February 2005
Hi all,
I am going to shortly be buying a nearly new car from Motorpoint (waiting for loan payment to arrive in my bank account)
As I have had nothing but bad experiences with cars in the past, and Motorpoint seems to have a pretty bad reputation, I want to do everything in my power to make sure I do get a good car that I am happy with.
Basically what I need to know is what questions I should be asking BEFORE I had over my cash, and also what rights I have if things go wrong.
Here are the questions I have thought of myself, what else should I not be missing off the list?
* Is the car UK spec?
* Has the car been serviced to manufacturer spec (for warranty)
* Has the car been used as private hire?
* Has the car been stolen/involved in an accident?
* Are there any known faults/flaws with the car?
OK now my rights... If I go to a proper Franchise, I can choose a car, pay for it and drive it off. If the car is not right, you get 30 days to exchange the car for another one. I take it this doesn't apply to Car supermarkets?
If I bought a nearly new car, drove it down the road and found a major problem with it, can I take it straight back and swap/get a refund .... as I am not likely to know about any problems until I have driven it for a while as they don't let you test drive cars.
Thanks in advance for any help
Luke Read more
I have a 2002 , 52 plate Vectra C . Rear suspension noise is driving me crazy , the car has done over the warranty mileage so have to pay myself now . While driving over speed ramps all is fine , but when driving over a bumpy road surface such as potholes etc........im getting a loud crack noise from the offside rear wheel .
I have heard that the Vectra C from 2002 had problems , what on earth is it thats causing this !!!
Rear shocks are new , and all bushes seem fine .
Help please b4 I drive it off a cliff . Read more
Damned car this is driving me nuts now , I have replaced both rear shocks and the noise (creak crack ) is still there . Apparently now I need a top stabiliser arm . I noticed that the out bushes move around when new , why on earth do they move as I thought bushed where supposed to be solid .
A simple question with probably a complicated (and differing) answer.
When i say new car i do really mean new to me. I am not ruling out brand new, but why pay new prices when you can get a further 20-40% off on a year old car?
I am also looking for a LHD as i live in Spain, where the dealers won't do you a deal & used car prices are huge for one who is used to the UK second hand car market.
Cheers all.
Read more
Twelve years since this thread was started and now it has risen from the dead! Is this a record?
Hi all,
Currently driving an Audi 80 TDi M reg 93000 miles on clock. I know these car can run to mega miles. Was wondering what mileages you people out there had got on their diesel cars?
Also did servicing costs rise considerable after reaching a certain mileage?
How often did you service your cars?
Any other tips on increasing the life of an engine???
Cheers Read more
Mine's still going strong at 132k. Uses about half a litre of oil between 10
000 mile changes although it's running a bit warmer than it used to in >>traffic or under hard acceleration recently. Other than that it's faultless >>mechanically and still gives me
45-50 mpg.
Funny you should say that, because my 306 has been running warmer of late in traffic or hard accelleration on a long uphill climb, especially in warm weather (not that we've had much summer!). However the radiator is past its best and leaking slightly so obviously it isn't cooling as well as it used to. But it still drives like a dream and have been getting 550-600 miles to the tank on some long runs of late.
That's why I'm somewhat reluctant to get rid of it until something major goes wrong, whereby the value of repairs matches or outweighs the value of the car.
Martin
I need to change the thermostat on an 8v 1.4 Corsa but it looks as though to remove the top belt cover, I have to take off the cam wheel to do it. I changed a thermostat on a Nova a couple of years ago and can't remember anything like this. The Haynes manual makes it sound a simple job - just remove it. I got as far as removing the cover screws through the cam wheel holes but nothing came off. Apart from a brain cell - what am I missing?
Jim Read more
Thanks very much guys - much appreciated. I changed the belt last September so it's that job all over again. Now I'm all geared up for Sunday.
Hello everyone
I recently say an aerosol cannister for the DIY market with which you can re-charge your vehicle's air conditioning
It was far away and I can't recall the make and now I can't find it anywhere.
Anyone know who makes it and who sells it?
It had a brass screw on bolt connector. Does anyone know if this is universal or we need further parts for specific cars?
I think it cost around £29.99 for a large maybe 800ml cannister
I need to recharge the air con on my 2001 Mercedes. I have a 1999 Honda shuttle that's been much busier and it still works fine - though it never was/is ice cold whereas the Merc was a freezer.
thanks for any help
Buster Read more
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Hi all,
I am changing the pads and discs on my mk3 fiesta xr2i but does anyone know an easy way on how i push the cliper piston back into it's bore to accomodate the thicker pad.
I know it shouldn't really be done like this and bleeding some fluid is better but i am following haynes.
Also I am having trouble tearing off the paper to reveal the adhesive for the outer pad, I just cannot seem to find where the adhesive/backing paper is, is there an easy way to do this also, they are motorcraft pads.
Many Thanks as always
Steveo Read more
Machine mart's website shows CHT268 Disc Brake Piston Spreader for £17.57 inc vat, it looks similar to the Draper.
Kwik-fit quoted me £56 for new pads for my Picasso, but said they are guaranteed for as long as I own the car, i.e. they will replace them for free when they wear out.
Sounds too good to be true, anyone any experience of this?
My inner cynic tells me that they will probably insist you replace your discs/exhaust/grandmother before they'' replace the pads. Do they use inferior pads which wear your discs out etc? Read more
Like all franchises, some a great, some are average, some (quite a few) are poor. The problem with trying to differentiate what is/isn't is that:
Online review sites can easily be manipualted both ways by false reviews from either employees of the business in question or by rivals, plus they are often (especially for brands for businesses that do mundane stuff) biased towards the negative end because people are far more likely to bother to put up a 1 star review than a 5 star. I find that if a business has mostly (and a lot of both) 1 and 5 star reviews, then don't bother reading them as most will be fake....
My other half's 51 reg Corsa SXI has developed a clucking noise when turning left to right, like a worn steering rack. These are Electric power steering aren't they and the EPS light goes out when it is started up. I have heard the steering might be a known issue with These, the car has just come out of warranty in November. Please can somebody give me some pointers on what it could be
Thanks
Read more
hairdresser.see my reply to cw cw on their similar problem dated 11 feb 06.Regards.Terry.s
Can anyone suggest a method of removing glue from my car's dahboard? There are several large spots on the dashboard. I know there are many solvents, but I don't want to damage the plastic dashboard. Are there any effective potions for this, please? Read more
The only agent that will soften Araldite is a product called Nitro-mors, that is used for the removal of paint and varnish, its brilliant, you may have to leave the item sunmerged in mixture overnight, but the following morning the Araldite has completely dessolved, I have just used it to seperate a metal collar from a glass tube that had been Araldited together, perfect, you should make sure the Nitro-mors will not effect the peices being unglued, glass/metal are OK sample check other materials, hope this is of interest to you and others.
TS
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Luke,
Pretty much my friends experience. She did pay and go and to be fair the car is fine, one key missing and a cigarette burn in the seat is not the end of the world.
These places are cheap but thats all they are and once the money changes hands your on your own. There no differnet to an auction house really.
If you can get the same price anywhere else then you should (and did) do so.
Also in the context of used car if anyone uses the phrase 'timewaster' I walk away. I will test the car in my own good time thank you and if you can't live with that then you are wasting MY time.
And don't get me started on 'no test drives' I once wrote to the chairman of Suzuki UK because there were NO test drives of the Hayabusa available in UK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Sales Director wrote back and said it was up to the dealer so I wrote back and enclosed a copy of the sale receipt for my Honda Blackbird and a photo of me giving him the finger. True story but never got a reply...