March 2023
Not sure if many on here follow Harry’s Garage/Farm.
His latest episode on You Tube he visits the JCB factory, chatting with Lord Bamford about the future of Hydrogen engines. Fascinating stuff.
Unfortunately I don’t know how to add a link with my I phone.
But worth a read anyway. Read more
my aging Wagon R+ went boom xmas eve. so i am looking to replace it. with everything going on in the world right now, i am looking for cheap to run, cheap serviceability, high mpg, huge boot. so maybe an estate, maybe an suv. I would like to be able to carry a couple of bikes, either on the roof, or a towbar rack.
a manual is out of the question, as i have an permanently injured arm due to nerve damage... Read more
Why Asians bad at MPG ?
Because unlike Europeans they did not fiddle with it....
Hi all, part of my inner wheel house has been painted with Hammerite (regular, not car-specific).
Before painting, I'm told the car had very, very mild first stages of rust. The car took a hit to its quarter panel. It's a rather recent car (2021).... Read more
The front wings on a Giulia are made of aluminium I think.
Ah...well, reconnaissance with a magnet would tell you that.
Hi,
My Ford Fiesta was stolen a few days ago from outside my girlfriend’s flat so going through the insurance processes as we speak. I’ve been asked to send my V5C to the claim handler but have noticed it has my old address on it and I moved from this address in May 2022. My license and insurance policy have been updated previously with my correct address but I’m concerned my claim might be denied based on the V5C having a different address on it, could this happen?
Thanks! Read more
I doubt it but, ultimately, what's your other option?
Going to have to use my showeroom for this, which means conventional carb cleaner is out, since the room very small, there is no window, and the extractor fan is fake.
Fortunately I don't usually use much carb cleaner, having had some success with boiling with washing powder, old brake fluid, ethanol, and hypodermic syringes.... Read more
Wiil Robinson.
Must have been thinking of the band
I know this was my fault basically I want advice about what to do in the future. I was driving up to a junction, there was a car in front. It has been snowing. My car sped up, I push the brake pedal right down but the car didn’t slow down and I hit the car in front. I know this was my fault Read more
All good advice above, but the one thing I’d particularly stress is to always leave enough stopping distance to the vehicle in front and to increase that substantially in slippery conditions.
Even experienced drivers often drive way too close behind vehicles they are following.
When you have plenty of room and therefore time to stop, you can do so gently and safely.
My dad's Golf 1.5 TSi passed it's MOT today. He was concerned that the emissions print off showed the Lambda reading at 1.027 (limit being 1.030). Last year it was reading 1.024
The car has done around 25,000 miles. He is worried that it will fail next year's MOT on emissions. Should he be worried about an expensive repair?... Read more
Also, during the same time, my dad has tried to cruise in 5th gear (rather than 6th). The revs have been around 2400 max.
I've seen the term "Italian Tune Up" mentioned on this forum to solve exhaust emission issues. To me, this implies thrashing the living daylights out of the car. This car has never been thrashed....
Hi guys,
... Read more
Thanks for updating the thread, so many don't.
Its good for the money saving knowledge for all of us these days if we've put our collective bonces together come up with some suggestions.
Got Mazda 5, 2013 has 52,000 miles. Nice car, runs well with sliding doors. Thought had it for 6 years. I’m spending quite a bit on petrol, thinking whether it’s time to change to a hybrid. Would it save petrol having a hybrid. I would probably look for a car, about two years old. Read more
Got Mazda 5, 2013 has 52,000 miles. Nice car, runs well with sliding doors. Thought had it for 6 years. I’m spending quite a bit on petrol, thinking whether it’s time to change to a hybrid. Would it save petrol having a hybrid. I would probably look for a car, about two years old.
If you are not doing many miles, you can't be spending that much on fuel. It is also easy too forget that there is more to the running costs of a car than how much fuel you put in. Nothing likely to go wrong with a petrol engined Mazda, so hard to beat for overall running costs long term. Used car prices are of course crazy at the moment with no sign of imminent change, so the cost of changing to a hybrid (you haven't given a budget?) will be prohibitive and would undoubtably cover many, many years worth of petrol. So unless a problem with the Mazda, sensible thing to do would be to stick with it. ...
My wife used to laugh when I turned to the collective wisdom of this forum for car advice but the breadth of views and, occasional, brilliant insight (!) has converted her. The problem is simple but emotion has crept into it. The car is a BMW 420i Gran Coupe with four wheel drive (one of the last with the elegant nose). It is now coming up for five years old and will have mileage comfortably below 40,000. It is used as a pool car for visiting clients when a less flashy car is needed or for when the weather is expected to be poor. It has been almost faultless, with none of the issues that annoyed me so much with the M4. In fact, it is a very popular car amongst us. Now, the preferred option was for an unrelated person to buy the car at the end of the lease and return it back to the business. But the purchase price asked by BCA is actaully higher than I expected, I would be able to buy an equivalent car from a main dealer for less (with the benefit of a warranty). The question is do I find a way to keep a five year old BMW, or look for a new car? What are the likely pitfalls with a five year old BMW? If a new car, then what? I thought of an Audi A5 (before the new model arrives) but I recall the driving experience as being tremendously dull. Some of you may recall that perceived image is an issue in my line of work (the merits of which I cannot alter). so that will limit some of the possible choices. Many thanks. Read more
Thanks for that insight Sparrow. You are right on both counts. The 420i is close to an ideal car for me. The four wheel drive gives huge traction in adverse conditions and the hatchback provides a surprising amount of usable space. It was used in an office move and carried far more than any of us expected. Flattened the back seats, covered everything with a large tarpaulin, drove it back and forth all weekend and then simply vaccuumed it out at the end. The only wish I have is that I miss the feel and sound of a six cylinder petrol. Metallic grey, light leather interior, and it looks really elegant too. Far better than the 4 series that followed it. That large nostril look has simply not grown on me at all.
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