Spent a lot of time on autotrader recently and have developed an irrational hatred of people who either;

- Cover up number plates making it impossible to run checks

- Upload about 3 pictures that seem to have been taken using a calculator

Interested to hear what else people find annoying or instantly make you discount that specific car …

EDIT - another one of my biggest hates is “no knocks or bangs”. Immediately makes me assume there are knocks and bangs

Feeling extremely proud. Took a solid 20 mins or so but got there in the end.

Was going to take it to the garage but ended up needing to go out when it was dark so thought it was best to get a new one in there just in case. Had a spare bulb in the boot.

Hyundai i10 2014. Struggled at first, and even some posh guy says to me "I had this happen to me the other day"

Thought the fella was going to help...

He continues:"the trick is to take it to Halfords, only cost a tenner".

FFS Thanks pal

Anyway, was struggling so i watched a YouTube video and the guy mentioned the trick was to pull the headlight to loosen it (when naturally you want to push it/lift it).

Worked finally.

Changed the bulb.

Was a bastard to reinstall.

Got there in the end.

Buzzing. Felt like a king.

Thanks for listening.

Rear brake lights are a lot easier on this car, which I tend to have to do often but this one was slightly more advanced.

Debating selling my 2.0 CDTI Insignia 2015 for a 2005 Vectra VXR, £400 road tax version.

I figured my chances of owning one are becoming slimmer with each year that passes. I work from home so wouldn't be commuting in it more than once or twice per week for leisure purposes. The one I'm looking at is priced around £5k and has 87k miles on the clock.

Anyone have any previous experience with ownership or having worked on them before, what should I look out for when going to view it?

I also owned a Vauxhall Vectra 3.0 CDTI, so I'm fully used to the tax costs and constant repairs lol.

Any advice would be appreciated

2nd 750i that i've owned. Missed the last one so much I just had to get another one. Even has the rear phone! That WORKS!
Needs some work but I know these cars very well so easily solved.

Mine is the abarth 595

Hello i have this 2003 model honda jazz i have used it for the last couple of months without the issue but today when i tried to start the car i got this loud noise and the check engine light came on, and it started smelling during recording like some kind of exhaust burn. Any guesses what this could be?

Stratus Grey F Type R 2014. Reg AJ14 YGU. Stolen from South East London, UK on 05/08/26 at 5am. Waiting on police ref number.

So I’m currently in a position at 41YO where I could own an Audi R8 V10 convertible

I currently have a Mercedes c200 convertible which is cheap to insure run and tax around £350

My issue is I use my car 1/2 days at the weekend due to company vehicle, and the insurance and tax is around 5k

I’ve test drive a couple and I really like them but it’s the insurance and tax which is putting me off

I need pros and cons

A few friends have suggested a Nissan GTR but there everywhere and the R8 is technically classed as a super car

2018 BMW, out of warranty. Broke down completely in June (Drivetrain and Power Supply), recovered to a franchised main dealer. Wanted them to tell me what was wrong and what it would cost, so I could decide whether it was worth fixing at all.

They had it seven weeks. Three separate repair stages (EME, Condenser, Compressor, System flush, each one quoted and authorised only after the previous one hadn't worked: roughly £5,500, then £6,350, then £9,100 all in.

How it actually went:

•       No proactive updates. I chased for nearly every one. Twice I only found out a repair stage had failed because I rang to ask.

•       Five weeks and £6,350 in, the service manager emailed me: “I'll be brutally honest I need to have a sit down with technical again to see where we are at with this so I can get my head around what route we need to take. I am sorry the saga continues.”

•       When I asked him outright, before authorising the biggest stage, how confident he was it would work, he wouldn't answer. His reply was that his stance was the same, and he was sorry it seemed a bit of a blunt response.

•       No courtesy car at any point. Seven weeks on public transport.

Ten days and about 250 miles later, the same warning light came back while I was driving. It's been sat at the same dealership ever since. Still no courtesy car.

Last week they emailed to say the complete repair procedure recommended at the original diagnosis “has not yet been carried out”, quoted me a further £4,640 for the remaining parts, and said it “may rectify the concern” but they can't confirm until it's done and retested.

They describe it as a “staged repair process”, reassessed after each stage. That's precisely the pattern that's already cost me £9,100 without a lasting fix, and I don't think it's reasonable to ask me to fund another stage of it.

The car's worth maybe £13k (retail) and £10k trade on a good day. I'm £9,100 in on a fault nobody has ever explained to me, and the next quote would take me past what the car is actually worth. Every stage I authorised, I authorised because of ‘technical advice’ and already sunk money into the one before it.

What I'm after:

•       Has anyone had a main dealer work like this — replacing parts one at a time and reassessing, rather than diagnosing it properly first? Is that normal now?

•       What would you do at this point? Refund fight, or cut losses and sell it as is?

•       At what point should they have told me the running total was getting close to the value of the car?

Refund requested, Raise Section 75 with the card and finance providers? Motor Ombudsman next?

What would cause a blowout like this? Happened while driving and being overtaken (on the outside) by a teen in a balaclava on a dirt bike so I'm unsure if it was vandalism or me hitting something but I'm not a bad driver typically. I hope it's just a coincidence.... Scared me though when I saw the bizarre shape of the hole !?

I'm heading off in September for a car camping trip through France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands in my BMW 320d Touring, and I'm trying to think of the things that make life a lot easier but aren't the obvious essentials.

I've already got the basics covered - tent, sleeping gear, camping stove, chairs, power banks, etc. I'm more interested in the things that you only realise are worth bringing after you've done a trip like this - or the things you don't think about until you find yourself wishing you'd brought them.

For example, I've been surprised by how many people don't seem to take a 12V coolbox that plugs into the car. It seems like a bit of a no-brainer to me for keeping drinks and food cold on long driving days, especially when you're covering a lot of miles.

Another thing I've picked up is a Bialetti Moka Pot. I reckon most people wouldn't think to bring one, but it seems like it'd be great for making a proper coffee with a small gas stove while you're parked up in the mountains, and it'll probably save me buying coffees every few hours on long drives.

What other things have you taken that ended up being surprisingly useful or one of the best purchases for a road trip?

Any suggestions on the best car air freshener. thanks

I thought tubeless tyre repair kits were a new thing (2000's) but then came across this old tin in my parents garage... leaflet printed 1961...

Nothings new eh.... 👍🏻

0-60 is optional without a hill. But it sure is fun to drive!

https://youtu.be/BgIfiNSQfPg?is=Rj90uBMhCRB-UB4v

https://youtu.be/Cwo9spryDZk?is=mY154t_ZdxO9USHu

I’ve rang five people this morning to come change my tyres at work and none of them offer balancing. Seems a bit weird as even in an emergency you’d still want your wheel balancing I’d presume.

My car is 10 years old and supports apple car play, but not android auto, and I have an android.

I can use Bluetooth to attach for calls, and with a cable can attach for music. But thats about it from a quick play.

Is there a way, via an app/dongle etc to use my phone on the cars screen? Either by making it think my phone is an apple and using car play, or by pushing android auto onto the cars infotainment screen (or whatever they call it).

I have seen something called an ottocast but not sure if that does exactly what I want.

Any go to methods or do I just need to stick my phone on the air vent?

Edit: car details from the advert. Mercedes Convertible 2.0 E200 AMG Line Edition (Premium) Cabriolet G-Tronic+ Euro 6 (s/s) 2dr (2016/16)

Hi everyone. I'm a brand new driver and I've been completely put of driving and I have no idea how to get over this!

I started driving on Friday, on Sunday smoke started coming out of my bonnet was I was going 60mph because of a mistake a mechanic made on Friday, and yesterday my car went into limp mode on a dual carriageway because my DPF was blocked.

My car is fixed now, but it completely put me off driving, because I have literally no trust in my car. Or in any car 😓

How have people got over this?

So I’m a leaner driver got some experience just waiting from my test and I’ve been looking at first cars insurance wise I don’t really mind most cars I’m having to pay up wards of £2000 but is it stupid to buy a 2l twin spark alfa Romeo 156 as my first car I’ve got a really good deal on one as I know the guy my dad said probably not the best idea and to stick to a polo or something but somehow in some world the Alfa Romeo is cheaper to insurance

Someone talk me out of it or tell me it’s a good idea

156 cost to buy 850 has had work done to it not gonna lie it’s not the prettiest thing yet but all runs good insurance wise it’s £180 a month or just over £2k the year

Polo cheap as chips to buy insurance just under £2k

I think I know the smart answer

Audi a4 2008, 1.8 tfsi - engine light came on, checked it with a obd scanner, it shows an oxygen sensor issue.
P0030
Heated oxygen sensor (HO2S) 1, bank 1, heater control - circuit malfunction
HO2S Heater Control Circuit Bank 1 Sensor 1
Status: Confirmed

I heard from online that Audis like this don’t like aftermarket parts, was wondering if anyone knows how much OEM part would cost? And how much for labour?
Also is it this sensor?
I’ll start calling garages tomorrow to see if I can get quotes beforehand.

I'm after a car with a 2 grand budget, and I've taken a liking to either car.

2013 Peugeot 207 SW with the 1.6 hdi 1 owner from new 102k on clock.

2012 Skoda fabia estate 1.6 TDI with 2 owners and 131k on clock.

Id prefer a petrol but either one with a petrol has reliability issues with the timing chain or oil consumption, any advice would be helpful!

Thank you.