Ask a Shiter

[taxi paul]

The speed awareness course insurance is a bit if a puzzle. I was told on mine that only admiral loaded a premium for doing one. When my lad tried to put me on his Honda it went up when he told them I had been on one. Now then is the problem that if you get an SP30 , so exceeding 30moh. The insurance don't bother. I know this because I had two on my licence and they had no effect. But if you go on a course the insurance don't know what your offence was. May have been over 50mph, driving a bus, or a hgv. Therefore should the course be graded A for 30 , b for 40 so on and so forth.

[Bfg]

.

Insurance is due.. and imho Insurance broker companies are criminal Fukrs..  Why ? ..well I'm glad you asked ..

 

..today's fully comp quotes on my '04 Chrysler Grand Voyager XS CRD  2.5 diesel, valued at £4.5k with £300 excess and 9-years no claim (protected).   Oh yeah.. I'll soon be 60 firk'n years old (..when this insurance is to start from) !  

 

It's time for  INSURANCE  NAME  &  SHAME.. (fanfare sounds !!!! )

 

RIAS quoting Ageas (renewal)  : £191.00  (last year it was £176.99)

Adrian Flux - Ageas ................. : £367.90

Hastings Direct ........................ : £355.50

Swinton      - Ageas ................... : £361.00

Saga       - Aromas ? ................... : £349.56 

Footman James  - Ageas .......... : kindly rang back (after 7pm because they were so busy earlier) with a price of £535.46 !

..though the man did say that because they specialize in classics & the less usual - their

quotes for 'modern vehicles' are rarely that competitive.  

 

Now... when talking to Swindon ; the lady 'second requoted' after I told her that I'd had a quote for under £200.  She put the same details back into the computer and the quoted premium (for exactly the same insurance with the same company) dropped from £361 to £188.39.!

 

Between them, these brokers quoted prices range from :  £535.46  to £188.39 = £347.07  difference - for exactly the same insurance, with the same company.!   To my mind cheating customers (who simply don't know to ask &/or are too tired to think clearly after a long day at work)  of this sort of money is criminal.. and a reminder of double glazing salesmen of old.

 

Further to the conversation with the lady at Swinton, I asked if she could repeat the process of requoting .. hoping she might drop it down by another £173 !?   Her computer wouldn't allow that unless  details changed,  so she simply changed the excess from £300 to £500 ...which dropped the price by another £20  to  £168.63

 

Thinking about it I wonder if I'd be wise to spend that extra £20, because even a small fender-bender soon goes over £300,  and so spending that £20 might save me £200. ?   What do you guys reckon ?   Is £20 to insure a possible extra £200 claim - good value / sense or not ?  (..after all I've not had an accident in the past 5 years, so statistically I'm probably due for another one soon ?).

 

 

Yeah boring I know but..  Further to the above,  I made a surprise decision today, I upped the price I paid.!   Let me explain...

 

Firstly,  I went back to RIAS (my existing insurance broker)  to try a bit of Dutch bargaining. Told them that I'd had a better quote for my Chrysler insurance ....could they bring their price down.?   Answer was No..,  but do come back next year because  'as a new customer '  they have more leeway to drop the price.   ie. change your insurance company every year if you want the best price.

 

He also explained that in the insurance world ; if you claim for damage and nobody else is there to blame (pick up the bill) - then that claim is considered 'own fault'..  Now, that may be someone has dented/ scratched/ smashed a headlamp/ cracked a bumper or moulding of your car - when it was parked and then driven off,  or perhaps a yobbo scratching a key down the length of your motor.  These and many other instances are a strike against you.. In insurance terms ; they are the same as you causing an accident.  ie., they have to pay out - so you have to pay the excess ...and it strikes against your no-claims.   ...the firk'rs !

 

Further to this conversation we moved on...  I already have no-claims bonus protection, but the agent also told me about 'excess protection'. More of that below...

 

 

I then went back to the same lady at Swindon Insurance (If the agent is particularly helpful I ask their name, because when I come back to do the deal - I like them to get the commission & credit for the sale).  You may recall that when I told her I'd had quotes under £200,  this lady halved the quoted price her computer spewed out . And then managed to drop it again by another £20 by extending 'the excess' from £300 to £500. 

 

Well to be perfect frank if someone damages my car and fuks off - ie., no fault of my own..  I'd be pretty pissed when told to pay out £300 or £500 in 'excess'.   So I asked about this 'excess protection'..  £32 covers £300 excess,  and £42 covers £500 excess.   In short this means that if the worse happens, whether my fault or some other fukr who runs and hides,  then I pay the excess - but then am reimbursed by this 'excess protection' insurance.  Insuring the bloody insurance !

 

So, I accepted the lowest quote of £168.63 (with £500 in excess) but then paid the extra £42 to protect against my having to pay that excess.!  

 

Why ?   Well I reasoned that 'statistically' I'm very likely to make a claim over the next 10 - 12 years.  And so I'd get all the extra premiums I've paid out  back ..and then some.  So my total premium this year was £211.13p  with my no-claims protected  and (aside from minor 'excess' fee on things like a broken windscreen)  my accident or damage excess is in effect  £-zero.     

 

 - - - - - - - - -

 

Part three of this particularly long-winded saga !   My classic motorcycle policy is up for renewal the following week / on the 23rd of this month. This is for six motorcycles all at agreed value.  Footman James are easy to deal with in respect of agreed value as they don't ask for photos and forms to be filled in.  However despite giving me such a crap quote on my car insurance - their renewal premium was £334.14. 

 

So I phoned them ..pressing the automated number for 'thinking of leaving'.  I then simply said that I thought "the premium is a bit high this year".  Without question - the agent applied a discount to bring the price down to £301.73.   Thirty-quid saved - just for eight words and not even a haggle.!

 

I then looked at the renewal document and noted that I'd previously had breakdown insurance..  But I don't need that as my HSBC Bank account includes breakdown insurance (up to four times in any one year) in their monthly fees.  So I ask the insurance agent to recalculate without.  This was part of a options package of ; breakdown assistance + legal protection + ride to work cover + agreed value insurance. 

 

Loosing those would have brought down the premium to £253.40 .   But I wanted the 'agreed value' on my bikes, so he added this back on for £10.      Result : £263.40  for fully comp insurance on six agreed-value motorcycles.   £70 saved for 1/2 hour on the telephone - but how easy it would have been just to renew at £334.14 without even reading what I was covered for ! 

 

Be advised

[SamR380]

If 5th Gear did the test repeatedly under the same conditions and with calibrated equipment, with and without Redex, then properly analysed the results and found that the 5% was statistically significant, then they may have a point.  Other ways of 'testing' are pretty much meaningless.

 

That's exactly what they did. They then went on to service it, change plugs and leads etc... and checked again after each.

 

Here's the video:

 

https://youtu.be/03nL8Z0dRkI

[Richard]

As far as I can tell a DD shows up as a year. I know M322RRR is on DD if you want to look it up.

[Kiltox]

If you tax your car with a monthly direct debit how does that look on the doovla website?

 

If I look up the details on a car for sale and it says its taxed for 11 months I'd be wondering about what changed in that past four weeks that meant the seller wanted rid (why not buy 6 months if the sale had been planned).

 

However if direct debit taxed cars shows up as taxed for 12 months when the first payment has been taken my suspicions may be unfounded.

DD does show taxed for 12 months

[Kiltox]

Do we have any members who do promotional printing etc? Need some car window stickers for my sales business and if I can put work to a shiter I will!

[dave21478]

Truck / van engines.

 

We have a Renault Mascott tipper on the farm with a snapped timing belt. Its a 110 DCi with the 2.8 turbo diesel. 

What else uses this engine? I believe Iveco stuff, but there seems to be a fair few model numbers and Im not sure if they all use the same motor or not. Anything else?

[twosmoke300]

Sofim engine I expect

[Pillock]

Nissan Navara is available with a 2.8DCi, given you could get an Almera with the 1.5DCi out of a Megane I'd reckon it's the same lump.

[Noel Tidybeard]

 

Applications:

• S8W
  • 1998–2002 Fiat Ducato
  • 1999–2003 Renault Mascott
  • 2000–2006 Iveco Daily
• S9W
  • 1997–2010 Renault Master
  • 1998–2003 Opel Movano
  • 1998–2006 Fiat Ducato
  • 1999–2003 Renault Mascott
  • 2000–2006 Citroën Jumper
  • 2000–2006 Peugeot Boxer
  • 2000–2006 Iveco Daily

[Bfg]

Anyone got got an opinion on the Pug 206 ?  Been offered one for £350 - 400 with what looks to be a factory sunroof and MOT to Feb.  It's not far to go to collect..  Looks boring but I used to like the old 205's.  This one has 1300 engine ?   Good, bad, indifferent ?   Thanks.

[Kiltox]

They're shit but as a cheap runner why not - electrical issues and dodgy rear suspension to look out for along with usual TU engine head gasket issues

[twosmoke300]

Will be either 1.1 or 1.4 8v . Fairly strong engine buy prone to head gasket leaking oil into coolant or externally from the osf corner of the engine . Can run for years like that though .

 

Rear axle is what usually kills them as a recon is about 200 ish plus fitting . Look for tyres running on the rear inner arches and advisories about rear bearings / bushes .

Electrics are shit and make sure airbag lights / switchgear and horn does as it should ( com2000 unit under the steering wheel fails often )

[twosmoke300]

Beat me to it

[panhard65]

I have a lovely 206 1.4 mot til Jan £150. It does have a rather deep dent in the rear 1/4 but the door still opens and it is actually quite nice inside. The aircon works as well.

[Bfg]

Thanks guys, The father of the seller suggests that there were no advisories.  Let's assume that the issues you mention are not yet evident.. Are there preventative measures to prevent them crapping out on me ?   

[The Moog]

Is it ok to use two different makes of dampers on the front of a car?

 

The Amazon site has dampers for £8 a piece for space runner, but one is Monroe and one is Sachs

[tooSavvy]

Is it ok to use two different makes of dampers on the front of a car?

The Amazon site has dampers for £8 a piece for space runner, but one is Monroe and one is Sachs

..... Not if one is Gas & other Oil.

 

Otherwise, I can't see a problem.

 

MOT man will wonder, though, if one is blue and one black

 

 

TS

[Bobthebeard]

Under my avatar it gives the number of posts, plus it says I have no 'warning points'. Obviously I am happy to have no warning points.. But when did this happen? Did I miss something?

[Richard]

Everybody has it but you can only see your own.

[tooSavvy]

Under my avatar it gives the number of posts, plus it says I have no 'warning points'. Obviously I am happy to have no warning points.. But when did this happen? Did I miss something?

Should read 'Warming* points' shirley?

 

*no VAG pun intended

 

TS

[Bobthebeard]

Everybody has it but you can only see your own.

All is now clear. Thankyou!

[martybabes]

Love the "warning points" system.

 

I was a member, but only for a very short period of time, of a Rail Users forum.  I was perhaps a little critical of some apparently deep-seated working practices which I thought somewhat anachronistic in this modern day and age, in particular the repeated stranding of passengers on a broken-down train for up to four hours at a time while they try and work out what to do.  I said that I would have legged it across the fields long before they attempted some half-arsed rescue of the other passengers.  That didn't go down very well with the old stagers who run the forum.  On another occasion, I got a bit miffed by their apparent disinterest in running trains that either had enough carriages or enough seats at known or anticipated busy times. That got me suspended.  When I had served my time I got a bit loose-tongued at some other railway failure which appeared to be exacerbated by a total indifference to the comfort and convenience of passengers.  That got me an "infarction" (as they called it) again! 

In the end, because there were so many railway people on the forum who had no idea of the concept of customer service, I flounced and left, ne'er to darken their door again.

[warren t claim]

How many points are we allowed? I need to try harder.

[tooSavvy]

How many points are we allowed? I need to try harder.

Cunt!!

 

TS

[The Moog]

..... Not if one is Gas & other Oil.

 

Otherwise, I can't see a problem.

 

MOT man will wonder, though, if one is blue and one black

 

 

TS

After double checking they are indeed one gas and one oil. 

 

Bumhats 

[Bobthebeard]

Does anyone have an idea of the history of the Oldsmobile? Any previous owners on here know anything about the service history, previous life etc? Not a problem, just interested in the history of the old girl. Ta!

H359 KGS being the registration if anyone knows owt.

[omegod]

I have an omega I'm breaking up that's sat for 5 years but has 30-40 litre's of petrol in the tank, it smell's like petrol but with a very slightly different tinge, in a very reckless experiment devoid of any common sense it burnt like a fucker so I'm very tempted to slosh a bit into the rover bike's tank

 

Anyone had petrol this old be ok too run on? 

[DodgeRover]

It smells funny and doesn't start as well on old petrol, stick it with the same amount of litres of new stuff

[omegod]

My tank was bone dry so I chucked 3 litres of old shite in and ran down to the local pet station, all seemed well. Good thinking I'll stick 20 litres of each in over the weekend ...free motoring !!