Hope I may get some help here, bit of a catch 22 situation. I purchased a Ford Focus 04 plate on Satruday from a dealership. Had test driven it, checked history, mots, even had the dealer do the cambelt prior to picking up. No problems so far. Car comes with 6 month warranty. All was well on the 3 mile drive home and initial run about. Having driven it 20 miles the next day, a knocking was sounding from the wheel. Only on slight turns and more noticeable when drving the car from the initial start up rather than once driven for some time, however it has since been sounding intermittantly at higher speeds. Best way to describe it is the wheel seems to meet some resistance when turned to 11 o'clock / 1 o'clock and takes extra effort to turn, especially when steering left. It also sounds when turned full lock to the left.

Today I have taken back to the dealer who put it down to lack of fluid in the power steering pump which he said he'd refilled (I wasn't convincd this was the issue). They wouldn't put it up on the ramps to have a closer look or inspection, even though we did ask. I took the car round the block with a mechanic driving and to be fair, no more sounds at that point. Mechanic advised to give the car a good run over the next few days to see if the problem returned. I agreed to continue using it and said I'll be back if the problem retruned. 2 miles up the road, same knocking, just as bad if not worse than before! I then took it to two independant garages locally who have both confirmed that there is a fault based on the knocking sound, but neither can tell with certainty what it is without taking the car in properly which I'm reluctant to do. The first garage said probable failure of the steering rack, second said unsure but possibly the UJ or related to the rack. Mechanic at the second garage said the fault will almost certainly get worse over time, but the amount of time is unknown.... Read more

School Run Traffic I have been giving a friend a lift to work once a week since the council cut their support for local bus services resulting in reduced services. Fortunately this is the only day they have this particular start time (walking or cycling is not an option as they are waiting for a replacement knee). It means going in the opposite direction that I am usually headed in. During the summer it was not to bad adding only about 20 minutes to my journey along fairly empty roads. However since the schools started it can add up to 50 minutes! Besides the volume of traffic a lot of the issues seemed to be caused by totally inconsiderate parents ignoring the rules of the road - often parking in dangerous positions. And why do strapping sixth formers have to be dropped at the school gate - I used a sports moped (Honda SS50) paid for by a weekend job).

I was wondering if there were any figures for the increase in traffic during the school run times? Read more

I would generally rate Hyundai and Kia the best in the business for paying out on warranty clames. However why are main dealers so reluctant to do this since they are getting paid regardless? Read more

I have had 5 Range Rover Classics

Drive a lot in Europe and got a Volvo V40 after being attacked twice while hiring a BMW 330D... Read more