I have a Peugeot 206 2001/Y. Car used to have aftermarket Goodmans stereo but I have purchased a second hand Clarion which was the standard fit for this model. Unfortunately after fitting the Clarion unit, the steering column stalk for controlling the unit does not work. Otherwise the stereo works apart from maybe the power connectors (12v switched and 12v permanent being the wrong way round and no illumination wire for the stereo)

Looking at the connectors that go onto the rear of the stereo: The top connector (steering column control) is complete with all wiring unbodged. Middle connector (speakers) is complete with all wiring unbodged. Lower connector (Power) has been hacked off and replaced with another connector of the same type but only three wires attached, the earth, permanent 12v and switched 12v. There are then 3 small guage wires coming out of the car wiring loom that have been cut and do not go anywhere, one has +5 volts on it. My question is does anyone have the wiring diagram for this car. The Haynes manual only shows a "typical" wiring layout and is more or less useless - how many times have I said that..... Failing that can anyone tell me the colour and order of the wires that should be on the bottom connector? Read more

I have recently moved into a new estate where everyone parks on the road and not in their respective driveways.

The main reasons for this is that access to their driveways requires enough roadspace and unblocked dropkerbs, however, you know as soon as you start using your driveway, someone else starts parking in the visitor space in front of your house. Thus making parking in your driveway harder, a bit like parking in a supermarket car space. In addition, they make new houses so close to the road and drop kerbs small, you need people to give you enough space to swing in, which you know they will not do. People also like the flexibility of parking on the road.

Hence, there is now a culture of parking on the road and not the driveways. The council do not want to know as it is 'residential' and the police could only enforce if 'obstruction' became an issue.

Has anyone experienced these problems and what is the solution to get rid of this lazy parking culture?

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I have just swapped my 1999 Focus 1.6LX for a brand new 1.6LX. Although an improved car I am disappointed by the increased tyre noise. The original car had Michelin Energy tyres, whereas the new one is fitted with Pirelli P7's.

Does anyone know if there is a reason why the new car should have increased tyre noise, especially at motorway speeds, or is it just down to the Pirelli tyres? Read more

I have a car with a semi-automatic gearbox. It's a Jan'07 model so well
within the manufacturer's warranty period. I have posted previously about the very snatchy nature of the clutch take-up and finally after a number of attempts I have got my service garage to admit there is a problem with the clutch. However, they want me to commit to pay for the new clutch & fitting (approx £1500-2000) - they say they will want to examine the failing clutch before any admission of a faulty component. They have suggested that the clutch failure is due to mis-use i.e. holding the car on inclines using the clutch rather than the brakes. This is a ludicrous suggestion on three counts firstly, I simply do not follow this practice and never have in 10+yrs of owning cars with auto boxes; secondly, I live and drive almost entirely around Warwick where, as anyone who knows the area will confirm, there are precious few inclines where you can hold your car whether on the clutch or brakes. Thirdly, the car had only done 5,000 miles when this problem started - it has even now only done 9,500 and even if I did practice holding it on inclines with the clutch, surely there's no way it should burn out so quickly. The situation has now deteriorated to the extent where it is impossible to inch forward or backward without bunny-hopping accompanied by some serious banging noises from the general direction of the transmission. In my view and that of various passengers whose opinion I have also asked, the car is somewhere between undriveable and unroadworthy.

I am concerned that the manufacturer is simply going to pin this on me rather than the failing component. They say they will examine the clutch when it is replaced (at my committed expense of course) and then make a decision. I have zero confidence of a fair assessment, and would want the clutch examined simultaneously by an independent assessor of my own choosing, otherwise there will undoubtedly be an institutionalised closing of ranks at the manufacturer / service garage, and I will be left with no comeback. I'm currently over a barrel in that if I don't commit to pay for the work, they won't do it. And once I've paid for it to make the car driveable again, what chance do I have of recovering my money?

I would welcome any suggested course of action
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Hi, thankyou for the useful advice re cam belt tensioning but have hit a major problem possibly design fault with the engine. On close inspection of head i noticed cracks between each valve in each combustion chamber. After much phoning around breakers all I could get was a complete engine. I took head off to swap them and this one is cracked in the same place!!! Is this a common problem? I'm at a complete loss as to what to do cos any further engines may also be knackered and car although in good condition (apart from head!) is only worth 500 quid! Any advice is truly gratefully appreciated.

slt Read more