Might be time to change the car blues

[MM57Participant @mm57]

Which begs the question of why do manufacturers produce these vehicles when they can't be used to their full potential? Is it a case of just because they can?

Perhaps, and 10/10 for doing so e.g.

345bhp, AWD, stuffed full of computers and sensors, 0-60 in 4.7s, max 165mph, all as standard out of the factory. And specifically not approved to tow anything (or being towed) . Not bad for a 5-door Ford Focus…

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Posted by Peter G. Shaw on 21/06/2016 14:55:51:

John,

. Which begs the question of why do manufacturers produce these vehicles when they can't be used to their full potential? Is it a case of just because they can?

Its not always top speed that the power and torque is usefull for but acceleration too, just what you need when overtaking caravans on B roads

[VicParticipant @vic]

According to ladbrokes it's 76% remain.

**LINK**

If that's the case I expect Merkel will have it written into EU law that all cars over 10 years old must be crushed.

How else is Germany expected to sell their rubbish to us if lots of old gimmers keep their cars longer?!

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

I don't think I have ever needed 4 wheel drive engaged because there was a caravan on the back. I have used them in places where they are needed. One was in Devon. They had covered an area with deep coarse gravel for some reason. It didn't say no parking so I couldn't resist it. A local person saw me and chatted for a while. He sort of pointedly said that they must keep people of it. Some months later they had put a barrier up in front of it. It still took care to get on and off with 4 wheel drive engaged. As I mentioned I wouldn't buy permanently active 4 wheel drive. From what I could gather from people who worked at Rover they couldn't sort out the option to select 4 wheel drive when needed and otherwise just use 2. There were several other things about the early Japanese 4×4 they couldn't match as well. One odd one was positive pressure cabin ventilation to prevent sand and dust etc getting in there. Desert use etc.

Toyota for long life and reliability was very definitely and very good option in that past. I'm not sure how much Fordism* and otherisms has rubbed off on them but I do know that all parts fitted must meet their specs who ever or where ever they are made. Plus and I assume this is still true any replacement parts fitted will be exactly the same as the original ones how ever old the car is.

I did have snaking once. I later found that acceleration was the best way to get out of it. Braking was frightening once it started. I was using an anti snake bar that came with our first caravan. This was on the Shogun with the 2nd van we bought. Our first was owned by a builder that towed with a Nisan pickup. Since this happened I have used the type that have friction pads in the hitch. It seems there is an electronic one now that I have heard discussed before they appeared. Personally I think I will stick with the friction pads – if I ever manage to get my wife out in the van again. The current one is pretty light but as mentioned hasn't been out for 6 years now. Sad really as it's my favourite way to take a holiday.

We have a small microwave we take with us but to be honest we eat out more often than in and it's hardly been used. Just seemed like a good idea for ready meals and spends it's time under the bed and I'm not sure if it's every been used. The frying pad for an egg and bacon breakfast has seen lots of use.

I vaguely remember that the Japanese did a car that was geared for a max speed of 80mph or there abouts. It was very quick and didn't sell well. The problem is that revs means more friction = worse fuel consumption. Hills can need lower gears and high revs plus certain power levels. So to get a balanced result cars will generally easily exceed 70mph. Diesels usually have a more restricted rpm range and produce a lot more torque at lower speeds. More gears are a good idea due to the restricted rev range – take an artic it's likely to have a high and low range and a crawler setting. It's been a while now but I'm pretty sure i have been in some that had 6 gears in the two ranges. With modest loads I do know that 3 high is fine from a pull away. Something for people to think about when they cause one to slow down. Poor old driver can have a lot of gears to go through. The only way they have restricted these to 56mph is by fitting limiters. It's a legal requirement now and has been for some time.

*Not sure I should have used the word Fordism really as it's pretty clear that many of their cars can achieve very high mileages but like others may need bits replacing at times. The motor industry has always been look after the pennies and charge heavily for spares. It's how they make their profits. Oddly they don't make as much as people might think on new cars. Often lots on servicing. Dealers are often driven by bonuses for selling x number of cars in a month. The people who make the bits for them don't either when they sell to the manufacturer. Take one of my very early jobs. Involved in a production line for Ford Transit batteries. It would take a very long time for sales to Ford to pay for the cost of the line. The profits come from replacements.

John

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[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

 

Many years ago my fathers new triumph 2000 broke down towing acaravan to scotland. We had to dump the caravan, get the car home & collect my bedford midi to finish the trip. It was a revelation.

So much so that every year after that he purchased a new midi which he used exclusively for caravaning. ( he had windows, seats , carpets,sound deadening fitted). At the end of the year he passed it to the business for company use so he always had a new one first

Being low geared, petrol, not diesel, 22 cwt and the same width as the caravan it had good gearing, did not float due to the carrying capacity, did not snake. Plus my mother could load it up with as much junk as she liked & still had room for grandkids, bikes, picnic gear etc

Because it was a "company"van he still had his car for normal use

 

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 21/06/2016 18:46:16

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Does it matter what car you have? Surely the most important thing is what bike to have?

Mike

[Ray LyonsParticipant @raylyons29267]

I guess that like many people of my age, I have had many cars but about 4 years ago, I bought a Hyundai i40 estate. What a great car but unfortunately, very low and then my wife hurt her back which made it difficult for access, especially when parking alongside a pavement. We had to replace my wife's car so she could continue to drive but because my car is used mainly for long trips it became a problem. Very reluctantly the Hyundai was exchanged for a KIA Sportage which I have found ok but not anywhere near as good. I now also need a vehicle with good access due to knee problems so the Sportage suits nicely.. That was until I saw a Hyundai Tucson of a similar spec to the i40 so I decided to look around next weekend and before doing so, booked an annual service so that I could present a fully up to date service record. When parking at the garage, I turned into the car park too sharply resulting in a badly dented passanger door which is going to cost upwards of £1000 to repair. I don't really believe in luck but it seems that the Sportage will be in my garage for some time to come.

Funny, thinking about it, when buying a major piece of equipment for the workshop, in my own mind I debate the hell out of it before deciding whether to buy but when a shiny lump of metal passes in the street, the decision is almost instant.,

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

I looked at what Hyundai had to offer over the weekend. I mentioned the name to the Subaru people before going there on the way back home. I was told not to swear.

The Tucson looks nice etc but the boot isn't as dog friendly as I need. I mentioned that I had looked at the Sportage and they said it was based on the same chassis as the Tucsan. The newer Sportage hasn't been out long either. Nice thing about the dealer though. I explained what I usually buy and was then told what I needed to know in about 15mins. A record. The worst was Peugeot dealer. An hour and a half even though I made it pretty clear that I was very unlikely to buy what they offered. They also HPI'd my car and stuck the incorrect mileage in. Suburu took just over an hour but most of that was sorting details out. Another one of those gave me a test drive and then arranged an appointment for when their manager was around. I appreciate this sort of thing as the salesman is clearly listening to me. I did wonder about a Yeti. Spent 1/2 hr in a showroom and nobody even asked me what I was interested in so I just walked out. Seems I'm supposed to wait until some one can be bothered to deal with me. Another Peugoet dealer with an absolute sea of cars hadn't got the model I wanted to look at in the showroom. Took me to a well used one outside and promptly went off to print out the details on it. Didn't even know if I wanted new, used or what but I did mention what I usually buy. The Kia section of that dealers site was worse still. Difficult to get any details about the Sportarge at all out of him.

Bikes – I took a direct access course when I was 50. Ran a rather weird designer bike for a few months and then bought a 1200cc bandit and ran it for some time. At some point though it's best to realise that we don't bounce very well as we get older and there are plenty of people about who would seem to like us to find that out – those car drivers that don't always see bikes. I had the same collar bone smashed by 2 of those when I was in my 20's.

John

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[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Michael Poole on 21/06/2016 21:59:32:

Does it matter what car you have? Surely the most important thing is what bike to have?

Mike

Ah, now we are talking sense. Bike singular? What's that all about? There is a reason sheds are made bigger than one motorbike space y'know.

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

The first bike I bought just after passing my test was this one

Colours were drab though. I liked riding it but when parked up people kept asking me about it which was a nuisance at times. Eventually I wanted more power. Rode all sorts and then tried a Susuki 1200cc Bandit.Seriously quick up to about 80 or so. Not much about as quick actually. Comfortable for that style of bike too. No silly seating positions etc.

There is a bit about the Aprilla here. Odd as it might seem it was rather nice to ride. Not just me that thought that as well. The person that came up with it is an unusual designer. He's done all sorts.

**LINK**

John

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[Ray LyonsParticipant @raylyons29267]

John, thanks for the info on the TUCSON I was looking at the specification which is very similar to the i40. It was the quietest diesel I have ever driven and returned 60 + MPG with only £30 tax.They make a TUCSON model with similar economy.

Getting back to the main topic, transporting models. I recall as a school boy, Sunday afternoon on Putney Heath when some guys would transport their working model ships on old pram frames, then the spitting flames from the burners as they prepared to raise steam and launch. Happy Days.

Earlier this year,I spotted a Citroen Berlingo on a forecourt which impressed with large, wide doors, the rear ones sliding,giving good access to what is really a van with windows. The rear seats fold and I was told could be removed to give a large flat carrying area. This was a high spec model which had lots of extras with bags of storage which I think would appeal to anyone transporting a model loco.

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

I was just repeating what I was told on the Tucson Ray. From what I could gather the Sportage gained a bit of length when the new model was introduced which was pretty recently just like the Tucsan.

There has been some complications on the way to the replacement.

Some years ago I bought a private plate. A silly one. Trouble is that once done I'm inclined to keep it and in the past have had it on car when I pick the replacement up. Seems it can't be done like that now thanks to local DVLA offices being closed. They don't allow any periods of grace for the change so have to put it on retention when I pick the replacement up. Then arrange transfer to the replacement car. Can't change the plates over until the new paper work arrives.

So tell the insurance company about the change then soon after tell them about the number plate change. Seems this can be 4 to 12 days later. Not sure if there are added complications on taxing the car. Generally the seller has done that on their own insurance for me. I suspect they may not be able to now. One told me once that they allowed him to do this because they knew he was an established car dealer.

Payment proved interesting. Can't use a building society cheque. They had some one stop one as soon as they had the car. The easiest answer seems to be to pay them into a current account and then pay by debit card. However if short of time watch some one behind the counter count out a lot of money. Plenty of other people can probably watch this as well. Take the cash to the bank and pay it into the current account.

John

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[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Pay the cash across to a credit card and then use it to buy the car, then you get extra buyer protection free!

Neil

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 24/06/2016 13:27:34:

Pay the cash across to a credit card and then use it to buy the car, then you get extra buyer protection free!

.

… and lots of Tesco 'points', if that's your chosen provider.

MichaelG.

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

No Neil if I did that I would find that the dealer would want circa 2% more for the car. I did pay for one that way once. I have a daft limit left over from times long since gone.

It's easier to transfer to a current account.

John

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[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

I'd been told by a dealer that road tax will change significantly next year. Apart from the first year and more expensive cars what they said seems to be correct. A flat rate of £140 or 0 if a zero emission car. Details are here

**LINK**

I expect fuel prices to rise as well.

John

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[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

It looks like I have bought permanent 4 wheel drive by choosing a diesel manual Forester. On that basis the consumption figures are surprising. I should be picking it up in the next few days.

Next thing is do I take out GAP insurance. I had never heard of it before I bought the x-type. The dealers offered it and I looked at prices at home and they were a lot less so took it out. It's the sort of thing that can be needed if n tonnes of artic runs into the back. Insurance companies depreciate cars very quickly and it can be tough to obtain a decent settlement. I'd expect that any GAP insurer would be very keen to sort that out.

John

–

Edited By Ajohnw on 29/06/2016 20:03:01

[Michael HornerParticipant @michaelhorner54327]

Posted by Ajohnw on 29/06/2016 20:02:05:

It looks like I have bought permanent 4 wheel drive by choosing a diesel manual Forester. On that basis the consumption figures are surprising. I should be picking it up in the next few days.

Next thing is do I take out GAP insurance. I had never heard of it before I bought the x-type. The dealers offered it and I looked at prices at home and they were a lot less so took it out. It's the sort of thing that can be needed if n tonnes of artic runs into the back. Insurance companies depreciate cars very quickly and it can be tough to obtain a decent settlement. I'd expect that any GAP insurer would be very keen to sort that out.

John

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Edited By Ajohnw on 29/06/2016 20:03:01

Hi John

Take it out! In years gone by I would never have bothered.

Last month my wife's car was written off, not her fault. A transit van hit her on the passenger side, glad there were no passengers. Pushed her over a central kerb into on coming traffic! She needs a car for work and the payment ment she could get another car of similar / better spec quickly.

It was just before our holiday. It looked like I was a wife beater. Cheers Michael.

[Dave DanielsParticipant @davedaniels93256]

Posted by Ajohnw on 29/06/2016 20:02:05:

It looks like I have bought permanent 4 wheel drive by choosing a diesel manual Forester. On that basis the consumption figures are surprising. I should be picking it up in the next few days.

Next thing is do I take out GAP insurance. I had never heard of it before I bought the x-type. The dealers offered it and I looked at prices at home and they were a lot less so took it out. It's the sort of thing that can be needed if n tonnes of artic runs into the back. Insurance companies depreciate cars very quickly and it can be tough to obtain a decent settlement. I'd expect that any GAP insurer would be very keen to sort that out.

John

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Edited By Ajohnw on 29/06/2016 20:03:01

I have 2.0D XC , from new on a 15 plate. Just done about 6k now.

I have arthritis of the spine and I find it very good indeed to drive.

Don't do too many short runs, my MPG is 49.3 at the moment.

Working out the miles and diesel put in the car computer wotsit seems to be accurate to pessimistic. I think it does 52.1 ?

 

Faultless on delivery and still is.

 

Dave

Edited By Dave Daniels on 29/06/2016 21:05:41

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

I've just checked out autotrader's gap. Looks pretty good and the prices are reasonable. That's the one I bought last time. Under 1/2 the price of the one the dealers offered. There doesn't seem to be any catches in the policy other than the notification period if "things" happen. 120 days but that seems to be the norm. As usual they only rule out theft if the car is left unlocked / keys in it.

I have to add no guarantees given or implied to that but the policy is relatively straight forwards.

John

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[Steve WithnellParticipant @stevewithnell34426]

Posted by Ajohnw on 18/06/2016 13:52:20:

My car is 6 years old so might be time to change or just carry on running it, 46,000 miles so should be able to get another 3 years out of it easily. The only major thing that may crop up in circa another 40,000 is brake discs. Clutch just done. I'm more likely to do circa 20 odd k over the next 3 years.

Clutch needed replacing at 46K? I'm not lending you my car!

Steve

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

Clutch went at just over 44K. The clutch on the 2L Ford diesels were reckoned to last circa 80k if you are lucky but that was some years ago. Since then the engine power has gone up – and even further as the X-Type is the 2.2L. I also have a suspicion that as it's a Jaguar they let the torque out a bit more quickly than they do on the Mondeo's. It started slipping as soon as the engine warmed up but was fine before that. It would even slip in 6th gear at motor way speeds.

Having said that though one of the houses my son stopped in when he was at uni had an extremely steep drive. When I reversed up it I could smell the that the clutch plate was burning. The car had done around 30K when that happened.

On thing that was better than GM though on the SAAB I had before this was that the dual mass rubbish started juddering at around 25K. It seems that this wasn't that unusual and they replaced it FOC.

Oh for the days when diesels were an entirely different engine and always had a bigger clutch than the petrol engines.

Part of my reason for changing Dave is my wife but I'm getting older too. Since telling them to find me one I have wondered if i should have had petrol but I don't generally do short trips and drive fairly firmly most of the time so hopefully the particulate filter wont cause me grief. The mpg they claim for the auto petrol is pretty good but I often go to Wales and it would up the costs of that. They use a rather unusual auto set up. A variable speed pulley arrangement and it seems that helps. I did drive one. The kick down is spectacular and I'd guess that it would really wreck the consumption figures if used much. They also do the Forester with the engine they are famous for. Fuel wise that wasn't to bad in the Wrx type cars.

I've been wondering what Suburu Jason drives?

John

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Edited By Ajohnw on 30/06/2016 00:50:59

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Imprezes since 1997, got a ltd edition one at the moment with PPP (Prodrive performance pack) aluminium panels in place of steel and a few other bits, so STi performance without the gimics you only use in the first few weeks of ownership or at track days. My Dad has has a couple of Legacys too.

Did not think any of the Forseters came with a 2wd option, all have AWD as standard and put the drive to all 4 wheels. All have the boxer engine they are famous for, just depends what it's pumping out, you need about 600bhp to set the Isle of Man TT record and 850bhp to win the Goodwood hillclimb, all out of the same boxer engine

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

I'm not sure what's going on with their 4 wheel drive Jason. It seems the auto is different. The manual seems to be a 50-50 split. Other makers have next to none going to the back end and I think detect slip electronically. Not sure they are vague on the subject and mention numbers like 5% at the back if there is no slip at the front.

A lot of companies are using the Haldex 4 wheel drive unit. VW and Audi for sure. Curiously I was eventually sold to Haldex and did see some details on it. Oil and filter changes every 20k. I suspect you can guess what I think about that. I also came across a comment on the web – some one being told on a 4×4 that they needed a new one at 60K. Maybe things have changed. No idea the work was done in Sweden and the info more or less predates it's introduction by a few months.

Years ago a smaller garage mechanic told me that these days it wasn't a bad idea to change gearbox oil around the 30k mark on all cars. I'd drained mine by mistake so he wasn't aiming to do the work. When I towed a caravan I used to change the engine oil after any lengthy trips and got me drain plugs mixed up. There is a problem doing it though – they don't always use the filler hole to set the level any more. It's often lower. There can be seal and pressure build up problems if they are over filled.

I had the high powered Impreza model before the Wrx Jason. Wonderful car. It was the hatchback too so didn't attract much attention for a long time – then the break into houses to get the keys fad started in B'ham and I had some strange people knocking on the door. I just described one of them to the police and it stopped but not long after as I needed more space bought a Passat with the Audi V6 engine in it. The dam things are unstable at 100mph. So much for German engineering. Then came the message from the Gov – no more 90mph on motorways so little point really. It was just about ok at that. I also tried a poor mans M3 for a while. The standard car with the 3L engine. Handling was odd. Loved to follow any blemish in the road. Talking to a dealer later he said change the tyres to so and so and that stops but it does something else unfortunate instead. When I had the Impreza the recovery people were calling BMW's aqua vacs. Drive through a couple of inches of water and the engine blew up due to it sucking the stuff up. They had recovered loads of them, taken them to a dealer and then deposited them on the owners drive not long after – no warrantee claims accepted.

I swapped the BMW for a Lotus Elan and used that for daily travel. It's still around VOR and as I had to move it recently and sat in it I suspect it might be back on the road this year or on it's way to that. I've had 2 Lotus over the years. The first one was Loads Of Trouble Usually Serious but this one was ok used daily for work and popping about etc. Another make which is a pretty unique driving experience. I do fit in the earlier cars as Chapman was over 6ft tall.

John

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[MWParticipant @mw27036]

I'm no driver but the costs and paperwork involved in cars have put me way off driving speaking as a young man, i just could not afford it even if i had a really good job for someone my age.

The way i see it, (government rant incoming) This country is going to keep on filling up and putting more and more vehicles on the road, ignoring decades of warnings over managing a peak population. Theres only so much room and resources you can efficiently extract out of one place in time. It isn't opinionated or N.I.M.B.Y.ism it's just logical sense! You can't support an ever increasing population of cars and people. I stand to be proven wrong but i think once we get over the 100 million mark it might be "the straw that breaks the camels back." 

Michael W

Edited By Michael Walters on 30/06/2016 11:50:15

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