General It's too quiet

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General It's too quiet

bobbyblue

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All's quiet on the Western front...too quiet I think, are all our Cromas behaving themselves for once? :D
 
They appear to be don't they or their owners have committed Hurry Curry.

Next couple of months mine will be due for some new front tyres. After that probably a new cam belt kit. Probably wo'nt do the water pump unless I find a problem at that time. Their again at 5 years the antifreeze is due a change so maybe a new pump at the same time as that and the belt might be a good idea.

I've only ever had two water pump failures in 37+ years of motoring.

Probably because I looked at a Qubo and Doblo when I was at my local dealer whilst picking up soemthing else my Croma will take the huff and reward me with some mechanical challenges :)
 
Just thought I would share my latest aquisition with the forum. I have bought a 2008 Moto Guzzi Breva V1100, what a beautiful piece of Italian engineering, 1100cc V twin engine with shaft final drive. Love it.
 
Now we are talking. One thing I just love about the Italians is they have never let their vehicle industry die. You could fill a book with all the scooter, motor bike, car, super car, bus, truck, aircraft, tractor, earth mover, train etc. industries. Most if not all are still in production to this day. If you get fed up with these machines then try the other tech area such as robots, artifical hearts, etc. etc.

I gather their tanks were not that good and only performed well in reverse! Sorry...bad taste joke but yes it proves a point that good or bad the Italian motoring/engineering heritage goes back a very long way and to this day is still active and well established/supported.

I can think of some well know UK brands that have withered and died, or worse still been sold to the Germans and Indians.
 
All's quiet on the Western front...too quiet I think, are all our Cromas behaving themselves for once? :D

I’m understandably a tad quiet – after treating `Monica Bellucci’ (my Prestigio) to a 54K mls make-over (service+belts+wp+etc) at an Italia Independiente. Brakes will want `seeing-to’ (Oct), tyres+MoT (Nov) & Tax (Dec).

.
 
I had the same problem with our insurance until I went to Confused.com. I found out that I could get insurance for the Croma from the same company at £100 a year cheaper as a new customer than they were offering for a renewal.

So I rang them up to tell them that I wouldn't be renewingl my insurance. As always at the end they asked if they could help me with anything else; why do call centres do that?

"thank you for cancelling my lost credit card"

"no problem sir, is there anything else we can help you with?"

"well I didn't have anything particular, but since you have been so kind to ask, can I borrow £15,000 at 40% per annum?"

However I digress. They asked me if there was anything the could do. I said

"Well, yes. I would like to take out a policy for my FIAT Croma.". There was a minute's silence before,

"But you have just cancelled your insurance with us".

"Yes, that's right".

"And you want to take out a new policy for the same car?"

"That's right, as a new customer. Can you tell me how much that would be please?". More silence.

"I'll just have to speak with my supervisor." A few bars of of the William Tell Overture later (that's the theme to the Lone Ranger for our less sophisticated readers),

"How much did we quote for your renewal?"

"I'm not telling you. I want to be treated as a new customer because it's cheaper to come back as a new customer." More silence. "I'll just have to speak to my Supervisor.

Anyway, long story, short, after a chat with the supervisor I got it for the Confused.com price.(y)
 
Direct Line don't like me or my Croma. Might have to leave mine in the garage and cycle like you Radlet6.

Last year £255 fully comp. This year renewal £411. Only thing that has changed is me and my car are a year older. Even the "keep loyal customer requote" line refused to change the premium.......

Try Saga Car Ins (seriously) – now (with AA) part of Acromas Holdings.

I’m guessing, but I reckon we’re around same level - if I’m right, then under £300 is achievable.

Let us know outcome.
 
Well I've started the dreaded quote cycle. Confused, GoComare, LV direct thus far and First Alternative thus far.

£300 and sub £300 already achieved. No into the noise/frills factors. Legal, courtesy car, excess, European (full) cover etc.

As we normally go to Europe every year then full comp euro cover and not legal min cover is required. Direct Line charge extra, as do others, some include it. I'm even seeing great quotes till you find there is no windscreen cover or the screen cover excess is totally stupid.

This year also I'm seing that many are quoting 'compulsory' and 'voluntary' excess. Read the small print and your excess this time round = the total of the BOTH. Ofter £450 or more.

The car insurance business is becoming like the mobile phone industry/business. 'plans' you can never understand, never compare 'like for like' and when you get something decent/special you find the call centre and operatives are difficult to understand due to language and/or cultural differences.

Frigging nightmare.

In the old days you could pay a premium with a reputable company and the renewal would come through every year with no or modest (sensible) increases that ensured you gave them your business again EVEN IF you could find a cheaper quote. Now they all seems to be playing the same game. Sensible 1st year quote followed by "lets see if we can fleece the punters" the following year.

Digressing slightly. I bet you the top executives of these companies are now being rewarded on "new business". Typical business crap the execs sell to the share holders. "we have signed, will sign, etc. x new customers year on year". Stock markets deal in relative short term cycles so buying into these business plans is good for them. If one truly balanced the gain in business against the loss in business and over several years before rewarding the company execs then I'm convinced everything would be far more stable, etc. etc.
 
Am I the only one who's discovered Quidco.com? They pay you cashback for taking out a policy, provided that you're a new customer to the insurer. As I've found the premiums are generally similar all round, the only way to beat the system is to switch insurers every year and get the cashback.

Example cashback at the moment:

More Than: £25
Hastings Direct: £61
Sheilas Wheels: £45 (*)
Ford/Volvo: £54.50
RAC: £55
Virgin Money: £35
Admiral: £45

The same goes for home insurance, breakdown cover and utility suppliers. I'm currently about to be paid £70 for switching to a cheaper gas/elec company. I've had just over £400 over the last few years from Quidco, for buying stuff that I needed to buy anyway.

My current AA cover was £28 minus £19 cashback. The previous year was RAC, which was £28 minus £20 cashback.

I've subscribed to What Car for a trial 3 months for £1, and got £6 cashback. Yes, I'm being paid £5 to read it for 3 months. Just remember to cancel the direct debit via your online banking, which takes all of a minute.

* How do "women only" insurers get away with this in today's equality-obsessed world? (well I know, it's because they're "only" anti-bloke). Imagine the problems if an insurer introduced a policy of "no single mothers" or "whites only".
 
Sounds like a good 'un, I will try it next time I have one of these things up for renewal.
 
It's been a while since we posted but having just had our 74000mile service and cambelt + water pump changed I feel able to report some good news with our Croma- no problems at all this time! And she was perfectly good crossing France this summer, although we only saw two others on our travels (and there are at least two other Cromas local to us here in Chepstow!).

Of course after changing a drive shaft, a wheel bearing, parking sensor and two interior door handles this year after the alternator and springs etc last year perhaps that's not too much to expect no other unexpected surprises at the service!
 
Good news, hope all remains quiet.

To be honest I could be called a "bit of a fuss pot and worry guts" but I gues that is what happens when you are an engineer with passion, expect near perfection (till you bite the bullet and compromise/ignore) etc. etc.

I had my drive shafts replaced but the new ones turned out to be about the same and the 'clacking/backlash' noise still persisted in the gearbox. Many hit EGR problems, I didn't at 42K miles although I was sensing a possible EGR issue so I replaced it anyway and then go into the good design/bad design saga and restrictor plate or no restrictor plate.

I think the Croma and all the posts have tickled my senses too much. I much prefer the "run till it breaks/fails" motoring. Sadly the Croma has tickled too many sensitive points that I know I am being unfair to the car.

I recon my old drive shafts would still be going just fine. Now I worry did the technician replace them properly, correctly packed them with the correct grease etc.. I do know that the correct CV joint boot bands were not used and I have lovely, lumpy out of balance Jubilee clips on my inner gaiters.

I just wish I could stand back, hands off etc. but this Croma is IMHO a great car and so much let down by stupid, inexcusable design stuff that I end fretting about what next will cause me grief.

The gearbox clack and low speed groaning that cases the rear boot roller blind to resonate still persist but nothing definitive happens. Nothing stops, nothing breaks, just nothing other than the "wind me up noises".

Still, she is a great car and I'm slowly learning to shut my analytical mind, close down my inquisative ears, dampen my nerves and just drive the car.

Today I did just that. Burnt every other car off the road. Full power side slides in damp with ESP having a headache (wish I could turn this off to get some real tail drift). Bloody well enjoyed the thrash and must resolve to do it more often.
 
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