Refine by channel:  Forum (5074)    Ask HJ (1531)    News (283)    productReview (121)    Article (113)    FAQs (7)    Good Garages (4)  

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• BMW 120i Sport auto 2015 - Electrical glitches 24 Jan 2019 (Forum)
  All functions were restored on replacing the battery on my 320d. However, the 320d was 6 years old with 120k on the clock before I began to notice signs of battery failure so I wouldn’t expect this with my current 3 year old/35k car Any thoughts on where these electrical issues may lie?
• 
  What is the maximum I can inflate my tyres to stop them flatting when in storage over the winter? 6 Dec 2018 (Ask HJ)
  My Mazda MX-5 is covered for the winter and wired to my battery charger, so I cannot move it. The tyres are Bridgestone Portenza 205-45R17 84W CKC4509....
• Ford Mondeo Estate MK3 (2000-2007) - Car doesn't want to go in or come out of 3rd gear 17 May 2017 (Forum)
  Hello all, So I was removing my EGR valve and pipe, and in doing so I moved the battery out the way. I neglected to put the battery bracket back before driving to work (the bracket had fell down the back of the battery). After a while, I noticed it was difficult to get into 5th and 6th gear, so I pulled over and removed the bracket, which had lodged itself in the mechanism.
• Vauxhall Vectra C (2002 - 2008) - 2005 - Broken Suspension Coil and Misc Problems 10 Feb 2017 (Forum)
  I am a careful driver (old man of 55), owned the vehicle from new, seem to have regular problems, for example - July 05 - Car pulls to right - dealer reckons ok - I changed the wheels over, improved. Oct 06 - returned from 2week holiday - battery dead - AA man, Faulty battery-replaced. Jun 07 - ditto - battery charged by dealer - reckons battery ok Sep 07 - brake light on permanent - Wiring Harness replaced under warranty. Dec 07 - noticed oil patch on drive - dealer replaced steering rack under warranty Feb 08 - 5 day break - dead batt - dealer reckons fault down to dodgy contact,recharged Apr 08 - collapsed suspension - 5 day old Bridgestone er300 tyre shredded.
• Fiat Panda 1.1 Active 2006 - Cold Start problem with idle RECTIFIED 5 Jun 2014 (Forum)
  Replaced in the morning and car started perfectly   :) This is clearly a battery issue although just doesnt seem right that battery can start car but affect other crucial parts - which is why I didn't even suspect it in the first place.   Hope it helps someone
• 
  Faulty ECU on SEAT Leon - do I need to scrap the car? 4 Feb 2014 (Ask HJ)
  I have a 2001 SEAT Leon TDI. The computer unit is bust ECU?). The central locking lights keep going on and off and unfortunately I did not take it to...
• Subaru Outback 56 reg - Car key lost its memory 18 Dec 2013 (Forum)
  After my car key (the one that I use) gave up on me in a supermarket car-park I took it around the block to a garage and asked them change the battery.  The mechanic tested the key on his test rig and said that the key should work.  I tried it again, but nothing.  I went back and begged the guy to indulge me and change the battery, which he did with bad grace.
• 
  Battery light illuminating on a K12 Nissan Micra 3 Jun 2013 (Ask HJ)
  I have a Nissan Micra K12 1.2 automatic 3 door hatchback. When the car is at idle the battery light is off, as it should be, but when I put my foot down...
• Zafira 1.8 petrol auto 2003 - Cold start problem - please help !! 1 Feb 2013 (Forum)
  Recently bought a used car, noticed at the garage that the idle was very lumpy and the rad was leaking but other than that seemed ok, got it home and about a week later a problem has risen its very ugly and frustrating head !! The first start of the day when cold is really hard, almost to the point of killing the battery cranking it over! When turning the key it cranks over but does not seem to want to fire, eventually it does but only just ! Had a new radiator fitted first to cure the leak although I know this is nothing to do with this issue, just trying to give all the history I know Thought maybe it was it not getting enough air, so the air intakee valve was stripped and cleaned and replaced with a new air filter at that point Still didn't seem to want to fire, so full set of new plugs were put in, coil pack has been replaced also Oil filter and oil changed Checked fuel pressure, the rail is primed and there is loads of fuel pressure so didn't appear to be a fuel supply issue Took it to a garage, had diagnostics done, ecu reported a faulty crank shaft sensor, replaced this, made no difference (although it has cured the rough idle when it is running) Battery is good, in fact cranked it over with battery attached to a second huge battery at same time and still same issue, so don't think it can be any issue there!
• 
  Life expectancy of a hybrid? 28 Jan 2013 (Ask HJ)
  I have a RX450h which I have had from new in Jan 2010. I have already done 65,000 miles and wanted to know what was the expected life of the vehicle? I...
• 
  Water Leak on 2006 Audi A6 12 Jan 2013 (Ask HJ)
  Rear footwell fills up with water. When about 3 inches of water in well it transfers to front well. I ran hosepipe on front windscreen and water leaks...
• mondeo mk3 2002 1.8 petrol duratec - car dies when i come to a stop need help quick 15 May 2012 (Forum)
  i have a 2002 1.8 petrol duratec can anyone tell me if a faulty alternator can cause my car to die when i come to a stop however this can be abit intermitant and sometimes rev as low as 150-200 rpm then recover its self?? happen the other week then some how fixed its self, just been and disconected the battery to clean terminals as my first step to find a battery light on fault. but just niped to shop and yet again the car dies when i come to a stop, can be quite dangerous as you lose your steering etc, i know the first thing you may ask will be the volts readings so here they are using the self dignostics on trip computer: battery on ignition - 12.6 battery when engine on 13.8, last week when the car was running ok after dying at stops the readings here were at 14 volts, but since today when its starting dying again there reading 13.8.
• 
  Why did my Freelander 2's keyfobs fail to work until I placed the remote in the dock? 10 Feb 2011 (Ask HJ)
  I returned home after six weeks abroad to find my Land Rover Freelander 2 diesel would not respond to the remote control plipper. Having tried the second...
• 
  Leaving me behind 4 Sep 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I was wondering whether there is anything I need to do if leaving a car unused (garaged) for about 4 weeks? Or anything to do when back before starting...
• 
  The perils of overeating 3 Apr 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I have a Golf VR6. The car has started to overheat so I’ve pulled over to let it cool down. I’ve then topped it up with water, started the engine with...
• Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - 2000 1.8 Starting Problem 15 Dec 2008 (Forum)
  Just bought this car and yesterday I had a problem starting it. The engine cranked over but would not fire (or tried to a tiny bit). We checked the battery voltage and it turned out to be real low (12.2v) so I bought a new battery (I bought a lead acid one but have since discovered that I can only use an expensive silver calcium one from ford). It was real cold out last night which may have had something to do with it.
• Why now?? 20 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  While removing the battery I noticed that the front o/s tyre was a bit low, mentioned this during a phone call to SWMBO to tell her that I'd finally got the battery off,'Oh yes, I forgot to mention, I think I've got a slow puncture, it's been going down a bit everyday for a week or so...'
• Audi A4 Cabriolet - Audi A4 (2005) Alarm Problem 31 May 2020 (Forum)
    The only way I can seem to stop the alarm is to disconnect the negative terminal on the battery. Yesterday I swapped the battery in the key fob and thought id sorted it. The car locked fine with the red alarm lights on the doors going back to intermittent flashing. Unfortunately it only lasted 26 hours before the alarm was going off again!
• Vauxhall Zafira B, 1.9 Diesel CDTi 2008 - Steering wheel won't turn - after EGR/battery disc 19 Oct 2017 (Forum)
  I am not sure how the EGR valve removal/replacement could have affected the steering. The other thing I am thinking of is that I had disconnected the battery completely, cleaned the terminals and put it back onlone again. The clock on the dashboard of course started from 00:00 again etc. Any ideas? I am not an expert by any means, so any basic steps I can do to narrow down on the root cause of the problem would be greatly appreciated.
• Ford Fiesta 2002 - Electrical issue? 15 Feb 2017 (Forum)
  But since then the battery light issue hasn't gone away completely (it is very intermittent) though - battery was checked of course and no issue was found with it. Still having some issues with the heater pulsing and the headlights seem to flicker a lot once they are on too, so I'm guessing theres still a power related issue somewhere.