6 hours ago, Tony R said:

 

           Maybe that is good to see but what is not is Dyson's decision to have HIS electric car made in Singapore, not  very patriotic of him. If foreign companies can make their cars here, and Nissan say UK made ones  are THE BEST, surely Dyson should do the same.

I guess he sees Asia as his market.

It might be a case of VW rescuing Ford -

http://www.autonews.com/article/20181109/OEM01/181109752/vw-may-invest-in-ford-backed-argo-as-alliance-talks-advance?cciid=email-autonews-daily

My Mk1 Alhambra 1.9tdi was a Ford/VW collaboration and it was the best car I ever owned (20 years and would have gone on longer if it wasn't the lure of £8000 scrappage) 

Excellent 1.9 tdi vw engine coupled to excellent Ford gearbox. Best of both worlds.

10 minutes ago, xman said:

My Mk1 Alhambra 1.9tdi was a Ford/VW collaboration and it was the best car I ever owned (20 years and would have gone on longer if it wasn't the lure of £8000 scrappage) 

Excellent 1.9 tdi vw engine coupled to excellent Ford gearbox. Best of both worlds.

Yep! The old (dirty) PD engine was a gem in comparison to now.

@xman  would that not have been a gearbox from BorgWarner or the likes rather than something Ford had designed or built?

30 minutes ago, Ryeman said:

Yep! The old (dirty) PD engine was a gem in comparison to now.

It wasn't a PD, it had a rotary pump. AHU engine, flew through MOT smoke test every year on fast pass thanks, I believe, to Millers ECOmax.

 

Surprisingly for 1998 it was Euro 3 compliant. Pulled like a train at idle, hill starts easy with no accelerator needed! Returned over 50mpg average consistently, not bad for a 2 tonne bus. Even managed a true 70 mpg over a 150 mile run to Norwich at 50 mph on a couple of occasions. Started in -23C temps in eastern europe on first turn, handled on eastern europe snow on Conti summer tyres really well, I miss her..... Virtually no maintenance, just rear brake pipes (£80 inc fluid change) at 130k. Original front/rear discs and front pads to 148k.

Only one cambelt change.

 

It had nice Ford styled interior with excellent heated velour seats, 1st class, and NO road noise unlike my new SUPERB. Only annoyance was the A/C need regassing every 1-2 years. Seat dealers refused warranty repair on leaky compressor at just past 3 years.

 

I miss the old girl....

 

24 minutes ago, Offski said:

@xman  would that not have been a gearbox from BorgWarner or the likes rather than something Ford had designed or built?

 

No it was the Ford VTX75 gearbox. Later Mk2 had VW running gear as Ford had walked away by then.

 

Spares available from VW, SEAT and Ford.

 

Sorry if I've bored you...

Edited 9 November, 20187 yr by xman

Interesting, and i am interested.

Euro 3 then and now a Euro 6 SEAT Alhambra with DPF and SCR & DSG can get that 70 mpg still and just sip the AdBlue.

SEAT must have been there to the very end with Defeat Devices i think or just amazing engine management.  Amazing last of the great performing diesels i think.

 

The Continental ContiSeal Summer tyres would not handle snow or ice though they can not handle a light drizzle..

 

730 Miles from 63 litres is easily achieved.

But 16" rims, no roof rails, no electric seats or electric motors on the doors, pure poverty spec.

Lighter than the more expensive and heavier ones that are shown as being more economic.  Kidology.

Edited 9 November, 20187 yr by Offski

As we now appreciate, emissions controls are gradually strangling the diesel.  Nothing more heard from Bosch regarding their SCR development claimed as a lifesaver for diesel engines.

Setting a precedent?

http://europe.autonews.com/article/20181123/ANE/181129853/german-court-rules-vw-must-buy-back-diesel-car?cciid=email-ane-daily

Read that article earlier and expect it will be overturned on appeal. 

The never ending story -

http://europe.autonews.com/article/20181203/ANE/181209943/renault-fiat-nissan-face-diesel-recalls-in-europe-paper-says?cciid=email-ane-daily

I  imagine many on this Forum have registered with a No  Win No Fee  solicitor as I did some time ago. For ages heard nothing and even then only very seldom, until I was asked to complete a " form "  via the 'net, which I found impossible to do, as did many others apparently as admitted by Slater and Gordon. I  e mailed and told them so. MUCH later was contacted by them again  and inter alia wanted the original delivery  document, which I wasn't prepared to release, and  explained to them. I offered to deal with them via the Postal system but not interested.  Heard nothing for a while and I gave up  thinking to myself the likelihood of any meaningful success not very high, so proceeded no further. Yesterday I received an e mail that I had till the 23rd of Jan to  supply  them with what they need,  and if I did not do so I would be responsible for their fees, and for any that V A G  may impose .  Needless to say I was shocked  and replied by e mail accordingly.  Have other members been similarly challenged ?

More found guilty -

https://www.autonews.com/regulation-safety/german-engineering-firm-iav-pleads-guilty-vw-emissions-scandal

2 hours ago, Tony R said:

I  imagine many on this Forum have registered with a No  Win No Fee  solicitor as I did some time ago. For ages heard nothing and even then only very seldom, until I was asked to complete a " form "  via the 'net, which I found impossible to do, as did many others apparently as admitted by Slater and Gordon. I  e mailed and told them so. MUCH later was contacted by them again  and inter alia wanted the original delivery  document, which I wasn't prepared to release, and  explained to them. I offered to deal with them via the Postal system but not interested.  Heard nothing for a while and I gave up  thinking to myself the likelihood of any meaningful success not very high, so proceeded no further. Yesterday I received an e mail that I had till the 23rd of Jan to  supply  them with what they need,  and if I did not do so I would be responsible for their fees, and for any that V A G  may impose .  Needless to say I was shocked  and replied by e mail accordingly.  Have other members been similarly challenged ?

 

Send them a copy of the delivery document and tell them that is what you’d received as the original. 

I would check through the T&C's of your contract with Slater and Gordon as to the claim back of their costs if you drop out of proceedings. I was a sceptic who thought there would be some kind of claim back from the solicitors but was assured by those who had signed up there was no such clause. 

No win - no fee.

Its my understanding that it doesn’t absolve you of possible exposure to the other sides fees if you lose.

An update -

https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/4-audi-managers-indicted-us-emissions-probe

12 hours ago, Tony R said:

I  imagine many on this Forum have registered with a No  Win No Fee  solicitor as I did some time ago. For ages heard nothing and even then only very seldom, until I was asked to complete a " form "  via the 'net, which I found impossible to do, as did many others apparently as admitted by Slater and Gordon. I  e mailed and told them so. MUCH later was contacted by them again  and inter alia wanted the original delivery  document, which I wasn't prepared to release, and  explained to them. I offered to deal with them via the Postal system but not interested.  Heard nothing for a while and I gave up  thinking to myself the likelihood of any meaningful success not very high, so proceeded no further. Yesterday I received an e mail that I had till the 23rd of Jan to  supply  them with what they need,  and if I did not do so I would be responsible for their fees, and for any that V A G  may impose .  Needless to say I was shocked  and replied by e mail accordingly.  Have other members been similarly challenged ?

 

 

If they were not willing to deal with you via the postal system then they could not possibly gain possession of the original delivery document. 

 

Why not scan the document and email it to them.  That way you have retained the original and they have a copy of the document.

 

Also, I think you will find that you have agreed to Ts&Cs that state that you MUST comply with all of their requests, failing which you will indeed be subject to penalties.

I had this 'threat' too......in my case I had simply registered an interest in the possible claim but once I was able to see how much info and personal details they wanted I declined to fill their questionnaire and thus they have no details of me or my vehicle.

 

Comments on their Facebook page convinced me they might be either chancers else out of their depth.

 

The deadline for the inclusion came and went yet yesterday I get this 'threat' of costs unless I complete the questionnaire and provide the documents by the 30th Jan.

 

Yet more evidence to add to my conclusion that they are wrong 'uns.

6 hours ago, Berisford said:

I had this 'threat' too......in my case I had simply registered an interest in the possible claim but once I was able to see how much info and personal details they wanted I declined to fill their questionnaire and thus they have no details of me or my vehicle.

 

Comments on their Facebook page convinced me they might be either chancers else out of their depth.

 

The deadline for the inclusion came and went yet yesterday I get this 'threat' of costs unless I complete the questionnaire and provide the documents by the 30th Jan.

 

Yet more evidence to add to my conclusion that they are wrong 'uns.

They had said re  final extension to  the 23rd, so I cut my stay in Southampton short and came back to London where are all the details of the car and sent them EVERYTHING they would need re me and the car via an e mail as I can't log into the " FORM  or whatever  " they want and gave THEM full licence to complete it on my behalf, so I have given the all  the info they should need. So IF they ever try to sue me for their and V A G's fees, I can say they were put into a position of being able to precede on my behalf. Prior to recent contacts, I must say I was not impressed at all  with the quality of  their " produce ".  Plus I doubt it will ever come to anything worthwhile anyway?

And now 48 hours in a sealed chamber for evaporations tests -

https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/after-wltp-emissions-testing-chaos-evap-headache-looms

 

now they are serious 

Edited 1 February, 20197 yr by Ryeman

US class action to go ahead.........against objections -

Bosch 

Mercedes 

 

https://www.autonews.com/regulation-safety/mercedes-bosch-class-action-emissions-lawsuit-can-proceed-us-judge-rules

Death on London’s South Circular Road  -

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/13/opinion/ella-kissi-debrah-pollution-london.html

Thanks Ryeman  for the link etc re South Circular ( which also will apply to the North Circular )  but the question of supposed 40,000 deaths due to air pollution is very misleading in that I read some while ago re the " truth "  of the  deaths. Apparently the deaths are  deaths not caused by pollution but the death which was underway anyway was brought forward by an average of 3 days?. So it is not a question of death caused by but foreshortened by .

21 minutes ago, Tony R said:

Thanks Ryeman  for the link etc re South Circular ( which also will apply to the North Circular )  but the question of supposed 40,000 deaths due to air pollution is very misleading in that I read some while ago re the " truth "  of the  deaths. Apparently the deaths are  deaths not caused by pollution but the death which was underway anyway was brought forward by an average of 3 days?. So it is not a question of death caused by but foreshortened by .

For the otherwise healthy that would be the case, I imagine, but for the vulnerable it’s probably a different matter.

Make it a policy to be born healthy.

Edited 14 February, 20197 yr by Ryeman

Quote

For the otherwise healthy that would be the case, I imagine, but for the vulnerable it’s probably a different matter.

Make it a policy to be born healthy.

 

           Very true but those who actually die prematurely  due to supposed air pollution are probably equalled or outnumbered by those who die  from other air borne matters, or even heat or cold. I think there is a great deal of scaremongering in the UK  of the question of air pollution due to vehicles, even  wood burners now are on the danger list. I live close to the North Circular  and Ealing Common, and have always thought the air around there to be  perfectly acceptable, but Citizen Khan has declared otherwise, and in an article in the D Mail a few days ago,indicated the  verboten zone is intended to go even further out ,way out, almost  seemingly beyond the Greater London area?  And of course all the London Boroughs are jumping on the bandwagon and  greatly increasing the Parking Permit charges for diesel vehicles. Euro 6 diesels are cleaner than petrol versions with the addition of Ad Blu. One could argue Euro 6 diesels should be encouraged  in preference to petrol engined  vehicles. Electric vehicles will never take over due to their various limitations, and the production and development of non traditionally motive powered  vehicles will take place in the Far East.  In my opinion, European  mass vehicle production will gasp it's last within 10 years,and it is so sad the 100 years of the development of the I C E   will all be lost, some beautiful versions having  been created.