*********Motors Chat - Round 9 *********

Deco99

Best place for headlight bulbs? Usually get em in halfords but one goes every few months.

colm_mcm

Get different bulbs. Haldords do heavy duty bulbs that won't go as often.
Obviously check that there isn't an earthing/corrosion problem as well.

Pov06

colm_mcm wrote: »

Get different bulbs. Haldords do heavy duty bulbs that won't go as often.
Obviously check that there isn't an earthing/corrosion problem as well.

Exactly. If the bulb contacts are oxidised the contacts will heat up and burn the bulb quickly.

bear1

A question I suppose is more directed to the Polish lads on here.
I heard that RHD cars are now legal in Poland and seeing as I'm still here I'm thinking of doing it so that I don't need to pay road tax and most likely ass raping insurance premium in October - not to mention the NCT.
Is it a straight forward process? Do they also have the rule here that if I've owned it for a while then re-registering it will be for free?
Or, would it worth my while more to just stick it online and see what I could get for it?
Was checking online and my type of car can fetch to twice the price of an Irish equivalent.

dr.fuzzenstein

Deco99 wrote: »

Best place for headlight bulbs? Usually get em in halfords but one goes every few months.

After an expensive few months of replacing bulbs on a nearly weekly basis I found out that they like to be replaced in pairs. Fords are especially bad for that. Now I will get at least a year or two out of them. And that is with Halfords bulbs.

CIP4

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

You better have got a nice suit! That's one thing I'm so finicky about, a good fitting suit

Its a nice one alright wasn't going to go buy a cheap one. I wasn't even going to bother with a suit for the first interview just pants, shirt and tie. But then I heard they are hiring after first round interviews in some cases so I need to go all out and they basically said you have to have a decent suit.

Deco99

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

After an expensive few months of replacing bulbs on a nearly weekly basis I found out that they like to be replaced in pairs. Fords are especially bad for that. Now I will get at least a year or two out of them. And that is with Halfords bulbs.

Thanks I was just goin to ask about changing both

Mc Love

NCT would make you laugh. Failed me for a chip/scratch in windscreen. A friend filled it in, went back the next day and they said get a new windscreen, I went yep and didnt even bother looking at it. Passed me.

OH's door handles were sticking, failed her too. Went home, splashed a bit of WD40, went back next day and passed the car.

Surely it would have been easier to just pass the two cars!

CIP4

I was flicking through done deal and seen this estate said that might do kkv low price too then I seen the mileage ffs I considered mine to be on the high side at 125k km this one same year 295k km 70k km a year is fair going.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2011-megane-estate/9944735?sv=1

pippip

Mc Love wrote: »

NCT would make you laugh. Failed me for a chip/scratch in windscreen. A friend filled it in, went back the next day and they said get a new windscreen, I went yep and didnt even bother looking at it. Passed me.

OH's door handles were sticking, failed her too. Went home, splashed a bit of WD40, went back next day and passed the car.

Surely it would have been easier to just pass the two cars!

No, it was better you repaired them, why should they have passed you with a chip in your windscreen. Door handle, maybe but if limited access I'd want it repaired to.

Noccy_Mondy

Mc Love wrote:

NCT would make you laugh. Failed me for a chip/scratch in windscreen. A friend filled it in, went back the next day and they said get a new windscreen, I went yep and didnt even bother looking at it. Passed me.

Just as well they passed you. I'm assuming you're on about the mondeo? Them heated front windows are hundreds and hundreds to replace!

CIP4

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

Just as well they passed you. I'm assuming you're on about the mondeo? Them heated front windows are hundreds and hundreds to replace!

I cracked the heated screen on my focus 2-3 foot crack across it and the insurance replaced it with a heated one again no questions asked so kind of doesn't make any difference really well unless you have no windscreen cover I suppose.

pippip

I noticed the other day when I was testing the waters for my insurance renewal that the online form with 123.ie asks have you had any claims in the last 5 years including windscreen claims?

Will have to test it next time to see if it affects premium.

Noccy_Mondy

CIP4 wrote:

I cracked the heated screen on my focus 2-3 foot crack across it and the insurance replaced it with a heated one again no questions asked so kind of doesn't make any difference really well unless you have no windscreen cover I suppose.

Forgot about windscreen protection. That doesn't affect ones NCB?

CIP4

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

Forgot about windscreen protection. That doesn't affect ones NCB?

Didn't effect mine but maybe it depends on the company. Even with Tpft you can normally add windscreen cover for 30 quid or so it's worth it I think. Although I always think a vehicles factory windscreen is better than any replacement you'll get of autoglass and the like unless you buy a genuine which means you end up putting money towards it as insurance companies won't cover the full price of genuine ones.

pippip

pippip wrote: »

I noticed the other day when I was testing the waters for my insurance renewal that the online form with 123.ie asks have you had any claims in the last 5 years including windscreen claims?

Will have to test it next time to see if it affects premium.

Just tested it there and premium went up by 30euro just saying I had a 200euro windscreen claim. So if you have to put that down for five years after you've claimed that 150 you've handed back to them assuming you have no more in the meantime.

YbFocus

The annoyance when one buys facelift kidney grilles, they arrive and you realise you have pre's and they ain't interchangeable

Supergurrier

YbFocus wrote: »

The annoyance when one buys facelift kidney grilles, they arrive and you realise you have pre's and they ain't interchangeable

*Laughs Maniacally*

Foxhole Norman

YbFocus wrote: »

The annoyance when one buys facelift kidney grilles, they arrive and you realise you have pre's and they ain't interchangeable

Bitta duct tape, be grand.

CIP4

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

Bitta duct tape, be grand.

Ah I think he'd be better of using cable ties no point in being rough about it :pac:

Noccy_Mondy

YbFocus wrote:

The annoyance when one buys facelift kidney grilles, they arrive and you realise you have pre's and they ain't interchangeable

Nothing a bate off the end of a hammer won't solve! That'd soon make it interchangeable! :pac:

Interslice

Saturday night sorted

YbFocus

Supergurrier wrote: »

*Laughs Maniacally*

My car is a facelift i don't get it
Obviously a write off must scrap now

YbFocus

CIP4 wrote: »

Ah I think he'd be better of using cable ties no point in being rough about it :pac:

Nothing wrong with cable ties!
There's about 8 on my car at the minute, doing little things

I have a big one holding a rear caliper on.

Edit: I was joking in case some of ye crazier ones wouldn't figure that

166man

166man wrote: »

As CIP4 has said, I really wouldn't go near something with that engine. They are so fragile and really require very consistent maintenance. You'd want to see proper evidence of that. Also the cynic in me looks at the miles and thinks it could be higher.

I also wouldn't spend that much on a private sale with absolutely no comeback, but that's just me. Somehow I feel this will fall on deaf ears and you will go straight ahead and buy it anyway though......

Surprise surprise another diesel in from the UK and it's been clocked....

Mycroft H wrote: »

So fragile? At least they don't have a timing belt that has to be done every 36k.

They're not fragile. They're fitted to many many cars and vans with many giving reliable service. Our own has 305,000km on the clock. Serviced regurally and still starts on the button.

It's not really tolerant of the poor Irish mentaility of service it when it fails the NCT but if looked after are a reliable economical engine and far away from being fragile.

I should have said that when neglected they seem to give huge trouble. They are a great engine in terms of power and economy but left to the Irish attitude or servicing they seem to suffer!

Deleted User wrote: »

To be honest; I'm not entirely sure I know when a Motorcheck becomes a sensible thing to do.

I've never used it before, because all my cars were over 10 years old and the only thing Motorcheck seemed viable for was finding out if there was finance owed on a car.

This is obviously a lot newer than previous cars, but old enough that I don't think it would still be under it's finance lifespan.

Other than that, I'm not 100% sure what I could learn from a Motorcheck. If the car was previously crashed, for example, then I'm confident a mechanic would pick up on that fairly swiftly, from his inspection?

Deleted User wrote: »

Well.. that's a kick..

.

I don't really know what to say at this stage. Wonder why the cynic in me thought it might have been clocked though.....

Mc Love

pippip wrote: »

No, it was better you repaired them, why should they have passed you with a chip in your windscreen. Door handle, maybe but if limited access I'd want it repaired to.

They state it is not driveable but the crack wasnt spreading and my mate that filled in it in, said it should have passed. I had done several long journeys with it and no problems being able to see the road.

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

Just as well they passed you. I'm assuming you're on about the mondeo? Them heated front windows are hundreds and hundreds to replace!

Yeah I really didnt want to get it replaced as it has the sensors for the lights and wipers too

CIP4

CIP4 wrote: »

I was flicking through done deal and seen this estate said that might do kkv low price too then I seen the mileage ffs I considered mine to be on the high side at 125k km this one same year 295k km 70k km a year is fair going.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2011-megane-estate/9944735?sv=1

I wonder how that kinda mileage is affecting cars? I'd be hesitant to look at a car with over 300km on it, but it looks like most second hand cars that are 5-6 years old in 10 years will be closer to 500km by the time they're being sold on.

Is such high mileage a concern though? Assuming 80% motorway, then the car wouldn't really be under much pressure would it? Easy driving for the car, really?

YbFocus

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I wonder how that kinda mileage is affecting cars? I'd be hesitant to look at a car with over 300km on it, but it looks like most second hand cars that are 5-6 years old in 10 years will be closer to 500km by the time they're being sold on.

Is such high mileage a concern though? Assuming 80% motorway, then the car wouldn't really be under much pressure would it? Easy driving for the car, really?

It's not scary once the car was minded, you need to find one that was!

166man

166man wrote: »

I don't really know what to say at this stage. Wonder why the cynic in me thought it might have been clocked though.....

To be fair, I'd expect a car with the kinda mileage it actually has to be in a fairly worn state of affairs. This yoke looked showroom, through and through. Not so much as a bit of wear on the steering wheel.


But the good news (for ye guys, anyway), is I finally settled.






Asking price on it was €8,950.

Went in with the hopes of getting it around €8,200 or so (if i was interested in the first place, that was).

Looked it over with the torch on the phone, and the paintwork seemed alright. Few scuffs and such here and there but nothing major. One or two poor touch up paint jobs but they're fairly minor.

Interior was in good condition, with the only concern being that the rubber coating on the main button on the radio was worn badly, and the underside of the radio's rubber coating is peeling a little. It's quite minor and with some strategic picking at it i should be able to get rid of any loose bits.


I asked what his best price was and he said €8,700. He said he'll give it a full service and because the history with the car (which i didnt actually look at, to be honest) doesnt mention a timing belt, that they'll do the belt for me, too. I figured 8700 to include belt and service seemed okay (though not great).


So I said as a condition of sale I wanted it checked over. He agreed (a chap called Pat Coby), and I brought the car to Atlas Autoservice. They spent about 30 mins all in all looking at it. The chap looking at it was relatively thorough and I felt happy that he did a good look.

He mentioned that both pads and discs would be needing done in about 6-8 months at the most. He also said that there are two seals either side of the gearbox (i cant think of the name of them) but that both are leaking. He advised getting that done sooner rather than later, as, if untreated, it could lead to a gearbox replacement needed, and that'd be much more expensive than the cost of fixing the seals.

The ad for the car also says it has rear parking sensors, and I can see them on the back bumper:




But they werent working. (A girl i know had the same thing (different car of course). Sensors were there buy system wouldnt acknowledge them when she went into reverse. Hers were fixed handy enough).

So I went back to Coby and agreed that if they fixed the above, and did the timing belt and full service (even though I know a 'full service' off them will be the bare minimum), (though I didnt mention the pads/discs) we could agree on €8,500.

So we shook on that, and I left €100 with him. He said he'd mark the car sold and it'd be Monday when the lads would work on it, to have it ready for a Tuesday morning collection.

So when I arrive on tuesday to collect it, before I pay anything, I'll fly over to Atlas again and get them to verify that the work has indeed been done to a suitable standard (unless a boardsie with a head for cars nearby fancies a couple of Euro to take a look?).


Probably could've knocked another 100-200 off it, but all in all, I feel quite happy with how it went.


And now ye can all relax.. I won't go on about it anymore.. maybe..

colm_mcm

How did the history check go on that one?

colm_mcm

colm_mcm wrote: »

How did the history check go on that one?

Nothing amiss. Yellow warnings to say it's been imported, has only 1 week of tax left, 3 recalls that may possibly be out for it. No red warnings on it in the check.

Stheno

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Nothing amiss. Yellow warnings to say it's been imported, has only 1 week of tax left, 3 recalls that may possibly be out for it. No red warnings on it in the check.

Did you check the nct site?

Actually, that's not true.. there was something about owners that caught my eye.. gimme a sec til i see if i can get the check back up and screen print it..

Noccy_Mondy

Praise be to jesus!

Stheno

Stheno wrote: »

Did you check the nct site?

For valid NCT? No.. I'm pretty sure he said it'd be sold with a fresh NCT. I wouldn't take it otherwise.

Ad says Nov. 2017 so i presume it just went through, or its going to be put through.

This is the part of the check that threw me off. Yer man said it had one previous owner.

How does this make sense?

Stheno

[Deleted User] wrote: »

For valid NCT? No.. I'm pretty sure he said it'd be sold with a fresh NCT. I wouldn't take it otherwise.

Ad says Nov. 2017 so i presume it just went through, or its going to be put through.

They'd want to be quick to get it done by Tuesday nct site says it's out in November!

Pov06

Picked up the Focus today. Drives great but the gearing is something to get used to coming from a petrol. Sometimes I'm rolling towards a stop light thinking I'm in 4th gear when I'm actually in 3rd as the gears are much longer in the Focus.

Only noticed now that the rear right door speaker is blown. That will be a door card off job for another day when I'm wiring the subwoofer :pac:

Filled a full tank of diesel for 121.8c a litre with the 3Plus 5c/litre discount.

Noccy_Mondy

Pov06 wrote:

Only noticed now that the rear right door speaker is blown. That will be a door card off job for another day when I'm wiring the subwoofer

Speakers in the newer Fords are feckers for breaking and vibrating. Any pics?

Pov06

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

Speakers in the newer Fords are feckers for breaking and vibrating. Any pics?

No vibrations off the other speakers just the one that's cooked. I'm half hoping it's a wiring issue so I don't have to drill out the rivets.

Still no pictures, I'm hoping to get a few tomorrow at the motors meet :pac:

Noccy_Mondy

Pov06 wrote:

Still no pictures, I'm hoping to get a few tomorrow at the motors meet

What colour and spec? The pre facelift did I hear you say? Good luck with it anyway!

Pov06

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

What colour and spec? The pre facelift did I hear you say? Good luck with it anyway!

Yeah it's a 2008 Focus Style, pre-facelift. The beauty of it is that it has the timing chain instead wet belt.

It's the shtandard Ford silver colour.

Stheno

Pov06 wrote: »

Yeah it's a 2008 Focus Style, pre-facelift. The beauty of it is that it has the timing chain instead wet belt.

It's the shtandard Ford silver colour.

You do know it's a mortal sin on here to buy a silver car? :pac:

Pov06

Stheno wrote: »

You do know it's a mortal sin on here to buy a silver car? :pac:

I had a black car before and I got tired of polishing the fcuk out of it

CIP4

Deleted User wrote: »

So we shook on that, and I left €100 with him. He said he'd mark the car sold and it'd be Monday when the lads would work on it, to have it ready for a Tuesday morning collection.

So when I arrive on tuesday to collect it, before I pay anything, I'll fly over to Atlas again and get them to verify that the work has indeed been done to a suitable standard (unless a boardsie with a head for cars nearby fancies a couple of Euro to take a look?).

Congrats hope it will go well for you now looks like a nice car.

The above bit reminds me of buying the Megane we shook on it and I said collect it in a week as it needed a few bits and pieces. Then I got a call the morning I was going to collect it to say they had actually lost the keys and couldn't find them. 2 weeks later I actually got the car but they gave me a loaner so it wasn't too bad.

In other unrelated news just when I thought I had seen it all. A 206 is infront of me in tragic and he goes across the road to park I notice the car has 3 alloys and one emergency thin temp tyre on the back. Now there was five people in the car but I kind of noticed there was zero thread on the emergency tyre like it has been worn down then I looked again and only then did I notice it was sprayed to match the alloys silver in colour so in other words it was being used as a permanent tyre that's just absolute and other wreckless dangerous behaviour. All well and good until some innocent person is driving around a corner and are met by a 206 flipping around the bend due to a blow. I know that might sound extremes but it is possible I mean the tyre will eventually blow.

Sobanek

Pov06 wrote: »

Picked up the Focus today. Drives great but the gearing is something to get used to coming from a petrol. Sometimes I'm rolling towards a stop light thinking I'm in 4th gear when I'm actually in 3rd as the gears are much longer in the Focus.

Only noticed now that the rear right door speaker is blown. That will be a door card off job for another day when I'm wiring the subwoofer :pac:

Filled a full tank of diesel for 121.8c a litre with the 3Plus 5c/litre discount.

Filled a full tank of petrol for 139.8c a litre with no discount :P

Pov06

Sobanek wrote: »

Filled a full tank of petrol for 139.8 with no discount :P

I bet you can hear the litres of fuel burning in that BMW :pac:

Supergurrier

Sobanek wrote: »

Filled a full tank of petrol for 139.8 with no discount :P

Sobanek

Pov06 wrote: »

I bet you can hear the litres of fuel burning in that BMW :pac:

34mpg average

#Straight6Life

Supergurrier

Sobanek wrote: »

34mpg average

#Straight6Life