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• Merc v's BMW v's Audi A6 28 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  Hello their, I am thinking of buying an 18 month old Audi A6 3.0 TDI or BMW 530i TDI or E class TDI, in each case the 3 litre version or near equivalent. I would be grateful of some opinions on the respective merits of each marque. I am thinking of keeping the purchase for at least 5-10 years, so durability and reliability is important. 10-15 years ago such a decision in my opinion would have been striaghtforward as Merc were the best, but today al premium band German cars cost the earth for so so reliability and quality...but i any event what do fellow back room guys think?
• Do I just say yes? 19 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  Hi guys, don't know if anyone is still around tonight but... My old golf has just failed it's MOT today on a worn suspension arm thing. 92pounds plus VAT to replace it, and some more to realign the steering afterwards, apparently. 142 total including VAT. I took the car in for a service and MOT.
• Cam belt record? 24 Feb 2006 (Forum)
  Like most people here I am careful not to exceed cambelt age or mileage limits, for example changing my wife's 306 1.8 belt on buying the car at only 15k miles because it was already eight years old. However, a quick check with Dad confirms that my Mother's Volvo 440 GLi with Renault 1.7 lump, owned by her since new in 1989 is still on its original cambelt 80k miles and sixteen and a half years later !
• Seat Toledo TDi Engine mount Failure 22 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  My 5 year old / 85,000 mile Toledo TDi suffered an engine mount failure, with no advance indication that this was about occur. The car has been serviced from new at a Seat Service centre at recommended service intervals.
• Insurance - NCD 11 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  Hi Guys, Well after your previous advice on cars I've decided to buy a silver Ford Mondeo X reg 1.8LX plenty of little extras 30,000 miles Full service history £3,600 looks good, pick her up Friday. Now the problem I've got is, I've not driven for 8 months so thereofr not been insured for 8 months, but on my old insurance policy I had 7 years No Claims Discount, I've got the certificate with proof etc for whoever my new insurer will be, just wondering will there be a problem with the NCD because i've not driven in 8 months?
• Jag S-Type D's??? 30 Aug 2005 (Forum)
  A question to those in the know, firstly, has anyone seen the new V6 diesel Jag S-type's with manuals (so that's basic or S spec) in things like the Top Car auctions? If so, what kind of price are they fetching at a year old? Mum's getting restless with the 140000 mile Celica, and we both think the Jag would make a decent replacement (she's think's its classy, fast AND practical)...but she doesn't want to spend anymore than £21k...dealers all seem to have them at £25k+, which I found surprising, considering Jag's usually suffer quite vicious depreciation in their first year?
• Peugeot 205 Diesel, K plate 7 Aug 2005 (Forum)
  Do I just need to meter these out and if so, should they be any particular resistance? Do I just buy some new ones (I've no idea how old they are) Am I barking up the wrong tree all together? Your help/advice is much appreciated.
• Dings 'n things 25 Jul 2005 (Forum)
  He did, though, collect a very bad rear end shunt on the motorway by somebody rubber-necking an accident and not stopping when they should have. Good old crumple zone!!
• Scrape on Rover, How much to put right? 4 Jul 2005 (Forum)
  I'm looking at buying a 10 year old Rover 214, but the only thing is it has a scrape on the near side door. It seems to be deep as it goes into the body when the door is opened. The guy selling it said a Rover dealer told him it wasn't worth doing as it would cost about 500 quid, but I'm thinking at non dealer prices how much could it be done for.
• Zymöl polishing products 8 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  Results to date appear to be excellent, and I like the blurb about the polish being developed to a 100 year old German formula and having Vitamin E, aloe vera, banana and coconut oils along with natural biodegradable ingredients. Bit like a health spa for the car! Anyway, if you can find 'em in your neck of the woods give 'em a go.
• sluggish saxo 1.1 31 Jan 2005 (Forum)
  I've just bought a 2 yr old 1.1 mpi saxo with 27K on the clock and FSH. I am only getting 41 mpg compared with 48mpg from my previous Peugeot 106 with similar miles and same engine, the Peugeot also had more zest, as has my mothers saxo.
• Fitting Vectra Idle Speed Control Valve 28 Dec 2004 (Forum)
  I have very little experience of car repairs but I have done a few jobs such as replacing the exhaust, spark plugs, etc. And I'm not an idiot so if it's a very straightforward job, I wouldn't mind having a go. Someone here must have done this job before.. any advice?
• '98 Astra 1.7TD - Noisy Power steering? 17 Dec 2004 (Forum)
  Hi, I had a new power steering pump fitted to my Astra about a month ago. Before the old pump failed, the steering was really quiet, but since the new one was fitted there is a terrible whine when on full lock. I used to drive new company cars for my previous employer and always noticed they also had noisy steering, but was pleased when I bought my Astra that it seemed so quiet.
• Nissan Almera GLX Auto T reg - how much? 16 May 2004 (Forum)
  I have to dispose of a 5 door Nissan Almera GLX Auto, with all the trimmings (EW air con sun roof etc) as the executor of an estate. The car is a T reg (1999) has done less than 23,000. I believe it was first registered in Ireland and brought over to the UK when it was a few months old. It is in very good condition with a good history (I'm not sure whether or not the service history is a full one or whether it is a bit patchy.
• Calibra Fuel Tank Outlet Pipe Flange 6 Apr 2004 (Forum)
  They offered me the phone numbers of some used parts dealers , and suggested that I contact heritage clubs . The inference being that the alternative is to scrap this 8 year old car! Incidentally , it's as clean as nip with leather interior and low mileage. Anyone else experienced what at face value appears to be Vauxhall's abandonment of its responsibilities to purchasers of its products?
• Mid-90's Merc E-class coupe? 20 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  It must be reliable, not outrageously thirsty, and should not depreciate much. I'd appreciate any thoughts/opinions as to this car (or the E220 coupe?), what do I need to look out for, should I buy privately or trade (I suppose it's too old for Merc dealers to be handling?).
• Escort (CVH) compressions & spark plugs 6 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  Hi, '89 Escort 1.4 (CVH), 107k miles, well serviced throughout its life. I've been feeling that it has been lacking power recently (they don't make 15 year old cars like they used to!) so I checked compressions on the weekend, and had a look at the plugs: #1 11.1 Grey (normal) colour #2 12.5 Grey (normal) colour #3 12.5 Grey (normal) colour #4 12.0 Sooty black colour First, is this difference in compressions (which I rechecked to be sure) OK, or too high?
• punto brake discs 23 Jan 2004 (Forum)
  I admit that I drive the car quite hard and accept that pads & front tyres have to be changed regulary. However I was surprised at the discs. Would you expect the life of the discs to equal that of two sets of pads, or does this sound a bit much?
• New driver insurance 21 Jan 2004 (Forum)
  Hi We're about to get a first car (1.0 Corsa 98S) for my 17 year old stepson who hasn't passed his test yet, and are checking out the insurance options. At the moment the best bet seems to be for my wife, who currently doesn't have a policy/NCD in her own name, to buy/register it and insure herself with son as named driver- this comes to about £1k.
• mazda 6 gearchange 1 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  oh and fuel consumption rather less than VAG tdi"s(less than 40 mixed-my old A4 90 consistently 46to 48 even at 167,000 miles!)