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• Ford Mondeo 1.8 TD - Mondeo 1.8 TD Mk2 (99) - engine fans never come on 24 Apr 2011 (Forum)
    So far I've:   Checked the fans to make sure they're not stuck Checked all the 60A fuses in the PDU / Aux fuse box in the engine Checked the connections from the PDU to the fans are snug and not corroded/dirty Placed my hand on the large pipe leading to the top of the radiator- it's warm/hot. Had our local mechanic take a look- he found a wire for the A/C that had been chafing against something and taped it up, but no joy.   I gather I should unplug the sender from the thermostat and that should kick the fans on after a few seconds- do I find the t/stat on the front left-ish of the engine with the large hose going from it to the radiator?
• Motorway driving standards 26 Mar 2011 (Forum)
  I do about 30,000 miles a year and poor distance-keeping allied to incorrect lane use now seems to plague all two- and three-lane roads nationwide.  I'm convinced that it engenders frustration that leads directly to the many accidents and the consequent closures that blight such roads. What are the thoughts on this forum on how best to deal with it on an individual basis?  I had a session a while back with a really excellent advanced driving instructor, but while he was brilliant on how to cover A and B roads quickly and safely, he had no ready solution for motorways.
• Ford Fusion - Ford Fusion 1.4 TDCI EAC FAIL 18 Nov 2010 (Forum)
  The mechanic reckons because of the ecu's postion it could be something as simple as water getting into some of the cables/connections (it has ben very wet/cold lately), he cleaned and sprayed all the leads etc. I did think my redex top up about a week ago may have caused the blip, but the mechanic quickly discounted that. Apparently the ecu which i believe is where the ecm/pcm is housed can be sent off for testing and possibly repair.
• 
  I've found that my new Mercedes-Benz B-Class is ex-rental. Does this affect its value? 17 Aug 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I've just bought a Mercedes-Benz B-Class 180CDi SE, with 18,000 miles and 15 months old. The purchase was from a main Mercedes-Benz dealer and it is in...
• Ford Fiesta (2000 - 2002) - 01 1.3 Engine misfire/juddering whilst under load 28 Oct 2009 (Forum)
  I bought in January with 49000 miles and its now done 64500 miles so its done a few miles in quite a short time but its been serviced properly . Also I have replaced the usual suspects such as spark plugs, HT leads, Fuel Filter, Air Filter and they have all made slight improvements but overall the engine juddering which i presume is a misfire is still there. You can hear the engine tappets rattling but i have been advised that they wouldn't be the cause of the engine juddering/misfire and the problem lies elsewhere.
• Nissan Primera III (1999 - 2002) - 01 2.0 Fuel economy has nose dived - ideas? 18 Jan 2009 (Forum)
  Obviously sounds likely to be some kind of air leak in vacuum, egr or induction system but could this be causing the fuel consumption problem? It's due a full service of air, fuel filters, spark plugs, oil etc possibly HT leads and I will investigate the hissing noise. The distributor cap and rotor arm were replaced 6 months ago. Does anyone have any ideas of what is likely to be causing this problem given the information above, and better still how to test components?
• MOT Test - Another Tax ? 14 Dec 2008 (Forum)
  In an embarrassing move, the proposals have been scrapped after officials calculated that making MOTs compulsory only every two years - rather than annually at present - would lead to a "significant increase" in deaths and injuries on the road." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/3724567/Two-year-MOT-plan-scrapped.html Now isn't the bit about '"significant increase" in deaths and injuries on the road."' interesting.
• FIAT Punto (1994 - 1999) - 95 1.2 non-starter. 14 Aug 2008 (Forum)
  Anyway, if anyone can offer any advice to help me keep my punto on the road it would be most appreciated! These are the problems i have had leading up to the most recent breakdown: -Firstly, a few months ago the the engine started revving by itself. -Then, and slightly more serious, at completely random times the ignition warning light would come on which was followed half an hour or so later by the car ceasing to run.
• Peugeot 407 (2004 - ) - 2000 2.0 car missing,and very noisy.Keeps trying t 30 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  It almost stops but then picks up very quickly then splutters and just goes in the same cycle over and over.I am now thinking of possibly timing,spark plugs or leads? Also the other day i checked the oil and it was empty so i had just enough to bring it inside the lines...just enough.Sometimes if you are in neutral or you got the clutch down too long it'll stall so its getting quite dangerous.If it werent for the spluttery blowing i would be thinking of fuel coz that's how it feels.It seems like you just ran out and the engines only turning as its in gear and in motion then all of a sudden its like it just found a gallon or so.
• Skoda Octavia II (2004 - ) - Five weeks with the Octavia 6 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  and son is here for the weekend so will try his IPOD out in the Aux socket. No socket in the boot (Hatch) but cold box lead does reach through to the socket between the front seats. Power is always on at the lighter socket (unlike the Honda) and it is in an inconvenient place for the PDA based sat nav. Invested in a brodit clip and mounting bracket and routed a wire across to the fusebox behind the trim so the PDA mount is only powered on when the ignition is on and means I don't use the screen mount any more - much easier to do than I expected especially with a little help from Briskoda - also makes the screen easier to see in the sun of the Cote D'Azur.
• M'way middle lane hogs - reply 20 May 2008 (Forum)
  Keeping to the left is in the Highway Code, so people should know it and follow it anyway. 2. It would be unwise to have such a sign, as it would lead to 'driver information overload'. 3. Such signs could be dangerous, as they might distract drivers from more important and safety critical signs. 4. They do sometimes use VMS signs (are those those texty gantry things?)
• Mercedes Benz C-Class W202 (1993 - 2000) - insurance damage buy back what should i accept 28 Mar 2008 (Forum)
  They are suggesting it will be cheaper to write the car off than repair as if they get problems re cutting the roof and didn't look write post repair it would lead to prohibitive costs. To be honest i can live with the cosmetic damage rather than write it off as i work as a district nurse so its possible further cosmetics may accrue in time due to the areas i work in and around on duty.
• Isuzu D-Max Rodeo Denver (2003 - ) - Swedish dealer no better than English ones!! 18 Feb 2008 (Forum)
  It basically consists of a socket on the front bumper that you plug into the wall, then a cable from that to a small heater that goes in a core plug hole, and a lead from that through the bulkhead to a socket mounted in the passenger footwell, into which you plug a fan heater. The socket on the bumper was at a silly angle and only held on with a couple of self tappers through the plastic, so as you push the plug in, the screws pull through the plastic.
• Peugeot 306 (1993 - 2001) - 97 XSi Phase 1 has my head gasket gone? 16 Jan 2008 (Forum)
  Oh yeah, around a year ago, before any of this it blew a spark plug clean out of the top of the engine. Caused i think by a ht lead that wasn't connected properly. Had a compression tes done then and all ok. What do you think? has the head gasket gone?
• M reg 1.4 Clio high fuel consumption 15 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  now i had my mum myself my push bike in the car plus clothes but nothing adding up to more than 4 adult passangers. i run the tyres at a higher pressure on long motor way drives. we drove at around 70 mph the whole way and had a clear run no substantial stationary traffic luckily. we averaged around 55-60 mph. in the last year the car has had 4 new tyres, balance and tracking, a new cam belt, two new half shafts as there is a wobble which i can't work out what it is relates to the speedo, when i first got the car i replaced all disks pads shoes, filters, ht leads, it doesnt seem to be a binding brake. The car is serviced regularly with oil change at least every 5k miles. My question is what could cause such a large drop in fuel economy. i am losing nearly 100miles per tank?
• Bemused by Insurance Companies 17 Nov 2006 (Forum)
  I have just received my insurance renewal quote from a leading insurance company and I was fully expecting to have an increase due to the fact I've been a bad lad and got two speeding fines earlier this year. Two months ago I spoke to them about it as I was changing cars from an 11yr old 318is Coupe to 06 Focus 1.8 TCDI Zetec, at the time they said the speeding offences wouldn't be taken into account until renewal and my premium went up by £16.00 PA at the time.
• GM Pay your fuel bills 25 May 2006 (Forum)
  US average gasoline prices are close to $3 a gallon, prompting complaints from consumers and warnings it would lead to a spending slump. GM plans to cap petrol prices at $1.99 (£1.05) a gallon for buyers of certain 2006 and 2007 SUV and mid-size cars. Attention grabbing GM is looking at new ways of luring customers from Asian and domestic rivals after it said earlier this year that it would cut back on the amount of discounts and incentives it offered customers.
• fiat punto vs Mazda premacy dealers 13 May 2005 (Forum)
  Do these people not realise that we all live complicated lives. We have two border collies, one started life as a farm dog, cannot stand the lead, tongue goes black. Has to be taken into the country. no dogs allowed in courtesy cars. Have our grandson 20 months. i have an iso child car seat for the premacy. im fairly certain ka does not. A long letter of complaint is going to mazda on monday. my question, yes there is one.
• Peugeot 106 1.4 diesel water loss 24 Oct 2004 (Forum)
  We don't get steam out of the exhaust shortly after starting the engine nor do we get water in the oil (except the normal for short local journeys). It has got a bit worse over the 10 months but not catatrophically which leads me to think the worse and it's a crack not just the gasket. Can you think of anything else it might be before I take the cylinder head off, I'm desparately looking for any easier answer, not least because the cost of a replacement head is probably a repair too far.
• the joys of the small claims court 19 May 2004 (Forum)
  I have an expert report saying that the damage to the car\'s alternator, wiring etc. was likely caused by the incorrect use of a battery charger (i.e. the leads the wrong way round) and in their defence statement, they did state that a battery charger was used. They have ignored all my attempts to get a response out of them apart from one very abusive (a *lot* of swearing) telephone call to tell me where to go.