June 2023
My good lady has a 71 plate VW Up GTI, which is economical, fun, and nippy, but…it’s time to move it on. Why? Three punctures in 4 months have ruined her trust in it. Ridiculous 40 profile ‘rubber band’ tyres make every pothole a potential rac call out, and the tyres are not commonly stocked - 195/40/17 so it’s out of action for 24 hours waiting for a tyre to be sourced. No spare just useless goo that won’t fix a 3” gash. Can’t get a space saver as they don’t fit over the brake discs.
So she has a tricky ‘want’ list
Must be a 5 door. Must do 0-60 in less than 9 seconds. Must NOT have low profile tyres. We live in the New Forest and the roads are poor. Must be a manual. Must be no bigger than a polo size.
A fiesta ST appeals but stupid tyres make it a no. I can only come up with an Audi A1 1.4/1.5 technik as an idea? Budget up to £20k.
Any ideas please? Read more
Hi all.
I have just bought a 2006 Ford Fiesta.
The two front seats don’t fold forward.
They look week knackered.
The previous owner says they’ve been like that for years.
Assuming all chords and handles are broken/missing, can these be repaired, and would that be advised to buying a whole replacement seat?
I’d only need to replace one.
Spotted replacement seats for around £80.
Thanks. Read more
Pretty much standard fault on these . Plastic levers broken and cables stretch.
Interesting one again from the guardian on parts unavailable till they get involved.
... Read more
.... despite the BMW US technical service bulletin, BMW UK claimed not to have heard of the issue, deny seeing any such failures on cars over here, and are not interested in offering any goodwill.
That is a complete disgrace - not that different from the established Russian habit of denying anything incriminating until blue in the face.
Why do some EVs come with dual motors?
If this is just for better performance then why not add a single but more powerful motor?... Read more
Interesting link, thanks. I knew about the 2cv but hadnt heard of the twini Couple of questions What does “There was no problem synchronising the two ends since nature acted as a differential” mean? It would seem to imply you need slippery conditions, but the following comments about tarmac are not apparently consistent with that. Are there any examples of separate engines driving individual wheels on the rear? Would across-the-car drive imbalance render it uncontrollable?I think we'd need to summon the ghost of John Cooper to find out what he was on about. He may have meant that, unlike a single-engined 4wd, it was necessary to have a centre diff. How that stopped the whole push-me-pull-you effect I don't know.
You mean "not necessary to have a centre diff" right?...
So I have a 17 plate and I noticed a couple of smallish wet patches so I looked underneath and this bar underneath the car at the bottom is quite rusty and is wet. The other side of the bar I couldn’t fully see but could touch is very damp and slimy and I noticed some droplets forming and dropping,. Is this something I should be worried about and get checked. I have only had the car 2 months and it’s already been back to the garage I got it from 4 times for various things that have gone wrong such as exhaust falling to bits due to extreme corrosion. I just got the car back today and need to contact them regarding other faults so was wondering if this is something worth mentioning Read more
Easy to check online (Gov/DVLA website) - in fact you should have done that before buying .... :-(In fact, what does the latest MoT test report ?
We would still like to hear the MoT history, but that seems unlikely now ?
Just wondered if anyone had advice regarding sending off your driving license in the post after settling a speeding fine online using the government payment portal? I paid the fine 6 months ago and now Devon and Cornwall police are taking me to court. I don't think there is any legal requirement to post your license since everything is now updated automatically. Should I challenge the decision in court risking a bigger fine? Read more
Also to say there's specific instructions not to try to contact the police. They say that it's in the hands of the court. I don't feel I should apologise when they're in the wrong. They should have accepted the fine which I paid at the time.but I also don't want to incur a bigger fine so can't plead not guilty.
Volvo once a leader in car safety are bringing out a new SUV with 3 different Models in early 2024. The top model is said to be capable of 0-62mph in some 3.6 seconds. Makes a bit of a mockery of current thinking re road speeds. Otherwise looks a very nice car
""Electric pocket rocket Volvo EX30 is its cheapest and fastest car | Daily Mail Online Read more
One thing in its favour is said to be the price which will start at some £34k which is on a par with comparable ICE prices and not your typical £10k uplift for a normal EV The only drawback with the base model and cheaper battery is the range said to be only 214miles which might suit a lot of buyers. I also read that Volvo is introducing ""no Haggle"" pricing to all their cars. The list price is just that.
Eh? It's 34 grand. A VW T-Cross is 23....
Our leather seats in the Kia have got a few greasy white ish marks from my partners make up which looks like grey smudges that are very hard to remove. They almost seem ingrained into the perforations on the leather, any advice welcome. Read more
Saddle Soap?
What is the best way of removing motor oil from a drive way? My driveway is brindle block paving. About 2 years accumulated staining.
The internet is confused on the queston. The ' coke myth ' is still out there.... Read more
I was just thinking did you not have some kind of warranty like some Vauxhalls have, where they would replace them for you?
Don't think any car will have a warranty to replace oil stained paving slabs :-) Think you might have been replying to another post.
So far I have discovered three available head gasket combustion gas leak tests. There may be others. If anyone has had experience with them, please could you give your opinions about which you thinks works best ie most reliable results or most sensitive results etc.
Thank you... Read more
I had been driving in the Aygo for about 10 minutes, when it started to overheat. I parked up and saw red/brown liquid running along the ground - it was dripping out of the radiator in several places fairly rapidly. I decided to drive it home - maybe a bit foolish. When I returned home I noticed white vapour being emitted from the exhaust - not a huge amount and it didn't last more than a minute. I have no water in the oil. It no longer produces white vapour. I have ordered a new radiator and radiator cap. However, I would like to test for exhaust fumes in the coolant before I put a nice new radiator on, in case an excessive pressure caused the radiator to burst. OK, so I doubt that will happen with a new radiator and cap but hey.......
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Well your original thoughts on the Audi A1 now with 1.5 engine is the one I would have on sensible wheels. Most people are going for Autos and worth trying before you dismiss. Second choice is a MINI again 1.5 manual or auto.