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• Polished yet neglected - modern care (pathetic ;-) 7 Apr 2009 (Forum)
  Why not grease the pipes at home and book it into (speaking generally and not just thinking of Rattle`s Corsa ;-) ;-) `my mechanic` for a triple wax polish -instead of giving him the brake pipe renewal job? Is it a form of voodoo that grease can`t be touched - but polish can? No excuse that you need ramps, I can do ours without and I`m an old codger. ;-)
• Electric Parking Brakesn- Devils Work? 30 Nov 2006 (Forum)
  I recently had my first (and hopefully LAST) experience of electric parking brakes. It was a hired new style VW Passat TD estate and the parking brake was the worst idea I've ever seen in a car. The damn thing kept refusing to disengage on hill starts, most of which were in inner city traffic and as a result an utter nightmare.
• Found out in angle grinder shocker! 29 Aug 2006 (Forum)
  On examining the front discs, he exclaimed, "Someone's been at these with an angle grinder!". I confessed my crime and he asked if I had any vibration when braking from high speed. The answer was no. The braking efficiency on the brake meter was found to be good. Now I know that discs are not expensive but it was an interesting experiment occasioned by having the car in pieces on the Sunday before a Bank Holiday.
• Guarantee on Work 29 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  Anyway, I was trundling round when I heard (and felt) this really nasty grinding noise from the front driver's side tyre. My mum half-diagnosed it as 'something to do with brakes', and I remembered that the seller told me about how he'd had all the brakes done and that the work was guaranteed for a year. So I took the car back to the garage, and I've just had a phone call telling me that it is indeed that brakes, but that they cannot honour it because it wasn't me who had the work done.
• service idea 10 Dec 2005 (Forum)
  hi looking into starting my own servicing company and wondered wat you all thought of the idea, basically 3 service levels, 6 month, annual and 3 year and they go as follows 6 month, approx cost £40 plus any extra parts oil/filter change levels check tyres/pressures check coolant level check brake/discs check rad fan check spark plug/glow plug check annual service, approx cost £70 as 6 month service plus brake pads/shoes changed air filter changed fuel filter changed compression test valve clearences checked exhaust checked electrics/mot test items checked spark plugs/glow plugs changed 3 year service, approx cost £250-300 as annual service plus brake discs changed coolant change cambelt/tensioners changed fanbelt changed headgasket, head decoked waterpump changed gearbox oil changed bushes/rubbers mechanical components checked can anyone spot anything glaringly obvious i missed or have an opinion on the idea are the costs right or to expensive obviously things will differ car to car and the timings for services aren't fixed but ive always ran my cars by the above and they've been great and haven't ever suffered a major mechanical failure cheers chris
• "free"servicing 30 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  DD} . Last week the car started making a scraping noise, which was found to be worn brake pads. £85 please. On the service sheet, with all boxes ticked, including the air-conditioning, which the car doesn't have, the brakes were reported as having been checked. When we challenged the service manager on this, he said that the manufacturers have cut down the time allowed for servicing and therefore they were unable to check the pad wear.
• How do I work out what I can tow??! 3 Mar 2005 (Forum)
  m going to be towing a VW Beetle (no idea what that kerb weight is as most the bonnet, nose, front and rear wings are fibreglass, not steel). If it comes in at less than 750kg, I believe I can use an un-braked towing dolly. Does anyone know if this is correct? If the weight of the Beetle is greater than 750kg, I need a braked trailer. Now then, this is where things get fuzzy for me. Can anyone tell me what the maximum braked weight I can tow with my Passat would be?
• Under-bonnet checks in test - pointless? 19 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  Hi What do people think about the "new" rules whereby learners have to learn how to perform oil/brake-fluid/PAS/coolant level checks as part of their test? On paper, I think it's a good idea - people have an idea and an awareness of weekly/daily checks they have to do to make sure their vehicle doesn't brake down.
• 3rd party warranty companies 31 Jan 2004 (Forum)
  I've looked at warrantydirect and am a little bit confused.One of the points listed under the FULL PROTECTION is "Cover against damage caused by wear and tear",my understanding is if your brake disk were wearing out and it somewhat damaged the brake pads,then they will replace your brake pads and disc. After going thought the online quote,viewing the policy details it says: Standard Cover Protection against the cost of parts and labour following a mechanical or electrical failure, cover against failure of a part or a part that is about to fail causing even greater damage including those parts that have failed due to wear and tear.
• 156 Brembo brake upgrade 11 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  Confession time. The standard brakes on an Alfa 156 leave a lot to be desired. Make it a 156 Sportwagon Turbo Diesel (about 20% heavier than a 2.0TS saloon) and they are a recipe for disaster. There, I've admitted that my rash purchase of an Italian car may not have been 100% wise.....
• Pattern part reassurance needed 12 Sep 2003 (Forum)
  My first question is whether this new extra difference in internal diameter matters? Second question: what is taking the load when applying disc brakes? Is it the wheel bolts on the hub and those two little screws that attach most brake discs I have seen? PS: The pattern parts are made by Mountain who seem to be a respectable Japanese manufacturer.
• is this logical? 20 Sep 2001 (Forum)
  anyhow despite these efforts the car still appeared to be pulling, all be it much less, but slightly to the left. i was damned certain there was nothing wrong with braking force balance, but got it checked anyhow. result was that the brakes are perfectly matched. next step was to take a local friendly mechanic (from Luther and Sons garage, Dorset - perhaps worth a mention on the good garages list) out in the car and see what he reckoned. anyhow with the two of us in the car, and with the mechanic driving, he bolted the brakes on from 60mph, and aside from a small squeak from the tyres almost locking up, the car behaved impecably.
• Brake's Corporate Funding 9 Oct 2011 (Forum)
  First off i'd just like to explain what my gripe is with Brake. Where as i of course support the aims of improving road safety and cutting casualties i dont feel Brake contribute anything to this. Im sure it was started with the best of intentions and aims. The charity was founded in 1992 after Sue Williams (the founders mother) died from being hit in a stationary car by a tanker with defective brakes, the charity was formed to help victims of road crashes and to bring attention to safety issues.
• Avensis 2000 - Tail lights not working 19 Feb 2011 (Forum)
  Both tail lights have stopped working. Bulbs are ok. Brake lights work ok. Are the tail lights on separate fuse?  
• Are you a 'driving passenger'? 29 May 2007 (Forum)
  I was wondering how many backroomers still 'drive' the car in which they are a passenger. Does your foot occasionally head instinctively for a non-existent brake pedal?
• Golf GTI Mk4 - Resurrect a Mk4 GTI or Not ? 20 Jun 2017 (Forum)
  I dont think the prices are by any means incorrect...so the question is for a 1984 8v Gti ( first of the mk2's ) special edition ( has decor seats ), 186k miles...is the car going to be worth say £1500+ after I spend the £800...BUT bear in mind the bodywork also needs tidying up ( at least one door, boot catch, window seals etc ) This is the list Totals including labour Exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content excessive (7.3.B.1a) £ 110.00   Nearside Front Outer Anti-roll bar linkage rubber bush deteriorated £ 17.00   Offside Front Outer Anti-roll bar linkage rubber bush deteriorated £ 17.00   Nearside Shock absorber has a serious fluid leak (2.7.3) £ 75.00   earside Rear Brake hose ferrule excessively corroded £ 20.00   Nearside Rear Brake hose ferrule excessively corroded £ 15.00   Offside Headlamp not working on dipped beam (1.7.5a) £ 3.00   Offside Headlamp not working on main beam (1.7.5a) £ 3.00   Nearside Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively £ 2.50   Offside Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively £ 2.50   Rear Exhaust system not adequately supported (7.1.1) £ 10.00   Nearside Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d) £ 1.00   Nearside Front Tyre has a bulge £ 30.00   Offside Front Tyre has a lump, £ 30.00   Offside Rear Tyre has ply or cords exposed (4.1.D.1b) £ 30.00   Rear passenger door does not latch securely closed (6.2.B.1a) £ 10.00   Service brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7) £ 25.00   Nearside rear brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.5a) £ 85.00   Offside rear brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.5a) £ 85.00   discs and pads all round needed, the front with parts and labour £ 75.00   coolant change and new thermostat , with labour £ 40.00   new rocker cover gasket, with labour £ 12.00   timing belt and tensioner, new drive belt + labour £ 115.00 I know its an enthusiasts car and I am not shying away from that but my budget will be tight so I need to know that I would at least get my money back if the worst cam to the worst and I had to sell it cheers
• Peugeot 406 Diesel Estate Disk Brakes 9 Jun 2013 (Forum)
  I've had a mass of problems with the brakes on my R Reg Peugeot 406 Diesel Estate. In just over one year, I have had the front disks on my R reg Peugeot Diesel Estate replaced 6 times due to wheel judder: Date Mileage Work carried out 12.03-01 72657 Changed front disks and pads 31.08.01 80821 Changed front disks and pads 12.12.01 86837 Changed front disks 15.04.02 91590 Changed front disks 17.05.02 92816 Changed front disks, flanges and bearings 28.06.02 94276 Changed front disks The work on 17.05.02 cost me £510 and achieved nothing - after 1000 miles, again I had wheel judder on braking.
• vectra 1.8 spark plug gap 16 Dec 2005 (Forum)
  hi all changing plugs but not sure of gap on these its a 1.8 r reg also how easy to change brake pads marty
• Lexus RX300 2006 62k mileage £4500 - Used vehicle not fit for purpose, dealer arguing 14 Jan 2022 (Forum)
  Test drive fine and everything seemed to run ok. 10 days later took for a full service and the garage told me the bad news about it having massive corrosion underneath with corroded pipes, major oil leak, parking brake broken, tyre down to the rim. OSR & NSR bushes starting to separate, OSR & NSR brake pipes corroded, rear brake discs corroded, especially OSR rear. OSR brake bed plods missing (corroded off x 3, one wheel bearing gone, rev diff input shaft major oil loss, fuel filter pipes corroded, underside corroded, jacking points corroded and folded up, broken off.
• Hyundai i20 1.2 litre Comfort 5 dr - Gross Negligence - Annual Service and MOT 25 May 2017 (Forum)
  With this being a full annual service just before the 5 year warranty expired, I would have expected a detailed report on the whole braking system as I can only inspect the brake pad wear on the outer pads by viewing through the alloy wheel spokes whereas, surely the annual service would include removal of all the road wheels to enable a proper inspection and report to be made?