oldstan

I honestly wasn't aware of Mazdas having lowere residuals than would be hoped for. I got the impression, from what I read, that they were a bit of a cut above some others when it came to refinement and/or build quality but have no first hand experience. I saw on one or two forum type things that some thought the interior materilsl scratched easily (the piano black plastics etc) and others thought the exterior paint wasn't as good a quality as other manufacturers .... but that's only what I read. I did sit in a CX30 and the seating position didn't feel right for me and I left the showroom, but that's neither here nor there. If Toyota sold the Corolla Cross in the UK then I'd have gone and had a look at that. I particularly like the fact that they are prepared to offer a longer warranty than the three years you get with many others. Even Dacia have a similar scheme to Toyota. The Niro ticks a good few boxes. The Kamiq looks reasonable and I see some substantial discounts at Carfile and Drivethe Deal. Anyway, that's more thanh enough from me.

Given that the conversation has, momentarily and not unreasonably, moved to NCAP following my refence to the new Duster, perhaps it would have been equally pertinent to comment on the other model I mentioned .... the Mazda CX30. It has a rather commendable set of figures to its name and if I may snip a quote from elsewhere ...... exceptional 99 per cent score in the Adult Occupant category – making the Mazda CX-30 the first vehicle to ever achieve this near-perfect score. It also earned maximum points for frontal full-width impact, as well as the maximum for both barrier and pole side impacts. But whilst the Dacia's less than stunning NCAP rating was picked up (understandably enough) no-one here took any notice of that. For those that take notice of the NCAP ratings I'd have thought the Mazda figures were pretty outstanding.

All the above noted with much interest. Dare I ask if the Kamiq has ever been considered? The Niro has been mentioned here more than once. Or even the Mazda CX30? And lastly the new Duster? I realise none really compare with the Yeti. I have looked at the Yaris Cross myself and gave it much thought but it wasn't quite right, for a couple of reasons.

Bye. We'll miss you. xx

You're right, Occy245, there's always one. And it does look as though he's the one. But when enough people realise it things do change. And, yes, the IGNORE button is there for those that have had enough of his provocation.

All the above received. I have nothing of substance to add other than to say that when I was about 18, not long after passing my bike and car tests (around 1967 or '68) I attended evening classes in a place called the Stepney Evening Institute in East London. We were instructed by a serving Police Constable using the Police Manual called Roadcraft as a basis for lessons that worked towards one of two Advanced Driving qualifications that were available to take at the time. Quite a decent emphasis was placed on, what was called, Car Sympathy. It needs no explanation but from those very early days in my driving experience I look back and acknowledge that the stuff I learned must have gone a long way towards me, a very average 18 year old, not coming to extreme grief on the roads (as was not uncommon for youngsters my age) .... but furthermore it instilled in me a wish to keep my cars in good order and to have a bit of a feeling for them. The instructor drove a gorgeous new Rover 2000. He wouldn't allow anyone other than himself to drive it - not even the mechanic who serviced it. No-one ever ate anything in his car ... crumbs weren't tolerated. His previous car was a red 2 door 1964 Corsair GT which had the same treatment - but was stolen from him and, ultimately, when recovered, was sold to me and was my pride and joy at the time. Anyway, what I'm saying is that upbringing has dictated that I do like to have a certain care and respect for my cars, irrespective of whether they're made of chocolate, and, at 73, that's not likely to change now. And whether it's made any difference I don't know but my DSG has been working just fine since 2011. At the risk of boring the pants off folk I think we can probably move on from Memory Lane now, nothing much more to be gained I don't think.

I suppose some sort of reply to the above is in order .... I don't have a mate who happens to be the best repairer of automatic transmissions in the West Country. Therefore if my transmission did happen to go bang I'd be at the mercy of the main dealer or some other independent place that I've never used before. And everyone says how expensive DSG's are to fix. I dare say all autos are expensive to fix given they're a bit specialist. So, in view of that, and being a pretty ordinary sort of bloke who doesn't deliberately chuck money away, I tend to look after my stuff and am disinclined to rag the ass off my cars ... for several reasons really ... all fairly obvious to the average Man on the Clapham Omnibus.

I've seen that observation made countless times. And every time I see it I ask myself why it's made. Yes, I've driven different types of auto. I own a Hyundai with a Torque Converter transmission as well as the DSG Yeti and previously owned a CVT Jazz and used to drive automatic fire engines. I've even driven the old type of automatic Minis and Austin 1100s ! When I get in the Yeti it's obvious there's no clutch pedal. There's a gear shift lever with Forward, Reverse, Neutral, Park (plus Sport, of course) .... and to be honest it's literally no different from driving the Hyundai. Yes it's got something called Twin Clutches but to drive the thing you wouldn't know what goes on inside it. Nor would you need to unless you had a particular interest in that sort of thing. Yes, I know of the issues that people (including me) have had and I know it's a good idea to treat it with a degree of care and respect (which I do). but to all intents and purposes it's an automatic. My registration and insurance documents don't discriminate, in the same way they didn't specify that my Jazz was CVT, it was just an automatic. The end.

What have they done to the updated version that you don't like. I've not looked that closely at them so wonder what they've done. I have no axe to grind regarding Yeti versus Karoq ... I'm perfectly happy with the Yeti but can't imagine I wouldn't like the Karoq either. In facr the shape and size of the forthcoming Dacia Duster looks alright to me. I'll stop by and look at one in due course but don't plan on getting rid of the Yeti all the time it's running OK (and the DSG box continues to function). The two things that I can recall have gone wrong with it are the drivers door wiring issue - easily sorted by my indie garage, and the LED that illuminates the speedo needle has stopped illuminating.

Surely the first thing anyone in this position would do would be to check the Motor Insurance Databas (MID). If the teenager was insured then options are available as described above and if the teenager wasn't insured then a different course of action needs to be followed and the options and implications are a bit different. I'd have thought that to be obvious. But the OP must surely know all this. There can't be anyone who doesn't know that reporting any sort of incident or collision has repercussions for you come renewal time. Unless you get really lucky the moment your head pops up above the insurance company's parapet the contents of your wallet will be in jeopardy. The above reference to post-accident discovery that witnesses appear from nowhere or that whiplash inexplicably afflicts one or more of the teenager's passengers (whether or not the passengers were seemingly present at the time of the accident) is to be borne in mind at all times. Youtube will provide examples in case anyone is in any doubt, It's possible the teenager is as honest as the day is long and that anyone advising or supporting them will tell him/her to do the right thing .... but there's a saying about pigs and their ability to engage in air travel.. I have a front facing camera on when driving, but not a rear facing one ... ideally we would all have one coz they can save all manner of arguments in such circumstances.

That's good, I accept I overlooked the 225 size (I did say I might well be wrong didn't I?) But why quote My Tyres and have them sent from abroad AND pay extra on top of their quoted price to have them fitted locally when, for example, you could go for Goodyear Vector Gen3 for £144 FITTED? In any event, I'm off to bed. I got COVID three days ago and am feeling its effect a bit. Goodnight to you all.

Coz, as I tried to say a bit earlier, when you look at the size that was shown on the video clip I spoke about (215 60 18) there are hardly any alternative tyres in that size and if you use an online tyre calculator there aren't any compatible alternatives (or, shall we say, I couldn't see any) ..... I might be wrong, as I've readily admitted. But, subsequently, I said above that I saw a different YOUTUBE clip where there WAS a different tyre size shown on the test vehicle (215 65 18) and that size DOES have readily available and sensibly priced alternatives including All Season. As you will know there are defined recommendations as to how far you can allow the tyre diameter to deviate. OTOH it's 2.5% Like I said, I wish I'd never mentioned it.

I'm going to say nothing more on this .... Dacia will fit whatever they so choose. I said I didn't think there was much point in quoting detailed examples of wheels and tyres that Dacia are not seemingly going to fit - judging by the numerous Youtube reviews they seem to have settled on 17 and 18 inches depending on the model. I might well be wrong but it just seems that way. And I can't see much point in quoting details of wheels from a 2021 Nissan Qashqai - supplied from a company in Hanover, Germany .... we're all perfectly aware the dealers aren't going to do any pre delivery swaps and how many customers will give the slightest thought to fitting non standard, non specification, non approved, wheels and tyres on a brand new car knowing the manufacturer (or the insurer) won't take at all kindly to it ? I wish I hadn't mentioned it. I was merely saying that a video i watched showed the fitment of an unusual and expensive size of tyre which offered little choice when it came to replacing them. I was speaking prematurely and shouldn't have done ... i'm sorry.

From a purely personal point of view I can't see the point of repeated reference to 16 inch wheels or tyres when speaking about the new, Mk 3, version of the Duster ... which I was. From what I can see they're not going to fit 16 inch wheels and tyres to the new one. If anyone wants a second set of wheels and tyres on which to fit,say, winter tyres then so be it, the 16 inch size is fine .... I have a second set (16 inch) on my current Yeti. But I rather suspect that for the majority of users having a second set of wheels and tyres is more and more thought of as being a bit of a faff particularly as the newer All Season tyres ( I'm thinking Goodyear and Michelin and perhaps Bridgestone) are getting better with each iteraton. I no longer swap between winter and summer tyres and simply keep a new set of Gen 3 Vectors on my 16" steel wheels and store the OEM alloys in the garage. With the benefit of hindsight I need not have gone to the trouble of two sets of wheels and tyres ... my mistake.

I can't see a response from Carlston so presume nothing more to add there ... however I spotted yet another "review" of the new Renault Duster on Youtube, this time by contributor 'CarsForUs' but on this video the vehicle, in 'Extreme' trim, is fitted with 215 65 17 tyres. A far more readilly available size.

But the sizes you've quoted are from the old (existing) Duster. The publicity relating to the new one doesn't show 16 inch wheels and the 17 inch ones you refer to aren't shown as being fitted to the new one. It would be nice to think the old sizes could be carried over from the old to the new .... maybe they will be, but they're not shown as we speak.

Whilst we're wondering if the new Duster might serve as a Yeti replacement I would ask the assembled brethren why they might think that Dacia have fitted an unusual size tyre on the higher spec ones. 215 60 18 (Ecocontact 6Q) If you wanted to change the ones that they show as coming with the top of the range model to an All Season or Winter Tyre ... or, indeed, just wanted a different make or model tyre on there you'd find very little choice. Perhaps the ones we get in the UK will be a different size. I did even see on one of the Dacia forums that a contributor had noticed the very same thing. Not sure about the 17 inch wheels - but if the UK does happen to get the rare (and pricey) tyre size then people might be looking up the online tyre calculators to see what alternative sizes might be more readily available. I did that myself but without much success,

No-one has yet mentioned the forthcoming 2024 Dacia Duster. Completely re designed, choice of hybrid or non hybrid engines, choice of manual or auto. and all sorts of improvement over the outgoing one. Two or four wheel drive but no diesels. Almost identical dimensions to the old one which make it an acceptable size to replace the Yeti. 4343mm long 1810mm wide 1656mm high. dimension details ..... https://uk.motor1.com/news/698996/dacia-duster-2024-dimensions-boot-space/

Right you are. Understood. And thanks for the civil and polite reasoning.

And I bet you're the bloke who everyone gathers round so you can put them straight with your vast knowledge and charming wit. I wasn't rude to the OP and asked a genuine question - and try not to be in my content. You, on the other hand ........................

Roughly how much would it have been to have had an auto electrician or a reputable garage replace the part with a proper, approved one in the first place? Was the £300 figure about the going price? I'm not sure it was such a good idea to have got (a) a sub standard part in the first instance, and then (b) the wrong part from an ebay seller ..... and done the job yourself - as opposed to paying more and getting it done properly in the first place and saved all the inconvenience (plus if the steering wheel lock were to jam whilst you were driving it then anything could happen).

If you look back you'll see my reference to one of the little gizmos that provide a small 12 volt supply to the car (via the 12 voly power socket/ciggie lighter) and prevents any possibility of loss of data or settings. I suugest the use of such a thing in future.

I've learned a few things along the way ... one of them is if my battery shows any sign of letting me down it gets changed. When a car won't start it transforms itself into a useless pile of metal taking up space on the driveway. Batteries aren't all that expensive for your car and you can fit them yourself (as you well know, I'm sure). I take my car to a trusted local independent for servicing and repairs. he does what needs to be done, when it needs doing ... irrespective of the weather. Thge car has never let me down. Regarding cold starts and only driving a few yards ..... it's a relatively modern, generally reliable, inanimate object without feelings or emotions. It's there to serve you, not to be fussed over, and if it won't start then there's something wrong with it ... you ought to be able to start it, move a short distance, turn it off and expect it to start next time. Take it to be serviced / fixed and rerturned to you in good order, and change the battery if it needs it ... the start of winter invariably shows up a weak battery.

I haven't reset anything. But I just checked and it's not doing it now. Goodness knows what the latest electric cars are like now regards complicated settings. I saw a Youtube of a Landrover Vogue something or other that had been stolen and the palava required to get the keys back working was amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LaWY8H860

That's a coincidence ... mine started showing the same thing in the last week or so. First time i can remember it happing in 12 years