March 2021
An interesting conundrum.
A friends son works for a utilities company and has use of a pool car which he is the main user and has permission to take home (but no personal use) as he does on call for the company.
The company this week changed the vehicles tracker for a newer model which amongst other things includes a camera inside the car with a microphone recording the driver.
The argument from the company is it lowers their insurance as it will identify if a driver is distracted or ‘acting illegally’ (that’s what it states in the employee email bulletin he showed me). It also helps them ‘monitor and correct including the disciplinary of drivers’.
It was installed Wednesday afternoon.
Thursday morning he handed in the keys and refused to drive the vehicle citing his civil liberties in particular his right to privacy as the company driver document makes mention staff are allowed to use the vehicles information system for personal phones to make and receive calls handsfree and stream music in line with the law around handheld devices.
He also made the valid point, you employed me as an electrical engineer not a driver.
Where does he stand?
Personally I can see both arguments.
I don’t want to be recorded VS your on paid time in our vehicle
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Hi there,
Had some misfires on my corsa B last week, then it fully cut out and wouldn't start again. There's no spark at the distributor cap. ... Read more
So I left the car overnight and gave it another go. Started a bit rough but works fine. Now she starts first time every time. Have now noticed that the head gasket is going though so the work continues! But at least it starts now so that's something!! Thanks for all your help guys. Still wonder what caused the dizzy rotor to bend though...
My 2017 Baleno automatic flew through its MOT today with a CO reading of 0.00%
Is this really possible ?... Read more
Did this improve/change the engine note John? I would love to do that on my rover v8 as it is sounding so strangled. Might have to go for fast flow cats instead being a 2004 but still interested in how no cats affected your Audi
The Mrs’ 2016 Nissan Note has just failed its MOT.
Apparently the offside wing mirror indicator light is dead.
Cost to replace £140!!! Just for the led module.
A bulb would have been about £10!
So much for technology advancements! Read more
bazza's reply sent me looking at youtube. Very illuminating. I now know what I'll do when more of my LEDs fail.
I suppose the repair won't be legal, not meeting requirements, but do you think an MOT tester would notice that?...
I see the Government will reduce grants for EV's from £3,000 to £2,500 and restrict it to vehicles under £35,000.The government said it will encourage people to make the switch to affordable electric cars.
Sorry, Government, as someone in my mid-60s, that move will turn me further against buying an EV in the current climate and the paucity of the charging network.... Read more
Hopefully car makes will come together to standardise the design of the battery pack systems so generic packs can be used - at least once their original warranty runs out. Hopefully this would significantly reduce the cost of replacements (partial and full ones), which would significantly help the 'banger' end of the market....
My feeling is that manufacturers just use the government grant as a “free” discount for them so they can keep the prices artificially high.
This in turn keeps EV prices artificially higher than ICE cars.
Plus, if you can afford £35k plus for a car, another couple of grand won’t influence your decision too much... Read more
For a while hydrogen was widely spoken of as a possible fuel of the future, but it has all gone ominously quiet. Now the manufacturers are pushing hybrids, which by definition are neither one thing nor the other, and full electrics.
Not everyone was fooled by the now discredited rush for diesel. If there is one thing I have learned in over 50 years driving it is that it never pays to be among the first to buy new technology. Meanwhile I will keep my existing petrol cars and watch developments.
Looks tasty but why no full electric version? PhEVs are just the worst of all worlds - not electric, apart from a measly few miles, and not fully ICE either. Would never opt for one! Read more
It’s all down to personal experiences, my 2012 Mercedes C Class destructed it’s timing chain despite FSH, while my daughters 2009 Peugeot 207 Prince engine has been faultless. Having had many German cars as company vehicles , they have all had problems. New DSG gearbox on a six month old Passat for example. I have had Renault Laguna, Peugeot 508 and Fiat Puntos with no issues, but other people have had very different experiences with the same cars.
Bought a used ix35 from a dealer on 13/02/2021. Via click and collect. I noticed quite a bad oil leak and asked my local garage to check it out (27 days after purchase). He thought it was a gearbox seal. The garage we bought from said the last owner had had a new clutch so my mechanic thought they may have damaged seal during new clutch fitting. Got in touch with the dealer who agreed for my mechanic to replace the seal and they would pay him direct. My mechanic collected my car to carry out the work today but while starting the job he realised things were much worse than a seal. The gearbox housing is cracked and someone has tried to bodge it up with sealant. He also says that the car has not had a new clutch either.
I informed the dealer who has asked for pictures. They said they will speak to their experts and get back to me. In the meantime we are stuck with a car that can’t be driven.
I have lost all faith with the car at this point. Can I claim a refund for the dealer?
I was also unaware of the 14day return period for click and collect vehicles. I was given no information at all about this.
Sorry for the long post but any help would be greatly received.
Thanks xx Read more
"You potentially have some comeback on some cars for 6 months but on most on most things you do not. It is misleading to imply people do."
I didn't. Having been on the seller side of the equation for some decades I am pleased to read that it protects the seller as well, that is not particularly evident from my perspective. ...
The thread on Avant's Autocars gave me an idea.
I have hundreds of What Car magazines going back at least 25 years. They've taken over too many shelves and tops of wardrobes now.... Read more
Even ignoring the distance, as my wife is a hoarder(!), I generally don't keep motoring magazines unless there is a feature on a car I am particularly interested in. Not enough space!.
Any help would be appreciated
I have a van, which was my husbands who has passed away. It is no longer insured or taxed, but parked on my drive and I wish to sell it, say through Gumtree... Read more
As above, sell it to a trader.
There are horror stories from Facebook Marketplace/Gumtree sales of gangs arriving and distracting the owner whilst pouring oil into the expansion tank to make it look like the head gasket has blown, or spraying oil into the exhaust pipe to give the impression of a worn engine.
Yes, you’ll get less for it, but van prices for both new and used are strong at the moment and it may not be much of a drop in price.
Browse
Update -
A few drivers joined in protest and by 11am a meeting was hastily arranged where the company apologised for not consulting staff and had the tracker company return at the weekend to turn off the in vehicle cameras and microphones within the pool cars and pick ups.
The company will now look at the value of the in vehicle camera and microphone and committed to consult with staff
Looks like a good compromise for all concerned, he is happy they have come to their senses.
It’s amazing what you can achieve when you talk