September 2021
I'm looking to get my first car on a PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) and for it to be a supermini. Through my job I have affinity schemes with Renault , Kia and Hyundai , which gives me discounts on their new cars . The Discounts are around 15-20%.
From what I've seen, Ford Fiesta's seem to be the best supermini around at the moment. However, with the used car market currently being so expensive it will cost around £ 13,000 (2 years old , 21k miles).... Read more
Driving along on straight A road, light traffic, this morning doing about 45-50mph. Car in front decides to STOP to let a van join the A road. I didnt rear end him, as I was reasonable distance behind, but was not expecting someone to be so stupid and dangerous. Car behind me just stops short of my rear end. Good job it wasnt a full loaded artic behind him with driver on his phone. SO maintain good distance folks there are lots of stupids out there. Read more
I think it is dangerous to let anyone out left or right on fast roads. How many times though have people pulled out in front of you and then proceeded to crawl along! The only safe place is when you are queuing. Drivers are all different age wise reaction wise and dare I say intelligence.
Whilst driving between 30km and 50km a low humming or whinning sounds appears - it sounds like it is coming from the front drivers side ..... I asked my garage and he said without looking at the car it sounds like a front wheel bearing.... and said the price varies between front and back bearings....I have noticed this noise for the past two months....I dont drive a lot just locally and a rare motorway trip for about an hour....am I right to assume it is a wheel bearing and if so what is the cost of replacing this? And is it okay to drive the car....before getting it repaired? Read more
You stand a chance of the bearing failing completely and seizing. This could cause the wheel to be dislodged and cause a serious crash.
A vanishingly small chance. Has anyone ever had direct experience of this during this century? ...
I had a new Hyundai Tucson delivered on Monday - it's leased on PCH over 4 years. I understand that for leased cars GAP insurance is worth investing in as it would cover payments should the car be written off. Are there any good insurers to go for? Do you have to have insurance from dealers or can you just shop around like with other insurances? Read more
Considering the potential of a payout and the relatively low amounts paid per claim it comes under rip off territory for me.
I have a Fiat Panda which is worth about £600. On Saturday I had an accident which damaged the bumper and knocked the number plate off but otherwise did no damage at all. I've replaced the number plate and the car is still driveable.
I reported it to my insurer (AVIVA) and have had an email from them today saying that the car is probably beyond economical repair but they're sending someone to take it away and have a look to see if it is repairable. If not they will offer me what they think it's worth less the £150 excess I have on the policy and scrap it.
As it's still driveable and it suits me (small and cheap and I only do a few miles a week) I'd like to hang on to it. Is this possible? How does the 'beyond economical repair' thing work? Read more
Make sure they know you aren't claiming. Your mistake was to advise them of a trivial incident which didn't affect the running of the car, and which you could easily fix yourself - provided no third party is interested in taking it further.
In any case if they chose to 'write off' the car, you could ask to keep it for repair, and they would offer you a smaller sum. But as the car is worth little, simply say you are not claiming - which might increase next year's premium anyway.
The cam belt schedule is up this month. 6 years, though mileage wise its certainly not done 60K since the last one. Bit of corrosion underneath, massively improved by the local mechanic putting in some elbow grease & spraying with his own oil concoction.
So what to do..............change to something else, have it done & keep it going for a few more years? Cheapest quote (including water pump) was £430 odd, though local independent specialist, who l've used before; was £470. ... Read more
How about my daughter in laws Yaris Y reg auto .
Thats going to be difficult to replace as it’s an excellent car....
One of the main roads near my home was resurfaced recently. The new surface is very smooth, but the most noticeable thing is the reduction in road noise. When you are standing next to the point where the new surface butts up against the old surface and a vehicle moves from one to the other, it's like a switch is thrown as the volume of the tyre/road noise changes abruptly. The tyre/road noise must be a least half the volume on the new surface, especially for cars on wide, low profile tyres.
The work was done during several night-time closures of the road. I imagine people living right next to the road were pretty upset while it was happening, but might now be feeling it was worth it. However, people living further down the road where it still has the old surface must be feeling rather envious.... Read more
You're fortunate. The A road I most frequently drive on was recently resurfaced with a noisier surface than it had before. I reckon it must have been a cut price job as the surface is now terrible to drive on. It's full of ripples and is the opposite of smooth and level. A complete waste of public funds.
Sounds very much like the same experience I mentioned earlier. I thought it was originally just a contractor error (bad workmanship), but it happened separately (a year apart) on two separate stretches (neither being the run-up to a junction - the 'rumble strip' [normally coloured differently), and your situation (unless we're talking about the same road [unlikely]) now being the third I've heard of....
Which are the best ULEZ non-compliant cars that will shortly be dumped on the second-hand market when the ULEZ extension comes in on 25 October?
Hoping to find a bargain 4 seat coupe/cabriolet. Read more
residents must pay the full daily ULEZ charge to drive a vehicle in the zone if it does not meet the ULEZ standardsThat seems perfectly clear to me.
To drive a vehicle, question was about a parked vehicle unless I misread it, no mention of a parked car in the zone unless its classed as being driven, if thats clear?
I was thinking of buying a new car but have been put off by the new Speed Limiter Rule that comes into effect in May 2022 for new cars, It also states that existing cars that have been type approved prior to this date have until 2024 to have a speed limiter installed. My query is what does this mean in practice. How do I know if the car I want to buy is already type approved? Also, does this affect pre-reg cars, i.e. just because it is not new does this mean it is exempt? Read more
The world in which we grew up (I am late 60s) paid little attention to the environment or road safety. The car was both transport and an expression of personal freedoms.
I take your point (being a little older than that) but while 'little attention' was paid, it wasn't zero attention. Drivers were fully responsible for road safety and cars only did what they were told, whereas for quite a few years that responsibility has been shifting to the vehicle. That may seem a clever idea, but when drivers believe they may think less, the predictable consequences may not be all good....
Your predictions for top 4 this football season
... Read more
what a season its been so far lots to talk about
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As I've heard, but I haven't heard the best things about it. I'm going to look into it further.
Thanks for your suggestion.