on VW call 7 years end of life there are a lot of companies that re solder these ciruit boards and check them ,...