I had a previous overheating problem (www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=96579) that is now solved. It was just a dodgy thermostat, that always seemed to be OK when I checked it (Sods Law), but swapped it for a new one and all was hunky dory, until today!

Paked the car up to go into the shop after a 10minute drive, came out 45mins later to find a rather significant coolant leak (Approx 2 litres) Couldn't see where it was coming from then, so topped it up (I had spare coolant in the car after my previous problems) and drove home with no problems.... Read more

Hi all
I wondered if someone could shed some light on where I stand with this...I brought a 60 plate Fiat 500 from and APPROVED Fiat dealership less than a month ago. I brought it outright at just over £8k. Within two weeks there was a knocking whenever I drove off or reversed and a really loud knock on the window...I rang Fiat who I was waiting to call in regards to a missing 'part' for the blue&me bluetooth to be fitted and they said 'probably nothing to worry about and bring it in'. My partner then had a look and we noticed that a few things didnt look right.
In light of this I took it too Fiat and they have booked it in for repair this weds, it also came to light that it had been a BSM car and this wasnt discolsed to me at sale as I wouldnt have purchased it and that it was HPI clear (which I had already checked).
I have just had an independant AA report done and the car has had a new door, a new wing (front and back) and the bonnet and roof have been repainted (badly). There is also a problem with the suspension also.
I dont even want Fiat to have the car back to repair as I do not want it, I feel it was missold to me and I do not want a 2 year old car that has had that much bodywork done...HPI is clear but the car has clearly been in an accident.
Not sure where I stand legally and wondered if anyone had any previous experience with something like this or could shed some light on it professionally. Thanks

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My Fiesta is fitted with low profile 195/45/R16 tyres and the front alloy wheels are distorted and loose air. I have purchased new alloys and want to fit normal same size tyres. Can I fit new normal tyres to the front and leave the low profiles on the back until they wear out?

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The tables in the Which? report didn't consider residual values at all.  Apart from the fuel savings, my '09 XF 3.0d cost £1k more than the petrol 3.0, and is now worth £4k more at trade-in. And it's a better drive!  A typical Which? headline grabber with little substance.  The real question is why diesel in the UK costs 15-20p more a litre than our European neighbours are paying, whereas petrol costs are about the same. Read more

Road deaths on the rise – why speed isn’t to blame
Sean Carson examines the case of rising deaths on the UK’s roads and says why speed isn’t the determining factor
By the_roadtester 11 hours ago

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In 2011, 1,901 people tragically lost their lives in road traffic accidents – the first annual increase in fatalities on the UK’s roads since 2003 and a 3% increase over 2010.



A further 23,122 people were seriously injured, marking a 2% rise over 2010 figures and staggeringly, the first time the toll has risen since 1994. So what’s to blame for the upsurge in serious and fatal smashes?



Increase in road deaths ‘should be wake-up call'



Well, it’s not speed. That’s not to say speeding doesn’t directly correlate with accidents, but the point is it’s not the three-headed sole driver of deaths it’s often purveyed to be.


27% of blokes aged between 17 and 19 are involved in a road collision



Rather, it’s education that makes the difference. Sorry to bombard you with stats, but they illustrate the point quite nicely: in 2010 there were 283 fatalities among car occupants aged between 16 and 25. Concurrently, 27% of blokes aged between 17 and 19 are involved in a road collision within the first 12 months of passing their test.



Transport Committee data proves that this age group is the most vulnerable, and its education – or lack there of – that’s to blame. Drivers aren’t taught to drive these days, they’re taught to pass their driving test. It was the same for me.



Young motorists aren’t drilled as to the importance of knowing how to drive to the conditions – speed might be indirectly related here, but it’s arguably not gratuitous use of it. Instead, it’s the lack of knowledge and ability to assess the car, the surroundings and the conditions that is contributing towards the needless tally in the fatalities column.


Concentration levels can wane all too easily



On the subject of knowing your car, modern vehicles don’t help. Cars are so easy to drive nowadays that concentration levels can wane all too easily.



Sure, today’s Euro-boxes are safer than those of even 10 years ago, but if you’re not on your game at the wheel you’ve got less time to react – once you’re off the road the relative (marginal) safety improvements don’t matter.



Team that with the fact that there are more cars on the roads than ever today and you’ve got an environment conducive to collisions, simply due to the volume of traffic. Add in a lax attitude at the wheel and it’s not hard to see why death tolls continue to rise.


Are people aware that stopping distances double in the wet?



It’s not a cop out to explain the data either, but bad weather can play its part. This year’s summer has gone down the drain with the rest of the torrential rain we’ve been experiencing, but it can seriously affect safety on the roads.



Are people aware that stopping distances double in the wet? It returns to the education of drivers again – and we’re not just lobbying this at the young. Modern rubber is good and so are today’s safety systems, but they’re not wholly preventative crash measures.



You have to employ some common sense and knowledge behind the wheel. Often older drivers forget that too, having held a licence for years without incident.



Speed is a problem, but it’s not the be all and end all. If you educate better, speed will naturally come down. The Government needs to show more leadership to stop needless road deaths. Read more