my 02 golf 150pd is giving me major problems, when it reaches 3000rpm it starts to judder (heavily) and throws out black smoke and wont go over 3000 rpm, i then have to change gears before any form of acceleration is possible, more recently their is sometimes a conplete loss of power, it then takes upto a few seconds (sometimes upto 30 seconds/sometimes longer) before it even accelerates normally in an idle state.

It also goes into 'limp mode' on motorways where I struggle to reach anywhere near 60mph!

I was told that it was my boost pipes, so I replaced 2 that a mechanic thought looked loose/worn but to no avail, took it for an mot yesterday and it failed on the emissions test!

Since the above, i have taken it to a VW specialist (VW trained) who hooked it upto the laptop, a tempreture sensor fault came up, which has been replaced, he also replaced my MAF with another one to see whether that was faulty, he then went to reset codes when a fault code came up

16688- injector 4 intrmittent misfire???

any idea's is it simply a case of replacing, or is there other possible trouble shooting i can do to rectify the fault??

Any help would me much appreciated


please take into consideration I am not very clued up on terminology or technically/ mechanically gifted when it comes to motors! So I apologise if I've missed anything or come across a but thick!!!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions Read more

My daughter's clio has knackered engine due to cambelt failure.
Since new valves are £25 each, and I've no idea how to check if the old ones are bent I have decided it's probably cheaper and easier to replace the engine with a used one.
Can anybody tell me if any engine code beginning D7F will do or does it have to be from a MK2?

For example I've seen an ad for a 1.2 8valve '95 but with unknown engine code Read more

I'm considering buying a Ford Focus. I've been looking at nearly-new examples and have found one at a Ford main dealer near London. They say the car is a Ford Direct model. I asked if that means it had been a daily rental in its former life, but the salesman assured me not and gave me the usual speil about it having been used by a manager at Ford.

I'm not convinced, as the sheer number of Ford Direct cars available at any one time would mean Ford UK must have hundreds of managers putting thousands of miles on these cars in just a few weeks and then starting again.

The model I am considering is an 09 plate with 3500 miles on it. I'm not necessarily adverse to it having been a daily rental in the past, but I would like to know before committing to buy.

I've not seen it yet - I'm going to take a look at it over the weekend. What is the BR's opinion about it having been a renter and how to spot it?

Darren. Read more

Hi all, my grateful thanks to forum users who advised me where to buy car mats for my Focus (eventually bought from Dagenham Motors in Stamford Hill, north London.)

Hope you can help me with the following: This morning I noticed that the cover/door over/outside the petrol cap was missing, presumably because someone has broken it off. It is nowhere to be seen, so I assume it has been stolen. Just to be clear, this is the round cover/door outside the petrol cap, which is locked when the central locking is on (which it was) and is the first thing to be opened in order to get access to the petrol cap.

At the moment the petrol cap is not completely exposed because there is a black horizontal piece of plastic (a kind of 'secondary door') which is still locked (is this part of the cover/door?) covering the cap. (However this still leaves a gap at the top and bottom - similar to the logo/symbol of the London Underground.)

The car is a black Ford Focus LX 1.6 petrol, 2006 06 reg.

In case any of you have experience or knowledge of this issue:
1. Where's a good place to have the petrol cap cover/door replaced? (does not have to be new). (I live near Wood Green, north London, but can travel if the place is good/recommended.)
2. Any idea of the potential cost? (Insurance is not an option; £400 excess!)
3. My MOT and service are due within 2 weeks - any advantage in having the petrol cap cover/door replaced at the same time?
(4. Less important question: do you think whoever did this wanted the cover/door itself or access to the petrol? Has this happened to any of you?)

I would be extremely grateful for answers to any of the above, especially recommendations for where to go for a new cover/door. Many thanks in advance, Chris Read more

Hi, My girlfriend's considering a brand new Smart on the scrappage scheme. The question I have is should she go for a diesel or not as they have the dreaded DPF. This seems a strange thing to fit to a car destined for short urban journeys. How long would the car need to be driven for at speed to regen the DPF? Also, does anyone know is the warranty 2 or 3 years?

Many Thanks

Alistair Read more