ride home?

Get onto BC, i got some good advice from them for the BMX club i run in school

Has the eagle landed?

on it’s way

thanks i am a leader of tie zeitgeist

deadlydarcy, don’t wear those ball cuff links, they come free with shirts and to me look like you haven’t got any decent cuff links or have bought a double cuff shirt by mistake.

get one of these, no one will know

any of these are well in at the moment

right then i’ve got to the cable which wasn’t too bad and there’s a bit of slack. As you can hopefully see the live has only just been touched and has suffered not much damage but the earth has melted through.

As for either end, the top goes up to the new bathroom with the newly tiled floor so that’s not coming up and as far as i can tell the bottom goes to an old socket that’s behind the boiler which you can’t get to so will never be used.

Don’t if this sheds any different light on things??

ta

I haven’t tried though one of those clip on halfords ones may fit on the boot lid. My brother had one for an old 3 series which i’m sure would fit, very similar size flat boot. I can get my bike in the back seats though with the wheels in the passenger seat. You can’t fit a towbar either just in case you wondered.

Have you seen one you like?

thanks folks, esp fatboyslim

i think i’ll dig it out and post a pick of what i find and we can go from there.

ta for help

the smoke alarms are mains with battery backup so that’s ok.

nige, i’d like to think it may have something else but there was a very big sparking flash

jerry, i’ll dig it out and have a look then i might give you a call, unfortunately it’s i’m doing parents evening tonight so won’t be it untill 7

Ta all,

Gary, i’m offended, i know the live brown bear sleeps under the neutral blue sky, what more do i need to know!

( i’m joking, i’m no expert but i was hoping someone on here does and i can learn)

I think what i’ll do is chase it all out my self and go for the junction box option and if i struggle i’ll get someone out.

ps I’ve already got smoke alarms thankfully.

ta, i’m not paying for a spark to come out, not for something like this.

So however i get to it what’s the best way to repair the wire?

if it’s not damaged that much, insulation tape?

cheers, the marmots look good but they seem to be heavier and bigger than softies but for the same money.

Have you taken the dial off to make sure there’s nothing jamming it, other than that send em back.

Is it stuck on hard or soft btw, i never touch mine, it’s always on soft (the forks i mean)

this is how you should fly with a baby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAGpmNb2xfQ

about half way through

you’ll be fine btw, calpol before works wonders!

well the other garage put it up for £1489!

this garage said they don’t bother reselling ‘cheap’ cars and just send them off to auction?

Well, i went to have a second look at the mondeo but i came away empty handed. They would only offer me £300 for my car (last garage gave me a £1000), they wouldn’t budge a penny on the price even if i kept my car and paid cash and they wouldn’t give anymore than the legal minimum 1 month useless warranty.

I’m no so fed up with looking on autotrader and going to garages that i think i’ll keep my volvo and put the cash back in the bank!

steveh, ta, i’d go for that but it’s got to be an estate i’m afraid.

no, it is down to time as well as milage i’m afraid, though that is very low milage for the year. £300 for an Audi is reasonable btw.

sorry forgot to say about a garage i use, yes i do have a regualar one but how does that work, i’m guessing they won’t just let me take it, i’ll have to make sure any deposit is refundable if anything dodgy is found.

ta steve, i didn’t know about that but after last time i really could do without the hassle of invoking the act so i guess i’m straying towards an inspection so at i’ll have a good idea what i’m getting.

The problem with the Act as well as warranties is they don’t cover wear and tear and as the cars have done 60 – 70k that includes more things than i’d like unfortunately.

As i said the AA inspection does seem suprisingly comprehensive and i suppose should highlight any issues that are likely to crop up in the future.

Also i’m thinking it may be useful when negociating on price?

thanks all,

Paul, yes we did but they’re been alot of mind changing since then!

Hora, here’s the email

Mine is a 1999 2.0 TS Lusso, with 90,000. I’ve had for over 4 yrs and it’s been brilliant.

It has had it’s alfa foibles, though no electical problems apart from the air bag connectors under the seat which need soldering and certainly nothing i’ve had to spend money on. As you’ve said you’ll need the bushings replaced with powerflex poly bushings if they haven’t been done already.

The only other to watch is the cambelt as originaly alfa recommended a 70,000 mile interval but general consensus it to play safe and half that, so 35,000 or 3 yrs, mine is due and i’ll be getting it done soon, there won’t be much change from £500 as you need a new variator, water pump and a few other bits and bobs, plus i’m having it done at Peak Alfa for piece of mind.

They do have a bad reputation for faults but i think this is unjustified if you look after them. It did break down once a couple of years ago when the clutch slave cylinder boot split but a new one cost me £20 and i fitted it myself.

Off to look at chipping now!

there seems to be alot more 115’s around and for better money, the 130 obviously being the sort after model.

what about buying a 115 and getting it chipped?

thanks guys i’ll look on honestjohn

hora, i emailed you direct to the address in your profile, if you haven’t got it let me know.

I’d leave that or get it done professionally as a diy spray job can often look worse than the scratch

It hasn’t got anything to do with neighbours or shiny things it’s just that they seem really dull. On the one hand i used to think if you can’t think further than a ford you must be a bit sad but now i’m coming round to the idea that they are a sensible option and paying a premium for a badge is sadder, all i really want is a good realiable family estate. Also it’s not going to be my car, it’s will be my wife’s car and will be used for lugging kids and bikes about, i drive an Alfa GTV when i’m not riding which is alot more fun.

The search continues but at the moment i’ve had enough of cars so i’m going to ride home, swap bikes and get out for a ‘proper’ ride.

yeh i like them but i’d hold out for a diesel

i keep coming back to the mondeo’s, they tick all the boxes but i can’t help thinking that every time i looked out of the window i’d be dissapointed?

The BMW is my prefered choice at the mo, there don’t seem to be many subaru’s around, there is a legacy which is local but it’s a petrol one.

I don’t think i’ve ever had more than a 3 month warranty on any of my cars, do dealers give 12 months on cars for this sort of money?

cheers, yeh well one of his main arguments was that it was a common fault on A6’s ( i’d since found this to be true)and the last 3 he’d sold plus another he had on the forecourt where exactly the same and no one else had complained, but i said if he’d made me aware of this it would of been another matter but as he hadn’t….

I don’t know i’ve spent all morning on autotrader and ebay but nothing stands out at the mo, it’s put me off audi’s a bit though.

My current shortlist is a BMW 525/530D tourer, a Volvo V70, Saab 93/95 or i’m trying to resist but i keep coming back to a Ford Mondeo!

Well, i went in and stated my point of view but just got the brick wall of ‘it’s wear and tear, what do you expect from a second hand car’?

This went on for 10 mins or so but i was getting nowhere so pulled out the Sale of goods act gubbins i’d printed off and started quoting bits too him. He still wasn’t budging and i asked him outright if he was prepared to do anything and he said no.

I started to pack my stuff up and he said what would i do now and i told a little white lie in that i’d been onto consumer direct and they’d said i had a very strong case and they would back me if i needed to take the matter further, he then got a bit shirty and tried to frighten me off and said his solicitor would advise him to let me get on with it and i wouldn’t win and would probably end up with a hefty court cost bill. I then said i had every faith in the legal system and felt the law would be on my side and i was quite happy to go all the way.

I knew he was crumbling by this time and after a bit more ‘debate’ he said what he wanted to do was to tell me to **** off and let me get on with it but he couldn’t be arsed with the hassle so gave me a full refund, including the tax i’d put on it.

I’m happy i got out unscathed but i’ve still got to find another car!

so just to say a big thanks to all who gave me great advice, it really made a massive that he knew i knew my rights, even if i did over egg them ab it!

cheers

3 for me, last night and a lunch one and tea one today (2 different places) plus a meal out on friday night.

I did see that, the car is a 2004 and has done 86,000 and i payed close to 6K all said and done. This was the angle that consumer direct took, in that it was a higher than normal milage and was bought for a reasonable amount so i’m in wear and tear teritory.

To compound matters, yes it is the multitronic one so that doesn’t sound good even if it’s repaired, i’m thinking i’ll go for my money back and start looking again!

Don’t worry, i’m going in fully tooled up with the Act printed out, various other relevant bits plus the quote from Audi. My prefered option will be to have it repaired but if they mess me about i’ll go for the refund.

Oh and i’ll let him know i don’t mind at all spending the next couple of weeks camped outside with a very large ‘informative’ placard.

fingers crossed

ta all

thanks all, well it looks like i do have some hope but it all depends on how amicable the dealer wants to be. I’m guessing he also knows the law pretty well and more to the point, the loopholes!

i’ll keep you posted.

ta hora, i’ll get onto there, i noticed after a long run, 250 miles max, i didn’t notice it on the short test drive.

I bought the car with cash unfortunatly and the warranty only covers in the event of a breakdown upto a max of £200.

Right, just been onto Consumer Direct and apparently i’m on thin ice.

In their opinion the issues could all be put down to ‘wear and tear’ and as such are not considered as faults.

She said the satnav and the other couple of things would not be covered unless i had it in writing that all these things worked, which i don’t. As for the gearbox, again this would not be covered due the wear and tear nature of the issue even though it must of been worn at the time of purchase. My best bet is to try to negociate with the dealer for a “contribution” towards the cost of the repair.

Not the answers i was hoping for!

Ha, i didn’t even think about my username, unfortunatly i don’t know much about cars, women on the other hand!

The guy who did my sale is one of the partners so i’d rather go to him, plus Audi are posting a full quote out o me so i’ll have that by monday. It wasn’t like a main dealer but a well established ‘car lot’.

It may sound funny but i’d rather not have my money back, it took me ages to find one with the right spec and milage etc, do i have a choice of repair or refund?

ta