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• French reputation for rust .... no more 12 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  Plenty of fine surface scratches, as the paint seems to mark just by looking at it, but not a single area of corrosion. Not even the rear passenger door and leading edge of the wheel arch, both of which were lightly creased and the top coat of paint cracked, when scraped against a post by the previous owner a number of years ago. Lifting the bonnet, and looking at the chassis member box sessions, even the vertical ends of the innerboard plates still have sound, solid, paint, with a crisp edge to the metal, despite not an ounce of wax in sight of this particular location.
• Update - new Yaris & the Learner Driver 5 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  Although, the new magazine that the DVLA give out when you pass your test has am IAM course for £75 (-£10 discount for under 25's until 31st December) and completing that sucessfully also leads to insurers' discounts I believe?
• Yet another Golf cutting out 19 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  If it stalls it always starts again immediately. The problem first came up earlier this year. My local mechanic tried replacing the ignition leads and distributor cap but this made no difference. Dealer also suggested it might be some kind of vacuum effect in the fuel tank caused by unvented non-standard VW petrol tank cap. I tried changing the cap and the problem went away for a few months before returning last week and this morning.
• Safety Recall - Honda Ignition Switch 29 Jul 2003 (Forum)
  Have also had tyres and wiper blades - that\'s all) Safety recall says: \"some vehicles were manufactured with ignition switches that can wear prematurely and this may lead to difficulty starting the car\" (well, I did have some difficulties, which I presumed were battery related, and having changed the battery no longer experience them - sometimes car had stood a while and only done a few miles, now it\'s used more frequently and on longer journeys) \"in some cases it is possible that the switch might fail and that your engine may stall without warning\" I\'m obviously going to get it booked in asap, don\'t think my car has any problems, but who knows.
• Tory party to review speed limits ... 1 Jul 2003 (Forum)
  I beleive motoring technology has moved forward a gret deal but so has traffic volume. The article also suggested that road side camera policy is likely to be reviewed leading to a reduction in the number of GATSO's. As we all know GATSO are just a form of stealth tax and do nothing to increase road safety. I also beleive that the road tax disc should be abolished and replaced by a supplimental levy on fuel, I beleive this would be more efficient and equitable, so the more you drive the more you pay.
• OMEGA HELL 5 May 2002 (Forum)
  I had I checked over by a local car trader who told me it was sound, but would also need the plug leads replaced. With this information I left the car to a mechanic, and entrusted him with the work. He seemed unsure how to do the work, as it involved removing the timing belt on the engine. To cut a long story short, which involved at least 40 phonecalls to him, and at least 8 temporary cover notes (costing 15pounds each) I finally took the car back.
• MG Sales - Isn't it odd? 9 Mar 2022 (Forum)
  “To that end we are introducing a number of initiatives that will control order intake and maximise our joint profitability in these unusual circumstances.” Describing the steps taken to prevent lead times extending further, Pigounakis added: “The first of these will be effective from 1st March at which point we will temporarily suspend our ability to place new orders for petrol engine cars.
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  Is my car insurance invalid on a non-essential journey? 9 Nov 2020 (Ask HJ)
  Is it true that my car insurance may be invalid on a non-essential journey during lockdown?
• Any - Real Fuel Saving at Low Cost 4 Sep 2020 (Forum)
  This result is perhaps surprising when you consider the total energy stored in a fully charged 70Ah 12 volt lead - acid battery is around 910 Watt.hours. Given that each bhp is roughly equivalent to 750 watts then the energy stored seems trivial compared with the 100 bhp (75Kw) engine but then when you look into it you will see that it may take as little as 16 bhp (12 Kw) to cruise at 60 mph and thus if the alternator has to provide little or no charge to the battery during the journey then maybe 1.8 Kwh less battery charging energy is demanded from the engine. 1.8/12 = 0.15 = 15% energy saving!
• Volkswagen Golf - '11 Golf MkVI DSG Petrol CAXA - timing chain/cam? 22 Jan 2020 (Forum)
  I'm getting a bit worried as I've been reading reviews* that talk about reports of timing chain & cam belt failures leading to massive engine damage. How likely are these problems on the engine & transmission I'm buying? I will be doing only 4-6K miles a year. Mostly short trips everyday. * See for instance reports from the review on Honest John:  https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/volkswagen/golf-vi-2009/good/ 26-5-2013: On 2009 Golf 1.4TSi 122, original chain failed at 43k, 2nd change failed at 50k.
• Collective help from forum - Old friend driving dilemma Poor driving, 18 Oct 2017 (Forum)
  About 15 years ago he suffered a severe bout of vomiting coughing on a channel crossing, after a heavy days drinking in Calais on a daay trip "with the boys". After this he had eyesight problems with visual field defects which lead to DVLA taking away his licince, which he accepted with grace. He then had a triple heart bypass and recovered well. Then about 5 years after his licence was removed he got a letter from DVLA saying that different requirements were now in place because of a change in european law, and to take an assessment at a centre  near Esher, being invited for a medical, a discussion, a period on a simulator and the a drive in a car on a closed circuit, subject to the first sections all being satisfactory.
• Ford Fiesta - Disappointing new models 23 Jul 2017 (Forum)
  I have just watched a video review of the new Ford Fiesta and the reviewer concluded that the Fiesta still leads the class for driver engagement.  Fine.  But since the old car was already the class leader, why did Ford have to replace a really quite stylish car with (in my view) a rather dull looking one?
• Ford Fiesta - ford fiesta 2001 overheat issues (yup another one) 19 Apr 2016 (Forum)
    the radiator fan doesnt seem to come on. -it mite not know to come on- 3 pipes are leading in/out of the radiator the bottom one is warm. the top one is roasting and squishy.  iv flushed the radiator twice the second time i did it properly and checked the top pipe from the radiator which seems to connect to the thermostat housing then overflow tank the water in the overflow tank is hot.
• overtaking competently, a lost art? 18 Apr 2016 (Forum)
  So, i've gone past Kingston Bagpuize on the dual carriageway and on the single carriage bends just after 2 cars come up behind me, the lead car jammed tight up behind me giving himself almost no field of vision and no acceleration room before committing to go by, always a sign that you have to keep an eye on them, just past the BP garage about 2 miles further on the left there is a slight right hand bend and then a 400 yd straight and another fast right hand bend.
• Ford Fiesta - Fatal, non-fault, crash 27 Feb 2015 (Forum)
  I've had my license for around 12 years, cover 25,000 miles a year and never had an accident until I was involved in a non-fault accident which lead to a fatality at the scene. What happened; I had stopped, and a motorbike had stopped behind me, the car behind us failed to stop (from 40mph in a 40mph zone) pushing the motorbike into the back of me.
• Volkswagen Golf - Help a young female buy a Golf please! 18 Jul 2013 (Forum)
  I wouldn't rule out a sports version if the price was right though! To be honest, I am baffled by choice, which often leads to me getting so frustrated about not being able to make a decision that I take the first thing that comes along. I would be eternally grateful to anyone who could recommend a model type around which I could base my purchase.
• E46 330D Touring 2001 - E46 330D Touring spluttered to a halt and now will 12 Apr 2013 (Forum)
  Hi new to all this forum stuff Have spent loads of time looking through posts trying to get to the bottom of my problem but not really finding the Answer so hope you dont mind me posting all the events that have lead me to where i am now. Bought a 2001 E46 while back with swirl flap damage and managed to lay my hands on a engine that we swapped over Christmas last year All went in well started up and has run well ever since until last Monday Suddenly whilst driving noticed managment light was on and went into limp mode then just spluttered to a halt and has refused to start since Had fault codes read with Snapon ethos and comes up with the same faults P1640 Internal Control Module (ROM/RAM) Error and P3505 glow plugs i know the glow plugs are not happy and had planned to change them in the near future but car had not had any starting problems even in all the cold weather Also i have changed Crank sensor cam sensor map sensor Air flow meter Fuel rail pressure sensor Low pressure pump is making 4 bar pressure according to the Snapon Ethos diagnostics but only give high pressure fuel reading as 35% now 35% of what im not sure would of been better in bar or PSI would have ment a lot more to me.
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  Why are price comparison sites offering expensive insurance quotes? 27 Oct 2012 (Ask HJ)
  We have an 18-year-old son who passed his test almost 18 months ago. Our insurance premium to put him on the policy for our Vauxhall Astra as a named driver...
• Classic cars,bikes older Outboards Chainsaws ETC - Ethanol in Fuel ( by EU Directive ) 11 Mar 2012 (Forum)
  Given the right climate, other crops, particularly sugar cane, are much better, which explains why Brazil leads the world in ethanol use. Since the 1970s, vehicles have been available that will run on 20 per cent alcohol and above. Yet ethanol is also a powerful solvent that, without a suitable additive, attacks many fuel system components including zinc and galvanised materials, brass, copper, aluminium, seals and hoses, cork, polyurethane and epoxy resins.
• Saab 9-3 2.0 T - Should I buy this car V5C missing section 9? 15 Jun 2011 (Forum)
  He does not have any bill of sale from his friend to prove how the car came into his possession. I understand section 9 is for sales to a motor trader, which leads me to conclude that the original registered keeper sold it to a motor trader - and the V5C has then been passed from owner to owner without anyone re-registering the car. He offered to sign section 8 as if he was the registered keeper - but this sounds potentially fraudulent.