Wheels magazine has always had a passionate audience, with a thriving letters section. Here's the latest from our readers.
And while we're talking about the mag, have you subscribed?
Bussed a move
šļø Parminder Gill, via email
I got banned from driving a couple of months back. No, I wasnāt high on meth or drunk as a skunk. Instead, I was enjoying my car on a very quiet rural road and was clocked driving at more than 45km/h over the limit by police.
It sounds a lot, doesnāt it? 45km/h over the limit seems a terrible speeding offence. What I hadnāt realised was that the speed limit had changed from 80km/h to 60km/h since the last time Iād driven this particular stretch of road and that my car would reach over 105km/h in second gear.
So the 108km/h I was clocked at really didnāt feel an outrageous velocity. But I knew as soon as I saw the police car that I might be in trouble.
I understand that this sounds like a bunch of āpoor meā excuses but I have accepted responsibility and taken it on the chin. Thatās not to say that it doesnāt smart. I had a clean driving licence for more than 10 years prior to this incident, but it seems that this counts for little to nothing if youāre placed in this bracket of speeding offence.
Iād just like to appeal to Wheels readers to really be careful in todayās effortlessly rapid cars. My Cayman is enjoying a rest in the garage and Iām on the bus to work. I wouldnāt wish that on anyone.
š Editor Andy
Wheelsā long term McLaren 720S could effortlessly clock big numbers. We had to watch that one. That said, tools for staying within the speed limit have never been better
Lies, damn lies...
šļø Bryan Winship, via email
It was hugely heartening to read the story on Wheelsā readership lifting by 41 percent according to the latest Roy Morgan figures.
Itās long been taken as a given that magazine sales are on the slide. My partner worked in the publishing industry for 20 years and prior to that she was in the metropolitan police force in London.
She always used to joke that being a copper was far less stressful than trying to keep a magazine afloat! Celebrate your victories because theyāre certainly hard won.
š Editor Andy
The Roy Morgan survey takes a huge sample of over 66,000 respondents, but we canāt get ahead of ourselves. Translating readers into buyers is the genuine mark of success
Barely covered
šļø Name supplied, via email
I recently went to renew my car insurance policy with AAMI and was pretty disillusioned with the whole experience. Iāve been with them for nearly 10 years now and have never made a claim or had any convictions.
This year, the premium went up by 20 percent. Whatās more, with the rise in the price of used cars, their Red Book valuation of my car is about 15 percent off what it would cost to replace. You guessed it, I can pay more to get that valuation up, but why should I have to? The insurance is supposed to be ācomprehensiveā.
When I called to complain, they instantly knocked almost 20 percent off as a āgoodwill gestureā which shows how much fat is built into the quote. If the government is looking to cap inflation, it should be clamping down on businesses like these that are dudding Aussie consumers.
š Editor Andy
Thereās been too much egregious price gouging by Aussie businesses enjoying record profits
Subtotal recall
šļø C. Baccino, via email
I've owned my Volkswagen Golf MK VII from new and have had it serviced at the same main dealer.
Imagine my surprise when I booked it in for a service and they told me that recall work that was due on the car hadnāt been done. It turns out that VW had been sending the recall notice letters to my old postal address.
Iād blithely assumed that if the dealer had my new address then Volkswagenās head office would have it too. It seems not. Just something I thought your readers ought to know.
š Editor Andy
Thatās a very good point that will have escaped many. Iām sure Volkswagen isnāt the only manufacturer that operates in this way, but if you move house, hereās another thing to check off
Podcast recs?
šļø Steve Boruc, via Facebook
Love listening to a good car-themed podcast on the way to work. Can I get some recommendations from you to see if Iām missing any?
š Editor Andy
I love Smith and Sniff, the Intercooler, the Race F1 and the Collecting Addicts show, even if it frequently meanders off into the realms of which limited edition Singer/Ferrari you should buy as part of your twelve-car garage. Pommy roots showing badly here
No love for R33?
šļø lan Brown, via Facebook
I was browsing through back copies of Wheels online last week and realised that youād covered the R32 and R34 generations of the Nissan Skyline GT-R in Modern Classic, but have overlooked the R33.
As a proud R33 owner, Iām standing up for the forgotten generation of Skylines. Can we see it featured soon? Not mine, by the way, itās a bit ratty.
š Editor Andy
Okay, people. Letās help Ian out here. If youāve got a tidy R33 GT-R and want to see it featured in Wheels magazine, you know what to do
The Wheels question to you
New BMW XM ā an apt 50th birthday present for M?
I'm okay with it
- I think the point most are missing is that this is just a vehicle to demonstrate Mās capabilities. It isnāt trying to say anything bigger than that. People need to stop with the hysterical reactions to it. Sarah Standish, via Facebook
Hell noes
- OMG. Talk about a face only a mother could love. With all the resources available to it, BMW felt an oafish bloater was the best way to demonstrate the way ahead for the M division? Why? N. Jones, via Facebook
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