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• 306 XSi stiff clutch? 12 Sep 2003 (Forum)
  Drove our 306 for the first time in a while yesterday (my wife drives it most of the time), and thought the clutch seemed heavier than i remembered. Not sure if it was just because i was used to the lighter clutch on my car, but SWMBO also commented on it, saying she thought it was getting slightly heavier. Reading the car-by-car breakdown, it comments on the clutch cable being susceptible to drying out, which might cause this.
• Advice to a young driver 24 Oct 2001 (Forum)
  I would like to change the oil and filter but do not know which oil and which grade to choose. Honest John states in the Car by Car Breakdown that the E30 is a "prime candidate for fully synthetic oil (engine won't last forever without it)". I would like to strike the right balance between cheap motoring and keeping the car in as good a condition as possible.
• Any - 36 month warranty for buying online 28 Dec 2020 (Forum)
  "Quote from an advert" As an incentive to purchase on-line and to give you added protection and confidence, we are including 36 months comprehensive warranty and 12 months breakdown cover free of charge for all purchases (with exception of TVR, Bentley and Aston Martin) made during lockdown.   I have found this particular dealer to be very good and fair in the past, but is this a first for used car sales.
• peugeot 406 - timing belt snapped 26 Mar 2010 (Forum)
  hi, my 1999 t reg 406 dt, timing belt has snapped whilst driving at town speed. i would like to know if the valves etc would be knackered.   the breakdown guy said i maybe lucky as he new someone with same type car which had dish/dome pistons which saved the day and all that was required was new belt.   someone else said dome pistons on this car is highly unlikely and that new head gasket would be required.
• Another query in the Florida driving section 1 Sep 2009 (Forum)
  Ok We are due to pick up our car from MCO on saturday afternoon thier time and we have taken out the top insurance whih is platinum...car company usa rentacar for budget rentacar. Now in the past they have tried to force us into additional insurance for breakdown or assistance in replacing a tyre after a flat.
• And the survey says.... 23 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  Auto Express had releases a few comments about their Driver Power 2006 survey (lots in the magazine I'm sure) www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/65609/driver_power_2006_the_results.html Just a few things that most of us already know (and some of us act on when selecting a car): 11 of the 12 most reliable cars are Japanese nine of the 11 models suffering from the most mechanical breakdowns are from French and Italian marques, most unreliable is the Peugeot 307. Lexus is best manufacturer but Honda has 3 out of the 4 most reliable models.
• Online tecnical bulletins: MB 104 3.2 15 Dec 2004 (Forum)
  Anyone with an MB 104 engine of 3.2 litres may be interested in http://www.alldata.com/TSB/35/95359221.html 18_045 NOV 95 Oil - Engine Oil Capacity Reduced which apparently specifies a reduction of oil capacity from 7.5 litres (as per handbook) to 7 litres to avoid problems with oil seals and leaks. Perhaps this eases or eliminates the 100k head-gasket problem reported by HJ in the Car-by-Car Breakdown.
• Distributor cap protection? 8 Jan 2004 (Forum)
  It's so old now (the car not the Girlf) that I doubt I'll find one. The bloke in the local car parts place gave me a rubber glove of the type surgeons and customs officers wear - any good? Any views welcome.
• Best 5 grand diesel estate? 19 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  Considering a Focus, but slightly put off by the no doubt older diesel engine I'd get for my £5000, as well as the many 'what to look out fors' as listed in HJ's car-by-car breakdown. The Mk4 Golf was initially considered also, but I'm of the opinion that it's not as good as it should be? Any suggestions?
• Second hand CRX 26 Nov 2001 (Forum)
  Does anyone else have any suggestions for alternative options, or experiences with the car? Thanks, Lee I suggested a Xantia Activa, but she's having none of it, I just don't understand.... * HJ says in the breakdown that there's not much to worry about with the CRX save ABS & discs.
• Renault Laguna Auto 4 Jul 2001 (Forum)
  Running it later when cold, it's doing the same thing. I've obviously a serious problem. Honest John's Car-by-Car breakdown gave me no comfort with it's diagnosis of problems with these autos. Before I shell out several hundred for a rebuild, has anyone suffered the same fault? Was it electrical or the valve block seal as Honest John suggests?
• Audi any..... - Modern Audis 28 Aug 2012 (Forum)
  Does the 0000 on the badge stand for the thousands it cost to repair them when out of warranty? I know of 3 people who all have audis under 2 years old and have all suffered breakdowns and replacement of major components, I thought they were meant to be reliable! I know the people in question have had their cars repaired under warranty but IF they were out of the warranty period the bills would be very large.
• SEAT Cordoba (2003 - ) - 1.4 tdi (70ch) - Any opinions ? 10 Jan 2008 (Forum)
  A friend has just bought one of these. She doesn't know anything about cars - she just wanted a new red one. She got an excellent deal financially (i think) - took along her mother, hand-bag in hand, after having done internet research. I've read CBC breakdown, but wanted to ask opinions from any owners.
• getting up to speed on the hard shoulder 7 Nov 2007 (Forum)
  twice in the last few days I've encountered cars joining the motorway from the hard shoulder (after a breakdown or wheel change or ???) and they've moved straight onto lane 1 from rest. The consequential hard braking and swerving from traffic already travelling at speed luckily did not result in any crashes.
• Corrado or 306XSi 15 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  He wants to spend up to about £3k, doesn't do a huge mileage. He wants good handling (used to love my Alfasud Sprint) MPG not very important, car will be used mainly at weekends. He probably does not want the VR6 (which would be my choice). We've looked at HJ's CBC breakdown so know some of the potential pitfalls of both. However, we'd like some first hand comments, recommendations, warnings etc.
• xantia td - cars, scrappies and ownership? 12 Mar 2013 (Forum)
  Hi, My car broke down, aux belt went again. I descided it was not worth fixing the car. the breakdown guy said that they tooks cars for recycling. They took the car. The guy from the company phoned me today, talked V5 and exchange of docs. however there was no mention of its scrap value!
• Any - An example of new-car depreciation 30 Aug 2019 (Forum)
  My son (22) has just changed cars, he's been saving hard for years to treat himself.  He bought a manufacturer-approved used model, registered 1st September 2018 with 13K miles, balance of manufacturer's warranty remaining, free roadside / breakdown cover for the duration of the warranty etc.
• Volkswagen Passat - Injector Fault 2 Jun 2011 (Forum)
  Hi, I bought used vw passat 2005 2.0 tdi car from a vw dealer in london in february 2011. Before I took delivery they did full service to the car. With the car dealer also gave me 1 year breakdown cover and warranty for free. Two weeks before my front vw logo/badge came out and fallen somewhere. so I called my vw dealer to fix it.
• Old Models on Manuf Websites 8 Oct 2007 (Forum)
  It is said that for every new carsold there are 4/5 2nd hand cars sold. I realsie that HJs site has a car-by-car breakdown for cars stretching back 15 years but it is not the same as Manf Car Sites. Look up most manufacturer sites and you will see the 2007 models have been updated with the 2008 specs/models.
• Merc 280TE W123 4 Oct 2004 (Forum)
  Am tempted by a 1984 Merc 280TE which has full MBSH up to 70000km and has been maintained by an enthusiast for the next 50000km with mot records. I have not seen the car but the owner seems to be frank and honest about his descriotion, i.e. some paint touch up below par at but mechanically the car is perfect with blue leather. Asking around 3500 pounds. 1: Other than what is in the car by car breakdown, is there anything else to look out for ?