I've owned the above Clio 1.9dti from new (2001) and do about 20k p.a. In many respects it has done exactly want I wanted, i.e. manage a daily commute of 75 mixed B roads and motorway miles very well, quickly, and still returns 50+ mpg. However, the reliability and build quality problems have begin to irritate.

The latest is power steering failure. About 3K miles ago it failed completely, leaving me to drive a heavy car to the supplying dealer. As you can expect the power returned, they undertook standard circuit tests and they could not detect anything wrong. I picked it up the following day - fine until 13 miles later and it failed again. Called out the AA, he tested the circuits - fine - but after turning the wheel several times it failed again. He applied a hammer to the pump and it kicked into life.

So...back to the dealer where it worked perfectly. Adamant that I didn't want to drive it they agreed to keep it for an extended test - one week later after a daily drive it didn't fail. What can I do but drive if away!!

Here we are 2k miles later and its failed again!!! Welcome any clues.

I also have to say renault dealers are complete pants (the latest being replacing the oil with 10/30 rather than 15/40 as recommended at the last service - if you live in sheffield avoid RV!) and as much as I like french design this is the last...

Tony Read more

Not Gary Larson, but not far off. OK, the Big G he says to me get this show on the road again, you do it. Hope I can get this right.

I know you people got speed cameras and license points and speed humps and those motorways where you have some hotshot BMW looking up your tailpipe at high speed. You even have cops who drive badly I read. Well we have cops who don't even drive, they park in front of the 24 hour 7-11 Store all night smoking or sleeping, or sometimes they're in the Blue Parrot or somesuch videoke bar down the road, they say they're checking the girls' health cards, oh yeah they're checking all right but it isn't any health cards they're looking at. Speed humps pa la! Let's say you're some big cheese here with connections and you live on the busy highway. So you build yourself a couple of speed humps of your own so that you can reverse out of your driveway by making the traffic slow down. Quite common. Result is we got more speed humps than Big G says you can poke a stick at.

But what I found in yesterday's paper is a very good example of motoring life here. We have to get some pictures now to show you, so we can post them, you wouldn't believe. I've just extracted this from a letter to the Editor:

"Selfish motorists are so impatient they don't stick to their lanes and make new ones where there ought not to be any, for example on the other side in the face of oncoming traffic. Buses, jeepneys and taxis stop anywhere they want to unload or load, even in the middle lane and often diagonally across two lanes. Bus drivers are paid on commission so they race each other to get ahead and pick up the most passengers. Old vehicles often break down on the fast lane and the driver just leaves them there while he goes for help, even at night he will leave his car here on the fast lane of the expressway with no lights, trucks are the worst. Let's say you want to pull in to a lane and you signal. The other guy sees this as losing face so he speeds up so you can't get in. Vehicles beside you decide they want to turn into a side road so they just do it across you without signalling. Especially if you have a new car and their one is old. Traffic lights change without rhyme or reason. Often one signal light is busted so you have to guess whether you can stop or go. Enforcers are clueless and often cause more jams with their stupidity when they try and direct traffic. Pedestrians jump into the street wherever they feel like it when they want to cross. Streets are used as parking garages and workshops just carry out their trade on them in the street, welding or vulcanizing and blocking one lane. No wonder there are so many reasons for road rage."

The pic with this article which I scanned but doesn't come out good shows a two way street completely blocked with vehicles all going the same way who can't wait, so that vehicles going the other way can't proceed. Only in the Philippines! But this is the city only, in the provinces it's different.

Sorry for this being so long.

You know Valentine's is a very serious business here in the Philippines. We expect chocolates, Victoria's Secret maybe and most of all a teddy bear holding a rose. It's a custom here, we're very sentimental people. Growler he says I have enough teddy bears already and why don't I throw some out. It's a joke I think. Anyway you men out there treat your partners today don't forget.

Ingat ka (means take care). Read more

This may be of interest, as it has caused me some serious thought about modern car design.
3 weeks ago our 2000 Omega Elite Estate was shunted from the rear whilst stationary in a traffic queue - I suppose it had to happen after seventy odd years of accident free motoring between us.
Well, SO was alone in car but suffered only minor whiplash, she was at first unable to open the drivers door, but did manage in the end after some panic. All other doors remained jammed shut. Car has been inspected and written off, I have agreed settlement figure of £13000 plus I took out Gap insurance so I am not financially incovenienced. The third party has owned up to liability (their insurance company have also provided me with a replacement Omega 2.6 CDX of which I can't complain).
This was a fairly minor shunt in the scheme of things - I don't know the impact speed, but SO was able to hold the car on the brake and avoid it being pushed into the car in front.
But the car has been written off, the rear passenger doors being pushed under the front ones. I understand about crumple zones, but surely the passenger compartment should have been more intact, any higher impact and escape from the car would have been much more difficult.
The Omega has a fairly decent crash rating I seem to rememeber, but does this mean anything except in a direct head on, or 90 degree side hit?
My replacement car? Well, I've put a deposit on a Volvo V70.
Any thoughts?
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Hiya,

I'm very fond of my 94 Xantia SX TD, but it's done 150k, is going to need a clutch soon which will cost £300, etc. I'm considering selling it in the Auto Trader and getting another slightly newer one from Auction.

So, two questions.

a) How much would a 95/96 Xantia SX TD go through auction for? I'd like a 'nice' one rather than a completely had it one, but mileage doesn't bother me.

b) How much could I get for mine in the Auto Trader? It's a 1994 SX TD with 149,800 miles on the clock. The interior is spotless - very, very good condition for its age, but the exterior isn't quite so good, there are are few dinks and scratches etc.

Parkers says its worth £2300. I paid £1000 less than this 8 months ago, so I think it's being rather optimistic :)

Ta :) Read more

Has anybody seen the same fault as observed on my Philips CCR600 radio as fitted to my Vectra. When I turn on the ignition switch the radio comes on at whichever channel I was listening to when I last drove. I then turn the key to crank the engine and the radio goes back to 87.5MHz. This doesn't happen every time but seems to be when the weather is a little colder. I haven't tried it on MW or LW, or disconnecting the link to the ignition switch (option in the radio set-up) as yet.

Could it be related to a low battery voltage on starting?
Does anyone have a contact for Philips car audio? Read more