March 2017
Planning to drive in France? You may need a clean air sticker for your car .... the current fine for non compliance is up to €135, being refused permission to drive the car will be a much greater problem.
Stickers may be purchased on this web site ... note it's the official French government web site, the stickers cost only a few € but beware there are other sites selling these stickers at inflated prices!... Read more
I have a car that suddenly decided not to start. I contacted my local mechanic, who came and towed the car back to his workshop (around 0.5mile away).
He was unable initially unable to identify the problem and recommended that the head be taken off to get a diagnosis. This was agreed to. ... Read more
The mechanic, said that he had recently spent a significant sum on diagnostic equipment, and after having the car a while dismissed the idea of an ECU issue, saying that he would need to get the head off to find out more. After he removed this, he stated that the problem was caused by the valve, and he quoted a price to repair the car.
He sounds totally out of his depth. Spending "significant" money on diagnostic equipment is only good if you know how to use it....
Chok Dee, 'P' Peter. Na Kap ! Read more
Having sought completely independent knowledgeable advise from HJ a number of times over many years, I can honestly say that this award is totally deserved and I thank you again for all your help HJ, you're a national legend . The web site gets more informative by the day, and I'm using it now to decide my next car. Knowledgeable, impartial, you're like a qualified friend in the glovebox.
I bought my car last May from a main VW dealer and it developed a problem when starting from cold in June (video of the noise www.youtube.com/watch?v=slPcPpvNDGo). I have taken in to VW 4 times now to try and resolve this problem.
So far:... Read more
I suppose a knackered injector can make a racket and cause vibration but it does sound mechanical to me. As long as you've used the correct grade of oil and a good quality filter I don't see the extra oil changes causing it. I'd keep quiet about it though as they could attempt to pin any fault on your DIY. I had a timing chain ruined on a BMW 3 series once thanks to a so called BMW specialist putting the wrong oil in, even fitted the filter wrong and the thing sprayed oil all over the engine.
Let us know how you get on when you pick it up and stand firm if the thing does it again. Tell them you expect them to keep the car until it is repaired and make sure you involve customer services who will contact the dealer direct to assess what is going on. They will usually push them to resolve it.
I've been quote £182 for a genuine Subaru filler neck for my 2001 Forester (2.0 non turbo auto). The part number for a US spec item is 42066FA140 and there are loads of sellers offering these via ebay. Does anyone know if US spec and UK spec filler necks are different or have different part numbers? They look the same to me and my local dealer doesn't have a clue and isn't worth asking.
... Read more
Assuming you mean the fuel filler, it might help if you can find out whether an LHD Forester has the filler on the same side as an RHD. If so, they're likely to be the same, although diesel will probably be different from petrol.
Spotted this elswhere and as many of you take jollies in Frasnce beware and save bein fined.
www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/travel/2017/03/driv...1... Read more
The header is rather misleading ... the requirement to display a "Crit'Air" sticker only applies to travel in or through the cities of Paris, Lyon and Grenoble - not on the motorways around the cities (although the Grenoble through-route looks as though it may be included)....
Hi, I am a final year student at the University of Portsmouth and my dissertation is based on electric vehicles. I chose this topic as I am a car enthusiast and believe that electric vehicles will become more widely used a lot sooner than we might think. I am greatly interested in ethical consumption and the decision making process which customers go through and why. I have posted a survey link at the bottom which allows for anyone to complete it. I would greatly appreciate it, if you take a few mins of your time to complete the survey. The more responses I get, the more credible my research will be. The survey does not ask for any identification of name, age, gender, or occupation. This is strictly for my thesis and will not be used for any other purposes or by third parties. If you want you can also share the survey with anyone that would be interested in this topic, everything is confidential.
Thank you.... Read more
I like the idea of plugin hybrid, eg Audi A3, I'd get to work and back each day on electric, so I'm near enough the ideal customer for it or similar.
However the price (and indeed actual cost) of 6500Wh of lithium batteries is around £10k over the equivalent petrol only car....
Hi all,
So I am looking to replace my alloys for my Hyundai Coupe 2.0 (2003) because they seem to have started leaking due to corrosion. ... Read more
If your wheels are leaking because of corrosion around the area on the rim where the tyre bead seals the simplest solution would be to clean up the rims where the corrosion is and get the tyre shop to use tyre bead sealant when fitting the tyre- a lot of tyre workshops seem to use it as a matter of course to avoid comebacks due to slow bead leaks. If the rims have gone porous and are leaking in other areas it's either have the rims refurbished or as you are looking at replace them.
I am after a spacious, economical and reliable car . I will be traveling on average of 120miles a week . I have narrowed my choice to a Nissan Tino . I have found a car that I am interested in and was wondering if you someone could give me an opinion . I am told that I would need to buy a new battery and another worry is that the MOT is due very soon .
Here is the info ; 3 owners, Next MOT due 04/05/2017, mileage 55500, £590... Read more
Happy to help, hope all works out.
I have read past discussions on motoring fines in France but my particular situation has not appeared and would be interested in others' views. I rented a car in France last year. Several months later I received a re-directed mail from the rental company, Avis, stating they had passed my details onto the agency in France that had given me a penalty. The address was incorrect though the post code was correct - hence it being re-directed. When I contacted the agency in France to enquire about it they did not recognise the penalty number given on the letter and said I would have to wait for the official Penalty Notice. Not having received this yet I presume they have sent it to the wrong address again. I have no problems paying the fine but I don't want to have added non-payment costs because I never received the Notice. What can I do? Read more
If you get nicked in france as a non-resident for silly speeding- ie really taking the p***, the gendarmes can and will confiscate your UK licence so you can't carry on your journey. You have to make alternative arrangements and they post the licence back to your home address in UK.
If as a resident I get nicked for silly speeding - I would have to change to a french licence which makes it possible for them to subtract points , with a UK licence they don't bother for minor offences ( it's the other way round over here, you start with 12 points)....
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EXPENSIVE SITE:- 29.65 euro (scam?)
www.crit-air.fr/nc/en/store.html...