Halfpenny

If its the same 'new' one that I'm thinking of then an inside contact tells me they are doing very well....

No...

Had similar problems on Renaults over the years. Usually it has not been the ECU at fault but rather a case of the ECU detecting one of the doors open. So look for faulty door switches or faulty wiring (on Renaults the wires sometimes fracture inside the plastic insulation - you can't see the wire is broken). Also look for bad earths (rust etc). Also on these I seem to remember a connector block on the pillar near the hinges and we've had corrosion and water inside. There is no instant solution, I think its a case of just logically chasing down the fault. Older French and Italian stuff is a pain for this. But Jap electrics just keep on working....

'old out yer 'and....

I think the notion of getting money off for cash is well ingrained in the public consciousness thanks to various TV programmes where some 'expert' or other goes into negotiation waving a bunch of 'readies' and magically the price drops 10%.

That's fair enough. I was more thinking about those that slap a blanket charge on every sale.

We don't charge an admin fee and we don't charge for fuel remaining in the tank. There is always enough fuel in the tank to put the light out. We want customers to come back and to use our service and MoT facilities - I would rather add a few quid to the price than come over as a business that tries to screw the customer out of a couple of quid. Personally I detest admin fees and won't use any business that tries to load on non-discretionary fees. Its the RyanAir model. I don't go to Tesco and expect them to add £5 for the checkout service. I don't use restaurants where a service charge is automatically added to the bill. Its part of the cost of doing business and should be in with the price, unless its genuinely optional.

Motoreasy was started by Duncan mcLure-fisher who set up Warranty Direct. I believe he is also a director of Halfords Autocentres - so there is a tie-up there. AA Warranties are basically a reseller of Motorway Direct who are backed by AmTrust - who own Car Care Plan. Its all wheels within wheels. My advice is don't bother with any of them. Put your money in the bank. Buy your wife a Honda Jazz or a hybrid Toyota - they just do what it says on the tin and you can enjoy life.

The electrics on these can be dodgy. If the fan is not working at all then it may not be the resistor pack. It could be the connector on the fan. Remove the glovebox to get at it. A common 208 heater fault is melted wiring. In the passenger foot well there is a small panel at the front end of the centre console just in front of the heater outlet. It is held on with a single screw and clip.Behind this there is a small inline connector which has a grey wire and a green/yellow wire in one side and a red wire and green/yellow out the other side. This plug can melt inside causing high resistance. It is the 12V supply and ground to the resistor pack.

For us long in the tooth traders there is no substitute for seeing and hearing cars in the flesh. You develop a good eye for sorting the wheat from the chaff. Online just doesn't cut it. And no, I don't trust the gradings. The savings and efficiencies benefit the auction house, not the buyer.

Redundancies ahead. In many other sectors too. Once the furlough music stops there will be a lot of people with nowhere to sit.. Ditto the Working From Home. Working from home actually means working from anywhere - and that can include places where professional employees earn 25% of UK wages.

Online greatly benefits the auction co's. They will strongly resist a return to physical auctions - no doubt about that!

Do you cover the plates then? I always leave them visible for exactly this reason.

Another vote for Autel. Previously had Bosch KTS and SnapOn - but overpriced now.

If you overthink the job you will drive yourself insane. Just be reasonably cautious and be prepared to take a knock now and again..... it goes with the job.

The 820s were typical half-finished BL/Rover design. 825/827 was the Honda V6. Good engine. They were actually quite nice cars and pretty reliable. I ran a couple at the time. I really don't see the attraction of JLR stuff. I have a good contact in JLR's engineering centre at Gaydon who tells me that JLR's year one warranty claims per 1000 new cars sold is 2200. For Toyota it is 40.

Oh yes, we can fix them. But a lot of the faults just shouldn't happen. Its indicative of cars going into production before development engineering has been completed - a proud tradition in the UK automotive industry. Anyone remember the piece of 1200 grit paper that went behind the timing belt tensioner on a Rover M16 engine?

Unfortunately I can quite believe it. We've had some shocking issues with JLR products. Amongst my least favourite manufacturers...

Here's a few to get you started.... http://www.bimmer.work/ https://bimmercat.com/bmw/EN/vin/decoder/online/ https://decoder.bvzine.com/ https://www.mdecoder.com/

Correct. Gear/clutch test is 1st (Drive)/Reverse for 20m forwards then backwards at maximum 15mph. Be V. V. interesting to hear the outcome of this case. I am a sceptic when in comes to BCA.

I believe this car has the 8 speed ZF8HP45 gearbox. Whistling in reverse, as well as gear whine at low engine rpm in 1st and 2nd is a known issue. Around 2016 BMW began replacing these gearboxes under warranty (where a customer complained) with a modified transmission which has various internal redesigns, including different valve body and a coating applied to the planetary gearsets to reduce noise. Also the software is updated. I have no idea if the noise is harmful in the long term. I am wary of buying any BMW prior to 2016 with this box, unless I can drive it first. Customers don't like transmission noises IME.

Yes, you need a suitable tool such as Multiecuscan. Then do a Proxi Alignment which basically copies the BCM configuration to EoL modules. You may have a hard fault, such as a failed Blue&Me module, which you obviously have to fix first.

Not uncommon! Someone been messing with the electrics? First try disconnecting battery for 10 mins. Check battery is well charged and reconnect. If no joy then do proxy alignment. If still not working then look for tampering/faulty electronics. Blue&Me module is a favourite to fail.

These pano roofs can be very problematic. They need to be greased at service (I believe its PTFE based grease) and of course that gets skipped. The motors are also too small for the job and the plastic guides can snap. New guide rails are £300+ each IIRC. I doubt there will be a quick fix. Try to find someone who is familiar with sunroofs, if their is such a person in your area.

So you are saying that you can't see other bids? Like 'sealed bids' rather than an open auction?