Warren Works... TWO TIER KIA.... IS NOW FOR SALE!

[Popsicle]

21 minutes ago, SiC said:

@warren t claim know much about this case?

 

https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/out-of-area-private-hire-driver-fined-for-smoking-and-reported-for-vehicle-defects

 

A Corsa as a taxi? I thought there were minimum vehicle/engine sizes for private hire use?

I recently got in the back of a passat coupe taxi, never again, nowhere near enough headroom for me.

[angle]

Someone round here is running an Ignis with PHV plates.

[warren t claim]

Wolverhampton plated. 

[Rod/b]

10 hours ago, SiC said:

@warren t claim know much about this case?

 

https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/post/out-of-area-private-hire-driver-fined-for-smoking-and-reported-for-vehicle-defects

 

The case of the piss-poor “journalism”?

[Rod/b]

8 hours ago, warren t claim said:

Wolverhampton plated. 

There must be more Wolverhampton plated Ubers than there are residents of Wolverhampton.

[cms206]

On 25/03/2024 at 17:01, Popsicle said:

A Corsa as a taxi? I thought there were minimum vehicle/engine sizes for private hire use?

I recently got in the back of a passat coupe taxi, never again, nowhere near enough headroom for me.

One from a few years back from Renfrewshire; Glasgow at present does have a plated MG3.

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 26/03/2024 at 03:15, Rod/b said:

There must be more Wolverhampton plated Ubers than there are residents of Wolverhampton.

alot are in Coventry- seemingly cov won't issue plate to uber/bolt?

[warren t claim]

I suppose there's a difference between a car being small by size and small by name.

That Fiesta is probably bigger inside than the many Pug 306s I worked as a taxi.

[warren t claim]

Just after someone tagged me in this post my MG6 decided to develop a similar fault.

I first noticed that the indicators and hazards along with the central locking wouldn't work. It was only when I was driving to a place of safety and got stuck behind a white van I noticed the reflection of the hazard lights on the back of the van. Thinking that this might be game over for my MG6 I decided that if this fault includes the central locking I might as well hop out and use the fob to lock and unlock it. To my surprise this worked and normal service was restored.

[warren t claim]

MG6 is due its six monthly inspection and will need quite a few jobs sorting. I have this as a loan(?) car for a week or so.

265,000 miles and judging by the Cab Direct number plates, been working as a taxi all of its life.

I suppose I should let you all know what my first impressions are.

I should start by saying that my opinion so far is based on about thirty miles of gentle shuttling about on my Tradex policy. No combat miles as yet until I can swap my hire and reward insurance over tomorrow morning.

I'll start by saying that the seating position is VERY low. I'm sure that there must be the facility to raise the driver's seat but as yet I can't find it. This can be an issue as because I have long legs and therefore in Focus sized cars I like to raise my seat to allow a little more rear legroom. The seat also seems to lack any lumbar support either which means that I've had to position the backrest a little more upright than I'd like. 

It's not as fast as the MG but has plenty enough power for the job, whilst driving unladen I'm changing up the box at the same speed as in the MG. I've yet to try it with a full compliment of people and luggage. 

I can't yet gather any MPG figures as it came with a quarter of a tank.

The power steering has three assistance levels.

1. Very light.

2. Mk2 Punto with the "girly button" pressed.

3. 1977 XJ6.

The turning circle is a hell of a lot better than the MG6. In fact, the MG needs Costa Concordia levels of space to spin around so that's no surprise.

Ride quality is leagues ahead of the MG. The Kia rides as well as a modern Focus which is in stark contrast to the MG which absorbs bumps in a way that has me feeling nostalgic for my old XR3is.

Internal storage is miles better than the MG. Instead of having one flimsy pop out cupholder that eats into the leg room of a front seat punter the Kia has two sensible centrally mounted holders to not just house a coffee, but also another to accommodate a packet of Hob Nobs to dunk into the aforementioned hot beverage. The Kia also has storage under the armrest that's at least triple the size of that of the MG. It also has a large central cubby, a feature absent on the MG6.

The Kia lacks the automatic lights and wipers of the MG6.

The leather seat trim of the MG6 is more "punter proof" than the cloth seats of the Kia.

The Kia has a DAB radio. The MG6 has an AM/FM unit that doesn't work anyway. This isn't as bad as it sounds as I used a Bluetooth speaker to stream audio because the MGs Bluetooth isn't A2DP and only works for phone calls, not audio streaming. I've yet to check if the Kia is A2DP.

The MG has built in sat nav, a feature missing on the Kia. As the MG navigation unit is so awkward to input a destination into as you can't search by postcode, this isn't too much of a loss. Anyway, I'm a taxi driver who should know where he's going anyway! The only useful feature of the MG sat nav was the display automatically told me what road I was currently on.

So I suppose it's a case of swings and roundabouts. The next few days will decide which car makes the better taxi.

[warren t claim]

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-features-sheds/mg-6-shed-of-the-week/48481

Yes it's true! An MG6 has finally made it onto the hallowed pages of S.O.T.W in Pistonheads. I feel that I can now honestly describe myself as a "powerfully built company director."

Here's the first comment.

x5tuuPosted 14 hours ago

 

Resounding no from me.
Awful, ugly and just screams you’ve given up on life.

[warren t claim]

"A shed for sure.
It's that crap even the pigeons fly upside down when passing over the top of it because it's not worth stting on.."

 

Wise words from wistec1.

[High Jetter]

Thanks for reminding me why I'm here, and not there.

[warren t claim]

"I recall these being very popular with the taxi community"

Thank you Turbobanana. Sadly, you're wrong.

[warren t claim]

Only page 2 and someone has posted this Sniff Petrol fake advert.

[warren t claim]

"There aren't many cars I'd be worried about being in seen in but this is one of them, what a woeful looking thing. Guess that makes me a badge snob then which makes me feel bad but I just can't get on board with this car at all."

I'd love to know what MrGeoff's wife looks like. Assuming that he's capable of getting himself a woman which as a PH regular, is far from a certainty.

[warren t claim]

vikingaero writes...

"The last time I saw interior plastics and HVAC controls like that was in an American Rental car about two decades ago.

Would probably scrub up nice and be a good Shed for Hubnut meets."

I can assure you that @dollywobbler has yet never messaged me with an invite.

[warren t claim]

"A former workplace had a diesel one of these as a pool car just after they were launched, tempted by very low lease deals from the local dealer. I did several thousand miles in it.

- A very competent suspension/chassis, fully in keeping with the obvious know-how at Longbridge and the car's shared heritage with the Rover 75/MG ZT. Comfortable but very composed, supple ride but lovely progressive body control, sharp turn-in and good steering feel. Fairly neutral unless it was pushed too hard, when the nose weight of the diesel made it understeer. Strong and very nicely progressive brakes.

- Engine (basically a Fiat JTD unit, iirc) was quite clattery when cold and at low rpm, and 'old-skool turbo diesel' in having very narrow rev range but huge torque when in that range. Very punchy performance if you were in the right gear. It did impressive MPG (but can't remember the specific figures now). Smooth, refined and easy in the cruise. It had a manual gearbox which I don't recall being either exceptionally good or notably deficient in terms of change quality (see below for other aspects...)

- Interior fit/finish was very good but the material quality was low-rent - shockingly so in some nooks and crannies. Nasty plasti-leather seats that everyone in the company, regardless of height, weight or gender, found too narrow in the shoulder. No squeaks or rattles and I don't remember anything actually breaking, but hard/scratchy plastics, flimsy trim and wobbly switches. Exterior paint finish was very good and lustrous on the 'topside' but got very thin and patchy on the underside. I recall that lots of the suspension/engine bay bolts, clamps and other little fittings began rusting after only a few months - presumably poor material or anodisation.

- The HVAC system was like something of a nuclear bunker, delivering blast furnace heat or meat locker chill and everything in between. The sat nav wouldn't accept UK postcodes so you had to settle for either heading for the town centre and then finding your way or entering Lat/Long positions.

And, the most important issue, reliability:

Appalling. When it was less than 48hrs old a pedal sensor failed so it wouldn't recognise you had your foot on the clutch and brake, which was required for it to start. After only 1800 miles or so it needed a new gearbox. At about 5000 miles it needed either a new clutch or a new clutch release mechanism. It had almost weekly engine management warning lights, and had multiple trips back to the dealer for ECU updates and various new sensors. Then the pedal sensor issue resurfaced, then at about 18mnths old it began crunching its gears. A new shift cable cured it for a few weeks then it turned out it needed Gearbox #3. The service from both the dealer and attempts to get help from MG Motor UK were shockingly bad.

So the company pulled the lease deal on the grounds the car wasn't fit for purpose and had a long fight to get rid of the car.

I found it a genuinely pleasant car to drive and it's dynamics were far, far better than a lot of more mainstream stuff with much bigger price tags (I thought the same about the original MG3, for what it's worth) but it was not a quality product, or even a functionally dependable one."

[warren t claim]

Posted a link to this thread on PH but their swear filter blocks the full url.

[warren t claim]

[Matty]

What the vast majority of pistonheads dwellers know of cars could be inscribed on the head of a pin. True that.

[JJ0063]

https://www.facebook.com/share/1q61rtWoMRbFXj1g/?mibextid=79PoIi
 

look at this little honey just appeared down the road from me, looks clean!

[warren t claim]

1 hour ago, JJ0063 said:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1q61rtWoMRbFXj1g/?mibextid=79PoIi
 

look at this little honey just appeared down the road from me, looks clean!

"London taxi tk2 bronze starts and run fine in the rear you have a fold out ramp with second part of ramp in boot this is ideal for someone with a mobility scooter as can ride into rear were there is fixing points to hook to this will hold six people including driver it still has its taxi meter plus other taxi bits the drivers seat is a cobra one which I had the base recovered at the cost of over a hundred pounds the engine size is 2402cc which is great on fuel sadly this has stood for the last 3 years as I have to many other toys and I need to sell what is not getting used the mileage is 311163 but for a taxi that is good the engine is a ford which I was told is one of the best this is a buyer collect and you will need a trailer our a transporter as it is not moted she is what she is but fun to own if you wish to know more please contact me £995 ono "

@LightBulbFun

[warren t claim]

By TXII standards that's really tidy!

The lack of MOT shouldn't really be an issue if it's direct ex service as it may have only just been retired due to local authority regulations. Getting it through a normal MOT will be a doddle compared to the more stringent taxi inspection. 

Locally, I can't remember the last time I saw such a tidy TXII automatic that was still Ford powered. It's rare to see an ex London  Bronze fleet spec in such good condition, most survivors of that vintage are the well cared for owner driver Silver and Gold spec cabs.

[JJ0063]

1 hour ago, warren t claim said:

By TXII standards that's really tidy!

The lack of MOT shouldn't really be an issue if it's direct ex service as it may have only just been retired due to local authority regulations. Getting it through a normal MOT will be a doddle compared to the more stringent taxi inspection. 

Locally, I can't remember the last time I saw such a tidy TXII automatic that was still Ford powered. It's rare to see an ex London  Bronze fleet spec in such good condition, most survivors of that vintage are the well cared for owner driver Silver and Gold spec cabs.

It looks bloody mint for the miles doesn’t it, MOT history is fantastic too!

Absolute steal for a grand. If I had the motivation I’d buy it and roffle it as it’s not even 20 mins from me but that went tits up last time so never again 😂

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, warren t claim said:

By TXII standards that's really tidy!

The lack of MOT shouldn't really be an issue if it's direct ex service as it may have only just been retired due to local authority regulations. Getting it through a normal MOT will be a doddle compared to the more stringent taxi inspection. 

Locally, I can't remember the last time I saw such a tidy TXII automatic that was still Ford powered. It's rare to see an ex London  Bronze fleet spec in such good condition, most survivors of that vintage are the well cared for owner driver Silver and Gold spec cabs.

24 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

It looks bloody mint for the miles doesn’t it, MOT history is fantastic too!

Absolute steal for a grand. If I had the motivation I’d buy it and roffle it as it’s not even 20 mins from me but that went tits up last time so never again 😂

That does look nice! but unless the markets changed, I probably would not be able to get insurance for it would I?, I would totally have a ticket in the hypothetical Roffle still  

[Lacquer Peel]

On 03/05/2024 at 22:07, warren t claim said:

"There aren't many cars I'd be worried about being in seen in but this is one of them, what a woeful looking thing. Guess that makes me a badge snob then which makes me feel bad but I just can't get on board with this car at all."

I'd love to know what MrGeoff's wife looks like. Assuming that he's capable of getting himself a woman which as a PH regular, is far from a certainty.

No one gives a shit what car you're seen in. Lots of people don't even have cars and don't care about them. 

I hate this consumerist "what a car says about me" BS. 

[wuvvum]

On 03/05/2024 at 21:53, warren t claim said:

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-features-sheds/mg-6-shed-of-the-week/48481

Yes it's true! An MG6 has finally made it onto the hallowed pages of S.O.T.W in Pistonheads. I feel that I can now honestly describe myself as a "powerfully built company director."

I once had one of my actual cars featured as SOTW on PH.  So my willy is bigger than yours in this particular waving contest.

[chadders]

45 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

I once had one of my actual cars featured as SOTW on PH.  So my willy is bigger than yours in this particular waving contest.

But can you hammer a nail through yours?

[wuvvum]

Not without causing myself significant discomfort.