September 2025
So as not to further disrupt another thread i've started this one.
Depending on my work situation in the next few weeks/months our choices of vehicle(s) might change, having recently had a solar system fitted it would make most sense to have a plug in hybrid, i'll only consider Toyota or Suzuki badged (made by Toyota) hybrids, Prius Plus PHEV would be better for us but are usually snapped up by taxi operators.... Read more
Hi; I met someone who bought a car off me, I then gave him money for repairs and he said he was coming once his own car was fixed. Then he sent me details about a car he would collect for me, he’d helped me buy as car before so I naively trusted him. I paid the money and he blocked me. He lives in Bristol, I called my bank and they said he was classified as a friend or family as id communicated before so it wasn’t covered. I am at my wits end as I took a loan for the money and now I have nothing as my mother’s carer.
Many thanks
Beth Read more
As said report to Police, but as its a 'friend' or someone you had dealt with before it will be treated as a civill matter not a crime of fraud
If you took at a loan inform that loan company that you have been defrauded of the money whilst they wont write it off they may at their disgression make hanges to the paymant....
And before anyone panics, i'm not talking about anything military!.
No, what I saw in my local Morrisons car park was a 5 door Lada Niva. Being a big fan of the Niva, I was well aware of the existence of the 5 door, but we never got them in the UK and this was the first time I'd seen one in the flesh. They don't really look like a 5 door version of a 3 door car, more like comparing a Lincoln Town car to the limo version, because there is a big difference in the wheelbase and overall size of the car. ... Read more
The Russians themselves experimented with rotary engines in VAZ (Lada) models for the KGB. Unfortunately (but unsurprisingly), due to the poor quality rotor tips, the lifespan of the engine was circa 20k km. First used in 1974, they persisted with then right through to 1990, by which time the rotary engine used in what we knew as the Lada Samara was making a very useful 140bhp (the Lancia Volumex unit made 135)). Though supposedly there were also a few triple rotor cars made for high ranking KGB officers with over 200bhp!
The vehicle is a 2014 1.6 petrol that l purchased in June 2024.
The air con wasn't working when l bought it. In the spring of this year l used the Halfords free air con check, which in reality is simply putting a little gas in to see if it holds pressure, which it did, then asking if you want it regassed.... Read more
I wouldn’t wait until next spring if I were you, the AC specialists will be getting busy again then! AC is also helpful for demising in winter, too.
I'm helping Son and Daughter in law to get themselves mobile by buying a car for them. Son does not currently have license (other than provisional), DIL does but she is Estonian.
Not sure what the best course of action would be regarding insurance. My initial thoughts was that because i'd be picking the car up and driving it home, plus i'd be traveling from my home to theirs (60 mile round trip plus whatever miles we did in Aberdeen) in order to take DIL out and get her familiarised with driving on the left, I'd register and insure it in my name initially, with her (and possibly Son depending on cost) as a named driver. Then transferring ownership and insurance responsibility to therm once she is happy and confident driving on the left (prob no more than two months). Is this a sensible course of action, or would I better off registering it and insuring it under her name and making myself a named driver?. Also, is her being a foreign national likely to make insurance very expensive (either to insure themselves, or as a named driver if I insure it)?. Not sure at the moment how long she has held her license (she is similar age to my Son though, so about 24/25) if she has any NCB (and if that would be transferable anyway). ... Read more
For the definitive definition use this UK government website.
www.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence/y/a-resident-of-g...a
As Estonia is a full member state of the EU it seems your DIL can continue to drive on her full Estonian license for as long as she wishes or convert it to a UK license with no test required.
I recently had my car's gearbox and flywheel replaced to fix a noise. Since collecting the car, I've noticed a significant lack of acceleration, but only in 6th gear. On a flat road, it takes 10-12 seconds to accelerate from 60 to 70 mph. On a medium incline on the motorway, the car actually decelerates from 70 mph, even with the accelerator fully pressed.
This problem started immediately after the repair. All other gears accelerate normally, and there are no other unusual sounds. I'm wondering if this is more likely the result of an error during the installation or a new, unrelated failure. I was told that the installed gearbox was a match for the car. I've contacted the garage to have them look at it, but having little knowledge of cars beyond the basics, I was hoping to get your thoughts on the likely cause.... Read more
I know others have ruled out the clutch but can you confirm revs are not zooning up in 6th with your hoof down - Clutch slip always shows up first in the tallest gear. Asking just in case but as others said I think you've ended up with a taller ratio 6th gear. Look at what the rev counter is showing in 6th at 60 and 70mph. Might be just a case of adjusting driving style and using 6th as a tall - but possibly more economical overdrive gear.
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Hi there, I've been told by a couple of garages now that my 2004 Hyundai Getz 1.3 CDX Automatic has a timing chain instead of a belt and therefore there is no need to replace anything at the 60,000 mile point.
I keep getting mixed results online and just wanted to clarify this with anyone who may be able to give a more definitive response if possible please? The manual and looking under the bonnet suggests a belt may be more likely...... Read more
Thanks - confirmed as best I can that it's a belt now, especially with plastic casing.
Apologies for the downtime, all should be working again now.
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Toyota don't have a counter system in place, quite ludicrous that MB and Audi should have done so IMO though MB dropped the SBC system in short enough order.
The pressure pump is what will give trouble on the Toyota set up if anything will, thankfully very rare to do so and chances are it will be at least 25 years old before needing work but www.robsonandfrancisrewinds.co.uk/ can rebuild said motor itself if needed, which is just as well because a new combined unit is in the £thousands and far as i'm aware Toyota will only sell complete units, whether the more compact unit fitted to Prius can be similarly separated and overhauled by a specialist haven't a clue.