Refine by channel:  Forum (1717)    Ask HJ (1120)    News (136)    Article (19)    FAQs (6)    productReview (4)    Good Garages (2)  

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• Vectra 2.0Di Turbo hose blew off. 3 Jul 2006 (Forum)
  The call-out-man found that the main hose had blown off of the EGR valve that goes to the Turbo, and also that there was a heavy dripping from the Heater valve bypass at the back of the engine. After the tow home i put a huge jubilee clip back on the turbo hose and it seems to be staying on at the moment, but i'm worried that if there is another fault somewhere then the pressure may build up to a bigger bang.
• brake discs on 206 cc 9 Apr 2006 (Forum)
  After I'd recovered from the shock of what 'could' have happened...I find out that it hasn't been serviced in the 18 months since she'd owned it...although Peugeot had fitted a new g/box 6 months ago. I fancy having a go at doing this job myself as it would otherwise be a suspended tow to a garage. My question is this:. How difficult would it be to do (I can do both sides of my '96 fiesta in 35 to 40 mins) but suspect that these brakes are technologically more complex. Also...are there likely to be problems with ABS sensors?
• Renault Clio 1.6 "HELP" 5 Jan 2005 (Forum)
  Went to see it a few times and it seemed fine. Drove it home today (longest run its had in months as the guy towed it to get the engine job done, and the MOT test centre was only 4miles down the road.) and the fuel light was on as i set off.... fuelled it up, And set off home. Drove 30miles - Not going over 60mph for the work on the engine - Parked it up and thought "great!"
• Bright ideas please 3.5T van 3 Nov 2004 (Forum)
  P junior rides for a KIDS motorcycle display team and we cart all the gear (Jump ramps, bikes, spares) around in a 7.5t IVECO, trouble is this is rapidly approaching the end of its useful life and becoming v expensive to run Repairs/Insurance/Diesel etc etc, plus its not very popular on the driving rota ! Therefore we have thought about downsizing to a 3.5t van which if we make the Mums and Dads tow the larger bikes should be plenty large enough and hopefully cheaper to run, easier to find and a bit more popular to drive - Mums too. The club is not particularly flush as any surplus funds are donated to kids charities each year, so we are looking for a cheap, mechanically sound van, which would give the club several years good use, bearing in mind that we do very limited mileage <5k pa.
• dangerous 'lock out' 25 Apr 2004 (Forum)
  On Thursday afternoon I came across a woman with young kids in tow who'd become locked out of her car. The car was a Jaguar XJ series and apparently as she tried to open the doors with the remote control her daughter had gripped the handle ready to open the car. No matter what she tried after that point she could not get the car to open.
• Unwanted Subarus? 8 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  In the summer of last year a friend of mine was looking for a good secondhand tow car to lug his small caravan around the UK. I suggested a Subaru Legacy and went with him to look at a few in the local area (Midlands) - he was looking for something in the £6-10k price band. Eventually he bought a Freelander (against my advice).
• am i being fleeced ??? 10 May 2003 (Forum)
  last week my car (Peugot 406) was towed away to a local dealer because it wouldnt start (turned over but wouldnt catch) On Tuesday I was told that the starter relay (double) would have to be replaced which would be two hours labour and the relay which would be sent the next day.
• New Vectra & Factory Supplied oil 25 Nov 2002 (Forum)
  Diesels 30K or two years 2 The spec for the petrol engined cars factory filled oil is 0W-30 Super synthetic. 3 My understanding is that bedding in a new engine with synthetic oils is not recommended, as the lubricity of the oil is to efficient. 4 Engines not properly "bedded in" can have a substantially increased oil consumption. 5 The industry pandering to the fleet market is the main driver for the large service intervals described. What value do you now put on a fully stamped service book? 6 Imagine a new Vectra towing a caravan in the south of Europe in mid summer, when ambient temperatures are elevated. This oil must be at "the end of its (specification) tether" irrespective of when it was last changed What is the secondhand market going to recieve four years down the line I wonder?
• Cambelt failure - Vauxhall Ecotec engine 9 Oct 2002 (Forum)
  The belt failed on my Zafira 1.8 Ecotec engine a few days ago at 57000 miles. After being towed into the local garage I was surprised to find the change interval had been cut earlier this year from 80k to 40k miles. Car had a full service history but not since 20k at a franchised dealer. And no-one else mentioned it, so I never had the opportunity to have it changed.
• legal protection on insurance 19 Feb 2002 (Forum)
  I have a Volvo 940 estate now; galvanised rubber coated damped RSJs as front and rear bumpers - plus tow bar. Unless its another 940 that reverses into me next time, then my car will be unmarked in a similar 2 mph collision. Has anyone else had similar poor experience with such 'legal cover' - is it a con to get yet more money out of us?
• 
  Running in 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2Diesel R - In just 600 miles per Handbook? 4 Dec 2012 (Ask HJ)
  With my previous car - a 2006 Kia Sorento CRDi XS purchased new, in the absence of advice form the Handbook I ran the engine in over 10k miles following...
• 
  Should the dealer pick up this bill? 16 Oct 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I purchased a vehicle VAUXHALL VECTRA DESIGN CDTI from Halesowen Motorhouse in the West Midlands on 2/5/2012. I had never purchased from a dealer in the...
• Banger(ish) shopping in Ayrshire 9 Aug 2025 (Forum)
  Sad to see a once decent firm stoop so low. The first Astra, a 2015 car in red with 88,000 miles up for £3495 looked ok, but the front tow hook cover had been torn off when it’s obviously been towed in after breaking down… doesn’t half put you off. The next one was the one he bought. It’s a higher spec 63 plate 1.6 Elite in grey with 80,000 miles up which was very fresh indeed.
• 
  A misfuelling service didn't remove all the fuel - can I claim against them? 29 Apr 2024 (Ask HJ)
  I put petrol into my diesel, Freelander 2. I realised at the pump and called a fuel removal service who sucked out the petrol. After a month of intermittent...
• 
  Can I remove the courtesy car option from an insurance quote to make it cheaper? 29 Feb 2024 (Ask HJ)
  Is there any way one can get the 'free' courtesy car offer removed from a quote? Questions are asked about access to other vehicles. If you have access...
• 
  Are differential failures common on the Hyundai Santa Fe? 7 Nov 2022 (Ask HJ)
  Just been told by my local garage that the rear diff on my car has failed and needs replacing. The car was last serviced one month ago but not by a Hyundai...
• 
  Can I put a rear-mounted bike rack on a car with a spoiler? 24 May 2021 (Ask HJ)
  I’m looking for a bike rack that will fit a Mk5 Ford Fiesta. All that I’ve found so far will supposedly not work due to the rear spoiler.
• 
  Will the manufacturer contribute towards as a premature failure of a major part? 17 Mar 2020 (Ask HJ)
  My Audi Q5 TDI Quattro was bought new in December 2014. It has covered 75,000 miles and has been serviced regularly by Audi dealers. At a recent service,...
• 
  Should we buy a PHEV to replace our diesel estate? 12 Sep 2019 (Ask HJ)
  We have a Toyota Avensis Estate diesel which was bought new in May 2014. We followed the then-Government's advice to buy a diesel car. We assume the car...
• Diesels 'pros an cons' 28 Mar 2019 (Forum)
    Diesel cars are also a particularly great option if you’re planning on towing equipment or other vehicles with your car. For instance, if you love caravan trips, this could certainly be the right choice because a diesel car can tow the load more effectively. The same is true for trailers which is why they are often favoured in the farming industry.