tradex

A HDi auction buyer... but if they work for you C'est la vie Bizzare timing (not camshaft related) but our works diesel van needs a new injector, initial lumpy cold idle from first start, blue/grey smokes at extended idling when hot, after doing the 'bottle test' we think number 1 injector - or number 4 if you ain't a Francophile and use 'normal' cylinder nomenclature. ....PSA 2.0 HDi 8v with 270k on the old girl....now that was an engine to behold, if only all diesels were powered by this sublime beast I'd still be selling them. They even had sacrifical rockers if the worst happened, no exhaust treatment & no sodding DMF...

Even with what I said I will still never buy one

To be fair is it all about the maintenance on these engines, but they had a very painful gestation during the R&D stange, not usually a good sign. At one point Delphi couldn't get any to last more than 50 hours on test beds when developing a fuel injection system when bidding to be the supplier. I have seen them do 300k in controlled test mules at later stages. They were ok when serviced by main agents using the then expensive special oils, it was when they got outside into inde' garages the big problems started by using the wrong oil....cheap and incorrect. IMHO

very quite for us, September with the kids back is normally quite brisk.

Hey, don't go treading on our toes it's dead out there for us..

And still running?.....it is a DV car afterall? One would think Pug' would want this one back to see how it's made it thus far. Ohh bugger. Just noticed it's showing an EML

Great read if it as the same book I read? He has done a few. One of my mates fathers knew Bernie from old, back in his South East London car dealing days. He only did business with him the once though... He told me Bernie was quite a multi skilled guy, not only a successful car old school dealer but a good barber too. Was surprised when he fessed up to it and much more in his book, right there in black and white He had a great saying, a paraphrase along the lines of "you can buy anything you want in this world, if you give too much for it"...what a character

the edit function has not passed our PDI and I may call trading standards as the 'edit' unfit for a porpoise.

Say that again we are always learning.

I'd almost forgotten about this one. Long story short:- A while back (2014) we have a customer (Stanley Baxter lookalike, only not so funny) call us about a slipping clutch. Low miles 58 Focus 1.6 petrol, less than 40k from memory (38K?), I remebered the guy was a proper 'character' during the sale. Poor Stanley had had the car just over 5 months. He is only local and we offer to come over to inspect the car but lots of reasons from customer why this can't be done. So, customer drops car off to our site and the thing barely drives, the clutch is that bad and pedal feels strange, like treading on a mushroom..very odd. I noticed Stanley had a towbar fitted since purchase with a very used ball on it, which made me a bit sus'. He assured me he only towed a little box trailer and very rarely. I ask "why the twin electrical connections then" well that was fitted without his asking....hmm. After a LOT of negociation with threats of Trading Standards, legal action, the Rotary Club, United Nations et all, we did our heals in and agree in writing (yes, one of those) to fit a full clutch at 'cost' for the customer and we pay for the friction plate and half the labour, he pays for the other half of labour, pressure plate and concentric....NB 'cost' really doesn't mean 'cost' as there is all the running around etc. All the time I'm thinking that something isn't right here, but hey, cars go wrong, clutches wear out, some early, some not. He seemed quite pleased with this deal though, a bit too pleased I thought at the time, after all the arguing? Anyway car is left with us, clutch is fitted, mechanic remarks to us that the car is like the Somme underneath. But, Stanley pays his 'sweet bill' promptly over phone and says he will pick up the car later that day. But..... the mechanics we use are overflowing with cars and really need the now fixed Focus out the way, their landlord is getting very tetchy about the number of cars about the unit. So we call Stanley and his wife answers and says she is in, we call mechanic back give him the OK to deliver so the car gets dropped off by our tame mechanic. Mrs Stanley is a lovely lady, very friendly, "cup of tea luv?" apron wearing and homemade pastry sort. On droping the Focus off the mechanic sends us a picture of a something very interesting. Standing on the driveway rear end facing the road is a huge twin wheel caravan complete with moving wheels things, with the same reg' as the Focus. Mechanic, whom is a 'caravaner' chats with Mrs Stanley and she even shows him around the 'van as these sorts do. Mechanic asks if they use the Focus to tow the 'van and she says yes, mechanic says that the caravan must surely be way overweight for the Focus, not only from a legal point of view but that the poor Focus would die an early death, as it had the onerous task of dragging this 'mobile home' around, so expect a new clutch every six months? Mrs Stanley tells mechanic chapter and verse and about how Stanley knows all this but can't be told, "you know how Stanley is", Stan's reply always that being an older couple they don't go very far, he has been towing caravans for nearly 30 years large and small and his car control was such that it didn't really matter... ...with me so far? Scroll forward few years or so to the weekend and we have a customer come in to buy a Clio for his son. We do the deal and the customer tells us that he was pleasantly surprised by our easy and friendly manner, the prep' and honest description condition of the car, always nice to hear, but hear comes the caveat. Now, this Clio was an unusual spec' and customer fessed' up that he really didn't wish to deal with us initially but it was the Clio that fitted his wish list. I asked why the reluctance, as we do lots of repeat business and like to think we go the extra mile? Well, it turns out our Clio customer's neighbour had told him the following. Neighbour had bought a car from us a few years ago, the clutch went 'a week' after purchase and he had to pay a another garage a small fortune to get it repaired, as we didn't want to know....I say they must be talking about another garage as it rings no bells with me? During this conversation Clio customer's wife then interjects with this belter of a story.... "but, we told never to believe anything 'Stanley' says anyway, and didn't he treat that car badly. Did you know he got his caravan stuck in a boggy field and had to be towed out by the site's 4x4 from what we heard. Ignored the wardens advice about parking in a 'restricted wet area' as the view from his booked pitch wasn't as good, moaned about getting stuck in the mud to the warden's wife "should of been signed better", then nearly got flattened by the warden when he threw some f*cks into the warden's wife when she said what an idiot he was, and then to top it off didn't even give them a drink for their troubles which involved the site workers pushing the 'van with the 4x4, truck and workers getting plastered in mud. Got banned from the site which he had been using for years, Mrs Stanley didn't talk with him for a month"....hmm says I, sounds like a charming chap, I'd love to meet him...proper Victor Meldrew. Well bugger me sideways, then the penny dropped, when Clio customers say they live in same road as 'that hotel'....yup that is where our 'Stanley' lives. So I then tell them the proper story to which they say "that makes sense", turns out everyone ignores the twat anyway as he is 'that one in the street that everyone hates and the kids love to wind up'....go for it kids Way to go Stanley. I think I'll send him a Christmas Card......with a horses head on it...

VAT on the Bought v Sell price. And yes, car sales must be one of the best earners for HMRC, sell a car new pay VAT, sell it 5 times over the course of it's life and pay more VAT....we are unpaid tax collectors.

German cars....best of luck and get a good warranty provider onboard. They sell and like a faithful dog always find their way home again. I've a friend who nothing but VW and does very well but his problems with comebacks are epic....great entertainment though. We dropped anything German years ago and life has been much easier.

We have registered but no repsonse back...

Yes, we were surprised too