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Post by Alex on Dec 12, 2023 6:34:41 GMT
Those look filthy. But I'm not trusting your opinion so will have to try them myself at some point just to make sure you're being honest about how good they are.
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Post by Alex on Dec 12, 2023 6:33:47 GMT
Should do more often than I do. The work fuel card can be used for automatic car washes but I tend to use that as a last resort if I'm going to a customer site and just haven't gotten round to washing it by hand. But it does mean you risk getting those horrible hairline scratches all over it.
Like Martin I try to keep the interior clean at all times. Just a shame the kids have other ideas...
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Cardle
Dec 8, 2023 6:33:47 GMT
via mobile
Post by Alex on Dec 8, 2023 6:33:47 GMT
Well they've made up for it with an easy one today
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Post by Alex on Dec 5, 2023 7:38:56 GMT
I'm sure they are doing just fine. If anything it's the lease company that are taking a hosing because the cost to them of borrowing the money to pay Skoda has increased dramatically compared to the end of 2021 when the deal was agreed. That's another effect of high interest rates that the new car market is suffering from and is why people who change their car every few years are getting a bit of a shock when they go to change.
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Post by Alex on Dec 2, 2023 13:32:54 GMT
I would say the dash cam is more for protection when you inevitably run one over and they come at you for compensation for their idiocy. That is true but it just won't help anyone who suffers damage to their cars and sees the little scrotes bugger off down some alley or sidestreet
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Post by Alex on Dec 2, 2023 13:27:38 GMT
They've deleted the rear view camera from my order and so far as I know that is all but of course I'll find out later in the week of anything else is missing.
Interesting you talk about cancelling orders. They offered to allow free cancellation, which is not something that happens often. That was about 6 months ago but there wasn't anything else within budget or similar tax bracket that would have come closer. Closest wad a Niro PHEV but I didn't fancy that and, in any case, my two colleagues who did switch their order to one 0f those have been quoted April delivery so it would have been an even longer wait!
The delay was originally due to high demand coming right as the microchip shortage hit car manufacturers and then the war in Ukraine which is where VAG make a lot of their wiring looms caused further delays. Those issues have been largely ironed out but the order books have continued to fill and the newer orders have been sold at higher prices so have been given priority to aid their cash flow. Skoda are essentially selling me a car for £33k that in today's market should be nearer £40k so they will probably be making a loss on it.
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Post by Alex on Dec 2, 2023 8:28:26 GMT
Trouble is that it's not exactly like they'll be identifiable. They don't exactly wear number plates and there's no Police around stopping them so they'll feel perfectly safe getting away with having their fun.
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Post by Alex on Dec 2, 2023 8:25:07 GMT
In a shocking turn of events it would appear that Skoda have actually built my car and its being delivered next Thursday. Only 2 years and 3 weeks after being ordered!
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Post by Alex on Nov 30, 2023 20:08:51 GMT
If buyers are not willing to pay such high prices or indeed the cost of finance due to the inflated list prices which previously low interest rates fueled, then prices will either have to drop or sales numbers reduced but with higher margins. Neither is ideal for car manufacturers who have built a business based on sales growth. Current interest rates probably should remain at their current rates and arguably should have been where they are for the last few years. The comedown we're experiencing from the heady days of 0.1% BOE rates is going to be painful as more and more middle class mortgage holders come off their fixed deals. Finding an extra £500 a month for the bank is going to seriously dent a lot of people's new car funds.
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Post by Alex on Nov 28, 2023 6:48:00 GMT
I've never picked up a hitch hiker. Never been inclined to do so either even though I'm of a generation where it was still seen as a normal thing to do if you believed everything you watched on telly.
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Up!date
Nov 27, 2023 6:22:44 GMT
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bryan likes this
Post by Alex on Nov 27, 2023 6:22:44 GMT
That does look good Bryan. Annoying that you can't just wash your hands of the Evoque now it's effectively in the insurance company's hands to deal with. I'd certainly be pressing HR to stop billing you your company car tax now you have no use of it.
Those number plates really do look awful. I'm all for being patriotic but putting Union Jack's on the number plate of your German car is a bit much.
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Post by Alex on Nov 25, 2023 2:44:56 GMT
Because as much as you might not want a loan car, if you have an accident with a third party who successfully claims liability against you, they very much might want one whilst their car is being repaired.
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Post by Alex on Nov 24, 2023 5:15:14 GMT
Hope your running mates are OK. These engines bikes are an utter menace especially as they seem to be the transport of choice for Deliveroo and Just Eat deliveries where their riders think nothing of darting about at high speed in heavily pedestrianised areas.
They're also a massive fire hazard. We have a lot of customers asking us about whether they should allow staff to charge their ebikes at work and my current advice is a flat NO. There's been a number of fatal house fire here in the UK caused by ebike batteries whilst they're charging.
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Cardle
Nov 20, 2023 11:54:01 GMT
via mobile
Post by Alex on Nov 20, 2023 11:54:01 GMT
Would have got it in two but it didn't like me putting an F after the model as its manufacturer did back.
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Post by Alex on Nov 14, 2023 19:38:19 GMT
It was a good day out and glad a few of us were able to get together.
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Cardle
Nov 14, 2023 19:32:15 GMT
via mobile
Post by Alex on Nov 14, 2023 19:32:15 GMT
First guess I thought was something from Blackpool that was partial to a new chassis. Got it in 2 but when it said wrong guessed it wanted the series. I went down the Blackpool route first too. I think it was the cowl around the headlamp that fooled me.
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Cardle
Nov 10, 2023 20:32:02 GMT
via mobile
Post by Alex on Nov 10, 2023 20:32:02 GMT
Damn site wouldn't accept it without a number!!! Grr, would have been one otherwise! Even with the number it would accept my answer as I used a lower case mk instead of MK!
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Post by Alex on Nov 9, 2023 7:21:14 GMT
Sounds like the sort of place that people who don't actually like or care about cars go to shop. I'm guessing their trade in offers are not piss takingly low but just enough to make it worth losing a few quid to not have the hassle of selling it elsewhere and they probably use it as part deposit on your finance deal which they will of course arrange for you to save the hassle of getting the funds elsewhere. What an unpleasant experience. I'm guessing though that if they have the cash flow to keep a hanger full of cars there must be plenty of punters they do manage to reel in.
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Post by Alex on Nov 8, 2023 10:08:51 GMT
I normally only touch the headlight control when picking the car up from service and realising they've turned the auto lights off! I know it's not an issue but it's just one thing that makes it feel that bit cheaper. In the Golf it was replaced with a touch sensitive haptic pad which, whilst in itself has its own issues, at least looked technological so not quite so cheaply made.
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Post by Alex on Nov 8, 2023 4:58:39 GMT
. As an aside a Skoda Superb 280 Estate is most definitely all the car you would ever need. Yes. That’s where I ended up after watching the review. Well here's hoping an Octavia estate PHEV gets reasonably close to that. Compared to the mk8 Golf I did feel when looking at them that the Octavoa was better in terms of having physical controls but it annoys me that they moved away from a the nice quality feeling rotary switch for the headlights to a row of cheap buttons. Thanks like that just make a car feel cheap and it's been a recent trend across the VAG lineup.
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Baby RR
Nov 7, 2023 19:53:39 GMT
via mobile
bryan likes this
Post by Alex on Nov 7, 2023 19:53:39 GMT
Seeing your comments on the battery thread it must be tempting to take the allowance and use it towards commuting in your existing trio. Just have to leave 15mins earlier so you can take a less direct route to the station on some more fun roads!
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Post by Alex on Nov 5, 2023 17:43:33 GMT
I've switched to reading magazines via Readly. Evo, Car and Autocar are all on there and it's a lot cheaper than buying them and looks fine on my ipad.
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Baby RR
Nov 5, 2023 17:39:48 GMT
via mobile
Post by Alex on Nov 5, 2023 17:39:48 GMT
So is it a salary sacrifice company car scheme you're in? In which case that makes a lot of difference and I think your idea sounds much better!
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Baby RR
Nov 5, 2023 12:32:37 GMT
via mobile
Post by Alex on Nov 5, 2023 12:32:37 GMT
Something like an MG4 will probably be a very good runabout and the BIK is about 50 quid a month. Given that you have an S4, and Elan and a 911 in the garage to play around with the rest of the time it could still be worth keeping the company car for now.
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Post by Alex on Nov 5, 2023 7:53:07 GMT
Increased insurance costs are inevitable if we want underwriters to continue accepting the business. Car insurance has always been a market where profits are slim but for many the premium pots have been wiped out over the last few years and so more and more of them are having to turn to their reinsurers to bail them out. If it seems your insurer is being really pushy in trying to sell you other products like breakdown cover or home insurance, it's to try to get you into more profitable products to help subsidise the loss making business.
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Baby RR
Nov 5, 2023 7:31:37 GMT
via mobile
Post by Alex on Nov 5, 2023 7:31:37 GMT
Is that coming under the dealers insurance or are they making you claim it on yours? I feel sorry for the poor sod who had to call round all the customers with the news of their cars. I bet some were not as good about it as you've been.
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Post by Alex on Nov 4, 2023 10:22:38 GMT
Might have hit 100 a few times heading back south down the M40 over the years. That motorway is like a proper racetrack at times but I've seen enough camera vans along it to just stick to slightly more legal speeds. The M6 toll can be a bit like that too but they do patrol it a bit more these days for that very reason.
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Post by Alex on Nov 2, 2023 20:46:34 GMT
It's the plug in hybrid which is why it's been delayed. You may notice that you can no longer configure PHEV models of most VAG vehicles. Essentially they're so good on BIK that there's a massive backlog of orders which has been exacerbated by some parts which are unique to VAG PHEVs that were sourced from Ukraine. The Octavia has it worse as one of its subframes was built in a factory that the Russians have flattened so Skoda have had to put together a whole new jig at the factory in Czechia to build them.
They're not the only manufacturer with these sorts of issues. My boss has a Ford Kuga PHEV and that took over 2 years from order to delivery.
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Post by Alex on Nov 1, 2023 19:45:28 GMT
It's why the idea of having a battery that needs 45mins for 60% charge (in the usable range of 20%-80%) just to get 150miles of range is daft and not a long term solution. EVs either need a lot more range or a lot faster charging to be viable for most medium to long distance drives.
Surely the only decent solution (supposing that we're definitely going to ditch the idea of a fuel whether that be hydrogen or an E Fuel) is to have universal interchangeable battery packs that can be swapped in and out at filling stations. That could bring the cost of the cars themselves down too as you don't need to include a battery with the car, you just pay a deposit when putting in your first battery, a bit like you do with a calor gas cylinder.
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Post by Alex on Nov 1, 2023 19:34:34 GMT
There was a bit about it on R4 Moneybox at the weekend. Insurance companies are basically no longer wanting to be in the car insurance business as most have been losing money over the last year or so and as a result a number of underwriters have pulled out the market or jacked up premiums to deliberately deter customers. Long lead times for parts and soaring repair costs driven by both labour costs and parts prices plus the massively increased cost of hire cars is mostly to blame. Some makes and models have seen big increases in thefts too which doesn't help.
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