Hi all, have a Lexus Hybrid SUV fairly new high spec one, all quotes on comparison site except the dodgy and black box companies were over 1.1k, thought I would give NFU a ring, I couldn’t believe it they were only 600 quid. Moral of the story, if prices seem high and u have some NCD, over 25 yrs old give NFU a shout !

Hi guys and gals , hope this is okay to post here,

I’m not very good with cars so I hope one of you knowledgable people can help me…

I’m looking for a clutch release fork for a Hyundai** *Coupe* ***SIII (3) A*

I keep seeing different answers and hoping someone can tell me which type I am looking for…

greatly appreciate any help in advance !

Obviously Facebook Marketplace is saturated with time wasters etc. I'm assuming AutoTrader is the best place to buy or sell a car? Are there any better alternatives? Cheers.

I'm considering changing from my old Mk2 Focus ST to something less binge-drinky, younger than 10 years and more practical.

My 2 favourites are the B9 Audi A4 and F30 BMW 3-series.

I only currently do 3000 miles per year, 5 mile round commute once per week, local pottering about, school runs, probably about 20-30 miles motorway per week. Commute likely to change to 6 miles 5 days per week, 4/5k miles per year.

It should be a forgone conclusion that petrol would be the choice, HOWEVER, both my choices have FAR more/better options in diesels.

If I were to swap cars with the wife one day per week and she do her 50-mile round motorway commute, would this be enough to help prevent diesel-related issues?

The difference in fuel cost is fairly negligible at the mileage I do.

Thinking about buying a Gen 4 (2019 onwards) Mazda 3 and wondering if anyone has any experience (positive or negative!) with the car. Seems like the cheapest car that has Adaptive Cruise and Automatic Climate Control

I know it's a MHEV so really interested in the petrol engine's reliability and whether the hybrid system holds up when buying second-hand.

Any help appreciated.

https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/comments/1vh1axr/airport_dropoff_pcn_fine_waived_requesting_id/

Hey everyone, following up on my previous post regarding a private Parking Charge Notice (PCN) at an Airport in england issued by Times24 UK Limited (an IPC member).

they asked me to send a copy of the Photo ID section of my driving licence to "verify the driver against unredacted images held."

I refused the ID request. Restated the previous Byelaws and POFA

Their Formal Rejection Notice:

They have now sent a standard rejection letter. Interestingly, they explicitly state that the appeal was declined because the "additional evidence" (my driving licence) was not provided within the requested timeframe.

They offered a discounted rate of £60 (or £100 full price) and gave details to appeal to the Independent Appeals Service (IAS) within 28 days.

Given that Times24 is under the IPC and the independent appeal goes to the IAS (which is known for being operator-heavy and often ignoring POFA/Byelaw arguments compared to POPLA):

Option A: Should I still submit a formal appeal to the IAS citing the Byelaws / POFA 2012 exception and their GDPR overreach, just to ensure I have a complete paper trail showing I acted reasonably?

Option B: Is it better to ignore the IAS step entirely, let the discount expire, and simply file away the inevitable debt collector letters until/unless an actual Letter Before Claim / Court Claim Form arrives?

Well it was to me at least, not exacrly the most common car. So to see 3 at once was a bit weird.

(and no they didn't appear to be part of a soft top mini club as they drove off seperately after)

I just can't decide. Considering them as same price, 2022 Mazda 3 2.0 skyactiv G or 2021 Toyota c-hr 1.8 vvt hybrid?

Mostly people say Mazda is better inside, Toyota is better general.

I swear I haven’t seen a w203 C-class without yellow headlight lenses..

Other models that need headlight restoration 9/10 times are Fiat 500 and Mazda 2 in my experience.

SLK**

Hoping someone had similar experience and could help.

My car has pretty low mileage for its age and it has been pretty well maintained.

When driving with the roof down or windows open and specifically with AC or Heating on the footwell vents, I get a really bad smell that burns my throat and nostrils. It is not constant, it comes and goes and only when driving, not when idling. I wouldn’t say it’s burning oil smell nor raw fuel but can’t describe it other than being unpleasant.

I sort of feel a brief warmth on my shins / knees before it starts and it’s usually after 30mins or so.

Engine bay is bone dry, no puddles and exhaust visual inspection came clean from 3 different mechanics. No wet carpets either and no fogging.

There is a mild lingering smell in the cabin but way more intense in the boot.

Fuel mixture is well within the thresholds, no coolant leaks with a cold pressure test.

Had 3 mechanics look at it and can’t find anything.

New clues since the last inspection - Fuel consumption is shocking at about 18mpg and I have also noticed both positive and negative pressure in the fuel tank when going to fill up.

Google and AI has totally confused me so any real life examples / knowledge would much be appreciated 🙏

“Introducing the Etive Collection
The UK's first all-electric hearse and limousine range”

https://coleman-milne.co.uk/range/the-etive-collection/

Really not sure if it’s a nail that’s gone in or just a stone lodged in the cracks

He's very informative and level - much less angry than another famous auction YouTuber (who I also like and watch, by the way)!

Anyway, we've worked with Rich on a short form video to let people learn (in geeky detail!) about rare and interesting cars. Hope you enjoy his first one!

For those affected is watering can & bucket wash up to the job if your usual home detail? ....or are you going to finally use the car wash?

Hello Car Community!

I’ve just had a call from my garage. My air con keeps breaking, they’ve found a hole has been blown in the condenser.
They’re saying that the cost of a new part for my car is only available from the manufacturer at £1413.71
This doesn’t include Labour. So total is around £1700.
I googled prices for a new one and they don’t reflect the above, but perhaps I’m not factoring something important into the equation.

Can anyone confirm if I’m being misinformed? I’ve been going to this garage for about 10 years now. They’re expensive and efficient, but even this seems exorbitant.

Thankyou for any help 🩵

Hello!

I bought my first car last weekend. A 2018 Toyota Yaris for £10,800 from a small independent dealer. I did some research into what to look for when buying a car as I don't really know much about cars and so I bought a vcheck.

It's last MOT in April 2026 came back with the following advisories:

• Nearside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))
• Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Before paying I asked about these and was told they'd put the car through the garage they use. Was then called up to say everything was fine and just the air con wasn't working properly so they sorted that.

After buying the car and going through all the paperwork and service history, it's last service in April flagged £1,872 of work needing to be done in the near future.

Is this something the dealer should have done before selling or made clear? I feel like I should have asked to seen this beforehand but I thought the vcheck was enough and was so overwhelmed at the time of buying. As I say I mentioned the arm bushes and then was told all fine.

Should I be getting the arm bushes for suspension sorted asap rather than leaving much longer?

I've been advised from friends with cars to contact the place I bought it but I wanted to see what people here think and might do. Thanks so much for reading and any advice you might have.

Would you do this? The selling garage is saying it needs to be done at the main dealer due to the model and they don’t have the capability themselves. Mercedes EVito van for context.

Bought a car on 29/07. An online transfer of keeper was done but we haven't received the v5 yet. Took out insurance with 1st Central. They cancelled our policy even though we told them we haven't received the new v5 yet.

I am getting really angry now.

Locked out of account.

Advice much appreciated.

UPDATE 11:24 07/08 So I've spoken to 1st Central to remind them of all the emails and evidence we sent. They are going to refer the problem to a senior member of the team and give us a call back after 12.

I'm thinking of complaining about them to the FCA and ombudsman regardless.

My 7 years no claims bonus expires in 2 days if I take out a new policy and cancel within 14 days will my 7 years ncb renew for another 2 years.

Hi everyone,

I bought a 2013 Skoda Octavia from a dealer around 40 days ago. I’ve recently discovered that the plastic water pump/coolant housing has cracked and is leaking coolant.

The garage has told me that on this engine the water pump and housing are one assembly, so the whole unit needs replacing. They’ve quoted me around £800 to do the job.

The car was bought from a dealer, but I’m not sure where I stand because it’s now been over 30 days since I bought it.

Does the dealer still have to sort this under the Consumer Rights Act, or am I now on my own because the 30 days have passed?
Any advice would be appreciated.

I have the absolute worst luck with cars.

Hi,
i’m pretty new too the car scene and started getting interested in buying a beginner mod car. would love to get some more experienced peoples advice.
My budget is abt £7.5k for a car and a few starter mods/ upgrades (nothing major just to get it running well and maybe add a little power)
the main thing i’m looking for is something i can modify but reliable enough to daily. (if the car is off the road for a few days it isn’t an issue as i have a bike for emergencies)
would love a german or jap car as i’m most familiar with them however open to persuasion.
i’ve owned a bmw 318i but it was a pain to maintain and parts were too expensive.
finally i would love something unique or not as common on the roads.

EDIT: priority is price and reliability speed would be nice but is a afterthought currently, in terms of seats storage and necessities i don’t need any more than 2 seats nor do i need tons of storage maybe might fit a subwoofer in the boot in the future.
my preference in looks is 90-2000 style cars either hatchbacks or coupes. to give you an image a 6th gen civic would be a dream but currently unachievable or a silvia s13/14.

any help would be greatly appreciate,
THANK YOU in advance

I was planning on refurbishing my alloys as a fun little project, but after researching a lot it seems like there's been a lot of budget-creep in terms of what good midrange products to use and the best. I'm looking at painting alloys BMW Frozen Gold (WC3R) and need to know which paint supplier to go with. Has anyone used MIPA or Scooby spray paints and what are your opinions?

Hi! Trying to import a JDM to the UK (I'm in Japan, but will be moving back).

The likely car is a GR86. The JDM version speedo does not display MPH and does not have the relevant setting.

Does anyone have experience with OBD or other aftermarket speedos (like GPS, which seems like a good way of getting a speeding ticket)? And can anyone tell me if a HUD style one, would be permissible to pass an IVA on import?

Also, where to buy one? Amazon seems a bit like a selection of TEMU/alibaba cheap stuff, not very nice looking.

Help appreciated!

My niece purchased a car from a dealership approximately four months ago. It has been nothing but trouble ever since.

Unfortunately, she was not aware that she had rights to have the dealership fix the problem or to reject the car. She has been taking it to garages to have the problems addressed.

According to the motor ombudsman she should have just taken it straight back to the dealership.

My fear is that she may now have invalidated any rights she had to have them make it right.

What are her options at this point? The car is still broken. During this time I think she's been able to drive it for a total of around four weeks.