Refine by channel:  Forum (2396)    News (818)    Ask HJ (691)    productReview (71)    Article (50)    FAQs (17)  

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• Low idling rpm / stalling Astra 1.4 13 Jan 2003 (Forum)
  AFAIK It normally idles around 1000rpm, maybe a bit more. Any ideas? Has been running fine, has had new HT lead on one spark in last 3 months, but that was different symptoms, this has power without problems when foot down, and in this cold wet weather I suspect it's not going to get better on it's own! TIA
• BMW 518i Rubber Smell 1 Jan 2003 (Forum)
  There are no visible fumes when the smell is apparent and there is absolutely no rubber material anywhere near the source of the smell except the plug leads which are in good condition nor is anything stuck to the exhaust further back. Has anyone experienced anything like this please?
• Mondeo and jerky running 22 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  A pal of mine has a P reg 2 litre with a/c & the car has been suffering from jerky running/misfiring at about 2000 rpm, below or above that OK. He's paid for the diagnostic check at Ford's & no fault found. Changed the HT leads as well, plugs next. We have also been looking at some Mondeo specific forums & the number of people suffering same or similar problems is staggering. Most common advice is don't waste your money for the diagnostic check.
• Help HJ -Fiesta Rust :( 15 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  Well, my 6 month old example appears to be suffering from this, as well as a problem at the very top corner of the driver's door where it must be closing against the rear passenger door, hence chipping the paint, leading to a nice little spot of rust (fortunately invisible when the door is shut so far). I'm taking it in for the repair next week, but have two questions: 1) Is the rusting A-pillar very common, if so, is it likely that the repair will fix it permanently, or once the car is suffering is it unlikely to ever be fixed?
• Exploding Batteries 7 Oct 2002 (Forum)
  I called the RAC and 40 mins later they were out , and replaced the battery for me...he also flushed out where the battery had been with water. RAC man said that he's seen this in about 1 in 300 cars and its usually the lead plates connecting and igniting the gas that causes it - any one else had experience of this? As far as I can tell the old battery was the original one that came with the car when new. I've had it two years now and todays "incident" is the only blot on an otherwise pretty clean copybook :0) I had to adjust the pacemaker I can tell you!!!
• Astra Stereo wiring probs 28 Aug 2002 (Forum)
  I got hold of a Vauxhall Grundig SC303 (model without display) from a mate and have tried to wire it in with no success. The stereo wiring leads fit in the back of the stereo fine and I get power and can hear the speakers work but cant get the Astra dashboard display to show the radio display. When the radio is switched on the time on the display stays on and the date disappears but nothing appears in its place.
• Battery mystery 23 Aug 2002 (Forum)
  It was nearly three years old, and the car had been in storage for a lot of that time, so I wasted no time replacing it. I also checked the battery and earth leads and cleaned up the connections. The replacement battery delivered 10.5 volts when operating the starter, which is fine from what I have read, but the cranking speed didn't seem a lot better, even after I had charged the battery in case it had lost charge while sitting in the shop.
• 309 stalling and clunking 5 Aug 2002 (Forum)
  My 309 1.4i is due, probably over-due for a service. I'm assuming poor condition of leads and/or plugs is the reason why it a) is getting quite sluggish from cold and b) stalls if the throttle is blipped very slightly when idling. Acceleration when warm is fine, and I got 43ish MPG on a long journey recently involving not the kindest of treatment towards the car.
• Vacuum Gauge Tests 8 Jul 2002 (Forum)
  Compression test revealed no serious problems (all within 10% of each other) Recent service and replacement of HT Leads & Plugs. Having connected the Vacuum gauge to the Plenum chamber I got the following results; At idle - steady reading of 16, 2500rpm - steady reading of 22, blipping the throttle caused a swing from 0 to 22 and then back to 16.
• Lunatics at large 30 Oct 2001 (Forum)
  My daughter went to school with this young man. The Police who have been on local radio frequently seem to have no leads as to exactly how it is happening. It seems to occur after dark and they are assuming I think that these objects (including an iron bar) are being thrown from another moving vehicle, and have set up patrols in the Ashbourne area and appealed to the public for help.
• 
  Peugeot Boxer water ingress problem 4 Apr 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I purchased a year-old Compass Avantgarde motorhome, based on the Peugeot Boxer, in 2008. I recently sold this vehicle, but had to drop the price due to...
• 
  Spring breaks 9 May 2009 (Ask HJ)
  Whilst driving my BMW 318 along Boundary Lane in Congleton, there was, as I drove over one of the 11 sets of totally unnecessary speed humps in 1,200 yards,...
• 
  Why has my regularly maintained car failed its MoT on emissions? 16 Oct 2025 (Ask HJ)
  My Peugeot 308 failed the MoT last Monday due to emission problems. Is this unusual when the vehicle has been maintained according to the manufacturer's...
• 
  What Ford EcoBoost engines have wetbelt problems? 8 Aug 2025 (Ask HJ)
  I have seen claims on about serious concerns with the Ford Ecoboost engine. The car I am speaking about is a 2017 manual. Is Honest John aware of technical...
• False Claim leading to COunty Court Letter 18 Jan 2025 (Forum)
  Hello, I am hoping someone is able to offer some advice for an extremely stressful situation that I have found myself in. Back in 2023, I was contacted...
• 
  What's the best way to maintain a DPF? 9 Sep 2023 (Ask HJ)
  I own a 2007 Volvo XC90 with 118k on the clock. Lovely motor and mostly trouble free but it's recently started missing the odd beat and intermittently...
• 
  How is water getting into my Mercedes-Benz SLK? 23 Jul 2021 (Ask HJ)
  I have a 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLK 200, which I bought last year for some much-needed fun after the first pandemic lockdown. Recently, I have noticed a large...
• Homes being lost to home tax liens 18 Dec 2020 (Forum)
  Source for this article: Tax Aliens NCLC finds tax liens getting property owners badly foreclosed on It is fairly obvious to know that not paying your mortgage will lead to foreclosure. What you most likely did not know is that not paying property taxes and not paying homeowner association charges can also lead to foreclosure. Make sure you are always paying any financial burdens associated with owning a home so you can avoid severe consequences such as foreclosure.
• 
  A used car I want hasn't had the timing belt changed. Is is necessary? 22 Oct 2020 (Ask HJ)
  I'm buying a 2009 Fiat 500 with 68,000 miles. Although it has regular serving stamps, there is no evidence of the timing belt being replaced. What should...
• 
  What future classic should I buy for £2500? 3 Oct 2019 (Ask HJ)
  I have £2500 to spend on my first future classic car and was wondering if you could help? I'm torn between a number of candidates e.g Toyota MR2 MK3, MG...