November 2017
The answer to this problem is obvious. Scrap road tax and add a cost element to fuel duty.That way the tax becomes unavoidable and made much fairer by becoming dependent upon a combination of the economy of the vehicle and the mileage travelled. Knock on benefits are that non-UK registered vehicles fuelling up in the UK would then be paying towards the upkeep of British roads and the DVLA could be downsized after removing a complete layer of their administration. Read more
Big organisations are always bemoaning the shortage of engineers. When you look more closely they actually mean "there's a shortage of engineers prepared to work 40-60hrs per week for £25-35K/yr".
They expect degree qualified engineers with 5-10 years of training and experience to be available in the employment market for £25K!! So basically they want to be able to pay engineers the same as unskilled warehouse order pickers doing shift work!
They have got used to this being the state of affairs since the enlargement of the EU into the former Warsaw pact countries. They are terrified at the thought of having wages increase, so they want everyone to be terrified as well. The IET/IMechE/IEE should call this behaviour out on behalf of their (paying!) members, and lobby for better wages instead of acting on behalf of the global companies at the expense of their members. What do the IET/IMechE/IEE have to say about so many engineering graduates going straight into banking and finance?? Not surprisingly they don't have much to say about that.
There are large numbers of engineers in China and India, so why haven't car manufacturers already moved all their product development and production abroad If that's their overriding concern?
As an engineer the only way to find out how much you are really worth is to work on a limited company consultant basis.
Ron Swanson
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I I was staggered to see when I had a tour around the BMW Mini plant in Oxford the assembly line workers were EE's and women as well!
The dumb software used by this website, and many others, is taking the mickey - even in threads bemoaning the unacceptably poor reliability of model XYZ, the software inserts ads to try tom persuade buyers to buy XYZ. Read more
The dumb software used by this website, and many others, is taking the mickey - even in threads bemoaning the unacceptably poor reliability of model XYZ, the software inserts ads to try tom persuade buyers to buy XYZ.
For ad-blocking software (including add-ons [no pun intended] to popular web browsers), check out the following thread which, ironically, you started a couple of weeks ago:...
Car reviewers seem obsessed with this. Even when they can't find any hard surfaces to complain about they'll say things like 'hard plastics are few and far between...'
Who are these people and why are they caressing the dash? Am I missing something? Read more
Our Roomster is nearly all hard plastic inside. It doesn't squeak or ratlle, it hasn't marked easily, so it's fine. I just wish it had a proper gearbox instead of the DSG.
The approved used BMW I tried in January was badly marked on the centre console where the rubbery coating had been scratched through repeated by, I am fairly sure, a previous owner's ring. It looked a real mess.
Hi!
Sorry if you see many of these posts but I'm having real trouble, I've read up on how to get my serial number to then get my radio code, I've pulled forward the radio and it's showing no V or M numbers. I am pulling my hair out if anybody could help me please!... Read more
It seems odd that Ford are prepared to take money and give a code if none exists. Mind you, it depends on how the question to them was phrased.
I'm posting this here as I hope to reach a wider audience than the 'Classic' fans as many people have experience with the vintage, post vintage, veteran, Edwardian vehicles etc..... Read more
"I am willing to bet that the incidence of fatal accidents to "non MOT vehicles" ie classics is zero or close to zero."
Surely that's largely because most cars of this age travel low mileages, and are usually driven by owners who not only cherish their cars but also know their limitations....
Kindly if you could give me some advice would be greatly appreciated.
I am trying to decide between buying either a 2015 Audi A3 5 door or a 2015 Hyundai i30 5 door both used, with around 50000 miles done.... Read more
SLO advice is, as ever, spot on. We've just been looking at three of the cars he lists at this price bracket and our experience may help.
Focus at this price are nearly all 1.0 ecoboost or powershift. 1.6 petrols are relatively rare for such a popular range. The 125 hp version is even rarer. Zetec Interiors are already a bit dated and cheap feeling compared to the competition.
Civic will be dearer or older than the alternatives and good ones from Honda dealers sell very quickly. We missed out on three that sold on the day the appeared on AT.
Even quite old Mazda 3's are available via the Mazda approved scheme and prices seem competitive. Its considerably slower and a bit thirstier than the Civic but a lot cheaper/newer. Prices are on a par with Focus. The Mazda has turned out to be our main target.
One thing that has surprised me are poor service histories in this age and bracket even from main dealers and big independents. Ads describing history as "present" , "documented" and other terms often hid the fact that cars had significant gaps. One typical example was a 3 year old 24,000 mile car with one service at 12 months / 9000 miles and nothing since - and it wasnt on a long service regime. Maybe we were unlucky but fully serviced cars at this price bracket seem to be a rarity.
As ever, buyer beware.
For GA in Birmingham considering either a Golf GTE or 330e, look at a BMW 225xe too. Large hatchback versatility, quicker than the Golf and almost as quick as the 330e. Also cheaper in company car BIK tax and lease costs than either. Read more
It would be a good idea if hazard warning lights engaged automatically when reverse gear is selected. Also, why aren't cars fitted with bleepers like commercial vehicles?
Re V-Power vs BP Ultimate: I use Super Unleaded in my 2004 Jazz (to prolong the life of the engine) and got no better MPG with V-Power - and some instances worse - than running on supermarket unleaded. By contrast BP Ultimate gives me 20-50 miles more per tank. I mostly use my car to commute between Cardiff and Bristol and so this equates to an extra one way trip - very handy. Read more
Hi all, just wondering whether the technical experts on here could confirm what type of DPF a 2013 peugeot 508sw has fitted. The car in question has the 2.0 HDI 140hp engine. What i would like to know is, has it the eloyses fluid based system, or has it the coated "dry" version?. I've asked a few people (owners) and no-one seems to know. All i can tell is that it's the pre ad-blue version fitted to later models. Many thanks in advance for any responses. Read more
Quite possible, the E6 cars are badged 'BlueHDI'. No matter, as they still use Eolys additive for the FAP, even if fitted with the SCR which uses the Ad-Blue.
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I have come across a similar situation and it is so frustrating and annoying to see these cheats get away with their actions
The powers that be know from day one when a car's tax or MOT has expired yet do nothing at all....