mystery machine

Ye'll be missed Neil - never met you in person, but always enjoyed your sense of humour and your stunning portfolio of Scooby pics All the best for the future!

I thought about a cover (to keep cats' claws off the paintwork) but it was this that put me off - seemingly it's an issue with some of them when the wind blows and the cover moves about, particularly if the car's dirty. No problems like that with yours Cruz, I take it?

And to enhance the effect, try rolling down the windows and playing 'male stripper' over the stereo as loud as possible Now sing with me... I was a male stripper in a gogo bar, I was a male stripper in a gogo bar...

From what you have said they're probably just cheeky young laddies who have a misguided admiration for your motor. I'd be surprised if they were looking to vandalise or steal it. As others have said, no harm taking note of their reg just in case

Every puddle must be like a dagger in the ribs... got to admire the dedication

Aye, I was gaunnae say - you could just cut back on the beer and pies a bit and achieve much the same effect (not you personally, like).

Absolutely - it's one of the great strengths of a forum like this and of the internet in general. And of course the dealer has an opportunity to tell their side of the story too. It's then left up to the readership to decide what they want to make of it.

...but it wisnae me who asked who serviced it

Exactly what I was thinking.And on those services where a replacement filter isn't mandated, aren't they supposed to inspect it? Always been a bit sceptical about how much heed is paid to the 'items for inspection' on the service schedule. Of course, maybe they did inspect it: "Aye Wullie, looks aboot right - jist the usual twigs an' grass an' that..." "Nae bother - pap it back in."

Is a replacement filter included in the 20K service? Looks like you've had a family of sparrows living up there.

Cheers.

Much does it weigh? (at a guess).

I missed this thread the first time around. Absolutely cracking example - so shiny and clean it makes my gums ache

Sadly, it may have everything to do with it If car keys are stolen by means of force - either in person from their owner or by forcing access to a place of keeping - then that's one thing, but if the keys were willingly left with uninsured persons who were thereafter liable for damage to the car, then the insurance company could claim that the keys were not given due care. There's usually a (small print) clause about such things in the insurance policy. I'm not saying it's right, but as an insurance company they'll use any legitimate means to avoid paying out thousands of pounds As Playsatan2 says, shouldn't stop you doing everything you can to extract a settlement from them. If ultimately the insurance route fails - and I guess this depends on how you see your future with this mate of yours - you might consider speaking to a lawyer about the possibilities of taking him to court and claiming damages directly from him (assuming he can't/won't pay you back voluntarily). Citizens' Advice may be able to help with this if you want to get a rough idea of where you stand without handing over any cash. Good luck, mate.

There's one here Tam, if you're still hellbent on buying a GB270 http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/adv...00938341939854/

Semis..... Slick rubber..... Nervous about getting moist..... .....thought I'd stumbled upon the wrong forum for a minute there Wheels suit the car very nicely - particularly with it being a wagon, I reckon

Awfae sorry to hear about that, Mark I remember chatting to you about paintwork and suchlike - sounded like your Scooby was one of the nicer examples... and to have a 'mate' do this to you... Hope you get things sorted in the fullness of time and that we can see you back here under (much) better circumstances!

Pity about that offset, mind

Your new wheels suit the car BRILLIANTLY - and I'm a real 'third-party alloy' sceptic I'd seriously consider those if I was looking to replace my wheels... do you know how they compare with the OEM wheels, weight-wise? (very important for me, that).

Crivvens, the residents of Whiteinch will be thinking that they've started up the shipbuilding again

True, I think that servicing is the bread & butter of the modern main dealership - especially since the profit margins on car sales are so much tighter than they used to be...Seems to be the thing these days, manufacturers like to snare you with tempting deals on the core product, and then bleed you dry with the servicing costs - my favourite example being the 'practically giving it away' inkjet printer that costs £50 to buy and then, every couple of months, £80 to replace the ink cartridges I'm just glad that some place was interested in looking at a problem that wasn't necessarily going to amount to a straightforward or profitable job..... a job that some places might view as a bit of a risk and not worth pursuing (that comment isn't directed toward any place in particular - I've found that with a few outfits in recent years).

Cheers Paul. I had a chat with the guy at reception about the options for bringing the car in and, as you say, they seem quite flexible (as are the local main dealership), but taking their courtesy car on a day off work seems like the way to go. Shame the last few miles of the journey wasn't a bit nicer (i.e. Edinburgh sh|tty bypass + a bunch of busy wee connecting roads). Hey ho, ye cannae huv it aw .

You can get some really cool reverberations if you roll down your windows and holler at the walls at the top of your voice Yes, I am over 18 (and not just by a wee bit, either).

Car has generated a faint odour of petrol at idle since I bought it a few months back. Had my local dealership look at it, but they couldn't diagnose the fault. Took the car down to Noble's servicing outfit today (first time I've used them) and they traced the fault to a badly connected (or disconnected) breather hose on/near the inlet manifold (I'd be more specific about the details, but I never got to speak to the mechanic post-repair). They also took some slack out of my handbrake, and gave me a nice Impreza hatch courtesy car to take away for the day. All covered by the manufacturer's warranty, and no money had to change hands - either for the servicing or for the courtesy car. Rare these days that I come away from a car servicing centre feeling in any way pleased, but hats off to the guys at Noble's for doing a good job. I'm considering using them for servicing now too, despite the trek. Keep it up.