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That's what I thought... If it was possible to break a car just by running it on a slope it wouldn't be much good for anything other than pootling about on the fens!
What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?
- Thread starter dave
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What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?
That's what I thought... If it was possible to break a car just by running it on a slope it wouldn't be much good for anything other than pootling about on the fens!
Both Porsche and VW as well as JLR use the AA. They don't send liveried vans as part of the service agreement unless they can't get one of the silver "customer service" vans out in a reasonable time.
The specialist vans have full diagnostic capability with the latest manufacturer software updates. They've actually got an agreement with JLR to use silver discoveries..which is inconvenient as they can't flat tow with them.
Liquid Knight II
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I don't know if the Porsche was broken down, stuck or the driver popped the bonnet because it was parked (abandoned) so close to a junction. He wasn't there to ask.
Porsche's do break down. There has been at least one with some kind of mechanical failure at every track day I have attended this year.
March - Suspected clutch on a 930 turned out to be the gearbox.
June - Boxster went into limp mode due to a sensor failing.
- Different Boxster head gasket failure.
September - 924 wouldn't start due to fuel pump failure.
- 944 Turbo seal failure.
- Cayman limp mode after going off track.
Anyway; today was the deadline for my Seicento Soleil to be collected by the new owner. I'll re-advertise the car and keep the deposit until the car is sold. No contact at all from the buyer so I may end up keeping the deposit so I will deduct it from the final sale price.
Porsche's do break down. There has been at least one with some kind of mechanical failure at every track day I have attended this year.
March - Suspected clutch on a 930 turned out to be the gearbox.
June - Boxster went into limp mode due to a sensor failing.
- Different Boxster head gasket failure.
September - 924 wouldn't start due to fuel pump failure.
- 944 Turbo seal failure.
- Cayman limp mode after going off track.
Anyway; today was the deadline for my Seicento Soleil to be collected by the new owner. I'll re-advertise the car and keep the deposit until the car is sold. No contact at all from the buyer so I may end up keeping the deposit so I will deduct it from the final sale price.
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There is a cruel satisfaction when a needlessly flash car conks out, given that chances are, the owner has an over inflated ego. [emoji38]
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The odds are always greater given how more complex they are. The only exception seems to be Lexus. For some reason they seem able to build cars as advanced as anyone else but without the fragility that often comes with it.
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That's probably because the Japanese manufacturers concentrate on actual quality, not just perceived quality, and using their badges to sell cars.
True that. Last time I looked under the bonnet of the Honda CRV in my family I noticed a lot of small details like the actual metal caps for everything vs plastic on other cars. When I looked at the ‘16 GTi Golf.. yep plastic parts everywhere lol.
If it’s not a Fiat next it’s a Japanese car. Boring maybe but at least what it does have in terms of quality is tangiable and not perceived!
If you want to see the priorities of a manufacturer look at the stuff no one ever thinks about in the showroom. Is the factory exhaust mild steel? Or is it stainless? Other little things like wheelnuts. Mild steel or alloy wheelnuts will corrode over time and look awful..the Cheap way is to leave it, it's a cheap car who cares? The "premium" way would be to also fit cheap wheel nuts but hide them under a plastic cover because everyone knows cheap parts you can't see are expensive parts. The proper way of doing it is it fit a set of high grade stainless bolts..
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Saw a car parked in an odd place yesterday morning, the realised it wasn't exactly parked.
In order to achieve that, he/she must have been going extremely fast (100+) down a hill with lots of warning signs and a roundabout at the bottom, in a 50 limit.
They failed to make the corner before the roundabout, removed the front suspension on the curb and wrapped the car around a concrete post.
Looks like they walked away though.
"A" plate on the back, so new driver...
In order to achieve that, he/she must have been going extremely fast (100+) down a hill with lots of warning signs and a roundabout at the bottom, in a 50 limit.
They failed to make the corner before the roundabout, removed the front suspension on the curb and wrapped the car around a concrete post.
Looks like they walked away though.
"A" plate on the back, so new driver...
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A couple of weeks ago a collegue and I reported a car driving like an idiot at work. They basically broke three site rules in the space of 100 yards, speeding , overtaking and not stopping for a zebra crossing. It was all on CCTV too.
I asked if there was an update thinking he would be banned from bringing his car to work for a month but they are going to lose their job over it. Now I feel terrible for reporting it.
I asked if there was an update thinking he would be banned from bringing his car to work for a month but they are going to lose their job over it. Now I feel terrible for reporting it.
Don't feel guilty.
Unreported would have left a potentially dangerous driver on site. Next time they might have killed or injured someone. Then you'd have felt more guilty for not reporting them.
May well have been picked up from the CCTV anyway.
Does seem a little draconian though, but to sack them either the rules are clearly explained, or this was not the first infringement.
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Technically, they're terrible! Horrendously high emissions and road tax, not the safest things on 4 wheels, only 50 bhp. But: very good fun to buzz around in, surprisingly nippy, and very manoeuvrable.
As terrible as they are, (especially compared to my current car!) I still miss that 1, and will always have a colossal soft spot for them. I do kinda want another 1 to keep tbh.
As terrible as they are, (especially compared to my current car!) I still miss that 1, and will always have a colossal soft spot for them. I do kinda want another 1 to keep tbh.
It sort of reminds me of a moped, particularly around the size of the wheels in relation to the size of the car body!
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I think it's just the picture tbh. It had 13in wheels, which was the norm for a city car. What the picture doesn't show is just how tiny the whole car was!
Quite a few years ago I encountered a learner driver that attempted a parallel park behind a Matiz, and placed her car partly onto the footpath. Three attempts, all with the same result. She'd been taught to align the outer edge of her car with the outer edge of the one she was parking behind. The Matiz was so narrow to put her onto the footpath every time.
Her instructor had to amend his teaching.
I suppose, parking behind a van would leave her a long way from the kerb.
Her instructor had to amend his teaching.
I suppose, parking behind a van would leave her a long way from the kerb.
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It's a shame about the safety and emissions really as they are lovely little cars, and they deserved to be taken more seriously. Sadly, here in the UK, people flocked to buy the awful mk1 Kak instead, the only city car managing to nab sales from the Kak being the Panda.
I remember they came out around the same time as the 1st BMW mini. Thought at the time of the two the Daewoo was the one that embodied the spirit of the original mini far better than the BMW maxi. Obviously history proves that good fit for purpose design doesn't sell as well as faux premium pastiche..look at 500 sales compared to the panda.
Tbf the matiz was pretty bad though even at the time..1st cars always have that rose tint factor.
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They weren't that awful really: don't forget that back in 1998, when the Matiz was launched, the Kak had the clattery old Endura E engine, and the newly launched Fiat Seicento had the 40 bhp 900cc engine, and didn't have airbags! ?
With regards to size, the Matiz was somewhere between those two, but unlike them, it had 4 doors, and also unlike those 2, even the base model Matiz had power steering and 2 airbags.
With regards to size, the Matiz was somewhere between those two, but unlike them, it had 4 doors, and also unlike those 2, even the base model Matiz had power steering and 2 airbags.
