Hi all, my 55 zafira 1.6 life (petrol) has all of a sudden developed an issue I really can't seem to solve.

Everything electrical works perfectly except yesterday I noticed the main brake lights had stopped working, bulbs are fine, all connections I can check easily are good and the high level brake light works? I then realised the rear lights are also not working (same bulbs) as I said everything else is fine, all front lights, hazards all round, fog light and reverse lights. ... Read more

cant see a dipstick, tried the computer, nothing uder oil in manual. So do I have to wait for some kind of warning message for low oil, or is there something I have missed? Thank you. Read more

Hi Folks
It's me back again. Before Avant nudges (ahem, kicks) me out, let me ask my question.

As some of the regulars here will know, I had after a lot of research and deliberation, decided to buy a Civic.

Previously, I had taken a test drive on a 2009 1.4 VTEC Type- S Civic.
The driving experience on that car was quite good. It seemed very grippy.
Also the rear spolier appeared as a thin line in the rear view mirror, and didn't seem to obstruct visibility much.

Today, I took a drive in a 2012 9th Gen Civic (1.8 VTEC SE). For some reason, I was not very impressed with the ride. For want of a better term, I can only describe it as a bit unsettled.
Also the spoiler at the back, bugged me quite a bit, as it appeared quite thick and blocking part of the view.
I think part of the reason is that the part of the rear windscreen below the spoiler is bigger, in the 9th Gen. So more than half of the rear view mirror is occupied by the portion of the wind screen, below the spolier, which does not give much useful information while normal driving. The useful information, from the portion above the spoiler, is crammed onto the top half of the rear view mirror.

Anyway, I am not sure whether this is something I will get used to over time?

Also the drive did not seem that great. The car just did not seem to be as responsive as my Focus. The idling seemed to be less, and I even managed to stall the car a couple of times. Maybe, I was just not used to the gear ratios. Anyway, I would probably describe it as an ok drive.

Quite a different experience from the previous model of the Civic, which I had test driven.

So this has made me think again about considering the Toyota Auris 2nd Gen (2013+).The reason I did not previously consider the Auris was that I thought I would like a change from my current 1.6 Focus, for a car with a bigger engine.

I also seem to be able to get a bit more car for my money with the Auris, as comapred to the Civic.
For the price of a 2012 Civic (approx. £7000 - £7500), I can get a 2013 or even a 2014 (higher mileage) Auris.
Also the Auris seems to have a better (more expensive?) suspension, as compared to the Civic. (Independent double wishbone vs. Torsion bar)

Also one comment on this site's Car By Car Listing section regarding driving experience of the Auris is that the 1.6 Auris is racous at Motorway speeds (similar to the Auris 1.33).
I assume the reason is that the 1.6 engine needs to work harder than a larger engine to build and maintain motorway speeds. But given that the Auris has 6 gears, does it still need to run at that high revs?... Read more

Bit of a heads up to others regarding air con pipe routing that may affect some Nissan Jukes, 2015 onwards.

My Juke was 22 months old when I noticed aircon not working efficiently, so being mechanically adept, had a cursory look and discovered two air con pipes - close to the screenwash filler - had been chaffing, probably since new. Result was lost gas, and warm air blowing.... Read more

Hi All,

My car went to the garage (main dealer) yesterday because the gears were slipping slightly, 1 small slip for about 2 hours of driving. I then got a call to say the gearbox had to be removed, as its the only way to see if it damaged. They said it was and that it needs replacing.... Read more