October 2018
Hi My CD player ( Factory fitted) skips when I go over a bump.I removed the unit and padded the space with foam it was worse. Any ideas please as I am of to munich in two weeks and need my durrasic CDs to play.Another question if I removed it why does it not need coding it still works when I put it back. I'm a technophobe.
Ty xx Read more
Hello everyone.
Thanks to the help from the people of this forum, I was able to pick a Mazda 2 for a reasonable price as my potential 2nd car.... Read more
I'd be checking the exhaust heat shielding.
Hello everyone.
Thanks to the help from the people of this forum, I was able to pick a Mazda 2 for a reasonable price as my potential 2nd car.... Read more
Nothing would be mentioned on the Mot unless if affected the emissions. But assuming it’s a petrol model and assuming it has proof of regular oil changes it’s most likely a rattling heat shield or something similar. I ran a Honda Civic with a mildly rattling exhaust heat shield for years because it only did it at certain revs I couldn’t be bothered fixing it. The engines in these rarely go wrong but without hearing it or looking at it in the metal it’s impossible to be certain. If you have doubts walk and buy something else.
www.theguardian.com/business/live/2018/oct/04/uk-c...e
Do the motor industry think that we "The Public" should go on buying cars just to suit them.???... Read more
When I bought my (upper mid spec) Mazda3 TS2 1.6 petrol back in 2006, the list price of the car was about £14k odd. I got mine discounted to £10.3k (really lucky - RHD import from Cyprus via Motorpoint). You could pick up the base model for about £12K or so at the time.
The base model Fiesta is now £13.7k RRP; to get a reasonable engine (say the 100PS Zetec) and spec you have to pay £16.5k RRP. I know the Pound has depreciated quite a bit in that time, but these prices are getting silly. I've seen that they are just as expensive on the continent, so it can't be all down to the Pound....
My understanding is that at a normal drive crossing (where the vehicle crosses dropped kerbs to cross the footpath) the pedestrian has priority.over vehicles,
At a crossing where kerbs intersect the footpath and the pedestrian crosses the dropped kerbs, it is in fact an access road and vehicles have priority.... Read more
It doesn't matter very much whose right of way, or priority, it is. The pedestrian is more vulnerable than the vehicle so the driver should always watch out.
If it's one of those driveways where there's a hedge or wall preventing a driver from seeing all of the pavement or road, then they need to inch out slowly. If at all possible, it's better to reverse into rather than out of a driveway.
"We encourage consumers to talk to their local franchised dealership to obtain a better understanding of the current market offering."
That made me chuckle! Read more
I think VAG are trying to redress the balance sheet post-dieselgate by ramping up list prices and cutting equipment out at all trim levels but it seems to be backfiring.
£42k for a bog-standard C7 S-Line A6 Avant with ancient technology? Adaptive cruise a £2k option. Seriously? Audi are way behind on hybrid technology, too. No wonder people are deserting VW/Audi showrooms in droves.
The less badge-conscious turned to Seat/Skoda then VAG ramp up their prices too so they are comparable to a VW. VAG's high list prices combined with higher CO2 levels won't be winning many friends with company car drivers, either. News that the Golf and Passat Hybrid production has been temporarily halted is crazy (but these are way over-priced too). I mean who would pay £42k for a new Passat DSE Estate?
I turned to Volvo this time around (a bad choice with the V90, admittedly) and others did too as they are 2% up year-on-year. I'd definitely be looking at a Korean brand next given that most VAG engineers seemed to have ended up there having lost faith with their former employers.
I cannot understand why fuel consumption figures feature so much here, especially if retired and only driving a few thousand miles a year. If petrol is £6 per gallon and you do 40mpg, that's 15p per mile. But if you have a less desirable but more economical car which does 50mpg, that's 12p per mile, a saving of 3p per mile. But, if you do 8000m p.a. in a newish car and it depreciates £3000 p.a., (or rented at £250pcm) - that's a whopping 37.5p per mile. At that level, a few p either way is neither here nor there. Even an old car with a low £1000 p.a., depreciation is still 12.5p per mile - twice that for 4000m p.a. drivers. So clearly, for most people the rate of depreciation per annum is far more important than studiously comparing fuel economy figures to the nearest decimal point.
As for EVs with 'free' energy, there are a couple of two year old Tesla S cars (much the same size as a Ford Mondeo) for sale at around £47,000 having done (slightly above average) 20,000 miles. Assuming cost price of £72,000 that's 125p per mile! Actually more, because they will have got far less than £47,000 at trade in. Even the high milers with 70,000m in two years will have paid nearly 40p per mile at that impossibly generous trade in price.... Read more
My CRZ does that - it’s nice to see some of the braking energy recycled.
Reading October's issue of Car Magazine, i came upon an article about a UK company developing 'Intelligent Valve Actuation'. A bit beyond my level of mechanical understanding(!), but it does sound very interesting. Here is a link to the company in question for anyone interested,
It seems a bit like an update of the hit-and-miss engine of a century ago where output was regulated by varying the number of 'miss' cycles between power strokes.
I was driving on a narrow street with lots of parked cars and had to move over as another car came round the corner towards me. I moved as much as I could and accidentally clipped a parked car. I parked up to check damage. I was unable to inspect the other car closely but looked like there was a bit of a scuff, but big scratch to mine. I parked up in only available space by a shop but the owner came out rudely telling me to move my car.
I had no pen/paper with me so was unable to leave my details. No phone on me so couldn't get a picture of the car reg/damage etc. I have reported the incident to police straight after and will also inform my insurance company. What else do I need to do? Can I get in to trouble for not leaving my details even though I have reported the incident? ... Read more
www.gov.uk says:
"You must report the accident to the police within 24 hours if you don’t give your details at the time of the accident....
I've been fobbed off by Mercedes despite my best obdurate efforts and wonder if any back roomers have had positive experiences with any customer care from other manufacturers. Read more
This question has recurred over the years!
VW were the worst: a 100% record in incompetence and sense of responsibility.
Toyota by far the best. I had a 2002 Avensis 1.8 vvti that, five years and 55K later exhibited the oil consumption issue. I mentioned it to the dealer and fourteen days later a new engine had been fitted.
Skoda: two experiences, the first in the 90s when the dealer was a long established family business.
Superb! (nod in the direction of Skidpan). Nothing too much trouble and after exasperation with VW reached the point of no return, they looked after my Golf TDI with care and attention. Then, when bought by the local VW group, understandably their personal touch disappeared. Their only focus was that I was ‘extremely satisfied’ should I be contacted by Skoda HQ.
Citroen: my faithful Berlingo, were OK. Nothing either brilliant or terrible. They did everything efficiently, though I was surprised how expensive they were. In a nod to SLO, the 1.6 HDI engine did 100K without needing a spanner on it or a drop of extra oil. Faultless.
Now Honda. So far I am very pleased and quietly impressed. I bought new in June and was frankly astonished to see it had a full tank of fuel upon delivery. I thought those days were long gone.
All of this of course the experiences of one individual.
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More modern car stereos are usually coded with a VIN rather than an old style 4 digit PIN.
If you'd put another Corsa stereo in yours you might get nothing, or an annoying beep every few seconds....