jamesm

Welcome. There are some pretty good independent garages about depending where you’re based. Just had my 5 year (50k) done at Grieves (purely so there were no arguments with the warranty). Cost me £334 with the SIDC discount for a WRX. I told them to phone me if they wanted to do anything extra. They phoned as they wanted to change the wipers and put front brakes on. I said no and got the brakes done at an independent. The wipers are still going strong! They charged me 2.50 for screen wash although they didn't actually put any in. Couldn't be bothered arguing. I (well the garage who did the brakes) did find the cooling fans disconnected a month later. Presumably from the cambelt service but no real evidence to base an argument with them on. I hadn't been anywhere and no harm done so I just let it lie. Worth a check it isn't running hot afterwards.

Unless you specifically want a main dealer then give Greesport Racing a try. Only been down a couple of times myself after hearing good reports on here but they really know their Subarus and the service is second to none. Greersport Block 1, Unit 2 Lochshore Ind. Est. Glengarnock KA14 3AZ 01505 683388 They do a SIDC discount which appears to be based on how many times Fai 17 has been in with a takeaway in the last month!

On the way home from work last night I was following (in my French oil burner) a red bugeye WRX with STI spoiler. Went into Tesco in Port Glasgow. Not a motor I have seen down this way before but it was a pretty immaculate looking example

I couldn't be happier with the Buyeye that I got from Gav last year. Guess it is just your luck sometimes. Incidently, I was up in Stirling this morning and noticed that Ian Grieve Vauxhall was now Arnold Clark. Anyone know if their Subaru branch changing as well?

I said in my earlier post that while I have had my problems with Arnold and won't use them, the job on my mate’s car was spot on. Equally, the work that Glasgow Audi did took a couple of goes to get right. So it was not exactly a one-sided bias slagging on AC. Glad your motors back in one piece ScoobySounds, I know what it is like when something happens to it!

Same with any nice motor, but in reality it is probably only a small proportion of motors that swiped. To be honest though, if someone was intent on getting it and broke in to the house looking for the keys whilst I was there, then I would give them to them. A car can always be replaced. I was tailed by a Shogun not so long a go late a night all the way from Cumbernauld to beyond Hillington. No matter what speed I went at this guy would not pass me. If he had followed me all the way home then I would have taken the registration before losing him on my local back roads and heading off to the cop shop. He eventually peeled off the motorway on his own accord and was more than likely completely innocent, but it does make you think.

Just remember to show your card when you drop the car off, not when you pick it up like I did! The invoice was all made up though the computer and it seemed to cause them a bit of a headache. I made swift exit!

OK, Subaru have decided to change the direction of the Impreza to the hatchback and it certinly isn't everyones cup of tea. To be honest, whilst it is completely different to what has gone before, I don't mind the look of what I have seen so far of the STI, although I don't like the WRX it looks too bland. I have found the below article on Autotrader and What Car which confirms that there will be only 1000 WRX's and 1500 STI's per year . Is this a cunning ploy to make people buy the new one by saying it will be available in small numbers and then when they sell out, bring in more to meet demand? Or have Subaru really lost the plot and are restricting the number of sales of their most popular models? If so, the importers will be busy! ------------------------------------------------- News Centre New Impreza WRX and STIs to be limited 29 August 2007 Motorists hoping to get their hands on the new Subaru Impreza WRX or STI models will have to move fast, as both will be limited-edition cars in the UK. The 227bhp 2.5-litre Impreza WRX will go on sale in the UK in November, but only between 350 and 400 models will be initially available. No prices have been released. Subaru has confirmed it will limit sales to 1000 cars per year from 2008. Details of the WRX STI also remain under wraps ahead of its spring 2008 launch, but Subaru has also confirmed that just 1500 models will be made available annually. New Legacy Sources have also confirmed that an all-new Subaru Legacy will be launched at the end of 2009. The revamped car will be considerably bigger than the current car, sparking speculation that there will be an Impreza Sports Wagon to fill the gap left in Subaru's range. A Subaru spokesman refused to confirm or deny any plans to build an Impreza Sports Wagon.

I changed the bulbs on my Bugeye and took the headlights out. I just followed the instructions in the handbook, took the fixings off, removed the unit, changed the bulb indoors and then put them back in. I found that easier than trying to get my hands into the very small space. I had no need to realign then or anything afterwards. Try www.powerbulbs.co.uk for bulbs. I got Osram Silver Stars from there. They were definitely an improvement but the full beam on my 12 year old oil burning Pug 106 is still better!

It is still draws enough attention though. If an alarm goes off, you will always at least glance at it as it draws attention to itself. If there is no one there you will walk on, if there are folk messing about with it you would take a second look. Same with house alarms. We had a lot a break ins last summer and people really started taking notice of people house/car alarms. My neighbours' alarm went off in the early hours once and the police turned out on the blue lights as someone (probably the coppers who live along the road) had phoned it in. As for my tracker. I find the insurance saving pays for it.

Was in my local kebab shop a while ago and the delivery girl was driving a nearly new Civic Type-R. I got chatting to her while I was waiting as she was asking about the Scoob. Turns out that she had to do deliveries to try to cover the payments for the car . Not sure how much you can make delivering kebabs but couldn't see how that was cost effective.

Hello and Welcome

Hello and welcome.

For car parks I don't like, I always try to take the French oil burner, which having previously ben owned by a pensioner is no stranger to parking dents. With the Scoob, I always try to park at the back of the car park at the end of a row or similar so there is at worst only the change of getting hit at one side. However, when washing it on Saturday I noticed that some git has knocked the back of it and taken the paint off the bumper just above the number plate . Probably happened on the street outside my girlfriend's flat as I have watched people bouncing off cars to get into spaces before. There was much swearing! Really annoys me people just don't respect others cars.

Any normally aspirated version of the Impreza has always just looked like a pretty bland everyday car and the new one seems no different. I don't mind the fact it is a hatchback and the new STI is growing on me the more I see it. Looking forward to seeing one in the flesh.

I used Glasgow Audi's bodyshop in Hillington. They are pretty pricey and the Insurance Co insisted on sending the assessor to check the quote against the damage. Service second to none however, great job and no arguments if you pick up any problems afterwards.

It isn't a full decat, it still has a catted downpipe so will pass an mot. I rang them up and got the Indian call centre. I told them I was putting a non-standart stainless steel exhaust on it and asked if that would increase my premium. After explaining to the gentleman what an exhaust was, he concluded no. I got him to reconfirm that he has noted it on the policy but it didn't increae the premium. I took his name and the time and date I spoke to him incase I ever get any comeback. It is just your luck with Arnold, as with anywhere. I got my old Astra serviced by them once. They charged me for work they didn't do and then sent me home with defective brakes. When I bent the back of the Astra, Tesco used Arnie as their approved repairer and they made a complete erse of it. Ended up holding their courtasy car to ransom after they failed to get it right time after time, and eventually tried to give it back to me with a tail light they had melted whilst they did their welding. This was 10 days into the 3 day job. As a result I will never use them again. Having said that, my mate had her Corsa repaired by them and I went with her when she picked it up, and the job was spot on. I had Glasgow Audi fix the Scooby. Damn good job but it did have to go back as the colour of the spraying didn't match the rest of the car. So perhaps nowhere is perfect, however there was none of the aurguments you get with Arnie, they just took it in at short notice, apologised and resprayed it.

New forum looks good Unfortunatly, the work computer doesn't seem to like it

I am with Elephant at the moment but not that impressed with them. They wheren't interested in my claim and just wanted to settle as soon as possible. They agreed with the third party that I was liable before they had even spoken to me! I am pretty fed up with them, in particular their Indian call centre and am going to give Keith Micheals a go at renewal time. When I claimed, I refused point blank to let Arnold Clark (their approved repairer) within a 100 miles of the car, so they sent an assessor to check the damage against the quote I got from my own garage. He looked at the damage but absolutely nothing else. Didn't look for mods or ask about anything. So I think you will be ok. Incidently, my decat and wheels don't add anything to the premium but are declared.

You get problems with any car. My mother had a new BMW a couple of years back. It went wrong on average once a month and had to get towed three times. Ok, so everything was getting done under warranty but after 18 months they were so fed up they just got shot of it. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> You can be unlucky with any car and I am not overly concerned. If it breaks, modify it, and make it even better than before - No, get thoughts out of head - hide credit card!

Yeah? Isn't that what they have always been doing? [] LOL I mean going back to how it used to be. Hiding rather than being a visual deterrent. We will be getting Gatsos hiding behind signposts again next! []<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I thought Strathclyde Police's Scamera vans were all stickered up. Saw one out on the A737 near me not so long ago and it was all marked up. It was a Transit however. Perhaps they are just trying to catch people out now.

1 - Fuji Heavy Industries 2 - 6 3 - Pleiades (Wouldn't have known if it wasn't for above) 4 - 3 (Again taken from above) 5 - Vivio 6 - Leone (No idea, but appears a popular choice above) 7 - Ota? 8 - L555 BAT 9 - International Motors trading as Subaru UK Ltd 10- 1992

Congratulations Gav. Best wishes to you both. [Y][D]

Was down at Meercat myself last week for a brief chat about the options for my exhaust - well the car was never going to stay standard for ever []! They had actually said that to me about 'off the shelf' sections banging against bits underneath being quite common. They just need a bit of tweaking for a better fit. Kilbirnie is a bit far from Airdrie but I am sure they would sort you out without too much bother.