December 2019
I bought an ex demo 2014 Kuga auto from Ford dealer in April 2015. Since then it has been fully serviced by the same Ford main dealer. It has now covered just under 33,000 miles from new. I had to get the vehicle recovered last week and have been advised that all the gearbox mounting bolts are missing or sheared and the gearbox and transfer box have separated and been damaged and need to be replaced at a cost of over £5k
I have approached both the dealer and Ford UK and neither are willing to pay anything towards the repair. Vehicle is no longer under any warranty... Read more
For the past couple of days I have noticed smoke whenever I start my engine. This does not happen if I stop and start the engine straight after it getting warmed. But if I let it cool for any longer than about. 5 minutes then I get another puff of smoke. Is this normal?
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Best to see if you can flog it before it gets any more expensive. Minis don't age well, even with a comparatvely low mileage.
I refer to the site that has had some associations and/or similarities with this one in the past. It hasn't had any activity for a few days and looking back over time doesn't seem to be more than a handful of regulars keeping it going. Presumably whoever owns he site must be happy with such limited comings and goings.
One or two of them started up a breakaway forum acouple of years ago - called something like Grumpy old f***s Village Pub ... but that didn't seem to thrive and it seemed as though the members of that one crept back from whence they came.... Read more
Obituary for him here:https://www.africa-confidential.com/article/id/12525/John_Howe%2C_1938-2018
Thanks Bromp. My mental image of him is actually very similar to the real life images.
Opinions please. Looking to buy a car from 2019, probably petrol and manual. Also looking to purchase and not get through PCP.
Have ~15k budget and a part ex of around 4k.... Read more
Ha, good question. Because I've had other cars in the past and have got to the stage where I can afford one. Also would like to see for myself what the fuss is about and if they're worth the extra. It's not forever so if I don't get on with premium brand can always chop it in in a few years time.
Why not just try some out first to see what they are like - no need to buy one first. Try it, see if it suits and if it's worth the extra cost to you.
The Zs was in for the second service and I wa given a new HS to go and play with for a few hours, thoroughly enjoyed it too!
Salesmans offer for the ZS left me silent.... Read more
I think that some of the motoring press have expressed the opinion that the ZS has some styling cues from other more mainstream cars.
Yeah i can see that, the ZS is not a distinctive or innovative design by any stretch of the imagination. But what i am struggling with is the notion that the Mazda CX3 (which does have a very distinctive look about it, both in detail and the proportions) looks anything like the ZS. I just can't see any resemblence at all, am i alone in this?....
A couple of months ago I was sent a letter with intention to prosecute for a speeding offence. It was my first offence. The letter said I must respond in 28 days, however, I rang the constabulary (Norfolk) and they were told if I didn't respond in the first 28 days id be sent another automatic Letter giving me an extra 28 days to respond, so I stupidly, didn't respond and didn't open the letter I received because I assumed it was another reminder. However it was a court referral notification. I opened it intending to reply and pay the fixed penalty but now it looks like I'm going to court.
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I am glad it got sorted out.
I went to see a 420d Convertible and noticed a water sound sloshing around just as I parked up the car after the test drive yet still agreed to buy the car as I didn't know what it was. Now on searching google for a while it seems water ingress is a problem with BMWs.They retain water somewhere.
I don't know how long that water has been inside the frame or wherever it is and what scope there is for it have created some corrosion.... Read more
"I'm taking a chance, I know that and In truth I don't feel great about it...."
Well you should! Buying a car is one of the most expensive purchases people make, and feeling good about it should be part of the process, particularly if it's something like a BMW and not just a means of getting from A to B....
Given that HJ regularly rattles on about - err, sorry I mean makes well balanced and informative comments on - Michelin CrossClimates, I thought I'd get a set of all Goodyear 4Seasons Gen2 weather tyres ready for winter. Almost the same as CrossClimates, but quite a bit cheaper. They replaced a set of Goodyear EfficientGrips supplied as standard on a VW Polo. After 40,000 miles the front and rear treads were 2.5mm and 4mm respectively. Not bad, not bad at all. The ride and noise were okay, but I always felt they could be better. No issues about grip, but I do drive in a relaxed manner.
I wanted a quieter smoother ride and better grip in wet and cold conditions. Thus far, after a couple of commutes I'm pleased with the 4Seasons. They do subjectively seem to give a significantly quieter ride in the wet and dry, and they seem smooth. Handling is fine. And I know from tests that they do significantly outperform normal tyres in cold, wet and snowy conditions. ... Read more
The mpg is back up to what I would expect. The last 4 fills were 53, 59, 61.5 and 62.5. The onboard computer was giving absurdly low mpg values for my 25 mile commute after the service. I can only assume that they did something to the engine that affected mpg, and perhaps the fuel flow was gradually optimised during the journeys.
So, overall I am very happy with these tyres. Fuel economy is as expected from the car, and the steering is noticeably more positive. Plus I get better grip in wet and snow.
Please look at the hidden costs involved in owning an electric car before you buy. I bought a Citroen C Zero in 2013 which has been serviced and maintained with Citroen from new and all has been good until this week. The convertor unit has gone at 65,000. It will cost £3,080 to replace (with 10% discount). The car will no longer charge because of this. Citroen dealt with the problem like we were discussing a washing machine. Thought the vehicle too old and high mileage to warrant a good will gesture. Too old at 6 years surely being electric the vehicle should last longer than a diesel or petrol car. Our last car was a diesel and we had this for 14 years and did over 150,000 miles in it and the engine was still fine when we got rid of it. On enquiring how much it would cost to replace the battery it would cost £5,000 , So are we heading for big environmental problems in the future when all these electric vehicles have expensive failures and have to be scrapped. ... Read more
These people remanufacture batteries:
Good afternoon guys and gals. I'm new here to the forum (although I've used Honest John lots of times before) and just have a little question.
I'm young and have had my license for the past 5 years. I've been sharing a car with my mum for the past 2 (a 2009 Micra) but I've never owned a car myself yet, mainly because of insurance costs etc but I think now's the time to make the move, especially as I'm moving to another town.... Read more
We had a 1996 Polo which we sold on a couple of years ago. It was running perfectly with no rust issues. All the problems were minor irritating ones.
Door and sunroof seals, freezing locks, dodgy electric windows. As far as I know it's still on the road,although it did need some rust repair at the last MOT....
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Hi,
I would like to offer my experience with the Ford Kuga, our car is a 2015 model turbo diesel, and has (or had) a similar issue to what you have, although not as advanced in damage as you have. A couple of weeks ago my wife complained about a rattle that was resonating at idle and would disappear when driving. Just discovered tonight when I finally had a chance to take a look at it, and the transfer case was missing a bolt, and the other bolts were only finger tight. I also found that the mount that supports the front CV shaft (also connected to the transfer case also had a bolt missing and other loose bolts. No other damage was evident, and have replaced the missing bolts and will keep an eye on them in the future. I do wonder if that this issue is common and could have been a torque setting from Ford that was incorrect, or some type of loctite needed to be applied, as the vibration of the diesel engine would not be nice....