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• Fiesta MK5 (2000) Sump? 11 Sep 2004 (Forum)
  I have recently bought a 2000 Fiesta Finesse Mk5 and looking underneath I notice a little bit of surface corrosion here and there, including on the front surface of the sump pan. Having had to replace a sump pan on my previous car (a '95 Rover 114), I am a little concerned, though this is probably not a problem right now. Should there be corrosion on a 4-year old sump? I know older Fiestas are/were prone to sump rust.
• Dealers! 6 Aug 2004 (Forum)
  I've been having some vibration on my car (4 year old BMW 330d), which started suddenly, along with a noticeable engine noise into the cabin. It was due in for a service anyway, so I asked the dealer to have a look - I suggested it might be an engine or gearbox mount.
• Fiat Punto flat battery 20 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  My son's Fiat Punto 1.2SX (1998) battery keeps going flat after a week or so if he doesn't use it, its a new battery as the old one exhibited the same problem and was 'tired' anyway. The alternator is charging OK, the car exhibits no other problems. I've checked for the usual things like interior/boot lights or radio left on.
• Towing an untaxed, uninsured vehicle. 23 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  The police tell me this is illegal and will invalidate the insurance on the tow-car as well. Therefore if I want to tow my old SIII Landy to a garage for repair work, prior to an MOT, can I just get a short term third party insurance cover and nothing else? Obviously I cannot get a tax disk prior to a successful MOT, and what if the garage where I'm having the repair work carried out is not an MOT centre?
• Alloy Wheel Refurbishment 11 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  Can anyone recommend a company for alloy wheel refurbishment in South London. My car is three years old with factory fit BMW alloys. I have a 3-4 pothole marks, one kerbing mark as well as some discolouration in the finish in places - (road salt corrossion?) I have tried the Wheelbrite number in the FAQ a few times but it seems to ring out and just go to a BT answering service.
• New City Rover 24 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  Well I have been driving the new CityRover for the last few days. My opinion of these, is they should rename them as (deleted) , I have never driven a car as bad as these, the gearbox winds just like the old \'CityMetro\', the suspension bottoms on bad ruts in the road at the front and the list goes on. If you thought the Perodua\'s and the Alto\'s are bad, then you\'re wrong.
• Is it best to reuse tyres? 18 Jan 2004 (Forum)
  I am having a replacement rear axle fitted to my car to solve uneven tyre wear and knocking noises. The dealer says I am ok to reuse the old tyres which have 2mm more wear on the outside. I am not sure if reusing the tyres would put a strain on the new axle, or if roadholding would be compromised by the uneven wear.
• High mileage corsa 13 Dec 2003 (Forum)
  I\'m thinking of buying a B class corsa (1997 P) it\'s one of the 16 valve models is 7 years old with one owner so I\'m assuming e\'s done a fair bit of motorway driving with it. The mileage is at 110k. Any thought onto how much life the vehicle has left? It\'ll be used as a school run/shopping car so not much mileage but alot of the obvious start stop strain.
• Meguilar's - any observations 5 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  This, the Gold version polish, sells in my local store for the equiv of £8.67 for about 300 ml vs good old-fashioned Turtle Wax which runs £2.47 equiv for the same amount. Both are US imported. The former claims to be the duck's guts but it's only wax after all and very expensive. I'm wondering whether I should treat my new car to it and if so what benefits can I expect, or just stick with the tried and true.
• Polo 1.4 or 1.9 18 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  One of our cars, a 16 year old VW Polo is coming to the end of its life. We need a replacement and like another Polo. This time we want a diesel but don't know whether the 1.4 TDi or the 1.9 TDi should be bought - secondhand.
• Private Reg Query 13 Sep 2003 (Forum)
  I am selling my car which has a private plate. Obviously I will remove this and (hopefully) replace it with the original reg as I still have the old no plates. Could anyone advise me of the cost to do this through the DVLA and if any/what forms need to be filled in.
• Primera aircon 18 Aug 2003 (Forum)
  Also, the aircon has lost much of its efficiency. Whereas 6 months ago it was icy cold, now it is barely cooler than the ambient air. The car is 6 years old, and I know that aircon systems lose gas over time, but this does not explain the dripping water or the fairly sudden drop off in performance. What could have caused this?
• Subaru Legacy - Owner Experience 8 Aug 2003 (Forum)
  Just read HJ CBC Breakdown on this model and, in theory, seems quite a good bet as a used 3 year old buy. The 4WD and low range would be useful for occasional towing plus estate car practicality. Do any of the BR community own one, or know of one, and if so what has their experience been. I'm mainly interested in fuel economy, handling, reliability and any horror story catastrophic failures of major components.
• drum brakes to disc brakes 19 Jul 2003 (Forum)
  Hi all, I have a vauxhall vectra hatchback. 97 (P) reg. As i am thinking of sticking a set of alloy wheels on the car, i would like to know if it's possible to change the drum brakes to disc brakes. Is it just a matter of takeing of the old & putting on the new. Or does it have 2B a complete axle change? If can just change from drum brakes to disc brakes, is it a very complicated job?
• Diesel fuel additives 12 Jul 2003 (Forum)
  I am taking delivery soon of a Skoda Octavia with the 130bhp tdi pd diesel engine fitted. I have used Millers Diesel Power Plus for many years in my 11 year old Passat. Skoda discourage use of fuel additives on the basis that engines are designed with modern fuels in mind. I would be grateful for your opinions on whether it would be a good thing to continue using this product in the new car, a waste of money or positively a bad move.
• Merc C Class spec 25 May 2003 (Forum)
  Imagine my surprise when making further enquiries to discover it had no air con. I'm amazed they were turning these cars out at 25k new in 1999 without a/c. Worse still, they want 12k for one now! Apparently a/c was always an option on the old shape C180
• Ford Escort 1.3 Endura-E Oil 12 May 2003 (Forum)
  I am a little confused as to which oil to use in my Ford Escort 1.3 Endura (1997). Handbook with car says 5/30 ford spec oil as does Haynes Manual, however Halfords application sheet gives oil as 10/40. As this is basically an old design engine I would of thought 10/40 or 15/40 would be the oil to use.
• Legal underage driving 21 Jan 2003 (Forum)
  i.e. someone under 17 could drive in a private field legally. If that is right, does it follow that for a private field, read large empty supermarket car park. Of course there are public liability issues because there would be no insurance, but I could take my 16 yr old son for a short legal lesson could I not? Anyone know the situation here? Thanks in advance
• Alloy Wheels - Pitting 26 Nov 2002 (Forum)
  Apologies for my ignorance on this issue but can anyone describe what is meant by alloy wheels pitting and what does it look like? I have an 18 month old car and on the surface of one of the front wheel rims there is a discoloured mark about the size of a 10p piece (I had assumed that this was perhaps due to a stone being deflected into the wheel when in motion.
• New Registration & Licensing Regulations 22 Nov 2002 (Forum)
  Covers change of ownership,trade licences (now available to car washers),S.O.R.D amongst other things. Of particular interest is Reg 11 on changing numbers.Will this kill the trade? DVD