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• Boys in blue response to stolen cars 24 May 2004 (Forum)
  My brother in-law had a car stolen recently, reported to the boys some three weeks ago with no leads or response. Over the last two weeks the car has been seen being driven by youths and reported to the police as being seen in the area and giving details etc. This week a family member found the car nearby and blocked the car from escaping and the boys informed of where the car was with the youths nearby.
• Punto Sporting 2cylinder misfire 12 Dec 2003 (Forum)
  If you floor the throttle (at rest or on the move) it seems to drop to two cylinders(yes two - not three!). As soon as you back off the throttle all is then well. Leads and plugs have been renewed, seemed to slightly improve but not cure the problem. If its damp the problem is worse, so I think it sounds like some sort of HT problem? The only thing left on the HT side is the coil pack - which interestingly looks as though its split up into pairs of cylinders. or is it the msin CPU.
• LR Discovery Power Loss 3 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  I've tried keeping the throttle in the same position and knocking the auto into neutral and immediately the engine revs dramatically. So far I've done the following New Distributor Cap, rotor arm and leads New vacuum unit on the dizzy New coil New remote amplifier module and it's still doing it. When the oil cooler pipes were changed it was steam cleaned at the front of the engine bay. The car was running perfectly prior to this work.
• Omega poor running 24 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  This the gearbox then also cant make it's mind up what gear to be in (3rd or 4th). My first thoughts are to change the HT leads but someone has recommended changing the DIS unit. Both of these are expensive, so my question is which one is most likely to fail? (cars done 54K) or has anyone else had a similar problem which turned out to be something else?
• Fried Batteries 18 Sep 2003 (Forum)
  Flat again this afternoon. This time, the EA man added a new dimension. He said hot weather can "fry the battery" by leading to the production of excess voltage and cause it to "consume itself". Has anyone else out there experienced this? I am intrigued as I drove a variety of cars for 16 years in a country where every day was a hot as it ever gets in the UK and never had a fried battery.
• golf driver runs out of steam 1 Jul 2003 (Forum)
  Hi my 1.6 mk2 driver runs out of steam at 4000rpm, lke hitting a wall, I've replaced plugs and leads and have tested the ignition. I ahve also checked the valve timing marks and the ignition timing and tuned the carb. any ideas? the other funny is that the engine runs better when the ignition is way advenced (ie the haynes says it should be 18 BTDC at 950rpm) but my car runs happiest at about 28 BTDC.
• Omega 2.5 missfire HELP!!! 11 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  I now have the exact same problem and the car is awful, the guy who fitted the sparks said that the head gasket looks o.k. - could it be the HT leads? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated - I don't want to keep spending money until I can get to the root of the problem. Regards SPS
• Fiat electrical problem 17 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  Recently, I have been suffering intermittent non starting problems (no spark). I have changed the coil, HT lead, distributor cap/rotor arm, battery but still I get this intermittent non-sparking. The only thing left to change is the Digiplex electronic ignition unit. Does anyone know if these tend to become faulty or what else might you suggest?
• HJ's film choice 15 Mar 2003 (Forum)
  At the risk of sounding like a Daily Mail writer calling for a film to be banned without having seen it, I can't help but feel uneasy about the review to be found at the right here about the car chase movie being breathlessly recommended for its high speed driving though Paris on roads not closed off for filming. I don't buy the argument that movies with guns lead directly to people going out to kill, but all this giddy talk about copies changing hands on the black market would be heady stuff for some bonehead looking to impress his mates. Perhaps every copy should have that horrific TV ad that was discussed here a few days ago showing the aftermath of a high speed accident inserted in the middle of it.
• Diagnostics on Fiat. 12 Jan 2003 (Forum)
  Have recently purchased a S/H diagnostic tester, product of a well known UK manufacturer, for use on small Fiats 92 onwards. I am having some difficulty obtaining the required pod and lead to go with it. I now have two persons telling me not to waste my time with the unit because it is so unreliable as to be practically useless when attempts are made to use it on Panda/Uno/Cinc and MK1 Punto.
• Tracing the history of a Mini 11 Jan 2003 (Forum)
  However, the car's registration plate and history (he is the third owner, after the car was bought at 6 months old from a local dealer) leads us to believe that the car was originally a press or brochure car. Does anyone know how to find out the history of his current car, i.e., whether it was used in any road tests or brochures, or what the car spent the first six months of its life doing while it was presumably registered to Rover?
• Damp Starts 11 Nov 2002 (Forum)
  Are there any checks or replacements I can perform to alleviate the problem? I recently replaced the spark plugs, but the HT leads are 5 years old now - could they be replaced? Would spraying ignition sealer? Just to re-emphasise, starting is not a problem. Many thanks!!!
• Synergie/806 cooling system 28 Oct 2002 (Forum)
  There appear to be no bleed screws where I might expect to find them on this engine, however there are small pipes from these points (eg top of thermostat housing etc) leading up to eventually join the header tank. Am I right in assuming that as I refill it these will allow the air to escape up through the header and in effect automatically bleed it as it fills? Any other refilling without airlocks hints?
• 1989 100 quattro check system probs 15 Oct 2002 (Forum)
  The red signal was once displayed as the oil symbol but usually is the water one. There are no water or oil related problems which leads me to suspect that the auto check system itself is at fault? Any comments or opinions from Audi specialists would be more than welcome.
• Well-priced basic 12v power pack 10 Sep 2002 (Forum)
  It's a close relative of something that was best budget buy in Car Mechanics when they last tested booster packs, but with slightly shorter leads and no oddments pouch on the back. I've owned one myself for the last few months without problems, and used it successfully from time to time. David M You know Citroens make sense in an up-and-down world......
• Engine Design. 20 Apr 2002 (Forum)
  It clearly is not so far removed from the compact VAG W unit of today. RR must of had magnetos, spark plugs and HT leads everywhere! Regards, Julian Lindley
• Alloys - why have them? 12 Dec 2001 (Forum)
  On the debit side they add in typically £300 -£400 to the cost of a family car. They are a pain to clean and neglecting this chore leads to pitting; they also show the results of any kerbing. The problem is that they have become mandatory on the higher spec models of most cars. SWMBO has a Yaris Verso GLS which is used in shopping trolley mode.
• Mobile Speed Cameras 22 Oct 2001 (Forum)
  I assume that you still collect the points and pay the fine, so will the Police draw us into a false sense of security by advertising certain locations and then change them without warning? I would not put it past them as, presumably, there is no legal comeback. This leads me to wonder why they publish the locations at all, as it would be wrong to deter people from speeding only when there is a possibility of being caught and to allow people to speed if they know in advance, by checking the URL address, that they are likely to get away with it.
• astra probs 8 Oct 2001 (Forum)
  Also when i start it its very lumpy for the first thirty seconds or so. I've changed the plugs and leads with no effect. Also, since I bought the car (6 months ago) the engine has begin to sound a lot clunkier. I've been recommended by a mechanic friend to put some thicker oil in since the engine is getting on a bit now.
• And so it's farewell..... 16 Sep 2001 (Forum)
  CW, you can hold your head high, to be banned from HJ's site must surely strengthen your position as the leading desperado amongst many contenders. You can now retire to your six bedroom mansion in South Shields (recently valued at £5 750) and peruse the local rags for cheap Ladas to perform your essential research upon.