Uber - Ford Mondeo 1.6 TDCi MK4 (2013)
Discussion
Hi guys.
^ Thanks for the 'concern'. Currently the loss of licence is in appeal. Uber has appointed a new CEO over in America by the name of Dara Khosrowshahi and he was over in the UK having a meeting with TFL and Sadiq Khan. London's Uber manager is supposedly continuing said meetings to come to arrangements of what needs to be corrected and I will imagine ££££.
Anyhow, I am well underway with Uber now, in fact I am going out work in a short while.
I'm still yet to get the cambelt put on but that's being organised along with a new clutch and DMF. This was an issue when I got the car last year that has got worse, hoping to get the parts bought pay day next week. Not ideal but it's a must. Will go into more detail later when the work is carried out.
The car had a new MOT ready for it's vehicle inspection at TFL and passed fine.
I worked Thursday - Sunday last week and cleared £700 & plus I have my £300 bonus from Uber coming for the sign up incentive. I will have blog posts covering in the next couple days but here are a couple of blog posts for now.
https://www.ubergmd.com/blog/uber-sign-up-london
https://www.ubergmd.com/blog/preparing-your-car-fo...
^ Thanks for the 'concern'. Currently the loss of licence is in appeal. Uber has appointed a new CEO over in America by the name of Dara Khosrowshahi and he was over in the UK having a meeting with TFL and Sadiq Khan. London's Uber manager is supposedly continuing said meetings to come to arrangements of what needs to be corrected and I will imagine ££££.
Anyhow, I am well underway with Uber now, in fact I am going out work in a short while.
I'm still yet to get the cambelt put on but that's being organised along with a new clutch and DMF. This was an issue when I got the car last year that has got worse, hoping to get the parts bought pay day next week. Not ideal but it's a must. Will go into more detail later when the work is carried out.
The car had a new MOT ready for it's vehicle inspection at TFL and passed fine.
I worked Thursday - Sunday last week and cleared £700 & plus I have my £300 bonus from Uber coming for the sign up incentive. I will have blog posts covering in the next couple days but here are a couple of blog posts for now.
https://www.ubergmd.com/blog/uber-sign-up-london
https://www.ubergmd.com/blog/preparing-your-car-fo...
whytheory said:
Read those posts with interest, fair enough not wanting to divulge the cost of insurance but would you be willing to say roughly how many times your previous personal insurance it is?
It's inbetween the 2-3 times mark but again I do believe this will differ, this 50/50 crash has not helped me in any form.GEFAFWISP said:
Very interesting read, thank you for sharing! I've bookmarked the blog and look forward to more.
As a side note, the blog itself looks very good and well written - if Ubering doesn't work out I'm sure you could find work as a journo
Ha I would like to think so!As a side note, the blog itself looks very good and well written - if Ubering doesn't work out I'm sure you could find work as a journo
Anyhow here's another link to another blog post.
A quick summary of my first day.
https://www.ubergmd.com/blog/my-first-day
I will post the link to my first week in a couple of days.
In other news...
The car required a new clutch / cylinder / DMF. This was on the cards anyway just wished it never came so soon. Think the original owner liked to rest the foot on the clutch.
I will start creating a list of maintenance costs and return soon.
I had a 2.0L Mk4 Mondeo estate in basic Edge trim, it was a leased company car, I had it from new.
I loved it so much, the car looked good, drove well, was comfortable and unbelievably roomy inside.
For the basic version it was also well equipped.
In the 100k miles I had the Mondeo for, it needed a new clutch, plus a dual mass flywheel, but the biggest failure was the cambelt went at 70mph, outside lane on the M40, with only 80k on the clock.
Ford say the cambelt is due at 120k, so 80k was way off. It needed a full engine rebuild, paid for by the lease company.
I personally would have had Ford replace it for Free, but it wasn’t my argument.
Aside from that, i’d own another without hesitation.
Btw, my dad’s a London green badge Black cab driver, the Uber thing just gives him something different to moan about lol
I loved it so much, the car looked good, drove well, was comfortable and unbelievably roomy inside.
For the basic version it was also well equipped.
In the 100k miles I had the Mondeo for, it needed a new clutch, plus a dual mass flywheel, but the biggest failure was the cambelt went at 70mph, outside lane on the M40, with only 80k on the clock.
Ford say the cambelt is due at 120k, so 80k was way off. It needed a full engine rebuild, paid for by the lease company.
I personally would have had Ford replace it for Free, but it wasn’t my argument.
Aside from that, i’d own another without hesitation.
Btw, my dad’s a London green badge Black cab driver, the Uber thing just gives him something different to moan about lol
Rowley92 said:
As above thanks for sharing, It's interesting to see uber from a drivers perspective! Quick question - obviously you get a star rating but does the customer? I've heard they are also rated but I can't see anything with regards to a score on my app.
No problem at all!Drivers have to rate each customer as soon as the trip is complete. I pretty much give 5 stars unless customer is rude or smelly ha.
If you open up your passenger app, top left there will be a menu button (3 lines) , you should have your name at the top and your star rating just below.
bungz said:
Good little blog there, quite interesting.
Thanks!Cliff J said:
I had a 2.0L Mk4 Mondeo estate in basic Edge trim, it was a leased company car, I had it from new.
I loved it so much, the car looked good, drove well, was comfortable and unbelievably roomy inside.
For the basic version it was also well equipped.
In the 100k miles I had the Mondeo for, it needed a new clutch, plus a dual mass flywheel, but the biggest failure was the cambelt went at 70mph, outside lane on the M40, with only 80k on the clock.
Ford say the cambelt is due at 120k, so 80k was way off. It needed a full engine rebuild, paid for by the lease company.
I personally would have had Ford replace it for Free, but it wasn’t my argument.
Aside from that, i’d own another without hesitation.
Btw, my dad’s a London green badge Black cab driver, the Uber thing just gives him something different to moan about lol
Ha I have my cambelt kit ready to go on, would of been on by now but had to do the clutch. I'm pretty annoyed, the new clutch / dmf has cured the screeching from pull away but its still knocking so I'm not sure.I loved it so much, the car looked good, drove well, was comfortable and unbelievably roomy inside.
For the basic version it was also well equipped.
In the 100k miles I had the Mondeo for, it needed a new clutch, plus a dual mass flywheel, but the biggest failure was the cambelt went at 70mph, outside lane on the M40, with only 80k on the clock.
Ford say the cambelt is due at 120k, so 80k was way off. It needed a full engine rebuild, paid for by the lease company.
I personally would have had Ford replace it for Free, but it wasn’t my argument.
Aside from that, i’d own another without hesitation.
Btw, my dad’s a London green badge Black cab driver, the Uber thing just gives him something different to moan about lol
You would be pushed to get a clutch under warranty especially at 80k! They will knock it down to wear and tear and try to get away with it.
Some black taxi drivers are fine in London, some won't give way ever, some will just obnoxiously cut you up, some will lay on the horn just because you changed lanes in front of them (not dangerously either). They need to build a bridge imo.
Anyway, a new blog post. A summary of my first week.
https://www.ubergmd.com/blog/my-first-week
Jimmy Recard said:
Interesting that the Vauxhall Astra isn't listed as an approved car - my last Uber was a couple of weeks ago and it was an Astra
This is why I mentioned previously to anyone whos car is not listed to maybe contact Uber and see. I think it's a pretty dated list and could do with updating.Hey guys,
Just checking in.
My Macbook pretty much died out on me and I have just bought a replacement mac from a friend of mine.
So I have been racking up the miles, by the end of this week I will easily pass the 56,000 mile mark, I took the car back on 48,500.
I have to admit I am pushing my luck now and my cambelt is still not fitted, it's a must before the christmas period arrives too.
- Clutch & DMF - 49,000 miles - £650.00 - (supplied & fitted at my previous work location)
- 2 x Tyres - £144.00 - (supplied & fitted at a local garage)
- Tracking - £80.00 - (local garage)
- Oil & Filter & Air Filter Change - 54,000 - £25.48 - (bought from Euro Car Parts, fitted for free at work and free oil
)
I need to turn this in to an excel sheet really but now I have computer access again I will hopefully free up some time to get it sorted.
I am paying £120.00 for cambelt fitting. I now have a chip on my windscreen, need to get that booked in also, nightmare as the Mondeo has a heated screen so not sure if this will be effected long term if it gets worse etc.
I will now finally get around to updating my blog site too as I also had to step back from that due to no comp.
Just checking in.
My Macbook pretty much died out on me and I have just bought a replacement mac from a friend of mine.
So I have been racking up the miles, by the end of this week I will easily pass the 56,000 mile mark, I took the car back on 48,500.
I have to admit I am pushing my luck now and my cambelt is still not fitted, it's a must before the christmas period arrives too.
- Clutch & DMF - 49,000 miles - £650.00 - (supplied & fitted at my previous work location)
- 2 x Tyres - £144.00 - (supplied & fitted at a local garage)
- Tracking - £80.00 - (local garage)
- Oil & Filter & Air Filter Change - 54,000 - £25.48 - (bought from Euro Car Parts, fitted for free at work and free oil
)I need to turn this in to an excel sheet really but now I have computer access again I will hopefully free up some time to get it sorted.
I am paying £120.00 for cambelt fitting. I now have a chip on my windscreen, need to get that booked in also, nightmare as the Mondeo has a heated screen so not sure if this will be effected long term if it gets worse etc.
I will now finally get around to updating my blog site too as I also had to step back from that due to no comp.
- 2 x Tyres - £144.00 - (supplied & fitted at a local garage)
- Oil & Filter & Air Filter Change - 54,000 - £25.48 - (bought from Euro Car Parts, fitted for free at work and free oil tongue out)
- Rear wiper - £9.00
Ticked over 60,000 this week, December has been pretty busy.
Beginning of the Jan the car is going for a 60k service, cambelt, brake fluid and wipers.
I have taken down the blog site now as I just couldn't be bothered to continue writing posts in my free time. But that doesn't change the fact that I am still happy working with Uber despite the negative press that comes with it.
It is expected for January & February will be quiet, time will tell.
- Oil & Filter & Air Filter Change - 54,000 - £25.48 - (bought from Euro Car Parts, fitted for free at work and free oil tongue out)
- Rear wiper - £9.00
Ticked over 60,000 this week, December has been pretty busy.
Beginning of the Jan the car is going for a 60k service, cambelt, brake fluid and wipers.
I have taken down the blog site now as I just couldn't be bothered to continue writing posts in my free time. But that doesn't change the fact that I am still happy working with Uber despite the negative press that comes with it.
It is expected for January & February will be quiet, time will tell.
MJK 24 said:
Why did the Mercedes stop? It looks to me like you didn't hit them?
vrtrooper said:
Same here. Did you hit the Mercedes and what about the van that hit you, did they stop?
So the guy in the Mercedes was my 'passenger' from a job at Heathrow although luckily I was only carrying luggage for the customer.Customer heard a loud bang and saw that I was pretty close to the car, remember these lenses are wide angle so make it look like there is far more room and cars always look closer in rear view mirror although I know he would have felt the knock.
He soon came over to check that I was ok and we pulled over.
The guy in the van stopped and he also pulled over, we exchanged details, my insurance have spoken to him and he has admitted fault and is going through the process.
I have been given a 67 plate C Class 220CD for now. Although it's a nice car its not big enough for me being used to an estate, certainly would need an E class. But it will have to do for now.
So I got the car back Saturday morning.
Had it at the TFL NSL Inspection Centre Monday morning and got caught in the M25 traffic, lovely.
Few photos I took outside after I received my pass for accident repair on the car.
Since the accident I have been in and out of a few cars.
2017 Mercedes C-Class 220d - Very nice to look at externally and internally, far to small in the cabin especially for me being 6"6' and I struggled to fit 2 average to large run of the mill suit cases in the boot. Due to this I asked them to change this to a larger car, which the did. I only stayed with the C Class for a couple of days..
2017 Mercedes E-Class 220d - Again very nice to look at, bit roomier in side for the driver, slightly more basic layout for the entertainment system screen etc. I loved the interior lighting and capability of changing the colour. The catch on this car which they warned me about was the AMG trim seats. Unless you are a stick thin sub 6 foot guy / woman you are going the struggle, the seats were so narrow to sit in I just couldn't find my comfortable spot, I was certainly to wide for the seats and I'm skinny fat haha. At first the 9 speed auto was a nice touch but it just drained fuel and I found the gear changes to be very lazy in eco / comfort modes. The bluetooth could be a bit of a pain at times too. It was a car I was excited to drive for a while looking at the prospect of getting on to Uber Exec at some point but this experience put me off, although the Uber X passengers loved it, but they would considering they would usually be picked up in a prius / auris.
2017 Skoda Superb 1.6d - Now the third party had finally got in touch 3 weeks later I had to accept their offer of a courtesy car, I wasn't most thrilled when they told me it was a Skoda Superb but after my hate growing for the E Class by the day I was happy to change. To my distraught it arrived in taxi white. But on the plus side there was far more room up front, in the rear and in the boot. The fuel economy was naturally better than the Mercedes 220d engines and it was a DSG box. The seats were comfier for me but I was getting to the stage I just wanted my Mondeo back. This Skoda (being collected this week) is 1 year old, 30k + miles and has multiple suspension issues upfront with creaking all over the place, the wipers are shot, the glovebox would pop open and had to have some elbow grease to close, O/S/F door car rattled and had an annoying squeak when pressure applied where I rested my elbow, the 12v plugs didn't work (luckily I had a usb port that worked), the DSG clearly needs a service as it would stick at reves while driving and be very sluggish and the car had idling issues and made the car vibrate.
So to say I happy to have my own car back is an understatement, but would you believe someone has reversed in to me (assuming) and scraped my rear bumper, in the exact same place where the crash damage was. That area of the car must be cursed. I will get this smart repaired if it doesn't polish out. Not the worst just annoying. It has certainly made me appreciate my car far more although I have became very fond of Automatic again but no biggie. I still fancy a set of leathers for sure.
Now I have the car back I will have it serviced and FINALLY have the cambelt done!
My insurers passed me on to a claims management team, who I will leave un-named for now but have been pretty useless to say the least, I have had to do all the phone calls and car collecting etc. All they have done is drop me a Mercedes and collect it etc. They were funny from the off when I arranged my own body shop of choice, although I gave their 'garage' a chance and didnt contact me for 4 working days. The third parties insurance took 3 weeks to get in touch with me too and tried making threats about me using another claims management team and my own body shop and credit hire vehicle etc. When I told them for all they knew i could have been in hospital for the last 3 weeks and my car could have been written off on the side of the M4, I was well within my rights to do so, especially as I reported within 24 hours and their party didn't.
For the price I pay for my insurance, I have had to do way too much chasing and driving and will be putting in a full complaint to Acorn / Haven after.
Hoping to get back to full normality in the next week or so now, but with my back pain from the crash and sitting in smallish uncomfortable cars for my liking, it has reduced my working hours a fair amount. I have still earned enough to get by but not the amount I would have earned working more hours, naturally.
But I have now been on the app for 4 months, 1135 trips taken total, 380 trips rated and 358 of those being 5 star, leaving me with an average rating of 4.89 which is pretty good going.
Had it at the TFL NSL Inspection Centre Monday morning and got caught in the M25 traffic, lovely.
Few photos I took outside after I received my pass for accident repair on the car.
Since the accident I have been in and out of a few cars.
2017 Mercedes C-Class 220d - Very nice to look at externally and internally, far to small in the cabin especially for me being 6"6' and I struggled to fit 2 average to large run of the mill suit cases in the boot. Due to this I asked them to change this to a larger car, which the did. I only stayed with the C Class for a couple of days..
2017 Mercedes E-Class 220d - Again very nice to look at, bit roomier in side for the driver, slightly more basic layout for the entertainment system screen etc. I loved the interior lighting and capability of changing the colour. The catch on this car which they warned me about was the AMG trim seats. Unless you are a stick thin sub 6 foot guy / woman you are going the struggle, the seats were so narrow to sit in I just couldn't find my comfortable spot, I was certainly to wide for the seats and I'm skinny fat haha. At first the 9 speed auto was a nice touch but it just drained fuel and I found the gear changes to be very lazy in eco / comfort modes. The bluetooth could be a bit of a pain at times too. It was a car I was excited to drive for a while looking at the prospect of getting on to Uber Exec at some point but this experience put me off, although the Uber X passengers loved it, but they would considering they would usually be picked up in a prius / auris.
2017 Skoda Superb 1.6d - Now the third party had finally got in touch 3 weeks later I had to accept their offer of a courtesy car, I wasn't most thrilled when they told me it was a Skoda Superb but after my hate growing for the E Class by the day I was happy to change. To my distraught it arrived in taxi white. But on the plus side there was far more room up front, in the rear and in the boot. The fuel economy was naturally better than the Mercedes 220d engines and it was a DSG box. The seats were comfier for me but I was getting to the stage I just wanted my Mondeo back. This Skoda (being collected this week) is 1 year old, 30k + miles and has multiple suspension issues upfront with creaking all over the place, the wipers are shot, the glovebox would pop open and had to have some elbow grease to close, O/S/F door car rattled and had an annoying squeak when pressure applied where I rested my elbow, the 12v plugs didn't work (luckily I had a usb port that worked), the DSG clearly needs a service as it would stick at reves while driving and be very sluggish and the car had idling issues and made the car vibrate.
So to say I happy to have my own car back is an understatement, but would you believe someone has reversed in to me (assuming) and scraped my rear bumper, in the exact same place where the crash damage was. That area of the car must be cursed. I will get this smart repaired if it doesn't polish out. Not the worst just annoying. It has certainly made me appreciate my car far more although I have became very fond of Automatic again but no biggie. I still fancy a set of leathers for sure.
Now I have the car back I will have it serviced and FINALLY have the cambelt done!
My insurers passed me on to a claims management team, who I will leave un-named for now but have been pretty useless to say the least, I have had to do all the phone calls and car collecting etc. All they have done is drop me a Mercedes and collect it etc. They were funny from the off when I arranged my own body shop of choice, although I gave their 'garage' a chance and didnt contact me for 4 working days. The third parties insurance took 3 weeks to get in touch with me too and tried making threats about me using another claims management team and my own body shop and credit hire vehicle etc. When I told them for all they knew i could have been in hospital for the last 3 weeks and my car could have been written off on the side of the M4, I was well within my rights to do so, especially as I reported within 24 hours and their party didn't.
For the price I pay for my insurance, I have had to do way too much chasing and driving and will be putting in a full complaint to Acorn / Haven after.
Hoping to get back to full normality in the next week or so now, but with my back pain from the crash and sitting in smallish uncomfortable cars for my liking, it has reduced my working hours a fair amount. I have still earned enough to get by but not the amount I would have earned working more hours, naturally.
But I have now been on the app for 4 months, 1135 trips taken total, 380 trips rated and 358 of those being 5 star, leaving me with an average rating of 4.89 which is pretty good going.
Probably the most boring thread ever.
The cambelt was done along with another service.
The gearbox has an issue that the clutch and flywheel didn't change, it knocks unless clutch is engaged.
On that note the car has run spot on, just touched over 71k now, had a few services along the way.
The car was keyed on my drivers door with a mark of around 10 inches which is pretty annoying but in a weird way I only see this as a working car and it doesn't bother me THAT much.
Tyres need replacing on the rear (the ones I put on when I first started driving for uber and have covered around just short of 25k miles of a mix of town and motorway driving, considering they are a mid range budget summer tyre I had no issues with them in the snow and they have handled pot holes like no tomorrow).
Only thing that really needs doing when I next get the car serviced is air con gas refilling to be on the safe side and get the ice cold air con ready for summer.
The cambelt was done along with another service.
The gearbox has an issue that the clutch and flywheel didn't change, it knocks unless clutch is engaged.
On that note the car has run spot on, just touched over 71k now, had a few services along the way.
The car was keyed on my drivers door with a mark of around 10 inches which is pretty annoying but in a weird way I only see this as a working car and it doesn't bother me THAT much.
Tyres need replacing on the rear (the ones I put on when I first started driving for uber and have covered around just short of 25k miles of a mix of town and motorway driving, considering they are a mid range budget summer tyre I had no issues with them in the snow and they have handled pot holes like no tomorrow).
Only thing that really needs doing when I next get the car serviced is air con gas refilling to be on the safe side and get the ice cold air con ready for summer.
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