December 2010

Vinnychoff

could you help me to pinpoint what is wrong with Ants car. his brake lights are not working. i checked the bulbs with a meter, 21w 5 and they both are ok. no voltage to the light fittings when pressed.

disconnected the brake light switch, shorted the switch on both sides with a meter but the lights did not come on.... Read more

Vinnychoff

it was the brake light switch. it had fallen apart with the brass contact dropped out. repaired it and will buy a new one if it fails again.

thanks for your help!...

abacus5

I purchased this car privately and found out later when I went to insure that it was a Japanese Import (?) AA insurance diverted me to a specialist insurer as if it was a Supercar -not a Civic I was insuring! I thought all but a few Honda's were made in Japan anyway unless it means the car was imported personally. I got a few quotes and it was into the (shock horror) £600/£700 mark!! _ I have a clean licence and am over 50. As far as I could see, nothing in the paperwork told me the car was a so called 'import' and nothing was noticeable on the car itself -nothing in japanese etc!! Have I missed something and how is one supposed to know a car is an 'import' before you buy? Who would be the best insurers for so called 'Imports'? The Reg Document shows it as Registered in 1999.

Many thanks Read more

drivermeider

These guys specialise in it too: www.acorninsure.co.uk/car-insurance/import-car-ins.../

distributor

After driving my car for about an hour, it became very reluctant to change up through the gears and if I pushed the accelerator just very gently it would change down.After stopping for about half an hour it started to behave normally, though a few of the gear changes were very jerky. The car has been driven on journeys various journeys of over 30 mins, sometimes on the same day, and the gears changed up and down perfectly. I took it to be scanned at alocal garage and the resultants were inconclusive, some sort of intermittant fault but no details. I would be grateful if you have any ideas .

Thanking you... Read more

Big John

Oops - just read the date of the original post

Martin Robson

Hi,

I had a new radiator fitted on my BMW Mini One in July however this morning my engine overheated. I suspect it is due to the garage using coolant mix that was mainly water and lacked antifreeze and as it was -10c this morning, my radiator has frozen? The RAC are coming out tomorrow to give an independent assessment.... Read more

Martin Robson

It will be going there tomorrow after the RAC have been to have a look and towed me there.

Forum Any - 4x4s
Macattack

I was wondering what is the best model of 4x4 at or under 2.0L engine size, irrespective of what year?

All help appreciated! Read more

oldtoffee

Subaru Legacy or if you need extra ground clearance Outback or Forester. Ultra reliable, highly regarded all wheel drive system and good dealer network. Skoda Octavia 4x4 or Octavia Scout if you want a diesel 4x4. If you want the space and large road presence then the Koreans are good alternatives to Land Rover family - Freelander - spend far less than you can afford and give the dealer the spare cash as a down payment for repairs and servicing ;-)

...

Trying To Focus

Hi, my heated front screen stopped working.

It's the single connector screen.... Read more

elekie&a/c doctor

The heated front screen draws a lot of current ,so will only work with engine running.(common to all ford models).I would check the fuses in the engine bay fuse box before getting involved with relays etc.hth

sthiele

my air bag light is on my horn and cruise control no longer work can I get this fixed at a dealer through recall Read more

phatboyroy

air bag is subject to a recall. it's the sensor under the front wing. if not it's the 'clockspring' as they call it in the steering wheel, which is not subject to a recall and will ease £250 ish from your pocket.

it's called a clockspring, because it looks like a turnip... ok a clockspring, and tightens and loosens as you turn the wheel, thus leading a stress fracture after a period of use....

Chris M

A young lady sitting near me was on the phone to her garage this morning booking her car in for a service. It has two other faults to be investigated. The first is the boot light is staying on when the lid is closed and the second, the windscreen washers aren't working. She told them she could hear the motor working, but no water is coming out. The car goes in on Wednesday.

Yes, she is blonde. Read more

tdc

Here's a story at my own expense:

Years ago I had an elderly but smart Hillman Hunter GL, which was quite a pleasant car....

Collos25

Interesting article in Autobild this week 59million new car registrations since January world wide with Europe the biggest market by far.

http://www.autobild.de/artikel/pkw-neuzulassungen-weltweit-november-2010-1317184.html Read more