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• Got a TomTom ONE; special offer this w/e 1 Jun 2006 (Forum)
  Not legal, not fun, but best of a bad set of options :( Then, to add the fun, here was a diversion, the signs for which abandoned me at another roundabout (they are big on roundabouts in thse parts), leading to a half hour of guessing my way around backroads with the help of my inadequate road atlas. Finally made it to my destination, and then got lost three times at 11pm trying to get out of Sheffield.
• "Medical" vans 25 Aug 2005 (Forum)
  The words "Urgent Medical" were written on the back door of the van, but in stylised sign writing which leads me to believe that this was some kind of private courier. Could this be right? I wondered what the legal status of these vans are. I don't believe that anyone has the right to drive in this manner on our roads, even with flashing blue lights.
• Zut Alors - 306 rain gutter rust 6 Jul 2005 (Forum)
  This face of the U is simply flush with the roof, and the other carries an inverted U section rubber seal that mates with the doors. The rain then gathers in the bottom of the U and runs to the A, B, or C pillar where it is lead away. The rust has extended down the entire height of the side of the U that is gripped by the rubber channel, and is but a millimetre or so from eating in to the roof itself (which is presumably much better protected with zinc etc so should rust more slowly if it rusts at all) So, what to do?
• Racing weights - Jense's close call 26 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  (It was actually exactly the finest tolerance certified) We thus learned the hard way that a wet weather kart was 1.2KG lighter than in dry race trim, and from them on carried a tobacco tin with lead melted inside to bolt on the back of the chassis (to help traction), whenever racing in the rain!
• Tyres (all makes) 24 Dec 2004 (Forum)
  He told me that the Perillies were designed specifically for the Jaguar (hence the J marking next to P6000 on the sidewall), and that they were different from other tyres as they had re-enforced sidewalls, on a car with a weight and power such as this, at motorway speeds the sidewalls start to deform slightly, leading to tramlining, which can be very dangerous. The cost of the whole incident was 2 (refurb alloys from our local specialist at 50 pounds a shot, since the tyres were almost new and 80 pounds each, and thus could be used as a spare instead of the space saver), and two new perilli 6000's from the tut tutting gent, who i must say has been fab.
• rover 216 cutting out & erratic idling 12 Dec 2004 (Forum)
  I am sure that if I take it back to the garage they will not be able to re-create the problem and may not find the cause. It has been suggested to me that it might be moisture getting into the HT leads. The car c1997 with 82k miles. Sorry for the long post. I look forward to your thoughts. cheers Andy
• 16 Volt Battery Problem 22 Oct 2004 (Forum)
  Put it back on a very low charge and slowly it crept up to 15.5 volts and still rising. Now I’ve fitted, tested, built charges, and used lead acids for 40 years and I can honestly say that I have never seen a normal battery go to that voltage unless it has been faulty or old, both implying a high internal resistance. This battery is not typical of a high internal resistance as disconnecting it only allows it to fall to 15.5 then it very slowly falls to 13.4.
• Labour rates top £150 per hour 19 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  Mazda has the lowest average labour bills of £44 followed by Nissan, Seat, Fiat and MG Rover on £46. Lexus leads the table with the most expensive average charge of £78 an hour, £1 more than Mercedes, £3 more than Jaguar and £5 more than Porsche. Although initiatives introduced by the European Commission last October were aimed at encouraging cheaper repair and servicing bills, Warranty Direct says labour rates at franchised dealers have increased 8% in the last year and 71% since 2000
• Cheap motoring 19 Jan 2003 (Forum)
  I can't recommend Steve enough. For those who want to know). Change of all fluids following full flushing etc, new plugs and leads, other ignition parts etc and then we will see how that goes. Should I go for a semi synth oil at the service? Its still on its original tyres so those have got to go. I am thinking of Michelin Energy tyres, I can get them at Costco, fitted for about £38.00 each (165*65*13), how does that sound?
• Alternator Problems?? 26 Jun 2002 (Forum)
  I have now brought the car back to my house to solve this problem, having driven 80miles (crrying a spare battery and jump leads), and it doesn't seem to bad, taking only 3-4 amps on the battery charger. Clearly something is wrong, but what? I am stuck on... cheers Neil T SEAT Leon TDi 150
• Ruined battery ? 12 Aug 2001 (Forum)
  I have an 'entertaining' '91 BX 16v which is currently burning a rather large hole in my pocket. Latest thing to go wrong is a reluctance to start - I've changed leads, dizzy cap and plugs and hoped that it would now burst into life at the merest hint of the key being turned in the ignition (as my old corolla used to), but to no avail - I still have to crank it for several seconds before it catches and finally explodes into action.
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  Cooling fan operation 6 Apr 2011 (Ask HJ)
  I've been driving my 405 GL since its manufacture. It is a model fitted with air-con. Five years ago I was forced to replace the entire engine. Since...
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  Is Volkswagen liable to fix my Polo? 27 Jun 2017 (Ask HJ)
  I purchased a Volkswagen Polo 1.2 new in May 2015 from a Volkswagen supplier and have had it regularly serviced with them. Early this year, after heavy...
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  Should the DVLA take away my old friends licence? 26 Dec 2016 (Ask HJ)
  I have an old friend, he is 73. About 15 years ago he had eyesight problems with visual field defects which lead to the DVLA taking away his licence, which...
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  Lots of problems/faults with a new Toyota Yaris, dealership unhelpful, unbiased advice needed please 8 Oct 2016 (Ask HJ)
  Hello Honest John, we bought a new (16) Toyota Yaris Design, to replace a 13yr old (03) Yaris T Spirit, through Drive the Deal, the process went perfectly,...
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  Ford Fiesta cutting out? 15 Sep 2015 (Ask HJ)
  My wife's Fiesta 1.6 Ghia (54) is cutting out while driving. The water pump and thermostat housing were replaced at the garage along with the timing belt...
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  Polo chain cam failure 27 Aug 2015 (Ask HJ)
  The Polo V (2009-) uses a cam chain which is now seeing more and more failures, and Volkswagen refuses to accept this is a quality problem, despite growing...
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  What maybe the fault when connecting the battery terminals wrong way round 8 Jan 2013 (Ask HJ)
  We have a 2002 Peugeot 307 Rapier. It had been running fine but finally a day came when it started showing up anti-pollution fault. We got it checked but...
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  Can I recommend that your readers fit in-car cameras in case of accidents? 2 Nov 2012 (Ask HJ)
  In two recent issues you invited recommendations of car camera systems that run on a “loop” and can record the build up to crashes. As a result of suffering...
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  Obsessed with smutt 21 Aug 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I understand you have recently written on the subject of DPFs. My particular experience of the current X-Trail diesel (and my ongoing quarrel with Nissan)...