In 2003/4, a number of berlingo accidents which caused loss of life in france were investigated by the french authorities, they found the accidents were caused by a broken front spring bottom coil which protruded out slicing into the inside of the tyre which instantly peeled the tyre from the wheel causing a number of fatal crashes, in one crash a whole family with children were killed. as usual with car companies trying to avoid massive recall costs...Citroen were hoping to keep quiet about it all until they were rumbled and threatened with court action by the french Govt. Citroen responded with the 2 following announcment...1...Any front spring that breaks on a berlingo up to a certain age (4 years old) will be replaced free of charge at a main dealer. 2 A split cup will be fitted to the bottom of the front spring on all berlingos as a free recall...I bought my berlingo (02) in 2004, both front springs broke but I didnt know about the free spring change and got a local garage to fit a new pair for £200, the cup mod was carried out in 2006. The cup mod is a cop out, it pays mere lip service to the real problem and covers Citroens ass if sued in court . When I got my car back I checked the new springs, and found one was not seated correctly on the strut seat...and the other was fitted upside down which makes the car dangerous to drive, I found out later that the garage was using semi-skilled labour during busy periods for "Chassis work". to check yours, look for the white lettering declaring "TOP" on the spring and make sure its at the top and not upside down on the bottom of the spring like mine. My new springs have been on now for 4 years trouble free. Citroen should have recalled for new springs, it only takes 30 mins to change one, and it would have shown they care, if the bottom coil breaks on your car now, you wont be able to see it because of the cup. BUT..the cup will stop it from slicing into your tyre, thats shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted...... still a good car tho...never rust.

my advice is to get your oil and filter changed every 7-8k on a BMW to ensure complete peace of mind and ensure the longevity of the turbo, you get a cheap oil change done at say Kwik FIt for 50 quid and they use top spec oil. Too many BMW's blow thier turbos due to the stupidity of so called long life servicing. Also get swirl falps checked on diesal BMW's again another design fault, and change the auto box oil as well.

It's been mended by the Ford garage! The wiring to the ECTT sensor had rotted and needed repairing. Thanks for your advice everyone!

A tip for anyone who has flat battery + the alarm goes off after battery disconnected. Model Civic SE 1.4 2004

I had the issue this morning. When I connected fully charged battery the siren started sounding off. The issue has been solved after spending half a day in the car....

There is no "Section 172" for civil matters but in the unlikely event that it ever reached court the keeper would need to show that on the balance of probabilities (this being a civil case) he/she was not the driver.

If the vehicle was registered to them and they were the only insured then the court would be likely to hold that they were the driver - unless they could show otherwise.

I have seen a number of cases where private parking companies are threatening (in letters at least) to apply to the courts for a "Norwich Pharmacal Order" which - if granted - would provide a court order to compel the keeper to reveal who was driving.

A Norwich Pharmacal Order would normally require the applicant to show that revealing the information was in the public interest.

Furthermore the substantial costs of a Norwich Pharmacal Order must be paid by the applicant (ie the parking company) and while they are recoverable if granted the application for costs is subject to a further hearing.

So any mention of a Norwich Pharmacal Order in a parking case is likely to be another empty threat from the parking company's representatives.