December 2017
My runflat recently got introduced to a nail, right in the middle of the flat part of the tyre - seemingly a straightforward repair scenario.
Visiting my local tyre place I was surprised to see them repair it in under five minutes without even taking the tyre off the rim. I was expecting them to have to remove the tyre from the rim and plug the repair from the inside - but it looks like they've applied a rather large patch on the outside which, at the very least, looks very unsightly.... Read more
I'm presently looking to buy a cheap as chips car. I see that an important recall (front coil spring issue) was issued iro a particular 2002 Picasso I'm interested in.
I have no knowledge of how recalls work.... So the question is: If this car has not had the recall work done, can I (all these years on!) get this work done for free somewhere or other if I buy the car? Read more
Will do!
I need some help and I don't know what to do.
Basically, I returned home at night, and our residential car park is a mess, because there are more cars then space, so people park their second cars, behind their first. Some people park on the grass (which is n't allowed). Basically chaos. ... Read more
Well done Warning and an incident with a message
My car has the original battery a silver calcium Motorcraft Superstart, I am goinng to charge it tomorrow but if I need to replace it have been looking online and do not seem to be able to match all the specifications listed below.
I can find a 50Ah or a 60Ah, would 60Ah be too much for my car?... Read more
Our Astra has had a Lion brand battery on it for 3 years now, not had any problems with it. Infact have just bought another for one of the other cars but, the design is different so maybe they have changed to a different supplier/manufacturer for them.
One of the Telegraph motoring correspondence has finally chosen a car for his family , paid for by himself, and his choice An Audi A2 1.6 FSI.
Would like to get an A2 but would like to get your views on the best model. Will probably end up with. 1.4 Tdi but don't like the idea of a thee cylinder engine which feels lumpy after my PD Tdi.
Do the petrol S have a four cylinder engine ? And how does the 1.6 FSI. Compare with the 1.4
The panoramic roof seems a no go on replacement costs, but apart from bodywork repairs to the aluminium panels what are the other potential pitfalls ? Read more
The original Mercedes A class is another design which, simply from the perspective of ingenuity, was way, way ahead of anything else at the time. That a car with such tiny external dimensions could offer so much interior space and flexibility was astounding.
Unfortunately it got off to a very poor start with the infamous 'elk test' in which a (i think) Swedish motoring magazine performed a manouvre designed to simulate a violent swerve to avoid an elk which had wandered on to the road. The lttle Merc rolled over!. Mercedes then hastily redesigned the front suspension, making it stiffer, fitting it with narrower tyres and an overbearing stability system, which resulted in chronic understeer....
(slightly longer version of an 'ask HJ' question - sorry if that's not allowed). First post after being a long-time lurker, so be gentle!
We’re on the lookout for a second car to keep for the next 8-10 years, but with low running costs. In years to come it will probably also be used as a learner car for our children (currently 13 & 10 yo). Whilst most of its work will be local, it should be capable of the occasional 100-mile motorway run. We’re all quite tall in the family (3 of us over 6 feet), so whilst we’re looking for a small car, it can’t be too small!... Read more
So - as it was a bit warmer today we managed to go and look at some cars, and it's all change!
Sadly the B-Max, C-Max and 'normal' Focus are all too small for our needs. By the time I get comfy in the drivers seat, my tall kids can't sit behind me....
the punto was one of the best performing crash test cars when it was released. now its old desighn has been left behind Read more
So, it's less safe than a 1997 metro ? - which got one star
Or - could the parameters of the test have changed significantly, but the results (stars) appear the same
Hyundai ix20 - we have an i20 which occasionally reports low tyre pressure and then resets itself. It was bought as a pre-reg car which had stood for 6 months and it can advise that a service is due in around 6 months or X,000 miles which is a fairly useless piece of information and it will then eventually reset itself and the message disappear. Conclusion - some software bugs in the Hyundai system? Read more
With regard to the 'Man with a Lamb', I wonder if the recent fashion for such exotic cars being hired out for 'prom' rides has resulted in outwardly pristine, but internally (at least the engine and gearbox) clapped out supercars floating around the second-hand market.
Renting such cars, at great cost, to different 18-25 year olds (more used Novas/Fiestas/Polos) every weekend is not going to help the longevity of the cars. There are enough YouTube videos of such cars being abused, that I'd wager a small sum that the rental companies divest themselves of these mechanically wrecked cars each autumn.
To the chap who would like to think that a catastrophic engine breakdown should have prompted a safety recall: the law disagrees with you. In this country a car is deemed safe if it passes the MOT test. The MOT test pays no attention at all to an engine that has broken down or is about to break down. The reason is simple: cars with broken engines do not move, and cars that do not move pose no more of a hazard than buildings, lumps of rock, things that fall off lorries and land in the road, and a million other things that do not move. Ah, but you will say, it might have broken down where others could run into it. Yes, but the law and the insurance companies both say that would be their fault, not the fault of the car that is run into. What you have here is not an issue that justifies a safety recall but simply another case of poor engineering from VW. Read more
Am I right in thinking less car models have rubbing strips/door protectors along the sides these days. Some very expensive cars are candidates for the ''door dings'' in car parks. Read more
They've been dropped from the 2018 model - imagine they were expensive to repair if one was damaged - probably have to replace all of them
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