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• Diesel to Petrol 27 Jul 2017 (Forum)
  Gone are the days are commuting 500 miles a week, but I'd grown used to diesel so that's what I bought. Recent reports of diesel falling out of favour and ever increasing complicated engines have lead to think petrol is the (immediate) future.  It has lots of toys to keep me happy. It is white, though. The only 'free' colour was bronze metallic. In my view, that belongs on an Austin Maxi.
• Ford Focus - Ford Focus TDDi cut out and won't re start 19 Jul 2017 (Forum)
  I don't want to spend a fortune on garage diagnostics etc as the car is old and not worth spending more than £300 on really, i basically am wondering if it's likley that there is still air in the system (maybe the sudden overtake movement moved fuel and air about) and that i should just change filters and bleed or if it's likely the dreaded high pressure fuel pump has failed? i only ask as there were no symptoms leading upto this failure and maybe somenone has had the exact same thing happen?? (long shot!!) oh and i did only have a eighth of a tank of fuel roughly......i know i know, no need to tell me i shouldn't be running a diesel so low!
• Citroen C3 - How to 'soften' a low-profile ride! 12 Jan 2017 (Forum)
  Yes this will mean the over diameter will increase by a few percent, but this should still keep the indicated speed within the required range ( currently reading the same few % high). I'm thinking that the slightly increased width  - and height - of the tyres will lead to two benefits; (1) the side walls won't be as 'vertical' as they currently are (on 7" rims) so will be more 'cushioney', and (2) my alloy rims won't be as mangled by kerbing as they currently are...
• Ford Mondeo mk3 (05) estate. - tyre noise / tracking. 22 Oct 2016 (Forum)
    It certainly a noisier ride than my Zetec hatchback (55).  Neither does the car seem to freewheel as well mine. Would a maladjusted tracking lead to this 'noise'?  Or can anyone suggest another cause.  If anyone has reccomendations for a top flight tracking checker / setter in the HP14 (High Wycome) area or within a reasonable distance please advise.
• Ford Focus 1.6 2007 - Rear brake drum binding 21 Sep 2016 (Forum)
  Made sense in a way because for a few days I'd felt that the car was "dragging" on the way up the steep hill that leads to our house, though it wasn't till tonight that I noticed the burning smell.  Question. Is this likely to be just about adjustment of the cable or could there be another reason? Don't want to drive the car too far till I get it sorted lest I end up paying for wheel bearings etc.
• Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.4 TDCI CLIMATE TDCI - Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.4 - 05 Not Starting 24 Aug 2016 (Forum)
  I have: 1/ Changed the battery 2/ Checked the fuses in passenger foot well 3/ Changed the battery in the key fob (only have one key) 4/ Done a immobiliser / key reset (turn 4 times, press button and leave ect) 5/ Disconnected the battery and wired the + and - leads in the car together and left for an hour (a suggestion on the internet for re-setting the PATS) 6/ Swapped out the 60Amp relay (next to the battery)      Anybody got any other ideas?
• KIA Venga and a new puppy - A long drive, an old corsa and good manners 31 Jul 2016 (Forum)
  Puppy not happy in the cage in the back without the luggage cover, so put her in the footwell where she got a bit of ayrcon in a high sided caedboard box and the lead fastened tp the seat release lever. One happy puppy, sat quietly dozing and occasionally looking at me. And the Kia? 39.mpg a bit going at motorway speeds till shrewsbury and 38. a bit returning with more traffic, and the scenic route over the hills from Carno to welshpool.
• Ford Fiesta 2004 - Help with emissions 9 Jun 2016 (Forum)
  I will admit my pre cat lambda sensor was broken for a good few month leading up to the test and I only replaced it 5 minutes before the test, could this be the cause and it needs "running in"? Could burning oil cause this?
• LDV Convoy high roof minibus - Water Leak 5 Mar 2016 (Forum)
  Having read about the common water leaks, this thing has had: Fake lead rooftape put over the the roof joins (its a highroof) Front left drain gutter area welded and painted and siliconed inside (where its known to be bad) Windscreen and seal replaced. LH drive wiper arms holes blanked and sealed properly.
• Audi A3 2002 1.6 petrol misfire ? 24 Feb 2016 (Forum)
  The problem is that is has a misfire on cylinder 2. It’s not the ignition. As the coil, leads and plugs have been changed. Also the coil (which is used for 2 cylinders) has been inverted, the fault stayed on cylinder 2. It’s not the fueling as all petrol injectors all spray the same.
• Hyundai i10 2009 - Fitting a new car battery these days.... 12 Feb 2016 (Forum)
  My question is....on something like my Hyundai i10 how sensible is it to change your own battery. In the good old days we didn't give it a second thought (same as using jump leads) but nowadays I'm wary of doing anything to upset (a) the car's electronics....and (b) the people who maintain the warranty (Hyundai until September this year). I see that we must turn the ignition key to position one to activate the cig. lighter circuit.
• Fiesta Flame 1.4l 2004 - Ford Fiesta 2004 1.4l start issue 17 Dec 2015 (Forum)
  No fault codes showing. Instrument cluster has been checked, fuel pump and sensor checked, spark plugs and ignition leads replaced, had a split in the crankcase breathing tube which has been replaced. All signs pointed to throttle body, was cleaned out and still did not work, then was temporarily replaced with working throttle body from identical car which still did not sort the problem.
• VW Golf - Adaptive cruise control 29 Oct 2015 (Forum)
  Does anyone know if this system can be activated and left operational so the car accelerates on its own in heavy traffic? If it can its going to lead to frustration. I was on the M1 at rush hour last night behind a newish Golf. It was heavy traffic with typical stop, slow moving, accelerate, slow, stop traffic, never reaching more than about 20mph.
• Rover 75 non start 27 Oct 2015 (Forum)
  I went to start up and all I got was a clicking noise coming from the engine bay. I rang my breakdown cover and they thought it was the battery so tried to start it using jump leads...no luck. Next they diagnosed the starter motor sticking, so pushed it down the hill and bump started it (wasnt very happy about this as I cant see catalysts being cheap), and it eventually started.
• VW GOLF MK6 - VW Golf 1.4 TSI (MK6) - Any Good Reviews? 7 Oct 2015 (Forum)
      However, after looking for tips on maintenance, I have found many negative reviews about the 1.4 TSI engine: There are many forum posts from people having problems with the timing chain, leading to thousands of pounds worth of damage in general a lot of people saying bad things about the car.   It would be good to hear from any owners of this same car as myself and hopefully hear some positive reviews;  Are you still enjoying your car?
• Fiat Punto 1.2 8v 2002 plate - Fiat Punto MIL lamp wont go out 14 Feb 2014 (Forum)
  If it’s cold or you touch the accelerator starting the lamp comes on and stays on. Forums seem to suggest anything from ECU to battery, to leads and plugs, though the plugs should have been changed in the main service. Mr Clutch swapped the Coil Packs out but it made no difference so they put the originals back (and didn’t charge). I want to sell the car as my daughter has now got a Micra but obviously want to fix this first.
• Alfa Romeo 156 Veloce 1.9 16v JTDm - Engine light on Alfa Romeo156 27 Jan 2014 (Forum)
  (I could be paranoid it is so faint)  Also I went to the shop the other day and as I went to drive off it would not start. I used some jump leads to get it started again and it has been fine ever since, this was 2 days ago.  I know that the obvious thing to do is to tie this into garage and I intend on doing this.
• Ford Mondeo ghia tdci 2007 2L - Damsel in distress Ford mondeo start up issues 16 Nov 2013 (Forum)
  I'm at my wits end, it all started with dmf going got this replaced with starter etc and ever since egm light been on start up fine for last month then One morning car drove fine down to shop then dead battery 5 mins later on start up, got jump start battery reading 8v,  wouldn't start after that long enough with jump start so had to get it towed,  Mechanic advised New battery but replaced with lead alkaline, I have read it needs to be silver calcium due to smart charge and I believe this is part of issue as 24 hours later car won't start again but when new battery was installed it read at 14v but I read this voltage would indicate smart charge faulty somewhere as should read around 16v?
• Vollkswagen Polo - Damage to car caused by highways condition 28 Jul 2013 (Forum)
  Hi, my daughter recently suffered a puncture caused by the condition of the kerb where she parked, In fact the tyres was shredded by the leading edge of a drain/gutter that was so sharp as to be a danger to anyone parking.  Some pics are here http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n40/guygamps/Drain_kerbzoom.jpg http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n40/guygamps/IMG_20130710_151528_162.jpg un beleivable!
• Ford Focus - How to Test a Faulty Coil Pack on a Ford Focus 17 Jun 2013 (Forum)
  I've opened the bonnet and figured out where the coil pack is, and disconnected both ends of the HT leads to see if there is any obvious corrosion or bad connections, all connections look fine to my fairly inexperienced eye. I also watched a video on youtube about 'how to check a coil pack the easy way' which seemed pretty straight forward, so I followed the instructions.