Off Topic Money saving tips

[TangerineTractor]

Thought it might be worth a thread where you can post any money saving tips or good deals - maybe even sticky it..

So here's my tips after a year with the Flying Chicken:

1. Insurance. Definitely shop around. Having shopped around, I got the cheapest quote from Hastings Direct, and I did it through quidco and got £50 cash back too. Saved over £150 compared to the next best quote.

2. Get a Post Office Budget Card - it's like a savings account you can only use at the post office - stick a tenner on it every now and then, so you don't get the big hit when your tax is due.

3. carparts4less.co.uk - definitely the cheapest place for parts

4. If you think your MPG is low, clean or change your MAF! 10% improvement after changing mine, old one was not erroring.

5. Decent diesel definitely makes a difference to performance and economy, and is worth paying 2 or 3p a litre more than supermarket fuel.

5. For cheap diagnostics, but a VAGCOM cable off ebay - will only cost about £8 and lets you see what engine error codes are in the ECU, so you won't get ripped off by a Fiat dealer to read them.

6. If you have to go to your Fiat dealer, go first thing on a Saturday morning and take a young kid with you (borrow one if you have to) . Cuteness and sympathy and an emptyish diary often gets a quick look FOC!

7. Worn B or C Pillars? - give them a coat of liquid scuff-cover shoe polish - like new in an instant.

8. FiatForum is your friend! Search, then ask. Lots of nice helpful people on here.

 

[Yellow Peril]

Good thread!

But I think you're a bit out of date on the difference between petrol and diesel pump prices. It's nearer 10p per litre different round here. Sunday Times ran an interesting article last week, concluding out that the increasing price differential means that most private buyers will never make up the extra cost of buying a diesel car as it now takes 80,000+ miles to recoup the extra cost in better fuel economy...

 

[TangerineTractor]

Wasn't comparing diesel and petrol, was comparing branded diesel with supermarket diesel. Sign up at petrolprices.com and they send you the latest proces near you. My local shell is regularly only a penny dearer than the supermarkets, and gives much better mpg, and it's always 2 or 3 p cheaper to buy near home in Blackpool than at work in Blackburn... so worth signing up at petrolprices for.

 

[Yellow Peril]

Ha! Sorry Tange. Thought you meant '...Decent diesel (car) definitely makes a difference to performance and economy...'

 

[TangerineTractor]

Another general tip - eBay is good for bits, but don't forget Amazon - some of the same sellers are on both, and Amazon tends to be cheaper, although it's harder to find what you're looking for.

 

[richydraper]

isn't carparts4less.co.uk the same company as Euro Car Parts?

ive got a whole host of motor factors in my phone ECP, GSF, Midland Vehicle Components, Andrew Page, and a couple that we use at work namely EMS in Northampton. its always worth a half hour ringing round and playing them off between each other even if its for a £1 here or a £1 there my last full service kit for the stilo cost me £25 (excluding oil) for 3 oil filters, air, pollen, 4plugs ive only ever managed to find plugs and oil filter for that much.

 

[TangerineTractor]

Its the same as one of the others, but the prices are cheaper, lots.
Find rear brake pads for a tenner delivered anywhere else!

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

All good appart from point 3 which isn't fact, more personal experience, I've yet to find S4P cheaper than my local supplier

 

[TangerineTractor]

Agree re shop4parts, but carparts4less IS cheaper.

Stilo rear pads:

Shop4parts: £22.30 + £7 delivery +VAT
Carparts4less: £10.68 incl delivery and VAT

 

[FiatFleetFamily]

Agree re shop4parts, but carparts4less IS cheaper.

Stilo rear pads:

Shop4parts: £22.30 + £7 delivery +VAT
Carparts4less: £10.68 incl delivery and VAT

Agree that when you introduced Carparts4less, they are for service items overall the cheapest, even though I still think they are a off shoot of Eurocarparts.

Others I use for money saving for the Stilo MW and the Croma are :

www.victoriaautoparts.co.uk Brake packs ( Discs and Pads Together and Crazy Cheap and Mintex too! )
www.azcarparts.co.uk Suspension Parts Front and Rear
www.mister-auto.co.uk Lots of stuff for Stilo
www.buypartsby.co.uk Excellent for Stilo Parts, normally compared to Carparts4less
www.carbatteriesonline.co.uk As the title says, saved £90 over halfrauds for the same 5 year warranty battery and free UK delivery!

 

[TangerineTractor]

Victoria are on ebay too

 

[TangerineTractor]

Using FFF's links:

Rear discs and pads complete for just under 30 delivered.. pads off ebay, discs from buypartsby.

 

[Yellow Peril]

Agree re shop4parts, but carparts4less IS cheaper.

Stilo rear pads:

Shop4parts: £22.30 + £7 delivery +VAT
Carparts4less: £10.68 incl delivery and VAT

But is the stuff from carparts4less OEM?

 

[cledan]

Good idea

Check tyre pressures as low tyre pressure drinks fuel

Modify how you drive the mpg starts to really dip as you nudge 70mph, keep closer to 50 if possible - journey times don't increase by much unless its a real long one

Time long trips to avoid traffic congestion

Check out any noises squeaks bangs etc as putting it off can cost more in the end, esp if you fail mot and need bits. Quick to get back on the road again - plan ahead and research

Get some basic tools and have a go yourself, ideally with some help to start with. Not only does it save money its very rewarding to have done it yourself

 

[TangerineTractor]

>>But is the stuff from carparts4less OEM?


Does it matter?

 

[TangerineTractor]

cledan Agree re fuel - every 10 mph above 60 adds about 10% fuel consumption - do the maths yourself...

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Agree re shop4parts, but carparts4less IS cheaper.

Stilo rear pads:

Shop4parts: £22.30 + £7 delivery +VAT
Carparts4less: £10.68 incl delivery and VAT

Ah my mistake, I scan read S4P for some reason

 

[richydraper]

http://www.cats-direct-shop.co.uk/ does what it says on the tin they do lambdas and DPFs (for you oil burning lot)

£83.44+VAT for a 'BM' Ceramic Monolithed Cat 2yrs Warranty
£POA for a 'BM' Metal Monolithed Cat with 3yrs Warranty

http://mijexhaust.com/ walsall based, they do flexis dirt cheap in comparison to a replacement intermediate pipe. most if not all of their stuff is S/S too!