August 2019
I agree with your advice that SP should consider an older Toyota Yaris, but do not overlook the Daihatsu Sirion which is a Yaris with a different body. I ran a 4 speed torque converter automatic Sirion from new in 2009 to 2016. It was utterly reliable and still had the original battery and exhaust when I sold it. The Sirion is the best older supermini that most people have never heard of. Read more
Meriva Steering?
Top marks to Vauxhall customer services. If I've read the story correctly, Vauxhall have paid £70 and £270 to diagnose a nine year old car that's been serviced outside their franchised network? That seems incredibly generous.
But the owner then asks should Vauxhall not contribute to the repair and should he take the matter to small claims! On a 9 year old car - of course not.
Furthermore the repair costs are £1800 parts and £1200 labour - total £3000. I wouldn't have thought a 2010 / 57k Meriva would be worth that much.
My advice would have been to trade his car and use the £3000 to buy a newer model. Read more
Re look who’s stalking.
I have a top of the range TOM TOM sat nav in my car which is regularly updated. Despite this and sending updates to Tom Tom, it still shows the wrong speed limits on lots of roads. Locally there is one road that changes from a 30mph to unrestricted to 40mph and finally to 50mph in a 5 mile stretch.
The sat nav shows 60mph limit for the whole length as soon as you leave the 30mph zone.
Out of interest I recorded a drive along this road on my dash cam. Of the 7 speed limit signs, only 4 were visible due to the other 3 being covered by tree branches. There are several side roads/ entrances along this road and you could quite easily join it without knowing the correct speed limit.
So until the sat nav companies ensure their information is up to date and traffic signed are kept visible and clean, I can’t see the speed limiter system working.
Hi - has anyone any recommendations for a company that would carry out a vehicle inspection - have dispute with a garage and want an independent assessment.
I know AA & RAC do them for pre purchase but wondered if there are companies that specialise in after sales inspections? Read more
Perhaps more likely that Louise has responded to a different thread by mistake. Her original is in the Legal section.
But it really doesn't matter! ...
Ive recently put a new battery in my car and now my radio is asking for a code which I can't find. Can you help me please? The Vin no is wfojxxgajjal52025. Read more
Thanks again.
Hi all,
My Mrs needs a smallish (Up to Golf size) runaround which needs to be an automatic. Budget is up to 2K ish. I'm into VW's but don't really care what it is as long it's reliable. Honda Civic? Any recommendations (or otherwise) from real life experiences?... Read more
How about the Nissan Note 1.6 auto? Fab Nissan engine mated to uber reliable TC autobox with overdrive and lockup. For a small car they have fantastic interior space.
I have a friend who has had 3 of them with no issues whatsoever. Real life economy was generally way better than expected usually getting mid 40mpg....
Hi,
I need an estate car and I have narrowed my search down to a Toyota Avensis or a Hyundai. I40. Both Diesel and the upper end of trim levels. Has anyone got any advice on reliability, engines etc?... Read more
Thank you everyone. I've got a lot to think about!
Got a budget in mind? Some Focus-sized cars (like the Civic) can still have huge boots, but come in 10-20% less in terms of purchase cost than the Mondeo/Avensis type cars. Admitedly that price difference does really depend on the car, as some are far more popular than others....
Hi,
I need an estate car and I have narrowed my search down to a Toyota Avensis or a Hyundai. I40. Both Diesel and the upper end of trim levels. Has anyone got any advice on reliability, engines etc?... Read more
Just been shopping around for cover for an M-reg Pug 306 I am buying shortly. Intended to change vehicles on the Classic (cheap !) policy for my H-reg 205.
- brokers said no-can-do, 306 is not (yet!) a Classic, offered cover for £800, over 7 times that for the 205. Guffaws at my end of the line - went to Confuzed.com.... Read more
Adrian Flux and Chris Knott are both Peugeot friendly. One of them offers discounts for forum members.
Hello,
My sisters 2006 55,000m, astra is making a very noticeable camshaft noise, when running. ... Read more
If the noise is a "clatter" from the top end, I doubt if the camshafts are to blame. I would be looking at some other problem causing this noise .Possible oil starvation or issues with the Vvt sprockets . A new engine on one of these is surely more than the value of the car?
Hi, we have a Skoda Fabia, 2011, 64,000 miles. It's running fine and we are very happy with it. My parents are replacing their car and have very generously offered to give us their Ford C Max, 2013, 73,000.
It will probably cost us £195 each year to insure. ... Read more
You need to tell us a little bit more information, such as the engine size, miles done, fuel type, servicing history, ownership etc. There's a huge difference depending on these things. Cheers
Ford C max Titanium X Eco Boost with a one litre 125 bhp engine, 71,000 miles, full Ford Service history, one owner. Petrol....
Browse
Given the price of (for example) Shell v-Power is currently about 10-15% more than supermarket Ron95, somewhow I doubt if a standard car will achieve an mpg boost of the same. Note that it doesn't boost mpg AND power/torque at the same time, just one or the other.
Even in sports cars, the effect, whilst noticeable, is not huge, and certainly not the min. 10% which would make the higher price justified. For sports cars that are supposed to run on super, then the higher stress on the engine and better performance is what such fuels are used for....