Mark101

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Posts posted by Mark101

  2. Posted

    14 hours ago, GreenGiant said:

    Loving the irony.

    I think you'll not find that it isn't not an oxymoron (one word by the way; as an oxy is a pain killer, your two-word version is both wrong and rude).

    I would suggest that double negative isn't the term you weren't looking for.

     

    ;)

    7 minutes ago, Ocsltd said:

    *as well :P

    I hate ironing

  3. Posted · Edited by Mark101
    Typo

    4 minutes ago, tradex said:

    :D don't those two use lemon juice and bleach on everything. 

    Good luckB)

    Exactly or baking soda in the mix!

    I was looking for something like that to be honest, simple and effective.

    Their lemon in a bowl of water in the microwave works a treat.

  4. Posted

    I cannot believe that you can get "done" for not being taxed in a pub car park (providing it was taxed or on trade plates to get there).

    All we hear about is how under resourced the Police are nowadays, so why would they bother with such petty "crime."

    I would hope that most "officials" would appreciate that someone is just trying to make an honest living.

  5. Posted

    13 minutes ago, tradex said:

    Save your money.

    For faggy and piss 'n biscuit cars, you can use any fancy thing you want, 03 units, BBQ brickettes under the seats, apple cores, smoke bombs, but the only sure way to remove odours is to deep clean every interior surface, sometimes twice, sometimes thrice. It's bloody hard and very nasty work, hence why we avoid mingers.

    The smell is given off by what ever is present, you need to remove it, not mask it. 

    O3 (ozone) is actually very reactive (oxidation) and very damaging to the lungs, eyes and nasal tracts, but I'm sure those units wouldn't generate enough 03 if driven off a 13 amp source to worry, takes an awful lot of power and 02 (oxygen) to make O3. 

    It's a long shot but having trawled various pages looking for a "Kim and Aggie" type solution, this kept popping up.

    Having read all the many positive and the few negative reviews (apt, as per other post regarding reviews) advertising a unit at £90, I thought shall I take a gamble - then I found it advertised on Amazon for £59 delivered (Prime) and thought, let's give it ago.

    Anyway, car should be out of bodyshop (bumper and door car park dinks) on Wednesday and ready for the valeters to attack the new paint with their TFR.  I will see how "clean" they can get the interior and then give this gizmo a blast (taking lots of precautions as per the many health warnings).

    Here it is, next to Quentin!

     

     

    IMG_0466.jpg

  7. Posted

    I have just taken delivery of (and I mean 10 mins ago) an Ozone Generator - Google it and read the reviews.

    Highly toxic so beware, area has to be ventilated for hours after completion but no more smells (pets, tobacco and the like).

    Worth a try I thought - haven't taken out the box yet so cannot review.

  9. Posted

    23 minutes ago, Rory RSC said:

    Set up your own workshop and set up your own bodyshop and then you don't need to wait around 

    Been there done that - didn't work out - far too many overheads and still capacity issues when busy.

    Happy to outsource and I appear to be front of queue and pricing wise, I am a very happy.  The second I feel someone's having my eyes out, I'm off.

    i am just being impatient I guess

  10. Posted

    That was my point, if I can get to a dozen vehicles with say 2 of those at any one time going through prep, I would be happy.  Sourcing, collecting and prepping to ramp up is my frustration.

    I like dealing with the garages and working on the added value, it is just getting over the hump and having enough ready to roll retail stock. The only other time this should happen is if I have an exceptional run of sales - that's a problem I can live with.

  12. Posted

    Being a re starter or new venture.  I am finding if it is not hard enough to buy stock, waiting for prep is driving me mad.

    I have only amassed 6 cars so far and two of those are no advertised yet and I need them on (partly because I’m so keen to get cracking and partly because they are either costing me money or not earning me money).

    The two BMW’s I bought - one with BCA having a speed sensor fixed and they are not pushing BMW very hard (have agreed to deliver it to me FoC)

    the other is at the body shop for rear bumper scruff and trolley dinks in the drivers door.

    My other 4 are 99% just need a wash but otherwise good to go - so I am left waiting.

    cant wait to be stocked up and just replacing stock in ones and twos, building momentum.

    hands are tied

  13. Posted

    30 minutes ago, tradex said:

    There's always a 'charge back' story doing the rounds, and the common theme is a 'friend of a friend', sometimes a ferret is involved and more than usual the trader is one of those whom attract 'dramas', no offense intended.

    If you look into it, things aren't that straight forward.

    Chat to your card provider (for want of a better word) and it really isn't that simple for a customer to ring up and say "my alternators failed, snatch my money back", I know as I have.

    I think you’re agreeing with me tradex :) 

    Remember, only bad news makes interesting news and it is disproportionate to all the good stuff that happens every second, every minute, every hour, every day year in year out.

     

  14. Posted

    I will not be using my trade plates - the consequences more than outweigh any “savings”

    Happy to pay tax and not that bothered about adding a keeper to the log book (on an older stock car).  I just hate being without a V5 because sods law tells me (from experience) that the minute you release your finger on the mouse to register - a punter comes along to buy the car!

  15. Posted

    It doesn’t matter who, what, when etc - there is always a horror story behind every deal - I bet anyone, there have been more negative cases regarding cash payments (counterfeit), convenient burglary shortly after transaction etc.

    Card payments have always given protection to individuals, which is why I try and pay for anything through this method.

    Apart from your example, I can only find benefits to us as dealers - as rather than be solely liable, we now have joint liability.

    I am also not sure whether (despite doing so) they actually can withdraw funds.  I wonder if the funds were actually still sitting in the holding account - in other words, hadn’t been deposited into a current account?

    I am considering a PAYG device, just because I don’t want to lose any sale but CHAPS (or instant bank transfer) is always my preferred option - no cash risks and no card transaction fees.

    each to their own I guess.

  16. Posted

    8 hours ago, BHM said:

    Cash is king. Potless credit card punters can sling their hook, there are still plenty of punters out there with “cash on hip”.

    An old fashioned view but they haven’t made cash undesirable - yet! Although that is the eventual aim of governments.

    I try not to take any cash at all - it’s just another job for me to go to town, find a parking space and queue in the bank - Direct Bank transfer or CHAPS for me until I decide about a chip n pin device but cash is my least favourite - that’s for beer tokens only 

  17. Posted

    Thanks HKQAC

    Are you sure (only because I was told it was hammer price and that's how I've always done things when had pitch 12 years ago) about buyers fees?

    Sorry for doubting you but I want to get my ducks in a row before I incorporate another business and register for VAT at the same time.

    Cheers, Mark

  21. Posted

    I need to run one of my stock cars for a shortish while (couple of months)

    Back in the day, I would pick a car with some remaining rent but of course, all gone now.

    Do I need to (Probably a yes but is there another way) register the car in my name (adding a keeper) or can I just tax using the existing V5?

    Thanks

  22. Posted

    34 minutes ago, andymc1973 said:

    Izettle are good but not cheap 1.5%

    Thanks Andy- I shall take a look.

    Still better than losing a sale and I have looked at the article referred to herein and I don't see an issue with section 75, am I missing something.

    My understanding is as car retailers, we are liable under the Consumer Goods Act for a period of time and Section 75 means the Lender becomes Jointly liable - surely this is a ggod thing, what am I failing to understand?

  23. Posted

    7 minutes ago, trade vet said:

    We had a lot of punters like that just after the millennium.They were all alcohol and tobacco smugglers and they had to evade the customs at Dover ! 

    8 hours ago, Arfur Dealy said:

    I’ve always sold high mileage, it doesn’t scare me as long as it’s low ownership, clearly been looked after with a full history. The model and spec is more important, 200k is now the old 100k. 

    Good to know - funnily enough, I'm just watching you videos on YouTube.

    The round of applause makes me smile every time I hear it - good concept by the way

    8 minutes ago, trade vet said:

    We had a lot of punters like that just after the millennium.They were all alcohol and tobacco smugglers and they had to evade the customs at Dover ! 

    Rumbled.....................

  24. Posted

    31 minutes ago, Autolink100 said:

    We have a strict policy of not accepting them with no exceptions. Not because of fees but due to section 75. When I checked last months statement I find that my salesman has managed to take 7 deposits on a credit card and 6 on a debit. Not Happy!!

    I would be - he's sold 13 cars

  25. Posted

    Back in the day, I was one of the first people to receive a chip and pin card reader at my garage.  All my fellow traders thought I was mad but it transformed my sale conversions and now they all do it.

    The idea was driven out of how many times I had heard "I'm just popping to the cash point to get a deposit" never to be seen again - I never knew whether they had no intention of completing or whether they walked passed the many other forecourts en route to the bank and spotted something more to their liking.  At least this way, I knew whether they were serious or not because I could be the "cash point."

    It also meant that I didn't have to discount so much because people are generally less conscious about the money when it is not "real"

    I always charged 2.5% extra for credit cards but didn't know I was breaking the law.

    Wish I had one now but trading from home doesn't make it easy - I think you can use a third party like PayPal but haven't investigated fully.