September 2018
I've just bought a Honda CRV (2012 petrol manual) from a dealer member of the Inchcape group. I got a mate local to the dealership to view the car, I spoke to the dealer about the history of the car (one owner 40k miles FSH). New tyres fitted as part of the deal and my mate then drove the car to me (130 miles) when I saw it for the first time.
The dealer had jet washed the car but done no interior valet, the engine bay was a mess with dead leaves everywhere, years of detritus under the seats when I folded them out. The door shuts and boot ledges were full of dirt as if the car had stood in a muddy field for a year. On full lock in 1st or reverse, the diff groans (common CRV 4WD mechanism fault according to interweb) and the clutch only bites near the top of the pedal.... Read more
is this noise normal ?
watch link for video.... Read more
Yes,they all do that Sir. Normal operation ,but should stop after a while. The valve is controlled by the engine management system.
When negotiating a deal on my 1 year old Octavia, the dealer offered gap insurance for the princely sum of £399, then 'reduced to £299. I obviously declined, but guess I should sort out some kind of cover. Policies seem to be much of muchness between random companies on the net, return to invoice insurance seems the best bet. However, I can't help thinking I don't really know what I'm looking at.
Does anyone have any words of wisdom, or recommendations for Gap Insurance?... Read more
In 45 years of owning cars (new and s/h) I have never written one off or had a non recovered stolen. Gap insurance is simply a means of parting a naive punter from their cash to cover a very low risk.
With household appliances I never take out insurance. Generally failure occurs within the first year and almost always covered by manufacturer warranty. We also have 10+ items around the house (TVs, freezers,oven, hob, dishwasher, washing machine, laptops, phones, tumbler dryer etc etc. The failure of one or two in years 2-5 would cost less than the combined cost of extended warranties.
Somebody getting deperate seeing the shares tank? Read more
Hi everyone,
I just wondered if with the collective motoring knowledge on this forum, somebody might know of a cheap car rental company in Laos? ... Read more
Thanks all of you, I'm reluctant to hire a local driver for the reasons outlined by jthan. Whilst it's a risk not knowing the roads or even local driving style, frankly i'd rather the locals were driving cars around me, not the one i'm sitting in!
Reading an Autocar magazine (dated 5th September), i found an article on the Moscow motor show. Couple of things caught my eye, first of those being the Renault Arkana. This is what, at first glance, seems to be an attempt to bring the SUV/coupe style to a lower price point, but on reading the article, this appearance may just be an accident. Russians are apparently, very into saloon cars, and the Arkana is, according to it's designer, an attempt to blend saloon and SUV qualities, rather than coupe and SUV. But despite being designed specifically for the Russian market (after consumer research), it seems Renault may be thinking of taking it further afield. And while i am no fan of the SUV, i can certainly see it being successful in this country (obviously depending on prices), as it is a nice looking thing.
It’s a shame Renault bought Lada as it pretty much rules out a return to Europe where Dacia already dominate the market they’d operate in. I fully believe there’s more room in the bargain price market for another player or two and it would’ve been good to see someone else buy Lada and invest in bringing a decent Dacia rival and add a few larger options to cover what they miss.
A good taxi sized saloon, hatch and MPV would sell in big numbers if the price was right and it used tried and tester engines and gearboxes. Toyota, Ford and Peugeot have all talked about bringing out a cheaper brand but missed a good opportunity to buy one with solid domestic demand and a huge low cost workforce. A range based on old Toyota technology with less gimmicks could’ve sold in big numbers to bargain hungry punters and taxi drivers.
As for the Lada of old, well selling for a firm that had a Proton franchise and located in a town that had a Lada main dealer that had recently went bust we had many of them in part exchange. Largely all terrible things, especially the Samara which was awful to drive and built from old egg crates. The Riva has a certain robust charm but the steering was like handling the tiller of an ancient steam ship. Never went wrong but then there was nothing on them to break.
The Niva was the star of the range though. Was no worse to drive than a Land Rover Defender and just as capable off-road but more reliable and cost a fraction of the price. They did rust but structurally they were ok, it was mostly cosmetic but they all went the same way all of our Lada trade-ins and packed onto cargo ships bound for home no matter the condition.
Hi all, planning on selling my car but got no idea what it’s worth.
It’s a 2010 Vauxhall Corsa s 1.0 ecotech with 52000 on the clock. Has 12 months not. Unfortunately it’s a cat n (non structural damage) write off. Fully repaired. 1 key and no service history. Works perfectly.
How much could I sell this for privately? Thanks! Read more
If it’s tidy enough then put it on Gumtree at £1,200 Ono and tear the arm off anyone who offers more than a grand. If it’s tatty and poorly repaired then it’s £500. Good examples are plentiful and even these don’t fetch strong money.
Today's paper reports high accident rates in 20mph zones, largely because most drivers ignore them. Leaving aside the question of whether they serve much purpose except at the start and end of the school day, what is the thinking (if any) as regards aerial pollution?
Assuming that a car's engine runs somewhere near the optimum rev band much of the time, it seems to follow that if these limits were observed it would take cars 50% longer to cross a zone at 20mph than at 30mph, thereby polluting similarly more. Accidental injury might be reduced, but at the cost of more damage to health. So which is preferable? Read more
There's a 20mph limit on a stretch of road quite near to where I live that's actually enforced by Average Speed Cameras! The stretch of road in question is the Western Esplanade in Southend-on-sea, Essex.
This area is considered to be something called "Shared Space", where motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and any other form of road users are considered to have equal rights. Needless to say there have been many accidents, in spite of the 20mph speed limit, caused by the confusion created....
Japanese reimports - having been involved in the manufacture of UK vehicles for export to Japan you may find that they have been inspected to higher than UK market standards before leaving the factory. They are likely to be less rusty due to Japanese road conditions. They will need speedo recalibration to mph, and may be worth less if resold due to unclear history, but personally I would have no qualms buying one. Read more
According to Tesco's own website, "Momentum 99 also contains a special blend of additives to help keep the fuel system clean and working at its best."
LOL! "My car had a handbrake issue so I parked it on a hill only to find when I came back, it had rolled down the hill. Do I have a claim against the garage?"
Are some people serious!? Read more
Re "No Indication". As a Brit living in Austria, it's quite right that indicators are normally only used on roundabouts when you are exiting. Roundabouts often have signs reminding drivers to signal as they leave. Nothing wrong with that, just happens to be different practice from the UK.
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If you end up being saddled with the car, change the rear diff oil for the latest spec Honda oil - that usually sorts the groaning out.