How much is enough?

[Bper]

There seems to be such a wide gap between different counties and apart from a free for all has anyone got an thoughts  why this is apart from greed. 

[Bper]

This morning our local supermarket had dropped their petrol price by 10p a litre. Strangely on Prime Ministers Questions today, an MP raised the question that Morrisons had been over charging on petrol prices. This has now been referred to the Monopolies Committee. 

Now does this indicate that these supermarkets have inside information before it is even discussed in parliament and as a consequence they drop the prices as this will damage the brand when it comes out?

Now is it cynical to think that they may also be artificially marking up on food prices?

[Markyswan]

Bob,

I don't use local supermarket petrol stations but I saw you mentioned them marking up prices. As a family we are getting concerned how much money a week our shopping bill has gone up. These rises in gas and electric and food are really hitting us now.

 

[Big_D]

I think the rise in all prices are starting to hit everyone

[Cyker]

I feel like it's more like 'still being hit' rather than starting!

Whenever they give out advice on how to save money etc. I'm like, I'm still already doing that from all the other times you told us to do all these things!!

 

Fuel-wise, the Sainsburys has gone up a penny to 159.9 while Abridge Shell has gone down to 158.9!

 

I'm just glad I have the Mk4 and not one of these insane people with giant 20mpg SUVs!  

 

[Big_D]

Too true. I'm glad I have a Hybrid

[Bper]

29 minutes ago, Cyker said:

I feel like it's more like 'still being hit' rather than starting!

Whenever they give out advice on how to save money etc. I'm like, I'm still already doing that from all the other times you told us to do all these things!!

 

Fuel-wise, the Sainsburys has gone up a penny to 159.9 while Abridge Shell has gone down to 158.9!

 

I'm just glad I have the Mk4 and not one of these insane people with giant 20mpg SUVs!  

 

So i am interested to know how much difference is there between your hybrid  then my Auris 1..2T petrol in MPG.

[Bper]

57 minutes ago, Markyswan said:

Bob,

I don't use local supermarket petrol stations but I saw you mentioned them marking up prices. As a family we are getting concerned how much money a week our shopping bill has gone up. These rises in gas and electric and food are really hitting us now.

 

Hi Mark,

I think we are all seeing the change in prices now. Everyone I speak to is saying the same that there shopping bills are going through the roof. Trouble is will they ever come down.

[Cyker]

7 minutes ago, Bper said:

So i am interested to know how much difference is there between your hybrid  then my Auris 1..2T petrol in MPG.

Why? The Yaris is a smaller lighter car from the segment below the Auris so it won't be a fair comparison at all!

For what it's worth, I'm at about half a tank and the tank average is currently at 73.4mpg with a roughly 50:50 mix of urban and motorway/fastish a-road driving.

 

On a tangent, does your Auris have lumbar support? If so, where are the controls for it? My colleague was whining about his Auris not having it, but I'm sure it was standard equipment on the T-Spirit and T4 trims... (Same question to other Auris owners!)

 

[Bper]

44 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Why? The Yaris is a smaller lighter car from the segment below the Auris so it won't be a fair comparison at all!

For what it's worth, I'm at about half a tank and the tank average is currently at 73.4mpg with a roughly 50:50 mix of urban and motorway/fastish a-road driving.

 

On a tangent, does your Auris have lumbar support? If so, where are the controls for it? My colleague was whining about his Auris not having it, but I'm sure it was standard equipment on the T-Spirit and T4 trims... (Same question to other Auris owners!)

 

The reason I asked about MPG is I am going to test drive a few toyota models next week and I have read how positive the yaris hybrid is and from yourself as well. I may look to replace the Auris if the right deal is there so trying to get an idea of hybrids MPG against our Auris petrol.

I understand our Auris is a heavier car but not having any real experience of hybrids it helps to get experience feedback.

In answer to your question about lumber support no it does not as it is an icon which I think is the lowes spec in the range.

[Cyker]

Ahh fair enough!

I will say the Mk4 Yaris is really nice to drive; The driving dynamics are near Fiesta-like and power delivery is strong and responsive at all legal speeds. The steering rack feels quicker than Toyota usually set it up so the thing feels very darty and reacts much faster to steering inputs than any other Yaris I've been in.

However, it's nowhere near as comfy as the Auris and it definitely feels they have spent most of the money on the drive train side of things. The fit and finish isn't fantastic and while they've improved the tactile feel of the surfaces everything feels a bit flimsy.

The NVH is way worse than the Auris and it sometimes sounds like a window or door is slightly open. While I don't mind the 3-pot too much (except when it's running while stationary!), I can imagine people used to smooth straight-4 petrols's might find it a bit annoying. Diesel heads will be right at home tho'  

 

 

[Bper]

On 11/9/2022 at 10:59 PM, Cyker said:

Ahh fair enough!

I will say the Mk4 Yaris is really nice to drive; The driving dynamics are near Fiesta-like and power delivery is strong and responsive at all legal speeds. The steering rack feels quicker than Toyota usually set it up so the thing feels very darty and reacts much faster to steering inputs than any other Yaris I've been in.

However, it's nowhere near as comfy as the Auris and it definitely feels they have spent most of the money on the drive train side of things. The fit and finish isn't fantastic and while they've improved the tactile feel of the surfaces everything feels a bit flimsy.

The NVH is way worse than the Auris and it sometimes sounds like a window or door is slightly open. While I don't mind the 3-pot too much (except when it's running while stationary!), I can imagine people used to smooth straight-4 petrols's might find it a bit annoying. Diesel heads will be right at home tho'  

 

 

Had a phone call today from toyota that if we could make it today we could test drive a couple of cars that we had been interested in.

Test drive 1.  Was in the Toyota yaris hybrid. Nippy little car around the town but to small for our needs and as you pointed out it wasn't as comfortable as the Auris. However I can see the attraction of why they are so popular. 

Teat drive 2. 2021 corolla the car was a nice drive and a bit smoother then our Auris. We both liked the interior and plenty of power when needed. Test driving 3 more models next week. There was also a Hilux on sale and couldn't resist sitting in one again.

This is a lovely vehicle and the interior is great. I tried to convince my wife that we should buy it as she loved it as well. Unfortunately sensibility cut back in and whilst totally  impractical for us maybe one day. 

 

 

[Cyker]

That is one of the slight disappointments of the Mk4; It's the biggest Yaris I've owned but has the least space in it!! I think Toyota have been chasing boot capacity figures at the expense of cabin space, as even the Corolla hatchback has worse rear leg room than my Mk2 Yaris did!

It's not too bad for my situation tho' as it's encouraging my friends to get off their backsides and get their own damned cars instead of trying to use me as a chauffeur all the time!  

On the fuel side, Sainsburys gone up a penny again to 159.9, but Shell Abridge has dropped to 156.9!   That poor village was gridlocked with people trying to pile into the petrol station!

 

[dannyboy413]

Bear in mind I am in Ireland and pay in Euros, on 1st April this year I paid 1.839 per litre and Brent Crude was $104.16 per barrel. The petrol, (E5 incidentally), rose as high as 2.199 per litre and Brent Crude has been as high as $123.91. Having filled up yesterday, I Paid 1.859 per litre, a rise of 1.09% on the April figure, whilst Brent Crude was $92.58, a fall of 11.12%, (if my calculations are correct). Makes you wonder.......

[Bper]

40 minutes ago, Cyker said:

That is one of the slight disappointments of the Mk4; It's the biggest Yaris I've owned but has the least space in it!! I think Toyota have been chasing boot capacity figures at the expense of cabin space, as even the Corolla hatchback has worse rear leg room than my Mk2 Yaris did!

It's not too bad for my situation tho' as it's encouraging my friends to get off their backsides and get their own damned cars instead of trying to use me as a chauffeur all the time!  

On the fuel side, Sainsburys gone up a penny again to 159.9, but Shell Abridge has dropped to 156.9!   That poor village was gridlocked with people trying to pile into the petrol station!

 

Wasn't to concerned about the legroom in the back of the corolla as there is only the two of us. Still more cars to try next week. Regarding petrol prices, there is a 10p difference between your Shell and a 13p difference at Abridge compared with our local Morrisons. That's big.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens with the monopolies report on them overcharging for petrol.😡

[Cyker]

The thing is they have us over a barrel (If you'll excuse the pun) and can price as they want, as they control the supply and there's no law stopping them.

I can't blame them, as they are there to exploit a resource and make as much profit as the market will bear - That's what capitalism is all about at the end of the day.

Also, they know the writing is on the wall as, unless they can pivot/diversify, they will eventually fade away as EVs start to become more prevalent, so I imagine it's going to get worse as they try to wring out as much profit as possible before it's banned altogether.

That said, it will be interesting to see which route they take - Maximise profits and drive more people to EVs earlier - Prioritising short term gain at the expense of longevity, or try and keep the costs lower so people don't switch to EVs as quickly, so they don't make as much profit but have a longer term income.

 

[Bper]

27 minutes ago, dannyboy413 said:

Bear in mind I am in Ireland and pay in Euros, on 1st April this year I paid 1.839 per litre and Brent Crude was $104.16 per barrel. The petrol, (E5 incidentally), rose as high as 2.199 per litre and Brent Crude has been as high as $123.91. Having filled up yesterday, I Paid 1.859 per litre, a rise of 1.09% on the April figure, whilst Brent Crude was $92.58, a fall of 11.12%, (if my calculations are correct). Makes you wonder.......

Are these prices pretty much the same all over Ireland or does it differ from county to county.

[dannyboy413]

@Bper

It's a bit like the UK Bob, the price can vary from one side of the road to the other, never mind one county to another!  😀. I tend the use the same garage for each fill up as I got a deal a couple of years back with a credit card, where I get 4 cent per litre discount, so even if my usual garage is on the high side, (as it sometimes is), I still get my petrol at a decent (?) price.

[Derek.w]

More like overcharging for diesel with a diffrence of 30 pence from around the North East.

[Bper]

27 minutes ago, dannyboy413 said:

@Bper

It's a bit like the UK Bob, the price can vary from one side of the road to the other, never mind one county to another!  😀. I tend the use the same garage for each fill up as I got a deal a couple of years back with a credit card, where I get 4 cent per litre discount, so even if my usual garage is on the high side, (as it sometimes is), I still get my petrol at a decent (?) price.

Hi David just wondering are the toyota service costs the same in Ireland.

[Bper]

25 minutes ago, Derek.w said:

More like overcharging for diesel with a diffrence of 30 pence from around the North East.

Derek this is just a complete rip off, no justification for these prices other then unjustified  profiteering. 😠

[Bper]

46 minutes ago, Cyker said:

The thing is they have us over a barrel (If you'll excuse the pun) and can price as they want, as they control the supply and there's no law stopping them.

I can't blame them, as they are there to exploit a resource and make as much profit as the market will bear - That's what capitalism is all about at the end of the day.

Also, they know the writing is on the wall as, unless they can pivot/diversify, they will eventually fade away as EVs start to become more prevalent, so I imagine it's going to get worse as they try to wring out as much profit as possible before it's banned altogether.

That said, it will be interesting to see which route they take - Maximise profits and drive more people to EVs earlier - Prioritising short term gain at the expense of longevity, or try and keep the costs lower so people don't switch to EVs as quickly, so they don't make as much profit but have a longer term income.

 

Regarding supermarkets they don't have to sell petrol but this obviously brings customers into the stores and at one time they offered pence off a litre as an incentive. 

Now they are profiteering not just from overpriced food but from the inflated petrol prices. As for oil producer's of course they are worried that once EV's become the dominant vehicles on the road there revenues will plummet.

The reality is that this country will not in our life time ever have the infrastructure in place for total EV. If anyone understands the national grid system they know it is nowhere near large enough . IMO I think it's total BS in order to keep pushing the global green and climate political narratives no matter what the cost to the general public.

[dannyboy413]

18 hours ago, Bper said:

Hi David just wondering are the toyota service costs the same in Ireland.

To be honest Bob - I have no idea! Both my cars came with a 3 years warranty and breakdown cover, along with three years 'free' (?). servicing. The dealer gave me an offer I could not refuse when I got the current car, so I did not have to pay for a service in the time I had it. (Hopefully he will come up with another good offer to get me to buy the Corolla Cross. 😁).

[dannyboy413]

@Bper

I have just done a search on t'internet for servicing in Ireland and come up with this -

https://www.toyota.ie/owners/maintenance-and-servicing/value-service

[Bper]

2 hours ago, dannyboy413 said:

@Bper

I have just done a search on t'internet for servicing in Ireland and come up with this -

https://www.toyota.ie/owners/maintenance-and-servicing/

2 hours ago, dannyboy413 said:

@Bper

I have just done a search on t'internet for servicing in Ireland and come up with this -

https://www.toyota.ie/owners/maintenance-and-servicing/value-service

value-service

If these costs are correct does this include oil,filter etc or are these prices labour only. I had a quick llook around the site but couldn't find any reference to this. If I have missed this please let me know. However if it does include the above this is considerably cheaper then here.