Hi,

I've just recently got my Abarth 124 and I'm very happy with my purchase. Always wanted one but between university and many many commitments it has never been the right time so I saved my money.

I know it's not a Skoda but it's something different :-)

Looks like it never gets about. Only noticed it today been here a year.

I just think it’s such a stupid and backwards way of selling your car to make it more appealing. acting as if all men rag their cars and as if all women are perfect drivers

Poor lady though as much as she is poor at driving, I hope the guy recording atleast knows her personally to be laughing in her face

Guy on the next street to me has this beast, absolutely huge.. never seen one in the UK before

Hi all,

Dunno if anyone else has experienced this, but I’ve recently as I move into my mid-30s and fatherhood, I’ve felt a bit of a depression that I’ll never own a car that gets my blood pumping, that is exciting to drive and look at. I don’t have the mechanical knowledge, the space or the practical and economic means for either a project or a car to merely be used as a toy. I wouldn’t be able to justify to my wife buying something premium or frivolous, when the current car I have (perfectly fine and practical, comfortable) meets our needs.

Other than renting a nice car for a short term (like a weekend), or one of those supercar experiences, is there any other sort of outlet I can explore that will placate those sorts of feelings? It doesn’t even need to be a supercar or track car, just a fun sports coupe or a sports saloon, or even just something with a premium or interesting experience/feel to it.

Thief gets into my car which (accidentally left open 😔) he has some sort of device on him. Sits in the car, checks the usual places for stuff left laying around - and dropped an airline wet wipe, he puts the hazard lights on for some reason. Key is in a faraday case, but now worried he scanned some car frequency with it being left open. Should I be worried he will come back with an ability to take the car?

A few weeks ago I wrote the worlds longest review of a Toyota Corolla.

The main criticism was that the review was too long. It appears the majority of you have the attention span of a 3 year old and anything more than “Car good. Me like” was too much.

The second issue was that owning a 4D number plate at the age of 38 was a bigger crime than Rolf Harris, Jimmy Saville and Gary Glitter combined.

I have caved in to the peer pressure and have fitted some standard plates. I hope this makes you all happy 😂

Jokes aside, they were from my last car which did suit them. When I traded my last car in I told the dealer I didn’t want the plates back as they wouldn’t look right on a boring car, but they removed them and gave me them back anyway and I ended up using them when I assigned the plate on the new car.

I hope you can all accept my sincere apologies for such a heinous crime.

Surely everyone is after a cheap, reliable and nice daily for between £1000-£15000, do we really need to keep answering the same posts over and over again? 😅

Here we go again, so I’m sitting at home bored and decided I needed to know why this thing struggles to start sometimes also the headlights were bothering me, so plugs out time and here we are oil on the plugs a lot of it gathered around the plug before pulling, pull it out oil on one plug possibly from it being gathered, rocker cover gasket anyone? Also I went through all the paper work and nothing say these things have been changed well they must have because oem is either denso/NGK these are Bosch, clean them up ( gonna get replaced like Peugeot which reminds me of my failures in the corner of my eye) then I moved to the headlights to polish and see if I can get them better not perfect but better and I dunno I can’t tell if their better, then I added something to the car which was from my pride and joy my mk1 mx5 import I owned it for 7 years and bought it back to life ( lots of money) it was a billiard ball with the number 3 and it’s a straight fit. I also took a look at the service book it’s nearly full missing 3 stamps but I got paper work to say it’s been service above the last date. Also saw a car on the road never seen one

Also looking for reverse LEDs..i regularly drive on pitch black fields and want some extra light..is Osram any good?

Sadly, this is all I have to go on!

I thought maybe a Talbot Horizon and Peugeot 104 but the rear light cluster doesn't look right.

can I borrow a car person for a minute? I need advice as I’ve just got the dreaded call from the garage and a laundry list of problems.

she’s a 2010 mazda2 and not an essential part of my job, mostly just trips/etc. I got her a year ago and we’ve done only 5k miles. already sunk a fair bit on some new tyres, rear suspension and a busted clutch slave cylinder.

the failiures are some headlight problems, 4 corroded brake pipes and some sill corrosion - it’s getting looked at again on monday to properly assess the severity of the sills, but I’ve been told to expect around £400-500 just to fix everything else, and he’ll update me on the sills on monday.

I’m just a bit overwhelmed, it feels like there are lots of options and I don’t know what the right thing to do is - if all in it’s £1k to fix then I’ll have spent near what I paid for it so far in repairs this year, and for the amount I use it that seems a bit crazy. WeBuyAnyCar website seems to value it at £700 but that’s before any talk of its problems.

I’m scared to sell it privately because I’m a small young woman who doesn’t know much about cars and I wouldn’t feel confident in that situation. I’m leaning towards fixing it because nobody in their right mind would buy it in this state, but I just feel wildly out of my depth.

I know nobody can tell me what to do, but can anybody offer any wisdom, advice, similar situations, or anything? thank you

edit: here are the results verbatim

Repair immediately (major defects):
Offside Rear Direction indicator incorrect colour (4.4.3 (a))
Nearside Headlamp lens seriously defective (4.1.1 (b) (ii))
Offside Headlamp lens seriously defective (4.1.1 (b) (ii))
Nearside Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (4.1.2 (c))
Offside Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (4.1.2 (c))
Offside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength sill (5.3.6 (a) (i))
Nearside Brake pipe excessively corroded front to rear at rear section (1.1.11 (c))
Offside Brake pipe excessively corroded front to rear at rear section (1.1.11 (c))
Nearside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))
Offside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))

Repair as soon as possible (minor defects):
Nearside Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.7.1 (b) (i))

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Offside Play in steering rack inner joint(s)

Failed MOT.

Checking to see if my garage is being truthful or fraudulent.

I don't really know much about cars, hence posting on here.

Repair immediately (major defects):
Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.3.4 (b) (ii))
Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.3.4 (b) (ii))

Car is a Hyundai i10, its done 77k miles with no MOT failures, which makes me believe its probably time things begin to deteriorate.

I'll get the repairs done as I don't have any equipment, space or experience to fix it myself.

MOT + retest, parts and labour included: £200

+ 2 new tyres from advisories

£317 total all included.

Sorry if the video is not any good, I don't know exactly what I'm supposed to be looking at.

I understand that the anti-roll bar link is the thin bar, but I cant see a dust cover for it, I can see some sort of rubber membrane cover for the wider bar, its dark in the video (maybe it was cleaned from dust/dirt to be inspected?) IDK.

Any help appreciated. Thank you so much.

Recently bought a 2001 Ford Fiesta as a bit of a project or to learn a bit about spannering - not much of a background in it, so lots to learn. £750 Fiesta on marketplace, 1.3, 22000 miles (genuine!), interior is immaculate, but some bodywork issues (score on rear passenger side, some welding on a sill and wheel arch potentially). Original plan was to track it - engine swap, cage, brakes, exhaust, suspension parts etc with a lot of help from friends, but now I’ve sat in it, I’m not sure if I want to rip it all apart! Any advice would be great please!!

I'm looking to do a 9/10 day road trip from Kent to Lake Como and back stopping at various points along the way to see new places next year and I don't want to take my current car.

It'll just be me and my partner and as long as I can get a case in/on the car that'll do. I have no issue with chrome mounts on a boot to strap luggage down.

What would be a good choice of car to use that can strike a balance between the comfort of the long motorway stints with a bit of fun tackling the more entertaining passes along the way? Don't really want to pay more than £8K and the likelihood is I'd sell on the car after the trip unless I loved it as I only have space for 3 cars and id imagine I'll need to scratch my itch for a weekend classic car to enjoy in the summer after this big trip.

Should I be eyeing up a proper grand tourer like a early 2000s XJ(8/R) or something nimble like an NC MX-5 or a Boxster?

What would be your pick for the trip?

Rough itinerary below:

Day 1 Lille - stay in Charleroi (Belgium)

Day 2 Luxemburg - stay in saarbrucken (Germany)

Day 3 Stuttgart stay in wangen I'm allgau (Germany)

Day 4 Austria and Liechtenstein - stay in Chur (Switzerland)

Day 5 Como (may add an additional day to enjoy the area)

Day 6 stay in Lucerne (Switzerland)

Day 7 Basel - stay in Strasbourg (France)

Day 8 Reims - stay in

Day 9 home

Background:

I have a Fiat 500 that's been sat on my drive for 5 months because the clutch peddle collapsed to the floor when I last went to drive it. We have another car and i was about to sell the Fiat as it was no longer required.

I'm very handy and like to try and fix things myself.

I read that the clutch slave cylinder is the likely culprit with this car. I ordered a replacement and followed YouTube videos to replace it just last week. Turned out to be an easy job.

Low and behold, clutch back in action and working.

Present:

Took car for MOT today and they ring me within 10 minutes of dropping car off to advise the clutch had failed and needs a new clutch.

Now as replaced the slave cylinder myself, my immediate thought was it was something I did.

The MOT tester told me it's leaking from the slave cylinder. I told him I just replaced it. He said the cylinder is inside the clutch?! I told him the one I replaced is not inside the clutch?!!

He said that i need to authorise for them to investigate tomorrow so they can find out the cause.

Why tell me they need to investigate the clutch failure after they already immediately said it needs a new clutch?

The car has only 14k miles on it albeit it's 8 years old.

Any advice?

I've told them to investigate but worried I'm going to get unnecessary work done.

It may all be genuine if course but something feels off. Now the car is stranded at the MOT centre too.

Car broke down on motorway today, AA towed it home and advised it has a leaking fuel rail pressure sensor, with diesel entering the electrical connectors. We need to look into how far the fuel has made it through the electrics, how extensive the damage is. Couldn't be repaired at roadside and he said if a full wiring loom is needed it will likely cost more than car is worth to repair it.

2015 BMW 2 series active tourer (don't hate me, it's big and comfy for us and the kids), 65,000 miles on it.

We have owned it 4 years (my first car), had 50,000 miles on the clock. Have it serviced every year and drive sensibly in what is essentially an OAP mobile.

Spoke to my mechanic mate (does our annual services) who advised BMW have all the diagnostics to properly assess the issues and damage but they will charge me a king's ransom. He doesn't know how much it would cost to repair it at this stage.

BMW Stratstone in Leeds told me its £149 for first hour of diagnostics and £250 for each hour after, they can't tell me how long it will take...

I called an independent BMW specialist company to see how much they charge for diagnostics. They told me the issue is fairly common on this model and they used to work at the BMW Stratstone garage. Said they should do the repairs for free (goodwill) as its a common issue, but be prepared to fight with them to actually do it.

BMW Stratstone laughed at me saying the car is 11 years old pal and you didn't buy it from us, you bought it used. Pay for diagnostics and we will speak to head office about whether they will consider a good will gesture after the diagnostics have been done.

How catastrophic is this kind of issue? Anyone any experience of how much a repair will cost if all the electrics are needing to be replaced? Any reason the independent garage brushed me off when asking for diagnostics?

Only option is to book diagnostics at BMW to get an idea of how badly damaged car is, currently waiting on call back.

(I know BMW won't pay for repairs on an 11 year old used as goodwill - not sure why I was told that and now feel daft for asking BMW).

Just moved house and renovated so no savings left, luckily kids school is kind of in walking distance.

EDIT: I need to clalrify I wasn’t crying as was driving but before and was safe and calm enough to drive.

Hello, this is gonna sound stupid but I drive this road every day pretty much and today, bad things happened I was crying and I was a mess. I calmed down by the time I drove to work but I’m not super fixated on worried about the fact if I did 45-50 in a 30 between average speed cameras. This is because I’m usually hyperfixated on my speedo making sure I’m not speeding, but today I was too emotional to process, I know on the 50 road I was doing 48 roughly but I’m just worried because I usually remember slowing down, this time I don’t remember but hopefully I’ve slowed down because it’s second nature this road, just worried what could happen. At one point on the road I did look down and saw 30 on my speedo but I didn’t check before when I went through the cameras. I’m so worried, I’m a new driver within 2 years I really don’t want to lose my licence I’ve worked so hard for it for years, it was stupid for me to not check, I’m probably fine just panicking the worst what if situation

Hi, im looking for advice as a first time buyer as im a bit nervous about a few issues

buying a secondhand sandero from a local dealership and we've put £100 deposit

£3990

1 owner

2014

40000 milage

Test drive done

done a full history check online which was good.

Passed all MOT apart from the most recent one done by the dealership's known garage which failed due to the horn not working when the lights are on.

While checking we found minor faults:

The old entertainment system's screen wasn't working so they have agreed to put in a modern set

Windscreen wipers will be replaced

Few scratches will be covered up

They agreed to do all the above within the car price

tried bargaining but was nervous to push and wasn't sure if it was ok to

We took a mechanic friend who had a look too and they let us check under the car in their garage. He said it was good.

Went for a second visit after the failed mot and asked them then if they can fix a small dent (too nervous to ask the first time) and the mirrors which dont shut in (noticeed on the second visit) they weren't 100% clear about fixing it.

they also said the entertainment system wont be fixed until next week but we can take the car and bring it back when the guy is in. Didnt feel happy about this incase they start to avoid it once fully paid for.

First time buying here so im not sure if im overthinking or this is all normal and ok. Please 🙏 help me

I have a 2020 BMW 530e on a 4 year PCP. Last year, it developed a battery fault which cost £12,500 to repair. BMW contributed some good will (it was 2000 miles out of warranty) and I paid £2500. The issue was a failure of battery module 4.

A year later the same fault has come up and BMW want £6000 for the repair, with no guarantee that it will resolve the issue. This time it is with battery module 5.

I am reluctant to pay for the repair. The car is only worth about £15k and with these issues, and no guarantee that the other 4 modules won’t fail at some point, I could end up paying 3 or 4 times its value in battery repairs.

I’m considering VT. The fault is not damage, and other than the fault, the car is in good condition. I’ve fully serviced it, never missed a payment, paid more than the 50%, and I’m within contracted mileage.

I did complain to BMW and I’ve also raised the issue with the finance company, but both have basically said it’s my problem.

From what I can tell on the VT rules, a fault is different to damage, and as long as I haven’t caused the fault through negligence on my part, I should be able to proceed with the VT.

The car mileage is 82000 which makes me wonder if they will just send it to auction anyway?

Does anyone have any experience with this or similar?

Thanks in advance.

Are these engines as bad as people make it out to be. I know about the oil pan baffling issues, the rod bearings and the wastegate rattle. I'm 21 and want a fast but somewhat reliable car as a weekend car. I'm leaning more towards buying a 350z or importing one in. But m135i is also a dream car I would love to own too