January 2025
Hello, I am hoping someone is able to offer some advice for an extremely stressful situation that I have found myself in.
Back in 2023, I was contacted by my insurer that a claim has been filed by a 3rd party insurer alleging that my vehicle has hit their client's. The 3rd party claimed that they were given the car registration by a witness as the vehicle drove away after the incident. The witness also reported that they have dashcam evidence. I told my insurer that neither myself nor my vehicle were involved. We were nowhere near the location of this alleged incident. My insurer wanted photos of my vehicle which i sent them. I was very worried that this is a scam or car cloning incident but hoping it's just a mistake by the witness which the dashcam evidence would easily clarify. I kept chasing my insurer for update. They told me they contacted the 3rd party insurer for the dash cam evidence but did not get anything back. After about 6 months , they told me they closed the claim.... Read more
As we have seen discussed many times on this forum, the old argument is Premium Fuel (V power etc) worth it, is there a big difference etc. Well I wtched this video earlier from James Martin JayEmm who got a fuel expert on to explain... I found it very informative, worth a watch. Link below.
Cheers ... Read more
There is a large independent supermarket nr Rye in East Sussex that has the cheapest petrol in the surrounding area-however the price of food goods for sale inside is more expensive than any of its competitors.
People aren’t fooled-at least I’m not!
Hi
I’ve had differing opinions about this and interested in the esteemed opinions on here!
Just bought a 62 plate 65m on clock and the belt hasn’t yet been done.
Full service history though and runs beautifully
Do I just need to get the belt done asap or can I assume some warnings such as noises/low oil pressure warning as suggested on lots of websites…
Thanks for sharing your experience as to whether you’ve seen one ‘go’ without any warning!
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Hi I’ve had differing opinions about this and interested in the esteemed opinions on here! Just bought a 62 plate 65m on clock and the belt hasn’t yet been done. Full service history though and runs beautifully Do I just need to get the belt done asap or can I assume some warnings such as noises/low oil pressure warning as suggested on lots of websites… Thanks for sharing your experience as to whether you’ve seen one ‘go’ without any warning!
Belt failed on my Sister's 63 plate 1.0 ecoboom in 2023, slightly higher mileage which cost many £1000's to repair.So yes get belt done asap! Hers needed an engine stripdown, new cylinder head and obviously a new belt. It was a close call financially as to whether it was worth doing.
Interesting video here from the owner of a 2011 AMG E63 with the M156 n/a V8 motor. He's the proprietor of an independent MB specialist in Stockport, and has done a couple of videos breaking down the ownership & servicing costs of this 480bhp Q-car.
Small spoiler: over the past calendar year, servicing & upkeep maintenance costs (including workshop time at the rate he'd charge to a customer and VAT, for the sake of clarity) worked out at £1 per mile. And this is for a well-cared for example too! ... Read more
....was presumaby intended to outperform VW's good old n/a 444bhp W12, which has very few problems despite being a considerably older design.
Certainly the AMG motor essentially being a hand-built, limited-run special design doesn't help. I do tend to think that a well-thought-out design that's mass-produced on good tooling is perhaps likely to be more reliable than a motor comprising lots of special bits (and component replacement costs will be cheaper too)....
For the past 6 years that I owned a 2006 Ford Fiesta. A typical annual service+MOT cost has been = £250 to £350. This year however, the cost sky rocketed to a whopping £1115 on account of the car needing a new starter motor, one new engine bracket, new suspension spring on near side, headlight beam correcting, 2 new tyres+wheel alignment, oil/filter change - and the MOT itself. The car has 125000 miles on the clock. Felt a bit deflated paying over a grand for a car that's currently valued around the £550 mark. Shall I try and sell it soon while it still has a long MOT (possibly to a newly passed driver), or wait 12 months then sc*** it to cut further losses, or with all that work done on it now - might it be good for another 2 years? I do around 12K miles a year, mainly motorway. Not a petrolhead either - hence this make/model for past 6 years - and its served me well during this time. Any opinions/thoughts gratefully received. Read more
I would get a hose and old car brush and hose along the underneath as far as you can reach and in the wheel arch lips to get any mud and salt off.
Well, you could do that, but after 20 years I would guess nearly all the damage has been done ?
Hi there,
I'm looking to buy a used car for £5k (7k at a push).
I know nothing about cars so would like your optinion about which of these options to go with:
-Manufacturer approved from a main dealer
-Local independent dealer (most offer AA covers)
-Private
With this budget, I wouldn't want to cover for a dealer's profit margin but it will give me a peace of mind. I'm in no knowledge position to check a car before buying and only have one friend who's good with cars but I can't rely on him to come with me or help me if any issues later on. I read that the AA cover don't mean much but manufacturar approved is a good scheme for if things go wrong.
Given all this, which option is best for me do you think? Read more
AA/RAC checks can be a right pain for a dealer selling.
It is not that they are worried about what they might find but they take ages to book and when someone finally shows as someone else has said describe a perfectly honest car as party worn out (which it will be) and the buyer gets cold feet because it has one advisory mark on the report....
Having just had a service, mot and timing belt change done at a main dealer got me thinking. Aren’t I effectively paying for a number of things twice? For example the oil change would form part of the service and the timing belt change. The safety checks performed during the service would also be done as part of the mot. Not sure what I can do about it other than staggering the mot and service? Read more
Does the itemised invoice include more than one fill of oil?
Both service and belt change involve removing the sump plug allowing the oil to drain etc before replacing the plug and refilling. To that extent you might be paying twice for tech's time but I'm not sure that's a ditch worth dying in. ...
Focus 2002 mk1 1.6
After connecting battery back after a few weeks disconnected to save battery power. The car starts but i am getting no movement from speed and rev dials, and the miles dont show and the oil and fuel still show in the mid position . teh dash appears to not be getting power.... Read more
Possibly the warmer weather has caused the pcb in the back of the cluster to dry out a little.
I bought a Honda CRV 2021 EX from a honda dealer. The shine on the paint work is fantastic. But what I want to know is what is the best wash/wax/ceramic treamtment to maintain that amazing showroom shine? I don't want to spend hours waxing, just want a quick apply and wipe to protect and maitain the shine. I guess this is what everyone wants. But looking for good suggestions? I am in London, UK so something that is available to buy in London.
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2.5 weeks of freezing weather, snow, gritted roads - dirtiest that car has been in 18 months ownership
Yesterday ...
Evening gents. I hope you're all well.
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thanks but this website is not working for me. tried different vins.
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thank you for your advice. I'd wait a couple of days to what my insurer legal team says.