My heater does not blow hot air at all. i have tried to run the engine up to remove any air locks but this has not made any difference. All the heater controls work fine, but i just get no heat into the car. Can anyone help at all? Read more

All of you on this board will have seen the posts relating to peoples problems getting a Colt CZC delivered- I was one of these people until I'd had enough and cancelled my order (BTW, it took over 3 weeks of threatening them with trading standards, consumer direct etc before the Mitsubishi dealer refunded my £1000 deposit. Mitsubishi HQ were no help whatsoever and in the end my bank managed to get me my money back as the dealer wrote March delivery on the order form and was then didn't deliver). Anyway, Colt cancelled I went down the road to my local MINI garage and bought a 56 plate Mini Cooper Convertible in Chili Red from the MINI Cherished scheme. This is how I've got on with it over the last 3 weeks.
First things first, the MINI garage were excellent- extremely courteous, a good deal offered, they couldn't have done more for me and the car itself, well its pretty much perfect. It was registered by MINI themselves on Dec 24 th 2006 and in those 16 months it only did 2800 miles so its pretty much as it left the factory condition wise. Its got all the standard Cooper bits plus the Pepper pack and the TLC package aswell and looks really snazzy in Chili Red with black hood and all the chrome trim bits.
It drives brilliantly aswell, handles like a go kart when the hoods down and is plenty nippy enough for my needs. I'm just having to get used to driving it with more revs after a year driving an Ibiza 1.4tdi which pulled from low revs really well. Theres no wind noise with the hood up, no leaks and from the drivers seat it feels like your in a Mondeo sized car. Even the rides not too bad even though its on runflats because its got the standard 175/65 r15 wheel /tyre combo. Its averaged 38 mpg in the 600 miles I've used it.
Downside? Well, the boots really tiny, theres not any rear legroom to speak of and it does get really bad scuttle shake when taken over rough roads. But I knew these things when I bought it so thats that.
In my opinion though, NO other car on the market can really put a smile on your face like this car can. Give me a sunny day on a twisty road in this car over a Ferrari any day. Read more

At the end of february i purchased a renault megane 1.4 3 door hatch from local renault dealer. The car is a 2004 on a 04 plate and has 23k on the clock. with the purchase i got a years tax, 12 months MOT, full service and 12 months warranty.

I have had the car now for 2 months and it is very hard to get into 1st gear and it grinds into reverse. Also when at standstill the car seems like it is juddering and i can really notice it. Its like someone is giving it a very gentle bounce.

I am gonna ring renault on monday to book it in.where do i stand with regards to getting the work done at no cost to me, and what can i ask for regarding the gears (i doubt i could ask for a new gear box)

And what could be causing the juddering? Read more

Such a common topic on the forum 'which car to choose', I was wondering how many people go on to buy a car suggested by the backroom? Or are people hoping that someone will tell them to buy the car they wanted in the first place. Read more

First thing every morning my car starts with a misfire for a few seconds, and a puff of white smoke/water vapour comes from the exhaust, after which it would run perfectly fine. Also over a period of several months I've noticed a small loss of coolant. I pressure tested it and cannot find any evidence of an external leak anywhere. I began to wonder if these two problems were related. If I released the pressure when I finished with the car at night it would start and run normally the next morning with no misfire, and that led me to suspect that the head may have a small crack which is closed when it's warm, and opens up when it cools, allowing coolant to run into one cylinder overnight, hence the slight misfire in the morning. It has never shown any signs of overheating, nor has it got worse in over two years which leaves me convinced that it's not the head gasket which has lifted.

I bought some 'Irontite Ceramic Motor Seal' from a local engine machinist. It was just over £20 but I thought was worth the gamble. It is a professional engine sealant that coats the entire cooling system with a ceramic coating. I read the instructions on the bottle and decided to use it. Last Sunday I drained the cooling system and re-filled with water. I did the same on Monday and Tuesday to ensure I'd got rid of the anti-freeze completely. I ran the engine right up the fan cutting in on Wednesday evening and added the sealant. I'll drain it out tonight and let it stand overnight to cure, and I'll put it back together tomorrow morning. The sealant contains ceramic beads which by capillary action are drawn into any minor cracks and porous areas. It then hardens when the system is drained and comes into contact with oxygen, providing a permanent seal. Once it's gone off the system can be re-filled with anti-freeze.

Since I've added the sealant the engine has not misfired at all when starting, and both my wife and myself are convinced that the car performs better overall. I'm therefore very optimistic that the problem will be cured.

If anyone else has a similar problem then this looks like it's the product to buy.......

www.irontite.com/adds.htm Read more