November 2020
I'm scratching my head to think why. Has anyone got the answer.????? Read more
I'm looking to replace my 03 Fabia with something to last me for another 8-10 years. I'll be buying cash and probably used. I've been looking at ICE models like the Ateca, CX-5 and others but I don't feel great about the thought of investing in another 10 years worth of emissions.
So, looking around it would seem my best EV alternative right now would probably be a BMW i3 Rex (yes, emissions, I know… but probably 85% of my journeys will be short enough to be all electric). Something like this:... Read more
Sometimes it is helpful to look at some reasonable quality research undertaken by Which magazine - usually fairly objective in their analysis.
From 1000 owners of EVs just 3% needed a full battery replacement. Cars up to three years old retained 98% of their original range, although at 8 years old this had fallen to 92%....
I have a 2020 Hyundai Ioniq which has no CD player.
My previous Ioniq, 2019, had no CD player but had a 3.5mm aux jack socket that I could plug a CD Walkman into and play my CDs in the car.
My 2020 Ioniq doesn't have a 3.5mm jack socket so I cannot plug my CD Walkman into the car.
I have seen a cable on eBay which comprises a 3.5mm jack plug and a USB 2.0 male, in theory, this looks like it would enable me to connect my CD Walkman to the car aux socket, but, the ebay listing says these cables are incompatible with car audio systems.
I am looking for a way of playing my CDs in the car and wondering if somebody has a solution to this challenge.
I am unable to convert tracks from my CDs into electronic format as my laptop doesn't have a CD drive.
It is tempting to just buy the cable off eBay and take a chance but the listing says it is incompatible with car audio systems so I am pretty sure it won't work. Read more
What is a CD?
I have a collection of them.
As a "grumpy old man" in my 60s, I prefer to own my music in a material format whereby I can put a CD or DVD in a player and play it when I so wish.
I don't download videos or music (with the exception of downloading some track from napster many years ago which I then proceeded to burn onto a CD).
I don't store anything on the cloud, preferring to use a portable plug in hard drive.
I guess I am not trusting as my attitude, rightly or wrongly, is that anything stored in cyberspace is not 100% secure.
Youth and enthusiasm Is no match for old age and cynicism.
Appreciate there is a difference, driven both, like the idea of a Mercedes but wondering if anyone has any experience of what the ongoing maintenance repair costs are like compared to a Volkswagen Passat because I'm expecting to run this up to a probably around 150000 miles and 10 years old and want to get some idea of what the running cost and repairs are likely to be in comparison Read more
Although I have a trade card for BCA and buy there, for our cars we drive Toyotas usually bought from main dealers with warranty etc. The most recent was acquired in February, this time from an Inchcape dealership Never again will I use Inchcape. Having had our second visit to fix a fault they should have spotted instantly, as did my local dealer, they wriggled and squirmed when I asked some pointed questions about various aspects of the car. I gave up and will never return, and of course tell everybody how awful they are.
Toyota cars - great! Inchcape - anything but!
My name is Aaran, a modified car enthusiast studying at Coventry University. If you have spare time, it would be appreciated if you could participate in my research investigation of how the modified car represents social identity.
I have listed 15 questions below which should not take any longer than five minutes to complete.... Read more
That depends on what my car is identifying as this week....
As a further to the previous post that escalated elsewhere, just a quick update on what’s happening in England from tomorrow.
If you want or need to buy a car before we reopen again, you can do. New and used dealers are allowed to operate a ‘click and collect’ or home delivery service. What’s not allowed is allowing customers on the premises to view or drive cars. Handovers can take place in a designated area that has to meet Covid requirements.
Dealer groups are offering the facility to reserve a car for a relatively small fee - typically £99. That’s not a deposit, just a reservation fee.
Service and parts are allowed to stay open, so if you have a service or MOT booked, it should go ahead.
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I've had emails from both the Skoda and Citroen dealers confirming that their workshops are functioning as normal.
It seems that every three years or so, I need to buy new wiper blades. A number of reviewers are recommending silicone wiper blades, claiming that they can last anything up to ten years. Does anyone have experience of silicone wiper blades? It is worth paying the premium for them, or is there a model of rubber wiper blade that people would recommend for longevity instead? Many thanks. Alfie. Read more
Mixed reviews from what I'm reading. If you're a motorway warrior, they apparently promote water beading which will then follow the airflow up the screen and away. Otherwise, they can cause smearing.Rain-X treated windscreens clear themselves at speeds of about 45 mph and above, motorway warriors should save wiper wear by using it. (I've used it for years, it also clears side windows and back window.)
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I have accidentally destroyed the ignition lock barrel in my MK6 Golf while trying to change the metal steering lock module (long story, I'm an idiot). There is no saving it, it's toast.
How do I go about replacing this? Could I order a new one from VW to my VIN? I assume I would need to get new keys or could I still use my own?... Read more
Depends how much damage you have caused . If it’s just the lock barrel and metal housing , order new parts from VW to Vin # . If the keys are intact , then no coding needed . If there is damage to the electronic steering column module , then that presents a whole new problem. Get the parts fitted by a VW specialist.
I had a good hour-long run in a VW ID-3 today. Very much as expected. Certainly good to drive, with plenty of oomph and safe, neutral handling. Not a huge amount of difference between the driving modes Eco, Comfort and Sport. Unlike most reviewers, I didn't find the interior cheap-looking: it seemed fine to me. Seat comfort not bad, although the 1st edition demonstrator didn't have lumbar support which was needed. Generally, as some testers have said, it's a good car which perhaps doesn't break as much new ground as VW would like us to believe.
Two big antis for me, though. Firstly it failed the keyboard test. I need a flat or nearly flat floor with rear seats folded down, to push my music keyboard in with its wheeled case. VW don't offer a variable boot floor - no idea why not - and there's a big step from boot floor to folded seatbacks. ... Read more
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Madf, does she check your posts as well as your mobile calls ? :-)...
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Another reason why people are holding onto their existing cars is that the latest models are needlessly complicated by ever increasing reliance on "tech" which keeps prices and repair costs high.
My pet hate is touch screen menus which are dangerous to operate while driving. Then we have automatic lights and wipers, autonomous braking, lane departure warning, stop-start and many other expensive features which few people actually want or need.
Most manufacturers market the cars which they want us to buy, not the ones we want to buy. Apart from Dacia, they seem oblivious to the demand for uncomplicated no nonsense cars which are cheap to buy and maintain.