Hi, hoping someone can help.

I currently have a 55 plate mondeo estate tdci (running std Pirelli P6000 205/55/ R16 tyres). I bought the car with about 6k miles on and have put about another 10k on since then. I am guessing it has the original tyres.

I noticed recently that the inside edges of the front tyres are worn far more than the rest of the tyre. The additional wear is quite localised on the edge and not spread across the width of the tyres that much. Both front tyres are about the same. Also there is evidence of slight "shredding" across the whole tyre (little knicks out of the tread).

I have also noticed that during driving (at around 30-40mph) there is a little wobble on the steering wheel. There are no issues (wobble etc) noticable at motorway speeds.

I had the tracking checked today (I was convinced that this was the problem) but was told there was no issue and in addition there was no looseness in the steering and no suspension issues.

Any suggestions anyone? Help?!? Read more

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How pure is the water that is collected in a condensing tumble dryer? Is it likely to contain fluff? I'm wondering whether it would be better for use in a washer bottle than tap water.
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L\'escargot. Read more

I'd decided a few months ago that I wanted a new toy. The basic requirements were that t had to have a 0-60m time o less than five seconds, be a little unusual and less than about £20k. I like unusual things, some would say it matches my personality and I'd not disagree with them.

I'd been keeping my eye on ebay for a few things, I did bid on a Caterham 7 but got outbid. Still the seller ended up a few hundred better off than he would otherwise have been but I really wanted something a little more radical, so radical that I even considered a Radical, but road legal ones are rare and I really didn't want to shell out for a brand new one, even though I could have stretched to it. Arials also got considered but I never quite found the time to go and look at any of the few that I've seen for sale until it was too late. Real life kept getting in the way.

I've just taken delivery of my new toy, a 2001 Porsche Boxster S, procured slightly accidentally from a dealer friend who phoned me from the auction recently and asked me if I fancied one and on the spur of the moment I decided that I did.

It was cheap, well below trade book so on paper I've got a bargain, but I bought it for some fun, not as an investment, so how I'll concentrate on telling you what it's like to drive.

It's not that quick, similar real world performance to the 1700cc Caterham I had a few years back but as you're rear end is about twice as far from the tarmac then it seems a lot slower. Similar speed to the first Imprezza I had and slower than the second that had been chipped to about 260bhp. It's still a lot lot faster than the vast majority of cars on the road. It's still a tortoise compared to the GT3 I had but its vastly more livable with.

I had the roof down during the morning run, put about 40 miles on the clock on mostly B roads with a couple of short lengths of dual carriageway in between. Its definitely at its happiest on smooth roads but much less fussy about typical B road undulations than the Imprezza, where you're let with the feeling that there's rarely more than one wheel in contact with the tarmac for long periods of time. The heater was enough to keep me warm in the chill autumnal air. It's also unlikely to shake your kidneys out, which was a permanent likelihood in the Caterham.

I did have grief when I stopped for petrol, took me a while to work out how to open the fuel filler flap and I cursed leaving the manual at home, but I got there in the end. Rear visibility with the hood up on the way home isn't brilliant but the side mirrors are adequate for reversing and as long as there aren't blue flashing lights behind me then I'm not overly concerned about what is. There's also an acceptable level of luggage room, more than enough for a weekend break for two, though insufficient room for a set of golf clubs, so its reasonably practical provided you're not Tiger Woods.

There's plenty of grunt from the engine from low down but it only comes alive at about 5000rpm when its really breathing deeply. There's something that just doesn't feel quite natural with the handling. It happens during the turn in when the back end feels like it wants to step out but doesn't, though it gives the impression that the slightest provocation would kick the back end out of line. I decided that I wouldn't apply the provocation today, though it'll happen soon enough no doubt.

Overall its a lot of fun on the road and seems to be comfortable enough to live with. I'll keep the Mondeo for most of the 30,000 miles a year that I do, but for sunny days out when I'm not carrying too much then the Boxster will get enough of an airing. It fits in the garage too, now that I've cleared a lot of junk out of there, though I might move my massive (think half an oil drum on a stand) bbq into a shed to allow more than an inch to spare. First I need to buy a shed.

I'll keep you in touch with how I get on with it, especially when I find out a little more about its perceived handling quicks. So its not quite what I set out to get, though that's so often true in so many things in life, I only need think back to some of my ex's. Hopefully the reliability, maintenance costs and the cost to change will be slightly lower than some of those.




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I read often, only post occasionally Read more

Just wondering if anyone can help. My rain sensitive windscreen wipers are doing my head in!! My symptoms are: - they jump around and stop where they like as if they don?t know where the parking position is. There is a clicking noise, sounds like a relay, which I think it might be causing it.

Any help would be appreciated and if im right could you tell me where and which relay it is and the best place to source one.

Thanks Alec
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