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• vauxhall - do i have any chance of getting a refund or more 17 Oct 2016 (Forum)
  I have not driven the car since 10/10/2016 and will not be doing until its return has been finalised baught the car on 18/7/2016 taken back on the 21/7/2016 for seatbelt + split tyre to be fixed/replaced. got my car back on the 1/8/2016 car broke down on the 2/9/2016 towed by psc on the 8/9/2016 dident get the car back untill 30/9/2016 total:39 days out of 91 days of owning it money lost on this car; ek motors repairs £300+ car insurance when repairs carried out: £ 39 days worth = £115 per month I had to get taxis to work over the 39 days of not having my car which cost me £19 per day there and back.
• Peugeot 307 - Faulty car and court! 30 Mar 2016 (Forum)
  On the day of returning it the car broke down and the cam belt snapped. AA man diagnosed and towed to the dealers garage. The dealer shouted abuse at us and the AA man and we were told to remove from his courtyard or he would get his forklift truck and put it in the middle of the road. He then changed his tone and rang us to talk about fixing it, we agreed to get it too him as it had to be left at a nearby garage because he rejected to take it the first time we took it up.
• Dealer not giving car back ! 21 May 2013 (Forum)
  It was worth 2000 but I wanted to just get rid, plus I owed 200 for the bodywork, so he  picked up the car (it did drive a few miles when cold, but he may have towed it.) He called me a week or so later saying he found a buyer and he needed the V5 ready . Happy with the news I got my mum to sign the V5 (she was the registered keeper and I was a second driver, using it occasionally) and handed it to my girfriend (who knows nothing about cars and doesnt drive) to hand over to him should the sale go through, as I assumed a buyer was coming down to buy it.
• SAAB 9-3 - Probable wrong diagnosis - Where do I stand? 20 Feb 2011 (Forum)
  3 weeks and 2 days ago the electronic steering lock decided to stick on and not come off when the key was inserted (common fault apparently). I called the AA who advised that it needed towing to a garage of my choice. I went on to the saab forums and found a specialist in my area. I called them and they told me to take it in for looking at. This was 3 weeks ago, so as you can imagine things have not gone too smoothly!
• Nissan Almera Tino auto late 2003 - Steering wheel vibration at 60-65mph plus,not w/b? 20 May 2010 (Forum)
  (The specialist place told me "NSF 55 grams out, 35g put on, OSF 40g out, 65g put on" even after that very good local family firm had balanced it.) Took car for brief test drive immediately afterwards with their staff in tow -seemed problem gone or very hard to detect, however was unable to maintain 70mph for long due to road conditions and powering through 65mph can remove judder anyway. A week later when back on the M25 I noticed judder still there at 65mph, nothing like as bad as when it juddered at 55mph, but still evident.
• Rear Collision 3 Apr 2006 (Forum)
  I'd be interested in views on the subject of a minor collision that I've been involved in. A couple of nights ago, I was following a vehicle towing a large trailer at a fairly slow speed on a fairly busy single carriageway. The trailer (similar to a horse box) was so large that I couldn't see what type of vehcle it was. The vehicle stopped without apparent warning and I had to brake sharply to avoid hitting the back of it.
• 306 406 HDi timing belt / pulley tick 22 Jan 2006 (Forum)
  Engine otherwise runs/starts fine. Note it quickly deteriorates into lathe chewing metal noise. This is a tow-in, not drive-in, job once you hear it. -- Note:1 I've had lots of pulley failures in taxi fleets, mainly 406's, but 306's now showing same trait as they approach the 1st belt change. Pug HQ has been insisting crank pulley change at belt change for how long now?
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  Can you recommend some all-weather tyres? 30 Nov 2020 (Ask HJ)
  I have 2018 Volvo XC60, which was fitted with Michelin Latitude Sport 3, 235/55 R19. They will soon be coming up for replacement. What do you recommend?...
• Hyundai Getz - Accident not my fault, bit unsure of where I stand 16 Jun 2014 (Forum)
  Anyway I managed to get the car home , my husband arrived and we drove very slowly back home . My insurer had just said oh yes someone will be in touch within 24hours to tow the vehicle. 24 hours was not acceptable and as home was only a couple of miles away I wanted to get him home and deal with everything from there with a slightly clearer head. Got home and start proceedings with my insurer who pass me onto Albany Assistance and they started getting a hire car sorted.
• Ford Fiesta (1995 - 1999) - 98 1.3 engine management fusing (F28) 8 Dec 2009 (Forum)
  I had deduced that it had to be an short circuit somewhere shorting against the body of the car somewhere, but this could be anywhere on the car at all. after I got towed home to burntisland, I had almost used up all my spare fuses, and all that I had left was a 30A fuse, double the correct rating, so I plugged it in and switched the ignition on, testing the m.a.f sensor and I noticed a small wisp of smoke and the unmistakable smell of burning pvc, coming from just under the air intake and m.a.f sensor.
• 
  I want a car that has a spacious boot, good fuel economy and is cheap to insure/tax? 21 Jan 2017 (Ask HJ)
  What car is best for me? I like a high driving position, boot space for camping, good fuel economy, ideally some bodywork protection/trims, good all-round...
• elusive VW Golf Mk3 starting/firing issu 14 Nov 2013 (Forum)
  AA says that theres no HT getting around & that there seems to be a lack of feed to the coil anyhow. he suspects either the electronic igintion which is buried in the coil assemably or perhaps something like a hall effect chip buried deep down in the dizzy. Tow to proper VW garage (Martins in Basingstoke/Hatch-they good there). I say hurrah becasue now this intermittent fault, whatever it is, has now fully expressed itself & it should be a doddle for Martins to diagnose.
• Ford Transit - Help with independent dealer 21 Dec 2013 (Forum)
  I can't bring myself to trust that he will do even an adequate job in fixing it, and that it won't break down two weeks later, at which point I'll have had a tank bolted into the back and be really stuck. He picked the van up from my regular garage yesterday, and towed it to the garage he usually uses, which is several miles away. I have spoken to him twice today (I've had to hide my mobile number from appearing on calls as he doesn't pick up when he sees it's me), he's also had a go at me because I keep calling him, which I told him off for.
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  Legal position with car bought at dealer but has suffered catastrophic engine failure 30 Dec 2012 (Ask HJ)
  My Father-in-Law (a 79 yr old OAP) bought his Grandson a second hand car from a local dealer in Aug 2012 so that he could get to his University placement...
• Volkswagen Passat (1997 - 2000) - 200k mile mark reached 14 Dec 2009 (Forum)
  Having said that however at well over 6ft I can sit behind myself comfortably. Now with a toddler in tow, the car is coming into its own & is standing up relatively well to the abuse. The boot is huge although access is limited for larger items. So, now with 200k up, the question is what do I do now?
• Volkswagen Golf V (2004 - 2008) - 1.9TDi 136k miles, 2nd interim report 9 Dec 2009 (Forum)
  Hopes that it was only a fuse disappeared on the hard shoulder when opening the bonnet revealed a small, but definite, trace of oil blown from under the filler cap. No way was it going to start. After an, er, interesting, tow down the motorway, it was eventually delivered into the hands of a VW garage, who promptly diagnosed a failed turbo (they disconnected the input and output air hoses and it started immediately). Thankfully it was still under lease, however circumstances meant that I never got to speak directly with the people involved in its repair.
• 2008 Motorshow- Good Bad and Ugly 30 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  The girls got very excited by the Disney Cars roadshow, and had photos taken next to a full size Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater. Top Gear stand was quite small, and not a lot happening, but did have the Police cars from the latest series. Funny part was, on the TV the Lexus looked like it had been professionally repainted in white, but standing close to it looked more like domestic gloss white, and am sure could see brush marks in it.
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  Aggressive wheel clamper 2 Dec 2011 (Ask HJ)
  I'm sorry, this is a bit long, but I'm pretty wound up about this. I drive a commercial van for my own business, which is film and video making. 4 days...
• When DVLA inspections go wrong 7 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  Nobody told me why at that point, but they took the keys for the Previa and the Ace from me, and I could hear another officer outside ordering a tow truck to impound both my cars and the trailer. I'm beginning to get a bit pink fluffy diced (edit by DD - next time I delete!) off now so when one of the officers stuck his head through the door of the van to "check on me" I told him I though this was a tad heavy handed just for parking on a double yellow line!
• Car breakdown woes 19 Oct 2006 (Forum)
  On opening the bonnet, I could see that the battery was steaming. I rang the [BREAKDOWN SERVICE] again, and they dispatched a tow truck. Within two minutes of arriving, the recovery outfit had put a voltage meter on the battery, and diagnosed that the voltage regulator on the alternator had failed, explaining the battery boiling and venting sulphuric acid.