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• Weekend in Paris 9 Dec 2008 (Forum)
  Sure a few Merc taxis/limos and one 5-series taxi but otherwise the usual Euromix of small/medium hatches with loads of Smarts, Fiat 500s, Merc A-classes and MINIs. No BMW 1-series (is this a UK only model? - joke). Clearly a large car is a liability in Paris, so why are they so popular in the UK's cities. 4. No Subarus (of any description) were seen - they don't know what they're missing.......
• I want a gorgeous car... 23 Sep 2008 (Forum)
  I like the Celica, but insurance is too high. Maybe a Hyundai Coupe...but I don't know much about them at all... I am thinking possibly a MINI but I won't be able to afford a post-04 model, and all the pre-04 one's have fragile gearboxes I've heard? I'd consider a new car with finance across 3/4 years if anyone knows of any 0% deals, because I refuse to pay interest...
• Herringbone car park bays 18 May 2008 (Forum)
  (Yes, you could reverse INTO the bay and maybe gain a bit more clearance by driving out forwards, but then you have trouble at the boot-end with kids' pushchairs and supermarket trolleys, and the associated risk of scraping adjacent cars in your efforts in getting said pushchair/trolley to that location.) The car park's through-traffic gets held-up by vehicles having to make mini '3 point turns' to get out of -and often into- their bays, when the turn has to be 90 degrees. And no wonder so many carpark dings and scrapes occur. For the sake of losing maybe a couple of spaces per row, why don't car parks have angled bays arranged in herringbone fashion?
• Renault Clio III 197 (2006 - 2009 ) - Experience of Renault Clio Sport 197 15 Feb 2008 (Forum)
  I spoken around and it seems you either get a good one or a really terrible one. Also consiering a Mini Cooper S which will probably make more financial success. Think is the bespoke naure of the Renault Sports is Very mouthwatering. They are made in their own small factory apparently like much more expensive cars.
• FIAT 500 (2007 - ) - New Fiat 500 11 Sep 2007 (Forum)
  A lovely young lady with legs that went on forever, allowed me inside to fidddle about. What a cracking looking car. This, Mr BMW man, is how to do Retro. UNlike the new mini, Fiat have captured the spirit of the old 500 superbly. Sure its bigger, than the old one, but all the styling cues of the old one have been carried over, including the inside where plastics have been cleverly made to look like painted metal dashboard.
• Ford Ka - Cam swap 26 Mar 2007 (Forum)
  The last engine I removed was a Dolomite 1850 in 1988 (and a Yamaha R7 in 1999, but that doesn't count), and the last cylinder head was a GSXR 600 in 2003, but I reckon I can still cut it (famous last words!). I'll try and do a mini blog on here of progress, but the only thing I've never worked on is air con. Haynes are doing the "you'll die" bit if the a/c isn't depressurised by a grown up, but as it isn't working anyway is it reasonably safe to stick a long pointy thing into the service ports to check there's no pressure?
• 4x4 the safest by far? 17 Oct 2006 (Forum)
  The safest cars for drivers are the Land Rover Defender, Mercedes ML class, Toyota Landcruiser and Isuzu Trooper. The cars with the worst records for driver deaths and serious injuries are the old-style Mini, the Fiat Panda, pre-1993 Nissan Micra, Daewoo Matiz and Suzuki Swift. The DoT looked at police reports of more than 138,000 crashes from 2000 to 2004. Drivers of small and medium-sized cars involved in collisions with another car had a one in 200 chance of being killed, compared with fewer than one in 10,000 for drivers of people-carriers and 4x4s.
• Peugeot 406 auto gear change 28 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  s just "not right". I?m taking it to be prepared for winter on Friday (winter tyres, oil, antifreeze, mini service etc), should I have the transmission fluid changed at the same time? I saw Ed China and Mike Brewer cure a dicky Range Rover gearbox by simply doing this. And how often should I be changing gearbox oil?
• Rumble Strips on a Hill 5 Oct 2004 (Forum)
  My question is, how are these strips going to react to ice? Without any technical knowledge at all, it seems to me that they will each become mini ski-jumps, making it far more likely that a driver/rider will skid off the carriageway. Whilst on one side, there is a steep soil bank with scrubby bushes at the base, the other side of the road has a thorn hedge followed by a very steep slope down to the valley floor.
• escort 1.8td head gasket 3 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  (engine temperature has always been easily in the normal range, never venturing hotter than half way up the scale). if it does need doing what precaution should i take (i've done head gaskets on a few mini engines and a ford 1.6 zetec). i have the haynes manual for the diesel engine but it doenst cover the turbo. does head gasket replacement get trickier with the turbo involved or is ti fairly straightforward?
• Crossover technologies 1 Oct 2001 (Forum)
  On a thread on directional tyres a few days ago Stuart B mentioned a bicycle with suspension designed by Alex Moulton along similar lines to his design for the Mini (BTW Stuart, I tried out the new Land Rover badged version of the Moulton APB, and it didn't seem as bouncy as I remember - maybe it's because I'm 30lbs heavier than I was then). Most European car manufacturers started out making bicycles, and learned a lot about manufacturing, metallurgy and frame design from those days.
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  What car should I buy to transport my disabled mum? 7 Aug 2023 (Ask HJ)
  I'm going to have to change my car to help transport my disabled mum. She has been in a Nissan Juke and Skoda Karoq both of which she can get into more...
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  What tyre size should I fit? 15 Aug 2022 (Ask HJ)
  I bought a MINI clubman in April and have already racked up 10,000 miles so by November I’ll be ready to switch to all-season tyres. The current fit is...
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  Which used car do you recommend for family life and towing a boat? 8 Nov 2021 (Ask HJ)
  We have a Volkswagen Caravelle as a day-camper and all-round family lugger ,and a MINI. My wife has a new job and will have to visit rural sites in the...
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  Can I drive a motorbike if I have a category A on my driving licence? 20 Oct 2018 (Ask HJ)
  I passed my driving test nearly 60 years ago and have held a licence ever since. I am aware of the present requirements regarding riding a motor bike,...
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  Our used car developed a fault - is the dealership liable or the warranty company? 20 Jul 2018 (Ask HJ)
  My daughter recently purchased a 2009 MINI Cooper from a small dealership. At the same time she purchased an extra nine months warranty to the three months...
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  My DS3 timing chain is slipping, which is a known issue - should Citroen contribute even though it's out of warranty? 10 Jun 2018 (Ask HJ)
  I have been told be a local Halfords garage, where I've had my regular services done since owning a 2014 Citroen DS3, that the noise within the engine...
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  Should the dealer repair or should I reject? 10 Aug 2016 (Ask HJ)
  I recently purchased a used Citroen DS3 THP 1.6. It is a 2012 (61) model with just 15,000 miles. Unfortunately within 2 weeks of ownership, the EML light...
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  Replacing a classic with a modern car - what should I buy? ` 15 Jul 2016 (Ask HJ)
  After 19 years of using my Austin-Healey 100/4, I have decided to sell as I can no longer cope without power steering. I want to replace it with a relatively...
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  My Audi A1 has a strange engine noise - any ideas? 28 Oct 2015 (Ask HJ)
  Would you mind listening to these two clips (if my uploading skills have worked!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA7RIcJ9Tp0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rObzl7M_NrM Background:...