bpg
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Post by bpg on Nov 10, 2023 10:43:28 GMT
Skoda Superb is one I forgot about but given my experience of VW products I'm not sure. I know a hundred million mini-cabbers can't be wrong and the Octavia became the vehicle of choice when the Toyota Avensis fell out of favour for whatever reason.
The E class must be a very good car, all joking aside, taxi drivers in Germany wouldn't put up with them if they were anything but.
My experience* of far east products leads me to believe the reason they are so reliable is because they are never out of the garage. Short, 9,500 mile service intervals, and overly optimistic speedos means they are seeing a workshop every 9,000 miles therefore you are paying for the reliability through servicing.
*Not saying it is the case for everyone but Toyota and KIA both operate these short service intervals. I find it quite irritating KIA stick to this schedule with their EVs given there are no oily bits.
Volvo are not above critique, looking on the owners forum the D4 engine has issues and starts to burn oil in some cases at around 125,000 miles. My boat engine Volvo just works. Yes, this most recent service it needed new front discs which were "frilly" around the edges, after 13 years I don't think they owe me much. The aircon compressor has been replaced, the rear shocks have surface rust on the cases which will get replaced in due course. The more I type, the more I am talking myself out of any change at this point in time. The Focus would be fine if I could get the dog cage AND the separation blind in the car without having to move the cage towards the centre of the vehicle due to the curve of the tailgate. The cassette holding the roller blind is an inch or two too wide. I could fit a metal frame instead which would take up less space and I still have roof bars and a roof box for those occasions twice/year when we go on the BPG family road trip. Still it was a nice day out yesterday. Change is as good as a rest as they say.
Congratulations, Humph ! Inertia wins again.
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Nov 10, 2023 11:03:14 GMT
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Post by Humph on Nov 10, 2023 11:03:14 GMT
It is almost always the right answer. Some would analogise it to marriage.
Fix, maintain and keep is usually the least expensive option.
đ
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Nov 12, 2023 14:09:03 GMT
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Post by EspadaIII on Nov 12, 2023 14:09:03 GMT
As one of those who have been divorced and remarried
(I am blissfully happy after almost 27 years so my wife tells me)
I concur that staying with the same woman is definitely cheaper than swapping out every so often. I also learnt that the same applies to cars. I would have happily kept the E350 if my accountant hadn't told me the EV tax saving dodge.
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Nov 12, 2023 14:30:06 GMT
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Post by Humph on Nov 12, 2023 14:30:06 GMT
Totally get that, and if they were my circumstances Iâd most probably do something similar.
Just out of curiosity, and genuinely not deliberately trying to be impish, do you find your EV as day to day âusefulâ as your old car?
Canât help noticing that your Mini seems to be getting quite a lot of use?
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Post by EspadaIII on Nov 12, 2023 15:17:27 GMT
The I5 is wonderful for my needs. As I may have mentioned we bought a flat in the south Lakes about a year ago and go up on average twice a month overnight (77 miles each way). I stupidly limited my lease mileage on the I5 to 8,000 miles pa and 19 months in I am already at 17,000 miles. This is partly due to trips to the flat and partly to my longer trips for business which I didn't really do by car pre-Covid.
So we tend to alternate the trips between my car and hers. The fact I don't really mention my car is due to the fact that it just gets on with the job. My mileage pre-Covid was generally about 9,000 miles pa. The six years I had the Merc I did 55,000 miles and I thought that I would just be a little more careful and sparing on the longer trips, but as it happens I should have gone for 10,000 miles pa. I wanted to get the price to below ÂŁ500pcm on a 3 + 35 deal which was a mistake. As it happens it turns out the cost for 10,000 miles pa would have been no different to 8,000 miles pa plus the overage miles at 9p/mile.
The more I think about it, the more I would prefer, after the lease, to go back to ownership, whether in my company or personally.
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bpg
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Nov 12, 2023 16:26:12 GMT
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Post by bpg on Nov 12, 2023 16:26:12 GMT
77 miles each way plus a bit of running around should not trouble your i5 even in winter.
I've noticed now the temperature has dropped 15°C since September the range of our EV has dropped accordingly. 335 miles Vs 235 this week. Still won't trouble a 200 miles round trip.
May is our EVs happy month.
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Post by EspadaIII on Nov 12, 2023 18:47:17 GMT
Yes. If we leave with 100% I am very comfortable to get there and back without worry. But as the temperature has dropped from late teens to about 7C the range has dropped from the usual 265, to about 225 at best with motorway speeds dropping it to 200 miles. The charging station near the flat is much cheaper and a little faster than the station near my office, almost as cheap as home charging, so sometimes I am happy to drive up knowing I will need to recharge.
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bpg
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Nov 13, 2023 6:37:43 GMT
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Post by bpg on Nov 13, 2023 6:37:43 GMT
There will be an estate version of the Volkswagen ID.7, apparently. Given the source they're still of the opinion pistons are best. The review of the onboard tech isn't very inspiring, quite a concern given this has been signed off as acceptable for journalists to review. VW have always, to my mind, run at the lean end of power outputs ensuring longevity in their products therefore the meh! performance of this latest car is not an issue, the onboard infrastructure which is really hurting them in China is. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2024 7:44:23 GMT
Tyre time. Noticed the rears on the Honda getting a bit frilly towards the edge - checked out the date stamp and they're 2019 vintage, so time to change. These were put on the car brand new by the supplying dealer, they were on the front with me for 3 years, then moved to the back. They have done 20k miles, and aren't anywhere near the wear bars yet, but cracking towards the edge + age = bin.
Then I looked at the front pair. Date stamped early 2022. I had these put on myself, when the rears mentioned above were rotated from the front to the rear. And guess what. There are cracks between pretty much every block of the tread, on both sides. These have done under 10k miles, and are barely worn. So I rummaged for the receipt as I couldn't remember where I'd bought them. Fortunately I'd got the receipt in my email, from the closest tyre shop to home, whose website declares a "lifetime warranty" against "manufacturing defects". Well, the car is with them now, so let's see what that alleged warranty is worth. The square root of eff all, I imagine.
These are Bridgestone tyres, so I won't be buying that brand again. I've asked for Michelin Cross Climate 2s. So that'll be me almost ÂŁ500 lighter, pending a VAR review on the existing tyres. I had thought better of Bridgestone, and the wear rate seems to be as, or better than, expected, but for them to be cracking after 2 years? Nah. Not good enough. The Leaf has 4 Cross Climates on it, which are dated 2021, and show zero signs of cracking, and very low wear rate over about 20k miles.
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WDB
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Jun 18, 2024 8:14:21 GMT
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Post by WDB on Jun 18, 2024 8:14:21 GMT
The leaf has 4 Cross Climates on it, which are dated 2021, and show zero signs of cracking, and very low wear rate over about 20k miles. What? You must have mistyped that! Itâs an EV, so itâs spent its years filling our city air with excess brake dust and tyre particles â in between collapsing car parks and starting fires, of course. Still time to edit, so have another go. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2024 8:18:17 GMT
Edits duly made. To correct my appalling typing errors and lame proofreading skills where my own writing is concerned.
Regarding the Leaf, the tyres on it are genuinely the biggest reason holding me back from changing the car, now the PCP is nearing its end. I resent handing the tyres in, and most likely ending up with a newer car with worse tyres on, which I will want to replace.
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WDB
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Jun 18, 2024 8:31:49 GMT
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Post by WDB on Jun 18, 2024 8:31:49 GMT
The i3 is gradually getting through its original rear tyres â although the MoT inspector in April thought theyâd probably survive another year at our rate of use. I might check to see if rotation is an option; years of asymmetrical MB and BMW wheels have got me out of that habit but the i3S has four of the same.
Ah no, it doesnât! 175 on the front, 195 behind. Perhaps if I stop racing S3 drivers away from the lightsâŠ?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2024 8:45:34 GMT
I need to rotate on the Leaf, which I'll do if I do keep it. I'll expect the tyres to last another 2/3 years then, and hopefully they'll wear down before they fall apart (grrrr Bridgestone).
Leafses are such straightforward, uncomplicated cars. No different tyres sizes or owt. Just a proper, honest to goodness wee hatchback, just about the right size for daily family and domestic duties around town, with incredibly low running costs. Hard to think of a better all-round daily runabout.
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WDB
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Jun 18, 2024 9:07:08 GMT
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Post by WDB on Jun 18, 2024 9:07:08 GMT
Yes, certainly something liberating about a simple, functional transportation device. I got into an online chat at work yesterday about the CitroĂ«n Ami, which isnât legally even a car but would be entertaining for tootling about an entirely urban area. (Still needs somewhere to park and charge, though.) ÂŁ7500 new, so a three-year-old one might be a pocket-money buy.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2024 9:10:50 GMT
I would really like a Renault Twizy. But it's only a toy in reality for anyone other than a single person. If I could justify the expense I'd certainly have one as an extra vehicle, though. The Ami doesn't appeal in the same way.
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