Honestjohn Backroom Posts

Any - Recommend me an automatic family car (Doug87542)

Doug87542 — Fri, 17 May 2024 06:33:43 +0000

Hi all I'm looking for some recommendations on an automatic family car. Something roomy enough for a family of 4 (doesn't need to be massive) and that has a reasonable size boot (golf clubs!). Would like something reliable as I like to keep cars for around 5 years. I've previously had manuals but my wife will only drive automatic and whilst this will be my car, I'd like something she can drive when needed. My previous cars have been Honda CR-V and Mazda 6 both of which I loved but don't necessarily need something as large. I do around 12,000 miles a year, with regular dual carriageway and around town driving. Budget is £15K, and whilst I'm in North East Scotland, I'm happy to travel anywhere in UK.

Suzuki Baleno - Thoughts on Suzuki Baleno (badbusdriver)

badbusdriver — Fri, 17 May 2024 06:05:54 +0000

I'm a fan of "unsung heroes" and the Baleno very much fits that description. Haven't owned one so no actual experience, but Suzuki's are very reliable in general. The Baleno offers usefully more rear seat and boot space than the Swift, so if that is what you need or it appeals, go for it. They are light cars too, so the 1.0 Boostejet will offer strong performance as well as good economy. As for the Sandero, I quite like the Stepway version but I'd still take a Baleno Boosterjet over one of them. As you are interested in extra space, another option you may want to consider is the Skoda Rapid and Seat Toledo. These are the same cars (barring badges and some minor trim differences) and are based on the Fabia/Ibiza/Polo platform. But they have a much longer wheelbase and a truly massive boot. Not sure if your budget would stretch to the later 1.0TSI, if so I'd certainly be looking at those. Otherwise, you'd be looking at the earlier 1.2TSI which came with either 85 or 105bhp. You just got the one body shape on the Toledo, but the Rapid also came as a sort of halfway estate called the Rapid Spaceback. Weirdly, it's boot is some way short of the Rapid/Toledo, but still nearly 100 litres more than the Baleno. The Spaceback is arguably a better looking car but horses for courses and all, plus, the extra boot space (550 litres!) of the Rapid/Toledo may swing it.

VW POLO 2023 - Is it right that I pay? (badbusdriver)

badbusdriver — Fri, 17 May 2024 06:01:24 +0000

Assuming the courtesy car was fully fuelled when you received it, that seems fair. If not, then return it with a similar level that it had on collection, and explain your action upon return. Plus, presumably your own car will still have that fuel in it when it is returned, so its not like you've lost it!. It is common practice for a loan car or hire car to be returned with the same fuel level as when you received it, so just do as leaseman says.

VW POLO 2023 - Is it right that I pay? (leaseman)

leaseman — Fri, 17 May 2024 05:21:56 +0000

Assuming the courtesy car was fully fuelled when you received it, that seems fair. If not, then return it with a similar level that it had on collection, and explain your action upon return.

VW POLO 2023 - Is it right that I pay? (Jayne Nelly)

Jayne Nelly — Fri, 17 May 2024 05:10:55 +0000

Hi, Thank you for your response! Unfortunately I have to return the curtesy car full so I’m looking at the cost of atleast half a tank of fuel. Sod’s Law :(

VW POLO 2023 - Is it right that I pay? (leaseman)

leaseman — Fri, 17 May 2024 04:52:16 +0000

It is unfortunate that you re-fuelled just before the incident, but fuel used in a courtesy car for your own benefit is your responsibility. When your own car is returned to you, it should still have the fuel in it, so there is no material loss to you. So I doubt that there is any case for you to demand recompense. Just make sure you only re-fuel the courtesy car on a piece-meal basis and return it with minimal amount left in the tank.

VW POLO 2023 - Is it right that I pay? (Jayne Nelly)

Jayne Nelly — Fri, 17 May 2024 04:39:11 +0000

Hi, im looking for some advice. My VW Polo 23 plate sprung a leak in the radiator a few days ago, quite substantially. I phoned VW to see how soon I could take it in to be repaired and was told the earliest appointment they had was on the 17th June however if I used the VW assistant programme, I could get it in sooner which I did and it was taken in that day. Fast forward 4 days and they tell me it was due to a manufacturing error because a bung wasn’t tightened enough on the radiator before it was released, my issue is - I’d not long filled my own car up with fuel however having had a curtesy car for 4 days, is it right that I should have to cover the cost of refuelling it if my own car had an issue through no fault of my own? I could understand if I was the one to cause the issue however it’s only 7 months old (thankfully under warranty) and while I’m extremely grateful that I could be provided with a replacement, it’s also left me out of pocket for the fact I’ve had to now refuel a second car. Is this something I should ask about or do I just leave it and refuel the curtesy car? Thank you

Suzuki Baleno - Thoughts on Suzuki Baleno (SLO76)

SLO76 — Fri, 17 May 2024 00:34:49 +0000

Nothing wrong with the Baleno, it’s a robust little car. The slightly awkward styling meant it was never a big seller in the UK and demand for them used is weak so prices are low. This is good when you’re buying but remember that it’ll be next to worthless when you come to sell so it would be wise to keep it longterm. I’d cast your net a bit wider, include other options such as a petrol Mazda 2, petrol Ford Fiesta 1.25 (not the Ecoboost!) Toyota Yaris 1.33 petrol and Honda Jazz. All are robust, cheap to run and easy to sell on again. That’s not to say don’t buy the Suzuki if you find a nice one, it’s deserving of being on the list too. The Dacia is a rebadged Renault Clio built to a price. Trim quality is lower, longterm durability is questionable also. They’re not bad cars, they just get a bit tatty with age and mileage, more so than more mainstream brands and the 1.0 turbo petrols are still untested, they’re too young to know if they’re robust. The older models were best with the slow but simple 1.2 petrol. But I’d rather have an older Mazda 2, Fiesta or Yaris.

Suzuki Baleno - Thoughts on Suzuki Baleno (SBB)

SBB — Fri, 17 May 2024 00:07:46 +0000

Hi everyone, I'm looking to replace my current vehicle and have my eye on a Suzuki Baleno SZ5 1.0 Boosterjet. Seems to be quite roomy compared to other superminis and decent amount of features. I would like to keep the car for a few years, the extra space whilst still being a small class of car is appealing as I'm a young driver and would like to keep the insurance premiums down. I suppose my question is, has anyone had any experience with the Baleno, namely negative ones? Or perhaps should I be looking elsewhere, such as the Dacia Sandero? My budget is £7,000. Thanks for your help.

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (Andrew-T)

Andrew-T — Thu, 16 May 2024 23:00:38 +0000

... the old school salesmen of old who knew about cars were being replaced by younger greedier types .... Standards have slipped hugely over the last 25/30 years. Maybe I am just years out of date - I haven't bought from a car salesperson since December 2008. That was at a Peugeot dealer which had been a family business for over a century, and I think it may still be.

Rural bumpy rough roads – would MPV or SUV be best (Adampr)

Adampr — Thu, 16 May 2024 22:59:42 +0000

I really like the Jogger (having never actually driven one...). It does come with an optional 'sleep' kit too. It won't have quite the same ground clearance as a Duster and has no real off-road ability, but it is is quite light and I imagine the relatively long wheelbase gives it a reasonable ride.

Rural bumpy rough roads – would MPV or SUV be best (peanutstew)

peanutstew — Thu, 16 May 2024 22:56:05 +0000

Hi all I've had a few days away at work so had a bit of time to mull it all over and research... Some great replies and plenty of new options to look into now, so many thanks for the suggestions and thoughts. Interesting RE what @SLO76 says about Renault / Dacia suspension. In other places I've read that Dacias are more geared toward countries with rough roads (I think Romania got a mention amongst others classed as "developing countries"). Not sure which is right! In the meantime, I've come across the Dacia Jogger which I hadn't previously heard of. It seems to tick a lot of boxes.... Amazing price and generally great reviews. Having the extra length would be handy for ferrying stuff about, and also for the occasional short holiday sleeping in the back, with the rear seats left at home. The roof bars look handy too. What do you guys think of the Jogger compared to the Duster, with my remit in mind? And more specifically, how does the tyre size compare to the Duster's, now that I'm starting to appreciate the importance of that? Many thanks

Quarter million pound Impreza? (davecooper)

davecooper — Thu, 16 May 2024 22:29:30 +0000

I can think of an awful lot of cars I would rather have for that money. Still, I am sure someone needs one for their private collection.

Jeep Compass - Feedback request about Jeep Compass (around 2020) (Kathryn Mark)

Kathryn Mark — Thu, 16 May 2024 22:12:23 +0000

Thank you

Jeep Compass - Feedback request about Jeep Compass (around 2020) (veloceman)

veloceman — Thu, 16 May 2024 22:11:20 +0000

Don’t remember excessive warnings. In most cars you can adjust the sensitivity of the front radar in the menus so I suggest you try that.

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (Big John)

Big John — Thu, 16 May 2024 21:31:07 +0000

Vauxhall Grandland X - What are the facts about 'wet cam belts', Vauxhall and others? (Dorset123)

Dorset123 — Thu, 16 May 2024 20:57:03 +0000

The problems with wet belts and timing chains is that a lot of people stretch servicing intervals and the acid in the oils eat into them so if you are buying a second hand car make sure it has had the servicing and oil changes at the correct mileage. I was a foreman in a large Nissan dealer before I retired and saw Timing chain problems on vehicles that had missed services but ones that had services at the right time where fine, if the car has 2 year servicing get the engine oil changed at a year

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (SLO76)

SLO76 — Thu, 16 May 2024 20:22:13 +0000

As an ex salesman myself I believe I have a good insight into the people in the trade… they are 99.99% lying b******s! I left because I hated the way things were going, the old school salesmen of old who knew about cars were being replaced by younger greedier types who were trained to push push push financial products on you. To tell you anything to get a sale in the bag. The worst I find are almost kids who know absolutely nothing about cars beyond setting up the tech inside. They’re not interested in you or a bit of car chat. I love cars, but I hate shopping for them at dealers. Standards have slipped hugely over the last 25/30 years. Agree totally about needing to like the person you’re buying from.

VW Group cars - Leaking panoramic sunroofs (Steveieb)

Steveieb — Thu, 16 May 2024 19:30:08 +0000

My colleague has recently paid £2500 to have the panoramic roof replaced on his 17 plate Audi Allroad. He waited 3 months for the parts to arrange and the dealer took 4 days to complete the repair although some minor parts are still outstanding. But according to the Telegraph this fault affects all VAG cars . Apparently the sunroof is fitted in a cassette which is glued to the roof. The problem appears when the glue fails. Brings back memories of the EOS and Ford models with removable roofs. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/advice/ask-the-expert-what-can-i-do-about-skodas-leaking-sunroof/

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (Adampr)

Adampr — Thu, 16 May 2024 19:04:07 +0000

They will ALL lie to you. The scale of the lie varies, but not a single one will tell.you the truth.

Jeep Compass - Feedback request about Jeep Compass (around 2020) (Kathryn Mark)

Kathryn Mark — Thu, 16 May 2024 18:52:02 +0000

Thank you for this message. Did you get unwanted noise alerts about being too close to other cars? Seen a review that mentions the alert sounds off a bit too much? Thanks

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (UncleBlobby)

UncleBlobby — Thu, 16 May 2024 18:40:07 +0000

I do sympathise. Having gone through the process a few times recently, I am always similarly at a loss as to what sales people think they're doing. Of the many dealers I visited, there were only two or three that I was willing to do business with. There are a few things I noticed as a pattern for the worst ones: 1. Arranging to send you a personalised video 2. Asking if you want to pay a £99 deposit to hold the car before viewing 3. Making you sit at a desk and do 'compliance' stuff for finance before they'll let you look at the car. 4. Showroom hosts 5. Fat angry men in side offices with white boards. That made me laugh, thanks. The reason I kept my previous car for ten years wasn't financial reasons, but how much I hate the process of buying a car in the UK. I'm not alone in this and I don't understand why people tolerate this Swiss Tony culture nor why multinational car companies think that is the best way to sell cars. If just one dealership opened that didn't act this way, was 100% honest, priced cars as cheaply as possible (like virtually any other product except houses but then Estate Agents are a seperate rant) they'd make an absolute fortune. They must exist somewhere.

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (UncleBlobby)

UncleBlobby — Thu, 16 May 2024 18:32:30 +0000

Fair point about not having to like them, but I have to trust them to risk what is the second biggest financial spend after buying a house. Call me old fashioned, but once a sales person is exposed as having lied to me, that's it for me, the trust has gone and I walk away.

Vauxhall Grandland X - What are the facts about 'wet cam belts', Vauxhall and others? (Pete carpenter)

Pete carpenter — Thu, 16 May 2024 17:21:31 +0000

Absolute c***..70 model grand land and the belt has failed !

Vauxhall Grandland X - What are the facts about 'wet cam belts', Vauxhall and others? (Pete carpenter)

Pete carpenter — Thu, 16 May 2024 17:19:37 +0000

No don’t do it..my wet belt has just failed..70 plate grandland griffin 1.2..As the 4 services carried out are a little out of specified timeframe not to sure if Vauxhall will cover the cost. My car is covered by a special warranty so said by Vauxhall so they know it’s a fault on the 70 plate model.

Advice on second hand car purchase (SLO76)

SLO76 — Thu, 16 May 2024 16:26:42 +0000

Best bet is to follow some of the relevant Facebook pages relating to the Nissan Leaf. I own a Mk II 40kwh which has a been trouble free and very cheap to run second car. But you do hear a fair number of horror stories relating to battery pack failures. The Mk I comes in two sizes 24kwh 30kwh, the latter is in theory the better car but in practice they tend to suffer more rapid battery degradation than the smaller 24kwh plus the smaller car usually has less miles and fewer fast charges - which can damage the battery over the longterm. A commute similar to mine 34 miles in total, 17 each way is fine for one of these while leaving a reasonable margin for diversions etc. The trade are wary of them and disinterested so they offer buttons for them. A good 24kwh car in a private sale can be had for less than £4k. Avoid the Japanese built early 2011 cars as they’re all knackered now. I get the appeal as a cheap runabout but the Mk I’s really are limited due to their poor real world range. Many non-franchise garages won’t work on them too so repairs can be an issue, though as long as the battery pack is ok there’s very little to go wrong. A good longterm owned private sale is the safest bet. Most backstreet dealers (the guys who will flog these) offer warranties that are next to worthless anyway. But on the flip side they tend to be keen to get shot of them and usually have little interest so a deal should be possible. I’d recommend begging and borrowing to get the much more useful Mk II 40kwh. These can do longer runs and they’re a bit more capable on the road. I’ve seen these with sensible miles up for £8/£9k. There are loads about with six figure mileages and 12 bars of battery health remaining. Buy the Leaf spy app to check any prospective purchase. The battery pack health is everything with these cars. You don’t want one that’s been sat at a dealer for months. Batteries don’t like sitting with no charge or a full charge for extended periods. This is another issue for dealers selling them. They don’t like inactivity. Where roughly will you be searching?

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (madf)

madf — Thu, 16 May 2024 16:15:40 +0000

When I bought our Jazz 12 years ago, I had to listen to a sales spiel for supertreating upholstery, etc etc etc. I just mentally ignored it all and refused to budge.. I treat sales people as a necessary evil: polite but firm . Glad I don't bu cars often.

Advice on second hand car purchase (pd)

pd — Thu, 16 May 2024 16:10:51 +0000

I understand early Leafs (Leaves?) have a very poor range, due to battery degradation. You may want to investigate this before buying one. Judging by the OP's budget they'd be looking at a later version of the Mk 1 with not too higher mileage, so not an early one. I'd avoid the very early 2011-2012 ones (with an electric handbrake) now as you can get the better UK built one for not a lot more money. Also some 30Kw ones showed excess battery degradation and need an update from Nissan - worth finding out if that has been done if looking at those. It is easy to tell a LEAF's battery status - it is on the dashboard (although you have to press a button to see it on the Mk 2).

Advice on second hand car purchase (bathtub tom)

bathtub tom — Thu, 16 May 2024 16:00:28 +0000

I understand early Leafs (Leaves?) have a very poor range, due to battery degradation. You may want to investigate this before buying one.

Advice on second hand car purchase (pd)

pd — Thu, 16 May 2024 14:37:45 +0000

A LEAF will charge at 2.3Kw/h on the supplied "granny" charger so presuming you are looking at the 24 or 30Kwh Mk 1 version you'll quite easily get our 35 miles in overnight even without a charger. If you do buy a charger make sure it is compatible with whatever tariff you might be looking at. With Octopus I think it is mainly the Ohme ones.

Advice on second hand car purchase (tinyian)

tinyian — Thu, 16 May 2024 14:27:56 +0000

This is such a great tool, thanks for sharing. Looks like my saving is over £1,000 per year which is great! I am factoring in around the £1,000 mark to put in a home charger so knowing it'll pay for itself in 12 months is very satisfying!

Advice on second hand car purchase (mcb100)

mcb100 — Thu, 16 May 2024 14:18:37 +0000

Make sure you’ve checked out charging costs if you’re looking at LEAF for purely economic reasons. A dependence on public charging is way more expensive than charging at home. Put your numbers in here - https://www.zap-map.com/tools. Home charging on a dedicated EV tariff could cost 7.5p per kW/h, a standard tariff is at c25p per kW/h, whilst public charging is around 75p per kW/h. I’m a massive advocate of going EV, but people must be aware of the cost of charging away from home.

Advice on second hand car purchase (tinyian)

tinyian — Thu, 16 May 2024 11:56:07 +0000

I wish I had known this at the time. It was a Merc specialist (not main dealer) that found the issue and they never mentioned anything about Merc doing replacements!!! I'm very tempted with the Leaf. The wife has a big old C Max that we can always use for the Oxford runs if the charging is too much of a pain, it'll be harsh on the petrol usage but it's not like it's a super regular run and the leaf should more than make up for it in running savings Thanks for your help!

Advice on second hand car purchase (Terry W)

Terry W — Thu, 16 May 2024 10:46:07 +0000

Sadly, as you have found, there are no guarantees when buying that an older car. Reality is that at 144k all cars will be at risk, and old premium motors fail and cost lots to fix. A commute of 15-20 miles each way which if it includes some motorway probably takes no more than 30 mins. You could consider an entirely capable, much newer, low mileage smaller car. An Autotrader search throws up the following examples: 2018 White Suzuki Swift 1.2 Dualjet SZ3 Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr for sale for £6,995 in Craigavon, County Armagh (autotrader.co.uk) 2018 White Dacia Sandero 0.9 TCe Ambiance Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr for sale for £6,999 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk (autotrader.co.uk) 2017 Red MG 3 1.5 STYLE PLUS VTI-TECH 5d 106 BHP RAC WARRANTIES for sale for £5,995 in Warrington, Cheshire (autotrader.co.uk)

Advice on second hand car purchase (pd)

pd — Thu, 16 May 2024 10:08:31 +0000

LEAF would probably do your daily stuff (35 miles a day by my calculation) assuming you have somewhere to charge but might/will be a right pain doing Oxford to Liverpool. Incidentally did you approach Mercedes about the subframe? They are still replacing them for free usually even on a 15+ year old car.

Advice on second hand car purchase (tinyian)

tinyian — Thu, 16 May 2024 09:16:30 +0000

Morning All, After some advice from you helpful people as I'm on a dreadful run of buying cars that let me down within a couple of years despite my best efforts into researching them! My Skoda Octavia just died after melting it's inlet manifold, it's been at the garage for a week and they can't find out why it's happened - only option from them is a full strip of the engine which would cost way more than the cars current value (it's done 144,000 and lasted me only 15 months). Before that I had a C class Merc ruin it's subframe after less than 2 years and only 80,000 miles, I could go on... I'm doing about 175 miles a week, mainly motorway trips to and from work which is why I went for the big old Skoda and the C class before it but I'm wondering if the big old diesel engine route is still the way to go. I do a longer run to Oxford from Liverpool about once every 6 weeks or so. Budget is about £6,000. For some reason I've been drawn to some cheap second hand Nissan Leaf's (some within that budget with really low miles on auto trader near me) but I'm so in doubt of my own decisions after the last couple of cars that I'm hoping some clever folks on here can give me some pointers! Thanks in advance!

Peugeot 308 - Auto petrol intermittent erratic revving / stall (Brian3373)

Brian3373 — Thu, 16 May 2024 08:25:01 +0000

Did you get this resolved? My 2016 308 puretech auto has the issues of stalling, occasional rich running when petrol tank over half a tank. Peugeot want to replace tank & petrol absorber.

Nissan Qashqai - Low miles (little service history) Vs Higher (fsh) (movilogo)

movilogo — Thu, 16 May 2024 07:42:34 +0000

Nissan Qashqai's are not regarded as being particularly reliable. DCT transmissions Indeed. My friend's Qashqai transmission packed up around 80k miles. Luckily, he had extended warranty which paid for the repair. The extended warranty didn't cover cars over 100k miles so he got rid of the car at 95k miles.

Nissan Qashqai - Low miles (little service history) Vs Higher (fsh) (Calum38)

Calum38 — Thu, 16 May 2024 04:23:02 +0000

Considering the reliability concerns with Nissan and its DCT transmission, you might want to look at more dependable options like the Mazda CX-30 or Toyota C-HR.

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (Andrew-T)

Andrew-T — Wed, 15 May 2024 23:00:56 +0000

A lot of my problem is simply not finding a salesperson I like and trust. It makes an amazing difference to me. I'm afraid you have to get over this little difficulty. I agree that it is nice to deal with someone you 'like and trust', but you are only doing a business deal when that is not really essential. It would be quite possible to get a better deal from a less likeable person than a nice one. Just talk about the car(s) and try to ignore the personal traits of the salesman ! Unless he/she is really unpleasant of course.

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (Adampr)

Adampr — Wed, 15 May 2024 20:54:00 +0000

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (UncleBlobby)

UncleBlobby — Wed, 15 May 2024 18:47:14 +0000

They may have a point, but I dislike car salesmen (it usually is men) who want to argue with you about what they do for a living (and therefore know a lot more than you about) rather than sell what you want. A lot of my problem is simply not finding a salesperson I like and trust. It makes an amazing difference to me. I bought a Kia last time because he was the only saleperson I liked and trusted out of all the dealerships I visited. Sadly he no longer seems to work there and the only salesperson I've really been impressed with this time was a lady in Volvo, but they are sadly too pricey by a long shot. Your advice about a standalone dealership is good thanks. Hopefully they'll be less carsalesmen like in a place like that. It always amazes me they aren't better. I won't say which specific garage but Ford were the worst 10-years ago and hadn't really changed when I visited recently. They actually seemed reluctant to sell me a car, like they were doing me a favour, which is a shame as the Ford Focus Estate ticks a lot of boxes. Thanks again for the advice.

Honda Jazz Hybrid - Multiple Honda 2020 model Brake Servo failures (Marie95)

Marie95 — Wed, 15 May 2024 18:41:51 +0000

Thought people might be interested in this. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=By0__W7GWKs

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (Adampr)

Adampr — Wed, 15 May 2024 18:14:37 +0000

You have to know your stuff AND be lucky to get a good one. However, you don't need to be a mechanic; there are plenty of very simple checklists you can download if you want to give a car a thorough inspection. Autotrader and Cinch are very different animals. Autotrader allows anyone to sell anything; Cinch are selling the cars themselves. They are generally ex-fleet cars with decent history and they have a decent reputation. Ultimately, it's a car supermarket but online. Talking of car supermarkets, Motorpoint have a good reputation but all car supermarkets have perhaps been pushed out by Cinch and don't seem to have the best stock anymore. As I said before, I'd avoid them if you don't like pressure; selling you finance and warranties is how they make their money. In fairness to your Toyota dealer, they're probably right and a hybrid would be better. As I also mentioned before, try a more rural standalone dealership.

Vauxhall Grandland X - What are the facts about 'wet cam belts', Vauxhall and others? (Andrew-T)

Andrew-T — Wed, 15 May 2024 17:38:42 +0000

<< I would suggest a belt change every 50k miles. Change oil at twice the interval recommended by Stellantis (poor piston sealing on these engines means the oil becomes contaminated quickly and the contaminants attack the elastomer in the belt). >> rerepo, I'm sure you mean half the interval, not double ? :-)

Vauxhall Grandland X - What are the facts about 'wet cam belts', Vauxhall and others? (Lee Power)

Lee Power — Wed, 15 May 2024 17:02:28 +0000

I wont purchase another Stellantis group product ever again after my experience of owner a Puretech powered Peugeot for 4 years. Best thing I ever did was trade it in for a new Toyota.

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (UncleBlobby)

UncleBlobby — Wed, 15 May 2024 16:46:00 +0000

Thanks. Must admit I'd discounted Seats as my knowledge of them is Seat Leons being the favourite of boy racers, which makes me assume high insurance.

Advice on replacing my car in UK - sellers market? (UncleBlobby)

UncleBlobby — Wed, 15 May 2024 16:41:03 +0000

Thanks for all the advice. Still no progress. Thought I'd found a good option with a Kia pre-reg Ceed estate, 12 miles on the clock available from a local dealership but above our budget. However the dealers will not even come down £1 on the list price! Is this normal now? Whenever I've bought cars previously you never paid the asking price, like buying a house. Has that changed? As I said in my first post it does seem very much a sellers market now but I'm amazed they won't shift at all. They have a few very low mileage "ex demo" cars but I see on here people saying not to buy very low mileage cars as they've often done lots of short journeys. What are people's thoughts on this? The clutch went on my previous Kia went after just a few thousand miles. Took it back to the dealers and they pointed out that on page 7, paragraph 4 it states that clutches are not covered. To be fair to the dealership they did replace it for me in the end, but after lengthy discussion. Warranties often seem to exclude everything likely to realistically fail in the period they cover in the small print. As regards the likes of Autotrader/cinch and other second hand market sellers, as stated above I've had terrible luck with these in past. Reading the incredible depth of knowledge in here and the many many pitfalls for the naive buyer like myself, I realise you really have to know your stuff not to get sold a pup and its not down to luck but knowledge. I really don't know enough and the sellers can tell. I may revisit the Toyota Corolla hybrid. The Skoda Skala looked too small for our needs as a family car. The Toyota dealership put me off again as, just as they did ten years ago, they wanted to argue about why hybrids were superior rather than sell what the customers want. Motorpoint Burney is one place I'm considering. Has anyone any experience of them?

Mercedes and BMW - Alloy wheels cracking (Steveieb)

Steveieb — Wed, 15 May 2024 16:27:47 +0000

A spare wheel is becoming a necessity on these cars otherwise you are stranded unless the tyre store loans you one while the wheel gets welded

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross - N/A or 3 Cylinder Turbo? (galileo)

galileo — Wed, 15 May 2024 16:09:00 +0000

Its generally accepted in automotive engineering that, all things being equal, increasing engine Specific Output (kW output power per litre of displacement) will negatively affect durability and reliability. That is because the engine will be operating with higher pressures loads and temperatures. A small forced-induction engine is typically going to deliver 30%+ higher Specific Output than a NA equivalent. And then of course the turbo engine will have many additional components. So as a rule of thumb a bigger naturally aspirated engine is a better choice if you're concerned about long life and reliability. I worked for 36 years at a turbo manufacturer, which experimented with passenger car turbos but concluded it was a better plan to stay with the type of diesel used in trucks, buses, and industrial gen sets, where weight and packaging factors were less restricting. A significant improvement they made was to variable geometry turbocharging. Durability of truck turbo engines may not be so good as the old NA Gardner units but for power and fuel efficiency there is currently no practical alternative. (unless you believe Elon's fantasies)