September 2020
Am thinking about getting a cheap second car just for the school drop/pick. Somewhere around £2000 (or less, can't justify spending more for what would be just a 3 mile run). Would be for 2-3 years. Want to keep the cost down, so probably 0 road tax (or minimal), low insurance, minimal maintenance/service. A petrol manual. Autotrader shows: iQ, Aygo, i10, Alto (all around the 10 year mark, 100k mark).
Any suggestions?... Read more
Did this when I broke down yesterday, since the only parking spot was on the other side of the road and I didn’t think to push the car through a U-turn, which would have been more difficult and obstructive.
Apparently this is illegal in Taiwan, Fine, tow and storage fees of the order of 60 quid.... Read more
The German parking light set-up always struck me as rather clever. With ignition off, flick the indicator up or down for the sidelights on that side to remain on. (Mercedes and a few others have a parking light setting on the rotary master light switch.) All other lights (number plate and dashboard) stay off. To prevent accidental use, the indicator now has to be activated after switching the ignition off. No doubt modern LED lights use far less juice and aren't going to run the battery down.
I once hired a Mk IV Ford Zephyr which had this arrangement. To stop you driving off with just one-sided lights it interlocked with the ignition so wouldn't start till you changed the setting.
'Only' £43k for the base model and God-knows-what for the PHEV my guess bheing into the £65k - £70k range.
This is not a vehicle for farmers and rual people, but very wealthy, trendy urbanites who want to pretend they 'live' in the country.... Read more
Why would farmers and rural workers want to do 0-62 in 5.6 seconds? Ludicrous and unnecessary performance from a working vehicle. If Ineos get their act together they could clean up in this part of the market.In answer to your question, probably not. Though simply because a vehicle CAN do something, has no connection to the driver whatsoever. You might ponder why every vehicle is not speed governed to say 90mph, or even attempt to refuse the sale of a particular vehicle to a person who cannot "show just cause" for needing it.
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Hi,
I gave my chevrolet spark 2012, 33k run for MOT,
I got below advisories
Nearside Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear (1.1.11 (c))
Offside Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear (1.1.11 (c))
Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))
Our mechanic gave a quote of £80 (labour + parts) for the brake pipe corrosion and £80 (parts alone) for the front suspension.
Are these prices true ? Will it cost so much ? Read more
I'd want more than £80 to replace both front to rear brake pipes. It's a horrible job at the best of times, and even worse if you're doing it on the ground.
Hi all,
Does anyone know how the rear brake load proportioning valve works on the above vehicle?... Read more
I've got an L200 which is related to a Shogun. I don't think it quite works like that. Some members of the owner's club have had to replace the load proportioning valve - if it isn't properly adjusted it locks the back wheels up under normal braking - so maximum pressure to the rear is not what you want.
Following recent talk on rejecting cars, I noticed the 'Ask HJ' question from a chap who bought a new black RAV4, paid for ceramic paint treatment and 3 days later (first time in the sun) found it covered in very bad swirl marks and 'looks terrible'. He's a 'car polisher' and knows what a black car should look like. He's taken it back to the dealer and been told that they'll get 'some body shop person' to polish them out.
The advice is to let a bodywork specialist have a go at it, and if they can't remedy it satisfactorily 'you'll have strong grounds to reject the car or demand a sizeable discount'.... Read more
Comments:
The majority of customers either wouldn't have noticed, or wouldn't comment. Unfortunately this in a way sets the bar for what a reasonable person would expect. ...
Hi. My Skoda Fabia side lights and tail lights are not working. Invest carried out so far: Bulbs check - ok. Fuse check - ok. Temporarily installed a known serviciable light switch - fault still apparent. I noticed that the parking lights do not work when the indicator stalk is operated however the lights 'on chime sounds when the parking and or side lights are selected.
Any thoughts or should I ring for a priest? Read more
I'll take a look but I suspect I won't find anything conclusive. Guess I'll have to bite the bullet and take into the garage. Thank you for all of your advice
Anyone recommend a weekend bike for a 58 yo 6'4" tall rider? I prefer an upright riding postion, simple mechanics, light weight, good handling, good brakes, nice engine note/feel and had a mis-spent youth on dirt bikes (not limited to these though). 30-60 bhp?
Trying not to look like a bear on a push bike... Read more
KTM 790 duke
Yes lovely bike -I would hardly get it off idle speed ha ha!
If people are like me and holding onto their cars for much longer due to the ridiculous rate of inflation of new car prices in recent times, maybe that has resulted in less cars being scrapped so an increase in scrap metal values. Read more
Err 1% of £150 is £1.50
Wow must really cash in my secondhand car !
Manufacturer
Alfa Romeo 77?
... Read more
It was more the long-term trend I was worried about. They've never recovered from the days of the financial crash in terms of sales in the UK.
I think it's a combination of not particularly peppy engines (especially at the top end), little depth to their range, the effects of overselling their diesels and the reliability issues that came with that and, I'm sad to say, the highly variable and often poor reputation of their dealer network for the post-sales experience....
Thanks Terry, agreed.