February 2024
I had planned to view an X4 tomorrow from a reputable garage only to be told there is a record of just two services. The car has 57k miles on the clock, with only 12k added since sept 2021. The last MOT advisory was the seatbelt couldn’t be fully tested due to a child seat. Should I walk away..? Not had a BMW before, I’ve read that it’s usually after two years from new that service is required. The car has ‘fairly’ low miles especially the last few years. Read more
My car is still under its manufacturer's warranty and I need the brake pads replacing on the front and possibly rear. I am pretty reluctant to pay inflated dealer prices but have read conflicting statements as to whether using non-OEM pads (for example) would invalidate the manufacturer's warranty.
My feeling is that it wouldn't as they are serviceable items and as long as they are of equivalent quality, supported by a valid receipt, there's no reason why there should be an issue. ... Read more
Absolutely, but elsewhere on these pages is someone with a very expensive three year old BMW X5, a dismantled engine and a £40k bill. Not going to the main dealer eliminates any 'goodwill' support from manufacturers. It's extortion and it's not on, but I would pay a premium to avoid such tedium if I could.
I started an earlier thread about this fine in the motoring section but as this a legal issue I'll put it up here as well.
I'm trying to pay this fine and go on here where they've told me to go to - www.lambeth.gov.uk/payments and enter my PCN reference number but it's not working! It says the PCN is not recognised... ... Read more
I'd suggest you give them a call tomorrow when the offices are open and seek advice.
Much as I'd like to say they've messed up and you can ignore it I suspect that will end in tears. ...
Hi
Planning to buy a used Sedan (do not prefer Estate styling) in the c.£15k range.
Usage 6k annually expected mainly on weekends to local shops or weekend getaways.
Prefer max 4yrs age with 30k odd mileage, automatic, not hybrid as stay in a flat. May want to resell it in 3-4yrs to upgrade. So ideally looking at a car with good resale value.
Have narrowed on Skoda Octavia 2020/2021 models, or maybe a Superb 2020. Have also read reviews if Volvo sS60 but surprisingly they score 6/10 compared to 8 or 9 for Skodas. VW Passat was also on my radar but it’s discontinued now - it may cause reduced resale value.
Any other suggestions of cars I should look at? Or anything to watch for in Skoda models i mentioned.
Would appreciate any guidance. Read more
Hi, decision time so last minute doubts: Will S90 maintenance be something to worry about as it’s discontinued especially with parts availability in due course, relative to say a Superb 2019 model.
Really shouldn't be any problems getting service items.
If it is being discontinued, at some point maybe parts specific to the S and V90 (body and trim) could become tricky to obtain. But I wouldn't really expect that to become an issue anytime soon, maybe about a decade after it has been discontinued, possibly?...
Have a brilliant Monster 821 with the widely known useless rear brake problem. Ducati have a safety recall out for these (CR217 is the Ducati ref), but a Ducati main agent says they cannot help as the Ducati systems have effectively blacklisted the bike. It was just a CatN whilst it was a demo bike needed a replacement tank and had marks along on the exhaust - that’s it.
As there is a safety recall out and the bike is on the road (properly tested and proven for the past 2yrs) and it has not benefited from the remediation, are Ducati right to refuse to perform the work as they say they are?
Can’t find anything firm on the web or via DVSA. Anyone successfully challenged similar (and how - what legal citation)?
Thanks Read more
Complaint Ducati UK head office
Just noticed that at idle the revs move between about 600 and 700/750 every say 10 seconds.
You can hear a mechanical sound or some sort of solenoid in the engine bay when this happens.... Read more
Maybe the battery needs to be replaced. I had very erratic idling on my 2012 model. First did an ECU reset so it could re-learn and this worked for a week. Put in new battery and problem hasn't recurred in 3 years. It's odd because car started fine but there must have been enough of a voltage drop to cause the ECU to lose its settings.
Good Afternoon,
Can you help me determine the fault with my Fiesta, it seems ignition won't start the car:... Read more
Hi there,
Did you ever get to the bottom of this? My 08 Fiesta Mk7 has done exactly the same this morning :( ....
I own the above Skoda model registered in 2014. It has a 3-cylinder 1198cc engine. A friend of mine owns a 2014 Nissan Note Acenta Premium DIG-S which also has a 3-cylinder 1198cc engine. Because his emits only 99g/Km it falls into band A and he pays no road tax. My car produces 128g/Km (band D) which costs me £150. Can anyone tell me what his engine has that mine doesn't? I'm not arguing about the figures as they're easily verified online, though I do wonder if any retro fit could remedy this. Read more
Thanks Skidpan for the info and for taking the trouble to reply. I didn't know about the decoupling supercharger. That pretty-much answers my original question. I'm sure my mate will also be very interested in the details.
The car has just had a new clutch fitted and the garage disconnected the battery. Now I cannot access the radio. I looked on YouTube and found an override method but that has stopped working now. To fix this properly, I seem to need a 4 digit code which may or may not be on the back of the radio but that is built in to the dashboard and would be very expensive to take all that out. Can anyone please advise me how I can find the code? Read more
Thank you very much for your help and advice.
With my best wishes...
So it's coming to a year since I've had my license, will be next week infact and so far I've only made one expensive blunder which is when I drove into a LTN in the my first or second week that I had my car. That is until today...
I messed up last week - "performing a prohibited turn" (right turn) from a main street to a minor street in Clapham, south London. ... Read more
Now just to add insult here, I went to try and pay this fine, this morning and when I go onto here - www.lambeth.gov.uk/payments and enter my PCN reference number it's not working! It says the PCN is not recognised... Has this happened before to anyone?
I remember the first fine I got I paid and had no issues. So what's this about?...
Browse
BMW's condition-based servicing regime allows up to 18,000 miles or around 20 months between services. I would definitely avoid that one, the engine will be a time bomb.
For what it's worth, if you want a BMW, look at BMW's own approved used cars. In our experience they are not much more expensive than used BMWs at non-franchised dealers and the warranty is very good....