March 2025
Hoping someone a bit savvier with cars than myself can help.
For a few weeks now my car's been struggling to start. It eventually does start which seems to be some kind of compression issue in the diesel engine. This is despite a change of glow plugs so it's not that. ... Read more
Hi guys,
We have a problem with one of our TVs. We have 3 Flat-screen TVs (2 smart TVs and a basic LED TV) which are all connected to a standard outside aerial and have been perfect for the last 2 years or so.... Read more
That'll be the Gremlins then.
I was just looking at last year's service sheet to see when the next one was due and noticed that the dealer recommended a brake fluid change at the next (this years) service. This will be the cars second service and it has done around 8000 miles. They are obviously trying it on aren't they? Read more
<< I have no idea how old the brake fluid in my 20yr old Audi is, which I bought 11yrs ago. As for my 45yr old TR7 with its original front calipers and discs...... Never forget the garage industry usually advises as much work as it can get away with. >>
While agreeing in principle with your main point, John, I prefer to find a happy medium between running up unnecessary garage bills and trying to find out how long my car will keep going without doing any work on it.
Tonight’s Watchdog highlighted claimants been told to contact the phone number on their policy by , in these cases their broker.
Ended up racking huge bills for car hire which had to be claimed back from the guilty party.... Read more
A pertinent tale.
KGF Classics seem to specialise in sourcing very low mileage cars, often quite obscure or forgotten, I get videos popping up regular on YouTube.
Coincidentally I've saw another one parked up in a front garden in East Anglian bow and arrow country this afternonn along with a Polo Coupe pre-facelift and a Facelift MK1 Vauxhall Carlton.
I have a four month old Peugeot 208 which has got an annoying rattle coming from the driver door area or front pillar. Because the car is new and is in warranty would I be in my rights to ask the dealership to try to find out what's causing this rattle and fix it? Read more
By all means have a go-I had a Golf that had a thoroughly irritating light rattle behind the dash but VW couldn’t find anything.
It got on my nerves for the 3 years I owned the car….ever since then the only thing I can remember about the Golf was that it was red and had a dash rattle.
Chinese torture.
So after a lot of consideration and what seemed a lot of research/thought/discussion I went for a high mileage 2014 Toyota Prius UK model (£0 road tax along with cheaper insurance than an import). This was purchased from a dealer for an added "security" peace of mind via credit card (consumer rights protection?) and their 3 month warranty on engine/mechanical and 6 months on the battery. Came with a reconditioned battery the day before (invoice to prove it).
I went about looking for a car trying to avoid a lot of pitfalls that you hear and learn in life. I'm very mechanically inclined however the hybrid territory was new and a bit frightening to begin with. Mechanically the car seems to be sound have no quibbles (for now).... Read more
The VIN should be at the bottom of the windscreen, on the door frame and under the driver's seat. Ignore the stickers on the doors.
A friend has seen an i20 with the GDI engine. 2016 with 70k miles.
There are reports of some serious failures with this engine. Best avoided? Read more
Friend has moved away from i20 as the boot isn't big enough. Is now considering Sportage which is obviously larger. Also looked at CX3 where the boot is just about big enough. For reliability, I'm inclined towards the Mazda (petrol) even though it's approaching 10 years/100k.
CX3 is fine if your friend doesn't expect to carry rear passengers on a regular basis. They may well be reliable, but they are very cramped in the back....
My sister is learning to drive - she's passed her theory test and is having lessons with an instructor. She is thinking of buying a car now to get more experience behind the wheel before she takes her driving test, and has asked if I would supervise her. I have never done this before, but found some very useful stuff at:
A driving offense by learner then supervisor would be looked at for aiding abetting counseling procuring the offense. Sect 44 (?] Mags Court Act
From memory...
Been pondering fitting a ten panel solar array plus battery system at the old ponderosa. Lowest price I’ve got to date with a 5kwh battery is £10,995, or £12,500 with 10kwh battery. The estimate savings are around £900 a year which means the system will take over 14yrs to pay for itself on the assumption that I use the subsidised 0% mortgage for renewables/insulation offered by my building society which gives you 5yrs interest free, then switches to the svr.
As an investment it’s not brilliant, and that’s on the assumption that the battery pack has a substantially longer lifespan than this and that zero maintenance is required. I’ve tried to find a V2H (vehicle to home) charger that would allow us to use SWMBO’s car to store cheap lekky overnight then power the house when she’s home. None are available in the UK at the moment as far as I can see, but they do exist and should be available shortly. This if priced sensibly make for a better investment.
Anyhoo, mind wanderings as usual. Has anyone installed solar and/or battery storage, and how has it worked out? Read more
i would check out costco.they offer packages including a battery. sure to be good value. you should have done it in 2011
How old, how many miles and what engine? It might not be worth chucking £1k's+ at it.
Bubbling noise can be lack of coolant and air within the cooling system - the noise usually comes from the heater matrix inside the car....