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• Clio 1.6 K7M Oil Leak ? 16 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  I have heard of HGF on this engine, IF it is the head gasket seeping oil then any views as to whether this inevitably leads to HGF ? Should I attend to it or just clean it up every couple of weeks ? Thanks.
• Lost locking wheelbolt key - 2004 Vectra 23 Jan 2007 (Forum)
  Put everything away EXCEPT for the alloy wheel lock key.I THINK I have left it on the wheel and drove off.Cannot find it anywhere.I AM fortunate that I do have the key number but strangely/convenviently the key itself is actually more expensive than a brand new FULL SET ????? The problem being that the lead time for delivery is between 7-14 days.My brakes need addressed now. My key number was 115.Is there anyone out there that would allow me to borrow their key to get my wheels off.I will pay all th eP P and will throw in the lock nuts,once off,as spares.For peace of mind, I want to replace them with a new set,I just need to get mine off 1st.
• Battery testing 21 Oct 2006 (Forum)
  This is my first post on this forum, petrol engines aren't my most fave. subject, rather have something with a diesel and don't have to bend my back or put on a ramp to work on - i.e. tractor, truck, excavator. Anyway what I am looking for is information specific to standard [Exide] lead plate batteries in particular the text book correct way of initially charging prior to selling to a customer and the correct way to diagnose a battery failure. Initial charge: From what I can gather first I need to fill the dry cells with 1.260 electrolyte [dil.
• Parts for Older Japanese cars 30 Jun 2006 (Forum)
  I currently have an old Toyota Corolla (1994), it is a UK car, have found it a real problem getting spares, even service items such as HT leads, drive-belts, from motor factors. They never have any items in stock, it always takes ages for them to lookup and find suppliers/equivalents, and the price is often only 5 % or 10% lower than genuine Toyota (who also take about 3 days to get stuff) and its always expensive....... so I usually end up at the main-dealer as it is less hassle and often quicker in the end.
• Vauxhall 14XE engine - a lemon? 10 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  To cap it all, the engine suffers from an intermittent and dramatic loss of power, almost stalls, accompanied by smell of burning then suddenly it's ok again. No sign of burnt components visible, have changed ht leads, plugs and cleaned all visible connections. Also removed and cleaned EGR valve (total devil of a job) but no fix. Very intermittent and occurs under all conditions; high or low engine speed, during warm up and when at normal temp, on long or short runs and low or high ambient temperatures.
• Breathing problem?! Golf Mk4 9 Feb 2006 (Forum)
  When I changed the Air filter I had a look around the engine area and check the new throttle body VW had fitted. I notice that the small pipe that comes from the throttle body pipe was completely squashed. It leads directly into the engine just below the oil filler cap. I inspected the oil cap and found it coated with a creamy substance. I took the car to another garage to get a battery check but this is going to take about 5 hours, the garage guy said the battery may be flat or faulty.
• Audi FSI - Thinking of a new one? 27 Jan 2006 (Forum)
  Also - Audi have stopped production with this type of engine BUT have kept the brand name due to image (So new vehicles maybe ok)!! IF you have one of these DO NOT ACCEPT high oil consumption as normal!!! It will lead to an overheat of the ignition coils, spark plugs, EGR valve and ultimately the exhaust valves!!! Second hand - avoid them totally as the cost for all the above AND a contaminated CAT would not be worth the hassle!!!
• Main dealer - is this ethical? (prize!!) 3 Dec 2005 (Forum)
  The fact that they just removed it and didn't bother putting a new one in, nor did they tell me what they had done leads me to wonder whether this is ethical. I mean, if it didn't serve a purpose, then the manufacturer wouldn't bother fitting them would they? * XXX I've not disclosed the make or model because I don't want to prejudice any responses!
• Peugeot 306 transmission failure 8 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  Spinning the left wheel never makes the right wheel move. However the fact it fails when turning a corner leads me to think its more likely to be an outer CV joint or the differential? Now if the problem is with the diff or gearbox the car will probably be scrapped. If its likely to be a CV joint an exchange driveshaft assembly is £27 from GSF.
• how to get a refund due to dodgy car 3 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  Car nearly lost grip on back end at 35mph round a bend. Furthermore, driving at JUST 40mph down country lanes leads to a feeling of the front bobbing up and down, and you do not feel that the car is planted to the road at all. Incidentally, I took my 160 quid ebay banger with 200k miles down the same route 2 weeks back, and it stuck to the road like glue even at 65mph down the lanes.
• BMW 528 exhaust / cat hot tick problem 8 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  They have a shield on each cat which seems to be a different metal to the exhaust, they are welded to the exhaust on the leading edge, but not at the back of the shield. They also seem to have some packing material inside the shield which can be seen through some holes in the shield intended to let heat escape. I've recently put the car through the MOT and there were no problems in the emissions testing, so I assume the cat's are all in order.
• Ford Fiesta MK4 12 Jun 2005 (Forum)
  The plug it should connect to is still there and connected to a wire that runs under the carpet towards the front of the car. The bare wires are black/white & purple/white and the wires that lead off towards the front of the car are orange/purple & black/red. Problem is, i don't know which wire joins which so if anyone has a Mk4 Fiesta and wouldn't mind helping out, can you please have a look at the wiring underneath the trim between the front passenger seat and the door sill and let me know which of the above wires joins which?
• Renault's insane design 12 May 2005 (Forum)
  I have discovered that the crank has excess endfloat (presumably due to thrust bearing wear - at only 60k miles) - someone else can break that news! The slight missing seems most likely due to the car needing new plugs and possibly also HT leads. Snag is that the rear plugs look almost impossible to reach. I thought there must be a 'trick' to get to them so 'phoned a mate who has dealt with these cars before. No trick - the whole inlet manifold has to come off to change the plugs (and you need the dexterity of a circus monkey) - book time is 3.5 hours!
• New engine - who pays? 13 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  The main dealer to which it was towed (*not* the servicing dealer) has delivered its verdict. The radiator had apparently corroded to such a degree that the cooling was impeded leading to terminal overheating. They say his warranty does not cover this, the engine is wrecked and would he mind stumping up the multi-thousands required to replace it? Today, he is due to visit the servicing dealer for a cozy chat.
• Astra diesel (Isuzu) cold starting probs 19 Dec 2004 (Forum)
  So, after searching on here I found out that it was very common on higher mileage (mines is 144k) Isuzu engine TD Astras that the valve clearances go out, and that this leads to poor compression when cold. When things heat up, things expand and the gaps are filled, so all is fine and it runs OK. The solution is to have the tappets adjusted and maybe shims put in - careful though as costs for this vary wildly.
• Did he really think this through? 26 Aug 2004 (Forum)
  It is a well known fact that people drive more dangerously when they are stressed so causing people stress will just lead to more incidents of dangerous driving. I also find it ironic as just as they are finally sorting out the A500 around Stoke so it doesn't have a couple of useless roundabouts in the middle and instead passes over a flyover; the mayor wants to discourage people from using it.
• Renault To Go 10 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  They are in fact cars and vans owned by Renault and have been used as management or press demonstration vehicles by Renault UK, or they are cars and vans that have been used on short term contracts with some of the countries leading rental companies. Either way, we know the full history, we can validate the mileage, we can vouch for the quality and, as a result, we can guarantee that what we are selling you is the very best nearly new car or van.
• Daily annoyance 2 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  As there is usually a steady stream of traffic passing in the opposite direction, it is very rare to be able to make a right turn without being positioned in the middle of the junction and without the assistance of the filter. In a worse case scenario, I've missed three consecutive opportunities to turn as the lead vehicle isn't dealing with the junction properly. Am I expecting too much common sense or does that not come into play on the roads these days?! I can't find any reference to this particular scenario in the Highway Code - not that anyone would take note of it anyway!
• messing about with engine air intake 21 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  However when the air is cold, it sounds like a tractor engine, and is as smooth as an elephant?s backside. This lead me to think whether if I `heated? the air, or at least part of it, going to the engine I could make the engine perform better. I can do this easily by adding a bleed from the hot air blower to the air intake just before the air filter.
• New Speed Limits 21 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  Their own tests showed a modern Mondeo was able to stop 22 metres shorter than a 1960s Cortina. Thie suggestion is that we follow France\'s lead and have an 80mph limit in dry, clear conditions, dropping to 65mph in rain, ice or fog. All sounds like common sense to me. I\'ve said in a number of threads that the measures traffic planners use to slow people down in the urban environment are becoming so complex that they\'re almost self-defeating (too much signage, furniture and baffling traffic calming).