November 2010
Standard tyres on my car are 225/45 R17 If i want to put winter tyres on steel wheels and gain the benefit of deeper tyres say 185/65 R15 or 205/55 R16 which size wheel will fit and not impede my brakes?
Bearded John Read more
Hi HJ. First time of posting after many years of avid reading! I've made several longish M1/M6/M40 motorway trips recently, and on each and every one of them the journey has been fouled up by a section of motorway being closed somewhere in the vicinity. From a trawl of your site and the ABD site I can see that this isn't new - but it seems to me to be happening more rather than less often, and it's surely not always because of a fatality/major public safety issue? Do I recall something about the 'criminalisation' of dnagerous driving and consequently a police incentive to gather evidence? Have there been successful prosecutions that would not have been possible without the evidence whose collection required the motorway to be closed? Read more
Hi
I need of a small run around which has a fairly 'high-up' driving position.... Read more
I have gone for it.
The price is slightly below average for trade so I cant complain....
If anybody owns an American Car/SUV/Truck I would be grateful for any advice re: potential pitfalls. Obviously there will be a smaller 'market' for the vehicle when I come to sell it and for this reason we will probably keep the vehicle for as long as we can.
Parts availability is one concern as well as mechanical knowledge of any of the break-down services here, should we ever need to call on them. Also, if we were to break down in Europe, would a Ford garage be able to get the information they need to repair our vehicle or are we likely to be stuck abroad with 'computer says no' attitude from service staff?... Read more
I had a 3rd generation 4 door 4.0 V8 Ford Explorer for a short time, and struggled to get 17mpg out of it.
In the end I went back to the dealer saying I worried that the fuel consumption was so high. Could they check it? How could I drive it better?...
hi,,can anyone shed any light on whats going on with my car? basically it runs fine when cold,but when normal running temp is reached it cuts out and the coil light flashes.
i then have to wait about ten mins before it will start again,but i can only drive about two miles and it cuts out again??... Read more
I am in a complete quandary.
Am looking at potentially buying a 57 plate (07) pretty mint 1.9 Golf TDi match with around 30k miles on the clock. I know that there are well documented issues with ABS pump failure and that it's an expensive problem to have - I would be buying from an independent dealer so would only have 3 months warranty so wanted to know which years of Golf Mk V were affected and how often this problem occurs?... Read more
Hi
I have an 06 plate mk V golf. I have just had to have the ABS pump repaired. It would be expensive if you go through VW! After charging me £85 diagnosis fee, they quoted me £1100 to have the pump fixed. Now, I do have the full VW service history for the car which they submitted this to VW head office who offered to pay 1/2 of the fee. I questioned this because I didn't believe it was on any part my fault so why should I incur half of the costs. Plenty of forums and articles I had read suggested that if a full service history with a VW dealership was present then VW would pay the whole amount. I phoned VW head office myself to be told that the only reason they were only offering half was due to the age of the car. (The car was 4 years old). On hearing this, I didn't want to go back to the garage that diagnosed it, I wanted to take it to the garage I bought it from in the hope that there would be some goodwill discount from them. But no. They said they would charge me another diagnostic fee. I am thoroughly disappointed with VW as a whole, my car is a beaut and I love it but their prices are unjustified. As it happens, I took the car to my local garage who took the part out, sent it away to be fixed and then put it back in and did the necessary with the break pipes all for £550 labour included. I learned that having a full VW service history did me no favours at all so had it fixed independantly. Hope that helps. :)
I have an odd heating problem that has just suddenly stated. The AC is fine but I only get mild warm heat on max setting for drivers side. On Passenger side it is only cold regardless of temperature settings. Radiator level is normal. Can anyone help? Read more
Most common problem on these with heating issues is a fault with the electric heater duo valve.This sits right down low on the front subframe.Access is tricky on the v8.These also suffer with water pump impellor failures but this usually shows as an overheat situation.hth
hi
one back caliper sticks on after the handbrake has been on, mainly in cold weather as now, no problems when braking is this a caliper fault or somethng else... Read more
Hi
Just had the RAC chap out as the car would not start.... Read more
Basic rule of thumb - Do not mix anti-freezes of different colours....
Hi, my ford fiesta mk5 rear heated screen doesn't work but the light on the switch comes on, can you help? Cheers Read more
Open the boot lid, and have a look at the 'copper contacts' on the lower part of the 'boot sill', they may need cleaning. Try this first, and see if it cures the issue.
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It would be worthwhile to open website TRAVEL.NEWS@BBC.CO.UK if you have the facility, prior to making your journey. It is an, excellent up to date, traffic alerting site and allows you to pinpoint the area you are interested in and take action to avoid it if required.