June 2019
Which make and model do you recommend for urban driving and daily school runs?
Economy isi a priority but also a roomy space for kids car seats- we currently have a 1.0 litre Jazz 2003 model, unhappy with the gears, and find engine cuts out regularly, but this is probably irrelevant as I didn't know how to do proper checks when buying it a few months ago.... Read more
I just bought a pair of stick on blindspot mirrors for my car which made me wonder why anyone needs to. Some cars have wing mirrors with no blind spots and considering that they can be eliminated with a pair of £5 stick ons, and that blindspot accidents happen all the time, why aren't all cars legally required to have mirrors that eliminate blindspots? Read more
SWMBO new Kia Picanto3 seems to have a marked convex section on the outermost edge of the drivers mirror. But both the door mirrors are great and the view all round is fine, being such a short car. No blind spots noticed, but I was being extra careful with the first motorway run on the smart M1 in South Yorkshire. This is up to 6 lanes wide and good mirrors are essential.
I remember the days of Practical Motorist tips for drilling wings-cringes.
As noted in the news section of the site, handy reductions on fuel prices, which have resulted in only 1p difference in the two fuels, currently in Kettering Diesel is 124.7 at Morrisons and Asda., last week i noticed Diesel at 154 at some MSA's.
Handily i had a fuel voucher from last week's M grocery shop which i used filling up on the way home, so an extra 5 p off per litre, not a fortune saved but better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.... Read more
3 shell garages in a mile radius of me and all 3 show the price on the pump before lifting the nozzle.
Same with the 3 Shell stations near me, all pumps have LCD displays showing the prices of each fuel....
I am looking for a used mpv with a torque converter automatic gearbox. Must be petrol and have a budget of around £10k. Any recommendations?
I am disabled and have three teenagers. Currently have a kadjar and the knees of the passenger behind me is tight. Needs to be high seating position for ease of exiting. ... Read more
The CRV is 2WD most of the time, the centre/rear diff only kick in if it detects the front wheels slipping. I think the newer ones are a bit better on fuel economy; my Mk II gives about 25 mpg round town and 35 on a longer run. It's a second car so it only does low miles.
Hi,
I've recently come across a few issues with my 1.0 EcoBoost Focus. ... Read more
I would say the engine control system has detected a fault ,and has limited the engine performance. There may be a turbo overboost condition .
What sort of cost is involved and basically is it worth it ?? I'm all for fun and appreciate it would likely be even quicker but does it decimate fuel consumption ??
Thanks... Read more
A remap will damage the engine, put added stress on a gearbox that wasn’t designed to take it and often costs drivability by altering the power curve. More power at the top but possibly it’s less tractable elsewhere.
I found this out to my cost when 'tweaking' two stroke motorcycles in my teens. They never lasted long.
Looking for a 2nd estate car, for the other half and the dogs. I have found a 2014 Astra 1.6 SRi 'Sports Tourer with 33k on the clock fro £6.5k from a local main dealership. Looking to steer clear of a diesel
Its a long time since I've had a Vauxhall, always found their engines pretty good. Any advice on the Astra J and this model in particular, it looks pretty good value compared to similar models. I don't want to spend much more.... Read more
We have a vague intention to replace our horrible Corsa with an Astra estate. So it will be interesting to see how you get on
Electronic parking brakes were troublesome on early versions so were dropped and are best avoided. Also the 1.6 petrol is belt cam while the 1.4 is chain, as is our Corsa. Our indie says the rattly nature of our Corsa engine is normal so I would go for the 1.6 and haggle for a belt change or price reduction to cover the cost.
There are plenty around so you can afford to be picky but 5 year old cars will be rarer at main dealers so it could be a good one if they are retailing it rather than sending to auction.
Hi, My daughter is thinking of buing a vehicle whilst in this country for travel twice a year for up to a month each time, between Manchester and North Wales and then to and from Devon,the vehicle would need to be able to put two baby carriers and one child seat in the back and have room for four other adults AND luggage which would consist of two large cases, two medium cases and a double pushchair ! Have you any suggestions please !
Maybe something like a Galaxy (or any similar 7 seater vehicle) with a large roof box or trailer for the luggage?
I have a 600L roof box I put on top of my E Class estate when I need to shift a lot of kit. It'll take 4 large bags.
I've also seen tow bar mounted luggage boxes but no idea how usable they are.
Driving home from work today and i came upon a couple places where there were signs up warning drivers of there being no road markings. I was mulling it over and came to the conclusion that i don't know what they are for. As a driver, it will become immediately apparent that there are no road markings once the road markings stop, so why do drivers need to be warned of this in advance?. Are there drivers out there who, unless they see those signs and get on to a section of road with no markings, will suddenly become unable to place their car at the correct side of the road?, if so, surely that will be the case whether they see the sign or not. The only possible explanation i can come up with is that there are people out there so alarmed by the notion of a road with no markings that they will go out of their way to avoid them, in which case the signs will give them the opportunity to turn around and find an alternative route with road markings. Read more
The rule is unless road signs say otherwise, or are controlled by traffic lights or some other means, you always give way to traffic coming from the right.
Saw my first 'Cupra' today, just looked like a Seat Ateca with a decidedly aftermarket looking badge (has a whiff of 'Transformers' about it!) and wheels. Not really sure what the point is?. Fords Vignale brand, i kind of get, because it is a more luxurious offshoot. Citroen's DS brand, i get that too, as not only do the cars look different from the Citroen's, they are also more luxurious and distinctive. But the Cupra brand seems to just be a sporty Seat, and given Seat paints itself as a sporty brand anyway, i just don't see the point. Can't really see Cupra doing much, certainly in the UK.
Looked on the Cupra website, and there are two models, the Cupra Ateca and the Leon Cupra. Note that Cupra comes after Leon, that is because the pics on the website show the car badged as a Seat!,... Read more
For me, the obvious strategy is to make models that don’t look like models of the ‘parent’ brand. A Cupra Ateca looks too much like a Seat Ateca with a more expensive paint job. However, as mentioned above, a future Cupra model will be purely Cupra (I think it’s the all-electric one) so maybe they do have the right idea.
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Thank you all, I really appreciate your help and tips - I really need it!!