I have a PSA XUD 1.7 Turbo diesel engine in my Rover 218.
It knocks like hell when cold and is still very noisy when hot.
What can i do to quieten this racket please? Read more

I'm about to buy a new battery for a bmw compact, choice is between Varta and Yuasa which are both the same price (£59). I have a 1994 Toyota Carina E, with an original Yuasa battery which has been left standing 10 days in the past few weeks and the car still turns over well and fires early! The man in battery shop says Yuasa do well with Japanese cars but Varta recommended for Germans. Sounds like hogwash to me, has anyone else had outstanding service from Yuasa or have I just been lucky, I'm inclined to stick with them. Thanks, Ian Read more

Nissan Micra K11 -- N reg 1.0L.
An intermittent fault. The "handbrake warning" light often comes on in mid journey. [Exclamation mark in a red circle.]
Just driving over a pothole can make it come on -- or when I brake at the bottom of a steep hill 1 mile after starting up in the morning.

* Seems to be worse on cold mornings -- maybe the sensor behind the handbrake arm?
* Brake fluid is Maximum; brakes seem OK. This Micra does not have sophisticates "low brake level" indicators as far as I know.
* Turning off and restarting often cures the problem -- an ECU issue?

Any ideas on this?
Thanks
Bruce
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My father in law was diagnosed with glaucoma in one eye about 18 months ago. Because of this he has to have an eye test every 12 months. When he had his last test in September 2001 he was given the all clear to continue driving but this year the results were less good and he has had a letter from DVLa telling him that his licence has been withdrawn.

This has had a shattering effect on him because his main pleasure in life was to go out in his car. The sight in his good eye isremarkable and he can read things that I can't even though I have new glasses that are only a few months old.

Can anyone suggest any steps that he could take to appeal against this? He has driven over 50 years with no accidents and has written to DVLA to set out the points made here - however they seem completely unsympathetic. We know of at least two people who have been allowed to drive even though completely blind in one eye. He is going for a further eye test to verify the results of the previous one but not until the end of January 2003.

Any comments/suggestions gratefully received.

BobM Read more

This is further to the discussions we have had on the value of having a franchised dealership carry out steering and suspension checks on BMWs.

I had heard that ATS do a very good job of 'tracking' so I asked the local branch if they could check and set my 1992 BMW 525. They apologised and said that it had to be done by a BMW dealer. I asked why and was told that BMWs and Mercedes are upmarket cars that need special treatment. I wasn't entirely convinced that they were right but appreciated their honesty.

Next was a non-franchise BMW specialist who said that there was no special problem with BMWs and they could set it up perfectly with ordinary electronic tracking equipment. I queried the reason why ATS would not take on the work and was told that it is common for the adjusters on BMWs to be seized and require heat and dismantling to free them. This is true -- I had already checked mine and found them to be seized and it took a lot of work to free them, involving removal of the whole assembly from the car. All the same, I thought I would check out the cost at a BMW main dealership.

I phoned a large BMW main dealership and was put through to their tracking equipment operative. He quoted me £125 incl VAT. I asked why the cost was so high and he replied that their steering and suspension setting checks were quite complex and took a couple of hours, and the cost was mainly labour charges. He then said there would be another 1/2-hour charged if adjustment was needed!

I asked the BMW man if it was truly essential to have BMWs checked with their equipment (called, I think, a KDS check) and was told that, frankly, it was needed only if the car had suffered a bad knock or there was uneven tyre wear that couldn't be corrected by simple tracking adjustment. I was assured that if the tyre wear was even it needed only a simple tracking check that could be carried out with any equipment. Very honest of him.

I then called the local Hi-Q branch, following a recommendation in this forum, and was told that their equipment was the very best and could do all cars. Cost: Free if no correction required, otherwise £24.65. I took the car there but, after a discussion amongst themselves, they decided that BMWs could only be tracked by someone with specialist equipment which they hadn't got. They gave me the name of another local tyre dealer who could do the job. Co-incidentally, that was the dealer who had ordered some new tyres for me and I was going there that afternoon anyway! So off I went.

I had my four new tyres fitted and the steering and suspension electronically checked. I noticed that it was only a front wheel check and I queried this. I was told that they could do a four-wheel check using their new £26000 machine but this would cost me a lot more money and the rear wheel alignment on my car is not adjustable anyway. They said that if the tyres are wearing OK there's nothing to worry about.

So I now have four new 225/60R15-V Continental Eco CP tyres balanced & fitted, with steering & front suspension settings checked and toe-in reset at a cost of £360 inclusive. I'm pleased with that because the next lowest all-in quote was £442 (and the BMW dealer wanted £625 plus that extra 1/2 hour!). As I've found before, totally independent tyre retailers are able to give the best deals.
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