August 2020
Hi there,
First time posting and need some advice. I'm looking to buy a new car and have somewhat narrowed it down to either the Volkswagen T-Roc (150HP petrol) or the Peugeot 3008 (130HP petrol). I know the T-Roc is more of a crossover while the 3008 is a smaller SUV so it may be comparing apples to pears but I was just wondering if anyone had any opinions to which car may be better? Or even if they might recommend something entirely different.... Read more
Driving round with my windows down because my air con repair will cost twice as much as the car is worth I noticed how many cars are in the same position.
The exception is my DIL s Yaris Y reg.... Read more
From my experience, I would say since the introduction of the new gas, around 5 years ago, reliability in car ac systems had gone down the pan . I’ve seen cars barely 3 years old with non functioning ac . My neighbour has a 2 year old BMW , where the ac packed up in May .
A lovely selection of cars, some sold for very reasonable amounts.
https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/classic/sat-22nd-sun-23rd-august/1989-volvo-440-turbo/ Read more
“ Not sure that is an accurate statement SLO. Couple of years ago i was reading an article in a magazine about the 440/460/480. Apparently re the turbo versions, the reason there wasn't a big increase in power over the n/a versions was Volvo was concerned about reliability and longevity. The result of this was twofold, one, the boost was deliberately kept low (favouring torque over outright power) and two, the engine was massively over-engineered.
Certainly going by that article there is, if anything, less chance of the turbo engined car breaking down!.”
The turbo was apparently restricted because it had to put its power down through the same Renault sourced gearbox as the rest of the range and it wasn’t believed to be able to cope with substantially more torque. It wasn’t an unreliable car by any measure but the less complex injected models simply had less to go wrong. Turbo related issues weren’t unheard of but again were no more common than other turbocharged cars of the era. I wouldn’t say the Renault 1721cc motor was massively over-engineered but it certainly was a step up from the origional. To me however the best variant of this motor was the 16v 1.8 as used by Renault in the Clio and 19 16v’s. It had 15bhp more and revved quicker but it certainly had less low speed pull.
I've had a couple of months with my 2016 e class 220 cabriolet and I was initially worried the 220 wasn't powerful enough for a large car but it's fine. Cruises along at 70 with little effort and though not a flier has plenty of grunt for overtaking. The cabin is really nice, everything seems good quality, I've proofed the hood for autumn and will do it again maybe December. The handling is fine and even on 19' wheels it rides well, got the gear paddles which I am using a bit, the boot is a fair size with the divider up and the economy is really very good....so far so good.
It may not have a huge amount of power, as in BHP, but unless you drive like a boy racer, torque is much more relevant. In your case, 400nm from 1400-2800rpm, more than sufficient!.
To provide some context, our recently departed Honda Jazz had 123nm @ 5000rpm....
Like some, I've not used my car since lockdown back in March this year.
However, I've noticed that the coolant tank is completely empty - it looks like it has evaporated dry over the past five months.... Read more
There are plenty of leak sealer products on the market that do work . However, I would only use this type of product as an emergency last resort . You could end up blocking the heater matrix as a result.
Yup - been there done that! I lost heating after using such a product on my Austin Allegro 1750 SS way back when - never again.
Check for discolouration around the radiator. Modern ones are a pain and can fail at the edges where the plastic sides join with the metal cooling vanes. Not being used during lockdown may have accelerated this issue....
Today I received and email inviting me to get a car insurance quote from a well-known company.
Having just taken out a policy with this same company at the end of June, out of curiosity I filled in all the details and submiitted the enquiry.... Read more
I've generally been lucky so far in Spain. When I was made redundant I found that my 16 years of company car usage counted for nothing so I started with a clean slate. New Toyota Auris 1.2T fully comp just after I'd turned 50 was €300 in first year then I got caught by the automatic renewal and it was €330 for year 2. I ditched Qualitas despite their last minute haggling and have been very happy with Genesis at €229, €239 and now €247.
My first two years' cover included 100% cost of new for old replacement, which is now book value only, and I've had a €200 excess throughout. One big snag with insurance policies in Spain is that they always run from year to year with no early cancellation option unless you sell the house or car. And minimum one month's notice to cancel, with no exceptions.
Some big differences from the "competitive" UK car insurance market is free roadside recovery, cover for any driver and automatic "green card" cover from Lapland to the Med - all standard on car insurance policies in Spain. It finally dawned on me this year that my car insurer might be a good bet for home insurance, and sure enough I've saved over €100 by switching.
My sisters car - Honda Jazz 1.4 ivtec 63 plate requires an oil change. The car manual supplied by Honda states that we can use 0w20, 0w30 and 5w30. Quite a wide range. What should we use? I think Honda dealers use 0w20 but that's probably because all new models use it and its save them time, money and hassle to store different grades.
Kind regards Read more
The OP tells us what's stated in his sisters handbook, so I think we can assume these are all acceptable grades. The question is thus about choosing between these acceptable grades.
If she'd somehow got an Australian handbook, she might end up changing slightly thicker oil more often....
Been quoted £200 for three year total loss on an 18 month old car recently purchased. Never used it before, what are people’s views please.
Just after a bit of advice.... Read more
I thought for the price of gap insurance for three years at just over £100 the peace of mind was worth it while the car was leased in case in the event of a write off they came after me for their uninsured losses. Now I bought it and it is 3 years old and not as valuable then I don't have gap now. IMHO it is worth considering if you buy or lease new vehicle, especially when it is over £30k in the showroom.
Cheers Concrete
Car has been cutting out and going into limp mode - not all the time - when put under acceleration pressure. Starts straight away and is fine again until next time under pressure.
All fuel filter and air filter changed. Been scanned and no fault codes.
Any ideas. Thank you Read more
Mileage? Service history? What's been done recently?
I am looking for a stylish even sporty looking petrol or hybrid car ( 2, 2+2 or 4 seats ) for under £5000 that is good looking, at least reasonably fuel efficient and won't cost be an arm and leg in repairs and servicing...and I am not knocking in any way the standard cars like fiestas, golf etc but something different
Is that possible ?... Read more
If driver appeal is important then you’ll possibly find the Astra a bit numb. They’re very good at sitting on motorways at high speed all day and depending on engine (I’d leave the diesels at this money) they’re pretty robust but there’s little entertainment to be had. A Ford Focus or Mazda 3 would be much nicer to hustle down a twisty B road ditto a Fiesta of any type. Avoid the 1.0 Ecoboost and stick with the 1600 Yamaha designed petrols and they’re pretty tough. If you like the Astra there’s no reason to leave it out, I just don’t rate them as a drivers car personally.
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I do understand the comments of feeling cramped in the new 2008. It has a real 'cockpit' feeling to the driver's seat that I enjoyed but could feel a touch imposing, and that as a 6 footer I had to kind of thread myself between seat and steering wheel.
Of the two cars in the OP's selection, the T-Roc will have an interior that could well come out of an Audi, VW, Seat or Skoda - the plastics are good quality and easy to use controls....