Car Talk

[Mouldy]

12 minutes ago, ZimbiIV said:

Griff, is an easy job.

Just sign your life away to the nearest dealer and they will tell you how much you still owe them.

paul

Prestige brand and prestige prices!  Should be spelt Ow-di.  Could be worse - could have a BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . oh, forgot, he has! 

[grendel]

you need a volvo griff, pull one pin, remove headlight 10 seconds- now changing the marker light bulb- thats buried about 6" inside the headlight unit and takes about 30 minutes.

[floydraser]

On 05/03/2024 at 11:20, FairTmiddlin said:

" Just remember son, everyone else on the road is an idiot just treat them that way"

Good advice but unfortunately too many people use that as an excuse to hate everyone else on the road. "My journey is far more important than yours so get out of my way". I've often been a passenger in a car and had to listen to the driver's constant insulting of other drivers.

Millions of us drive cars, it's not clever.

[FairTmiddlin]

15 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

That was awkward.

MrsG's Q5 offside front headlamp has somehow got condensation and large water droplets in it.

 

Not a video but explained here

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q5-sq5-mki-8r-discussion-129/diy-headlights-removal-2863279/

[annv]

Hi Griff A Haynes manual download will give you the info. John

[oldgregg]

20 hours ago, Mouldy said:

Prestige brand and prestige prices!  Should be spelt Ow-di.  Could be worse - could have a BMW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . oh, forgot, he has! 

I think he's got one with the M54 though.... That and the N52 are pretty solid.

It's the later turbocharged stuff with direct injection that is troublesome.

I'm currently trying to work out which Z4 to buy. It's a bit of a minefield, but generally DI and turbo(s) = trouble - NA and port injection = reliable.

[MargeandParge]

A bus pass will get you where any decent cars are banned. 

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[BroadAmbition]

I think he's got one with the M54 though.... That and the N52 are pretty solid.

This un

Griff

 

[BrundallNavy]

2 hours ago, oldgregg said:

I think he's got one with the M54 though.... That and the N52 are pretty solid.

It's the later turbocharged stuff with direct injection that is troublesome.

I'm currently trying to work out which Z4 to buy. It's a bit of a minefield, but generally DI and turbo(s) = trouble - NA and port injection = reliable.

You can buy mine only 24000 miles. Trouble is I will have to prize the keys out of H’s hands first. 

[BroadAmbition]

Not a video but explained here

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q5-sq5-mki-8r-discussion-129/diy-headlights-removal-2863279/

 

FairTmiddlin - Tks for the link, however that is for a 2012 model, I've been searching for the 2018 model - Can't find owt as of yet

Griff

[oldgregg]

17 hours ago, BrundallNavy said:

You can buy mine only 24000 miles. Trouble is I will have to prize the keys out of H’s hands first. 

It's surprising how many low-mileage examples there are out there, even in the first gen. They do seem to be a car that people keep a long time and cherish.

I'm guessing you went for a pre-LCI with the N52? I test drove an LCI (I think it was a 2013 car) 20i at Inchcape and it was a lovely car in many ways, but without the six pot it didn't really 'feel' like a BMW roadster. I think the 23i and 30i are probably the ones to go for.

24,000 is properly good though! If you do ever think about selling, I could be interested.

[BrundallNavy]

It’s a 2011 s23i with the folding tin top

38 minutes ago, oldgregg said:

It's surprising how many low-mileage examples there are out there, even in the first gen. They do seem to be a car that people keep a long time and cherish.

I'm guessing you went for a pre-LCI with the N52? I test drove an LCI (I think it was a 2013 car) 20i at Inchcape and it was a lovely car in many ways, but without the six pot it didn't really 'feel' like a BMW roadster. I think the 23i and 30i are probably the ones to go for.

24,000 is properly good though! If you do ever think about selling, I could be interested.

It’s a 2011 s23i with the folding tin top. It was part of a private collection and I am the 3rd owner. Being 6ft tall I would like an extra couple of inches in the seat travel but as I don’t get to drive it very often it’s not an issue 

[oldgregg]

I think that's the sweet spot. The post-2011 cars have more power but way more problems.

I'm 6'2" with fairly long legs so a lot of cars don't fit me properly.... Z4's are better than most, though.

[BrundallNavy]

It even came with the optional manicure set. 

[floydraser]

Hasting Direct - unbelievable! Last year £195, renewal £288,  Esure £248. I thought I would give them a chance to match it. "Our response time is currently over 30 minutes". There is no way to cancel the auto renewal other than to ring so I took the Esure policy.

Hastings were right, it took them 33 minutes to connect. When I told him I had already paid for the new policy he told me I had 14 days to cancel so that was his justification for trying to quote me again! He said, "It'll only take around 5 minutes". I told him I understand he is only doing his job but I don't want to be on the phone for ages and before he asks, I don't want my house insuring either. He got the message and it ended pleasantly. But it doesn't give me confidence in them to handle a claim. He was English and easy to understand though.

[BrundallNavy]

Hele was with Hastings when her car war written of. See got an email to say the claim had been settled and the money paid to her account no option of whether to accept the offer or not they just stated the claim is closed. The offer was around 2k under its value like for like replacement I wouldn’t mind but it wasn’t even her fault. They are now off our Christmas card list. 

[dom]

On 04/04/2024 at 16:43, floydraser said:

But it doesn't give me confidence in them to handle a claim.

I suspect dealing with a claim is hellish with everyone these days. A few years back, I was sat in a traffic queue behind a lorry turning right. As the lorry pulled off the road, I pulled away and carried on driving, but an idiot in a Range Rover had overtaken both the queue and the turning lorry. He then tried to merge back into moving traffic by driving over the front of my car. It was one of the scariest experiences I've ever had and I literally saw the underside of his car as it drove up my front wing.

I was insured with the AA, am a gold AA member which gives you accident management benefits and the other driver admitted immediately that he was impatient from getting held up in traffic and it was a stupid move on his part. Despite all of that, I had to argue at length every step of the way. At one point, they insisted I hand back a loan car whilst I was at work 25 miles from home, then had to arrange another one for me so I could get home. When I pointed out that it was stupid to collect the first one, as I still needed transport, they threatened to report the car stolen if I didn't hand it over.

To make things worse, they also insisted I use their approved bodyshop. The work done was appalling - the first time I went to check the oil, the bonnet was stuck shut (distorted catch not replaced). Rear elecric windows didn't work (not reconnected), half the interior trim rattled or fell off and I replaced about 20 exterior trim clips around the arch liners which they'd broken and just not bothered replacing.

I suspect I probably called either the AA or the body shop at least 20 times, each typically taking an hour. Unfortunately, I think even if you opt for "premium" companies these days, standards are just woeful everywhere.

[CambridgeCabby]

When my car got stolen in 2021 , Tesco insurance were excellent , 12 weeks after my loss they paid me market price (£34,500) no quibbles 

[grendel]

one of my cars was written off as structural damage not repairable category D, even the DVLA centre said it should never have been category D, the damage was a dented bonnet, broken numberplate and broken grill incurred in a less than 5mph accident when a post office van pulled out from behind a bus while I was busy passing it in the other direction, I only had about 5 feet of warning when he appeared. (the bus had been turning right from a side turning and was still part in my lane so I had slowed right down- the post office van wanted to make the right turn, even though he couldnt see past the back of the bus)

sothe insurance garage quoted me in excess of £2000 to repair, I bought the car back from them, went on ebay and found a new bonnet and grill for £40, and just a few miles from me- even in the correct colour, that and £15 for a new number plate and a £60 test at the DVLA centre to get a category d back on the road (basically they looked at it- looked at the photos of the damage, asked what work I had done and then issued me with the documents (with the comment noted above. )

All insurance companies are interested in nowadays is scrapping cars even with minor damage. and paying out as little as possible

[oldgregg]

18 hours ago, grendel said:

All insurance companies are interested in nowadays is scrapping cars even with minor damage. and paying out as little as possible

Unfortunately, having worked in the industry, I don't think you're too far from the truth.

I get that the repair prices are high because insurers need to use approved repairers who meet a certain standard, and for the work to have a warranty etc.

They also aren't allowed to compromise on repairs, again for example if a door was heavily damaged but there was nothing else apart from some very minor marking where the door had brushed against the closure then you or I would just replace the door and ignore those tiny scuffs. Insurer-approved repairers aren't allowed to do that and so a perfectly good car would be written off.

The example I have cited happened to Mrs OG when she was hit by a third party and we settled for pretty much market value plus the car back as an unrecorded write-off. I found a replacement door for less than £100 and never did spot the marks that the car apparently had. There's something very wrong with the insurance industry.

[MargeandParge]

Could have gone to spec savers and spent the excess there.

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[Mouldy]

5 hours ago, oldgregg said:

Unfortunately, having worked in the industry, I don't think you're too far from the truth.

I get that the repair prices are high because insurers need to use approved repairers who meet a certain standard, and for the work to have a warranty etc.

They also aren't allowed to compromise on repairs . . . .

If only that were the case.  In 2007 I had a Subaru Legacy 3 litre and was involved in an accident which necessitated replacement of the n/s/f strut amongst other components.  The car was sent to the local approved repairers and when it was returned, I noticed a knocking from the near side front area when on full lock in either direction.

The car was returned to them for checking and it was pronounced to be all okay.  Not satisfied, I booked it into the nearest Subaru dealer who stripped the n/s/f suspension and found that the strut had been replaced the wrong way round.

They gave me a written report, which I sent to the insurers who reimbursed the cost of the inspection by Subaru.

From a customer’s perspective, one would hope that an ‘approved’ repairer was at least competent and able to repair a vehicle to the correct standard.

[oldgregg]

Oh I didn't say they were any good.... Those approved repairers are often pretty terrible.

It's more the case of they have to replace everything which is damaged rather than skip stuff which you or I would think is okay to leave. It's more about 'well, the insurer is paying' than actually doing a good job.

But of course a 'specialist generalist' repairer is never going to have the knowledge of a brand specialist.

It's all really broken.