[TEST DRIVER]

Yes it looks like a similar price with the Indies. I have one more service this year as part of my service plan with the main dealer, so i will decide what to do for the future services.

We all have different views on main dealers and over the years i have had good and bad service from them. From the Jaguar dealer who ticked the box to say the clocks time had been set and was working perfectly when in fact the clock was not working. To service reception staff in the 70s (Ford) who had no idea how to treat a customer. They thought a grunt was the correct way to greet a customer and to make out you were bothering them by asking them to service your car. To an excellent Triumph dealer in the 70s who changed my spark plugs on my TR6 when the engine was running ruff when i called in without an appointment at 5pm as they were about to close.

I have always found my VW Main dealer to be excellent. Very polite staff. Good standard of work carried out by the Mastertech on my car and the car is always ready at the time they say it will be ready. I got an excellent deal for the service plan so if i can get another good deal on another service plan i would be tempted. If not i will use the VW indie next time.

I think we have spoken before about cut price MOTs As i said i have never paid full price for an MOT in all the years i have been driving and my cars always passed, other than a Rover Mini that needed welding in the boot. The garage did the welding there and then and the car passed. I used to go to a garage that only did MOTs, nothing else so they had noting to gain in failing a car The MOTs were half price. As the garage owner told me MOTs are almost all profit for the garage.

At the end of the day we make our own minds up. If we are happy with our decisions and the service we have received, that is all that matters.

 

[freemansteve]

My local Skoda dealer did me a free, end-of-warranty inspection and a wash, and gave me a video of it.
They then did the MOT straight afterwards, for £45 and no issues. I don't think they were "looking for work", as they hope I might come back. They also fixed my creaky steering under warranty and gave me a free loan car for 2 days while doing all of that.

Sure, I could get cheaper than £45 for an MOT, but considering my time and the current cost of fuel - a shocking £1.88 yesterday at Sainsbury's - do I care about finding a cheaper MOT? Nah...

 

[TEST DRIVER]

I have also received the offer of a free inspection and video from my VW Main dealer which they will do when i book my car in with them for the service. They will also price match the MOT.

A local petrol station was charging £1-95 in the morning last week and in the afternoon on the same day put it up to £1-97. Another garage a bit further out was charging £2-05.

Thank goodness i have my Bus Pass. Free travel everywhere. There is only one problem with public transport........The public use it. The great unwashed.

Yes, its true, you cant beat driving your own car and with the low mileage that i do, even if petrol costs £5-00 or more a ltr i will still use my car and continue to drive the mega weekly mileage that i do now (10 miles.) I know i am so wild and care free.

 

[freemansteve]

I have no idea how to use buses, but are the seats warm, and can you use your SD card?

I've just driven from PZ to Derby, and as far as I noticed E10 seemed to be 'as low as' £1.88 in both places, but £2.05 at one Mway service station I saw. Not too bothered as I've only used about 2/3 of a tank for 325 miles (will check true mpg when I get home). Fuel has always been too cheap, as witnessed by endless heavy SUVs flashing past me doing 85-90, but I kept my Citigo smile on my face as my wallet purred contentedly in the pocket of my shorts.

 

[TEST DRIVER]

I have no idea how to use buses, but are the seats warm, and can you use your SD card?

I've just driven from PZ to Derby, and as far as I noticed E10 seemed to be 'as low as' £1.88 in both places, but £2.05 at one Mway service station I saw. Not too bothered as I've only used about 2/3 of a tank for 325 miles (will check true mpg when I get home). Fuel has always been too cheap, as witnessed by endless heavy SUVs flashing past me doing 85-90, but I kept my Citigo smile on my face as my wallet purred contentedly in the pocket of my shorts.

The seats in the bus can be warm. It depends if someone had been sat there recently, even more so if they had their Long Johns on.

I would like to use my SD card on the bus and also in my house. I have been looking on Flee Bay and in the shops to see if i could buy an MP3 player with an SD card slot to connect to my home Hi Fi. The shops do not have any and all the ones on Flee Bay are small battery operated ones. Some say MP3 or MP4 so i don't know if they are the same. Also some say they have an SD card slot, but others say they have a TF card slot. Again i am not sure if they are the same? The players are very small and only cost from £10 to £20 so can they be any good? I might get one just to see as they are so cheap.

I am pleased your wallet was happy. Did you remember the combination lock number to open it and did the moths fly out of your wallet when you opened it? I am far too cool for a wallet. I just have my Debit Card in my pocket with a tamper proof alarm on it. They say it is a cashless society these days and true enough i cant remember the last time i used cash. I pay for everything with my card.

 

[freemansteve]

T-D, MP4's are videos!
MP3 players have become niche products, because all smart phones can play MP3s (and videos) these days. A major advantage of Android phones us they usually have a slot for a micro SD (iPhones do not) often giving you up to 500GB of extra storage, more than enough for your 'Best of the Dave Clark Five' and '80's Disco Queens in Leg-warmers' albums....

 

[TEST DRIVER]

T-D, MP4's are videos!
MP3 players have become niche products, because all smart phones can play MP3s (and videos) these days. A major advantage of Android phones us they usually have a slot for a micro SD (iPhones do not) often giving you up to 500GB of extra storage, more than enough for your 'Best of the Dave Clark Five' and '80's Disco Queens in Leg-warmers' albums....

Thanks for the info. So MP3 for sound and MP4 for video. How about the TF card slot. Is that the same as the SD card slot? Some of these players have a built in speaker so you dont have to use head phones, but i still think the sound cant be any good when the player is so small and cheap. Then again you never know.

Leg warmers. I remember those, but they did not have built in heating elements, so not as good as my heated Long Johns.

Dave Clark? No thanks. Try B Young or Damian Marley. I have compiled 2 of my own playlists on Spotify, each one 100 tracks long. Also loads of playlists that Spotify recommend to my library. Soul, Reggae, and even Folk. My tastes are varied in music and also in cars.

I have just been to a Classic Car show in Burnley. Some nice motors. MGB, TR6, Jags, Ford Granada, Escort Mexico, TVR, Minis, VW Golfs, Beetles, Standard, Morgans, Triumph Spitfire, and also around 20 Modern Ford Mustang 5ltr V8s.They are great cars and the sound of the V8 engine is amazing. Three more Classic Car shows to go to in Aug and Sept in Southport, Blackpool and Lytham St Annes. I would like to buy an MG Midget or MGB as a week end play thing, one of the last rubber bumper models, if i can find one at a sensible price.

 

[tootes]

Thanks for the input everyone. Interesting reading that check sheet scan, I pretty much did all of that plus it has a new MOT with a trusted garage.
Only needed new rear drum pads.

I need to replace the plugs and pollen/air filters but will do that over the next month or so.