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• Second car up to £2500 - suggestions 6 Sep 2007 (Forum)
  The second car gets used for regular 14 mile round trips and the occasional 60 mile round trip. We thought we'd like a small-ish car for easier parking at the supermarket and making the most of small parking spaces. Air conditioning is a nice to have. Our idea is to save on depreciation and risk some repair costs. We would want a maximum fuel consumption of 30 mpg.
• Ford Focus III 2.0tdci ghia - intermittent loss of power 16 Nov 2013 (Forum)
  My major concern is that someone may drive into me when this fault occurs as nearly happened on the M8. it has been back to the local ford dealership, (evans halshaw, edinburgh) where they kept the car for a few days, was taken on an extensive road test, everything was "ok",diagnostic testing showed no fault codes. one of the senior techs questioned the type of fuel used,a fuel sample was taken and was given the all clear,the fuel filter was replaced,engine recoded all at a cost to me,the problem still remains. they have suggested that i shouldnt use cheap forecourt fuel, ie tescos etc, i have since switched to Shell. the problem is still there. the car has been back in since then and now they say the fuel is contaminated, which i take exception to, as i have never filled my car with anything other than diesel. i have asked how this may have happened. they have suggested 2 ways. either the car has run dry, picking up the debris from the bottom of the tank, this has never happened or when i have refueled my car the pump that i have used may have been running low and the gunk from the bottom of that may have entered my tank. both of these i think are far fetched. each time a diagnostic test has been run i am charged as no fault is found. even before they claimed my fuel was contaminated there was a fault, it has undergone the same diagnostic testing each time, so how they have decided this all of a sudden is beyond me.
• Citroen Xantia (1993 - 2000) - 96 1.9 EMS light, loss of power, black smoke. 28 Feb 2009 (Forum)
  Firstly the light comes on (EMS Orange), then she notices a drop in power and a deal of smoking out of the back, and nurses it to a local supermarket car park and calls me, who knows jack about engines. I check fuel (on reserve),all belts in place, oil dipstick, water and antifreeze was done just before Xmas. With a bit of a turnover after 10 minutes it starts again, and I'm able to make several circuits of the carpark no warning light on, so after the customary "dont drive the thing all the time on reserve" row, we bung some fuel in and drive back to where I'm working, during which time it starts belching smoke again, pretty black, and when I park it it leaves a smut mark on the ground of soot.
• Diesel reliability HDI technology 29 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  However I double my oil changes from new with carefull running in for 3000 miles with a very gradual increase in revs, when starting from cold I allow to tick over for 30 seconds before I move & I drive gently without turbo boost untill the temp gauge is out the blue, I don't change down to overtake I use the torque very rarely going over 2500 rpm, mostly 1600-2250, I always use a major brand of fuel ( & not supermarket ) I use fuel line cleaner every 3000 miles ,Always allow the engine a slowing down period after a hard run & allow to idle for at least minute before I switch off. I cover huge milage & tow a 1500 kg caravan all over europe for the last 12 years with no problem on reliabilty!.
• Keep car? Change car? Lease Car? 22 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  I get a car allowance from work of £320 a month (after tax) and this is roughly the monthly repayment on the 5 year loan I took out to buy the car from new in March 03. All fuel, tax, AA, servicing and maintenance is paid by the company and I pay tax on the £ value. So although fuel economy etc might not be a priority, it's all relative as I pay something towards it. Work is just about as secure as it gets with long notice period.
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  Can you make your correspondent MC of Stockport aware of the toll road situation in Ireland? 23 Feb 2011 (Ask HJ)
  Further to the letter form MC of Stockport who received an invoice from e-Flow: All motoring visitors to the Republic of Ireland should be aware that most...
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  Which car do you recommend for high mileage daily commuting? 30 Jun 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I need your advice to find my new car because I don't know the UK market very well, and I am getting mixed messages from everyone. In the next 12-16 months...
• Nissan Qashqai+2 - Finally traded my Tino in 1 May 2018 (Forum)
  I really wanted an automatic and wasn’t after a diesel but I do enough long runs and will be driving to France this year so the fuel economy will be nice. Had Diesel vans for years so kind of know what to expect with maintenance. 12 month warranty and 2 years free servicing plus got £400 for my Tino which is what I paid for it and it’s only worth £100 now.
• Ford Mondeo Mk4 - 2010 1.8 TDCI (125) hesitation 30 Jan 2016 (Forum)
  The problem does feel like it is fuel related in some way, but as to what exactly I don't know, it would be easier if it happened everytime I drove it, but it doesn't. Has anyone got a clue as to what could be causing these symptoms? Any advice appreciated.
• Mitsubishi Carisma - Intermittent misfire/hesitation at low revs 7 Apr 2013 (Forum)
  I seem to be plauged with this type of fhe fault on older cars and never really found a solution. The only link between them is that I filled all them up at the same branded chain of supermarket petrol (not always same station).   Anything pleask ask because I will have missed something out.      
• 2002 Ford Focus TDCi 115 - Lumpy idle after injector recode 22 Mar 2013 (Forum)
  After the 30 seconds from starting, the car runs and performs perfectly. To note, I cleaned and blanked the egr a few months back, the fuel filter is changed every year (last in december) I use super (non supermarket) diesel, the cam sensor has already been changed and the glow plugs are only about a year old.   Anyone have any ideas????
• Honda Accord UK (2003 - 2008) - Scuba Diving - Don't use a Honda...... 5 Oct 2008 (Forum)
  I was thinking along the lines of a CR-V or similar but it may not save me that much in running costs.My local Honda agent is good but tends to put £1000 on the top of car supermarket price for similar vehicles. I do not have to buy at the moment as I can use the company car so I throw it open to you for suggestions. What would you do?
• Diesel variability 25 May 2006 (Forum)
  I've owned various petrol cars over the years, and not once noticed any difference in performance no matter what fuel I put in. Now I've got a diesel, it seems to make a huge difference. I tried BP Ultimate when I lived near an outlet, and it gave loads of extra power below 1600 rpm, and made the car pull much more strongly.
• Poor fuel quality Kent SE England? Vol 3 7 Mar 2007 (Forum)
  cheddar, you may have been confused about silicone by this earlier report http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6410511.stm Reports say silicone has been found in some of the affected cars' fuel. Tesco confirmed that it is testing for the substance, but previous analysis by the supermarket chain have failed to find any contamination. It is thought silicone may have found its way into a batch of petrol in transit by ship into the UK or in storage containers.
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  Skoda Yeti diesel performance after emissions fix 7 Dec 2016 (Ask HJ)
  Our Skoda Yeti 140PS diesel 4WD six-gear manual was tested on a dynamometer to provide the power and torque output graphs before and after the 'cheat'...
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  Why are cars technically uninsured if a window is left open for a dog or child? 21 Jan 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I recently renewed my car insurance with a reputable company. This time I took a closer look at the terms and exclusions, and was perturbed by the following...
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  Titfer tattle 4 Apr 2009 (Ask HJ)
  HJ’s HAT (Highly Approved Trader) Standard is a great idea, not before time. I would like to nominate Bird & Yates, which was a traditional very old BMC...
• Mr Average or in minority? 2 Jan 2010 (Forum)
  Used to do this very regularly as I find it very therapeutic, but just don't seem to have the inclination this last couple of "summers" I fill up with supermarket fuel and have never felt that I have missed out on the benefits of the extra 30p a gallon for the super duper version. I don't have snow tyres or 4x4 and I haven't got stuck once this year in this current weather - remember its abnormal, not normal this weather.
• Ford Mondeo IV (2007 - ) - 09 2.2TDCi engine problems 23 Oct 2009 (Forum)
  On the second visit, they told me the fan noise after switch off was the EGR valve, but couldn't explain the smoke. Have recently put a full tank of Shell V-Power into it, should it be a supermarket fuel issue with the EGR. As this engine isn't just limited to Mondeos, has anyone got any ideas on what to do next? Many thanks!
• SAAB - Carbon deposits and sensors 9-3 2001 2.2 TiD 3 Jan 2008 (Forum)
  Has anyone else got any suggestions as to what else they could look for as this sounds like more than the Saab main dealer was going to do for a third the price? Cheers, John p.s. Avoid supermarket fuel is the moral!