March 2024
I parked my car on the street the other day. When I came back, I noticed the headlight and fog light on the driver's side looked a bit wonky and the bumper was scuffed and wasn't seated properly. Clearly somebody has backed into it and driven off.
I managed to get the bumper back on and opened the bonnet to see what was up with the light(s). They're one unit, bolted in two places to a metal support above and with a further bolt to a plastic strut on the lower side. A little bit of wiggling and the plastic strut dropped off. It has sheared off one end and snapped a piece of headlight case off the other end.... Read more
Just received an email about renewing my car insurance from Direct Line. It's up from £360 to £700. Max NCD and no change in circumstances.
Will of course phone them up and shop around, but this is almost a 100% rise :-( Read more
Update...
I need to change my fuel filter on my Clio, Its now 7 years old and i am unsure if the filter has been changed or not , It was supposed to have been changed during its last service, But the garage ran out of time and only did a small service due to the car needing work done for its MOT. Most places are looking at £150 to change the filter, But looking on Youtube , Its quite a easy job but they don't really tell you how to bleed the Diesel if it airlocks. I have a 2017 1.5 Diesel engine.
I would have thought that there would be more up to date Videos on Youtube, But its very limited with old Videos.... Read more
I need to change my fuel filter on my Clio, Its now 7 years old ......
Why? Nowadays they don't get clogged up with rust particles and debris from dirty fuel. ...
Looks as if Fisker is heading towards bankruptcy.
I think that's a bit of a shame as although apparently they had a few niggles they were an interesting addition.... Read more
But making EVs will become more profitable as battery costs come down, which they have done and are likely to continue to do. Manufacturers won't necessarily reduce the retail price of EVs, so more margin for manufacturers. It will still be a win situation for customers too because if batteries become cheaper, they should also be cheaper to replace if you're unfortunate enough to need to do that.
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My car was stolen from my driveway yesterday morning at 1.10 a.m., the time was captured on a Bushnell Naturcam camera, this was installed temporarily while a CCTV camera was being setup. I have notified the police and got a crime report; I understand that they also notify the DVLA about the theft and if the vehicle is found. The dilemma is that the insurance company is notified that they will pay out, the car then becomes their property, however, I want to have the car back if found and continue restoration of this 28 year old car, I have carried out many repairs and renewals to shock absorbers, brakes etc. etc.. Although the car was still insured till September and had road tax, there was no MOT since it was off the road, this will aid the police in ANPR, I think that I should notify the insurance company but to have them wait for a period. What to do?
Jaymack in High Wycombe Read more
It may help others, good news that my Mondeo was found by the police; the front bumper was badly damaged and the passenger side front wheel was badly damaged, 3 of the fixing bolts were sheared off, the last one was slightly bent, it was hammered and straightened out to get the wheel back on to enable getting the car on the recovery vehicle. Cost me about £600 all told, then there is the repair costs still to come, both number plates were also missing and my tools worth about £1500, were gone .
Fortunately, I had bought a new replacement bumper, a complete fog lamp was also missing, fortunately spares are still around. The car had done very little miles from about 69950 on the clock since, it was stolen, this seems it was stolen by a chancer who didn't know the car, probably a druggie....
The one thing that really annoys me is the mystery noises that seem to plague most cars and are so difficult to identify and fix.
My new Golf Mk 6 had a rattle from the dashboard which the main dealer tried to fix but ended up making it much worse.. Similarly my Honda Accord had a clicking from the roof area. Turned out to be a broken weld. But Japanese cars seem to suffer from creaks and groans from cheap plastic panels .... Read more
Picked up a few cars that were totally rattle free. However, after a couple of weeks of British road surfaces (if you can call them that), the odd noise was finally teased out.
First time visiting.
I wondered if anyone has any recommendations for a company there that offers good reliable service with no "sneaky" add-ons.... Read more
Having been to Corfu (many years ago). Get the smallest car possible with a powerful engine.
Most of the roads are fine, however if you are exploring the island, there you need this. Some road went up almost vertical uphill. You need a car with a good strong first gear. ...
Are there many people here interested in LPG's problems? I'm no expert, but here's my take. I'm interested because I have a petrol Nissan Elgrand people carrier and want to live in it, criss-cross Europe in it, be kind to the climate and not spend too much on fuel.
LPG sales at filling stations are so tiny that filling station owners are removing LPG pumps to make space for EV chargers. And LPG prices have gone up a great deal. So if you have a petrol or diesel engine, LPG conversion is not nearly as attractive as it used to be. The govt doesn't care. They're never going to help the LPG market with favourable tax rates. ... Read more
Good overview of the CNG technical basics as of 2014.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJhFAwFv-O0
One of the most informative videos you'll see, from The Car Care Nut. Read more
Manufacturers probably set service intervals based on what will minimise service costs for users of new cars with unworn components,
I thought it was fairly common knowledge (or at least presumption) that service intervals were chosen so that fleet buyers never had to do any servicing during their ownership ?
Currently driving a 2010 1.2 16v Renault Clio
Looking for a new car. I mainly drive to work in an urban area, but I like to get out and about on country lanes, A roads and the occasional motorway journey. The Clio has held it's own. Looking for my next car and would appreciate any advice please. Don't shout but petrol and manual is my ideal choice between 4 and 3 years old. Thanks Read more
If you want something of a similar size to your Clio, I'd echo FiestaOwner's recommendation of a VAG car with the excellent 1.0TSI engine. Skoda Fabia and Seat Ibiza will offer best value for money, VW Polo and Audi A1 are both available with the same engine but will be either older for the same money of more expensive for the same age. The engine is available with two power outputs, 94 or 110bhp, both will offer much more pep than your Clio.
Another option well worth consideration is the Suzuki Swift with the 1.0 Boosterjet (turbo, like the VAG cars). These are very reliable and very spritely as a result of being very light. There is also a Swift Sport with a 1.4 turbo if you wanted even more pep, later versions of these are mild hybrid and should just about be in budget. ...
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"There is also a brand new Hella (OE?) unit for £526 from Lithuania."
Which would be ideal if Adampr's car was LHD....