RichardS

This is the key sentence IMO. You bought the car from a trader, who warrants the mechanicals for 6 months; you find the engine is fekked after 2 weeks. The trader therefore has a legal obligation to foot the bill for the repairs. Firstly, if the engine was fekked before you bought the car, then (if the car was advertised as good condition etc etc and priced accordingly) that trader has sold you something not fit for purpose. Said trader must then either refund your money and take back the car, or put things right to your satisfaction - regardless of any stated or implied warranty. Sale of goods act - simple ;) Secondly, you also have a warranty. If it is insurance backed then, in accordance with the claims procedure, obtain authority for the repairs directly from the warranty company and get it done. A warranty will be valid for the specified time only; however once you have lodged the claim they will still meet the appropriate costs even if the work is not finished until after it expires. PROVIDING YOU HAVE NOTIFIED THEM IN TIME AND OBTAINED AUTHORITY!! In each case above, try to arrange everything throught the trader to help protect your statutory rights. If the car is off the road for months and the trader is decent, he should provide you another 6 month warranty from the date the works are completed to your satisfaction. Good luck mate. Richard

My thoughts too mate! And when we were having 25 degrees and sunshine in April, a girl (at least she claims to be ;) ) in my office tried to lay the guilt trip on me for having 2 sports cars and a 4x4....... ........so I said if hot sunny days in April are a result of my selfishness, then I'm filling My ZX with optimax and driving home at 90mph in second gear! :rofl: But it's crappy and wet in mid-July.......global warming my arse Richard :D

My thoughts too...... ........hope you have a speedy recovery mate! Richard :smw:

I drove one brand new back in 1995. I called in at the Jaguar garage in Sevenoaks one morning and managed to blag a shiney new XJR (6 cyl) for a day! Awsome car it was too back then :D Pick a nice one up now (for peanuts) and you won't be disapointed. Plus the newer Jags don't rust like those from the 1980s and before. I do like the V8 but sooo many have needed new engines - that's why I never bought an XK8 for a daily driver. Richard :smw:

Heh heh.... .....I was tempted to wear a Ferrari cap and walk around carrying a note-pad. But they may not have let me in :D

I have just been to the McLaren Technology Centre today :hyper: Fantastic place! It's not open to the public but they occasionally provide hospitality tours and I was lucky enough to be invited through a business associate. Anyway, we were shown all along the production line of the McLaren Mercedes SLR; the cars are totally hand built and the place is clinically spotless. I got to peer inside engine compartments, partially and fully built cabins etc. Then at the end of the line I saw a couple of cars dyno tested on the rolling road - what an awesome noise...... The car is amazing - especially the new 722 edition! Shame all SLRs are LHD - they are not making any RHD versions. Then it was into the F1 section - luckily Hamilton's and Alonso's cars were in there having the final preps done before being shipped out to Germany for the weekend. I had a group picture taken with Alonso's F1 car. I also saw all the previous McLaren F1 winning cars, right back past James Hunt from the 70s. Finally they laid on a superb 4 course lunch before the hosts hand out a few goodies and sent us all home. Beats work..... Richard :D

I like it down south....... .....but I do hate London :p I lived there for 26 years, grew up there etc, but I am so glad I moved out to the country ;) Whenever I go and visit my parents it reminds me why I hate the place so much; I feel so much better when I return to the Chilterns. Richard :D

And what did the samples of moon-rock conclude...... ......that the moon is made from "Earth" I still believe it was real though :hyper: Richard :D

Me too - I think it is in the "enthusiasts companion" book. I'll dig mine out and have a read...... ;) Richard :D

Nice one! Welcome to the club mate :hyper: Richard :smw:

W does indeed stand for winter - as it refers to the viscosity when cold. So the lower the 1st number before the "w" the better it is at circulating after cold starting. The second number is the viscosity when hot and its ability to withstand higher temps without breaking down. See Oilman's many threads..... ;) A modern multigrade can therefore be thin for cold starts but also withstand high running temps. So a 0w40 oil is essentially the same when hot as a 10w40, but it will get round the engine faster on a cold start than a 10w40. Richard :smw:

Not from empty mate........ ............. the capacity of a LWB ZX is at least 60 litres, there is quite a large reserve once the light comes on ;) Richard :D

Very nice, clean UK spec car :hyper: Where did you get it, was it from a member? Richard :smw:

My UK hand book says 10w40 semi-synthetic ;) Steve-o was spot on; the "30" bit means it will be too thin at high temps; especialy with the harder driving on UK roads. If your car is stock-ish then a 10w40 semi will be OK but a 5w40 synthetic will be better. Most decent syntheic oils sold in top branded petrol stations will be 5w40. I favour Shell Helix Ultra; £34.99 (or free on my company fuel card ;) ) for 4 litres plus you can collect your "Shell plus points". Richard :D

Tandoori king prawn masala or king prawn korai; pilau rice and a keema naan. Washed down with a Cobra or two.... If I'm really hungry, I love the tandoori mixed grill :hyper: Richard :D

No, don't get your coat, you're absolutely right mate........ :o And it will get much worse unfortunately. Schools are continuously dumbing down; dropping "proper" history that showed what a great nation we once were in favour of more PC "issue" related learning, will breed a population of an even lower IQ. We are effectiely paying the scum to stay at home instead of going out to work and so on...... :rant: We have had any sense of national pride squeezed out of us for fear of being racist or xenophobic. We have become a society that hero worships worthless celebrities etc etc..... Blair's legacy?...... :confused: Makes you proud, doesn't it. :nelson: Richard

Sure is :hyper:

Not me Tony! Wrong direction for me - I live 12 miles SE of Aylesbury...... Richard :smw:

4.5 litres is tooooo much, I find that for a UK spec TT auto, just under 4 litres fills it to the max on the dipstick. Put in 3.5 litres, start the engine, then leave it a good 1/2 hour after switching off before checking the level. It really does take a while for the oil to drain back into the sump; then add just under another 1/2 litre. Richard ;)

So do I and I am pretty impressed with them. I always used Goodyear GSD3s - which were amazing but only lasted 5 mins. The Dunlops are still very good in all conditions, are reasonably priced for a premium brand and they have lasted very well so far...... Richard :D

I'd do what he said mate......... Don't let those who can't drive get you down - once one has killed himself there will always be another waiting to step into his place Richard :smw:

I would have to agree with this too...... Richard

The sender for the stock guage often fails, showing little or no pressure. But if it is working OK then at full temp, 3000 rpm the needle should be just before the centre mark. 2 minutes idling time to let the turbos stop is fine. Richard

Very nice mate; Nothing I do not like on that :hyper: Like Si, the rear lights "normally" would not be my thing but I have to concede they do look good on your car. It really does you proud! Richard :D

On a car allowance of £5k p/a you would pay £2k in tax at 40%. It just gets added to you salary as cash ;) So whilst the net pay is only £3k p/a you are also saving the company car tax; which on, say, a VW Passat TDI is about £1200 p/a assuming 40% tax. However if you drive for business you can reduce the tax burden by of-setting the cost of business journeys at 40p per mile for the first 10k miles and 25p per mile thereafter. Assuming you do 10k miles per annum, the tax reduction is £1600 (10k x 0.4 at 40%). I receive £550 per month car allowance and just pay PAYE on it with the rest of my wages - oh and that 1% National Insurance :nono: Damn government, scrapping the maximum NI threshhold....... Richard :D