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• Cam Belt Badly Fitted? Vaux Frontera 9 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  A couple of nights later I was out and accidentally left the lights on for a couple of hours, when I returned to the car the electrics were absolutely dead which was unusual as I've left them on all day before and it's been fine. Anyhow after a jump lead start I set off home but could hear a lot of screeching from the fan belt chain so took it back to the garage the next day and they tightened it up and the problem was solved. All was fine over the weekend, did about 120 miles of motorway driving no problems although occasionally I did hear what sounded as if the plastic cam belt cover was coming into contact with the chain so planned to go back and get it looked at when the garage opened after easter.
• Synthetic oil or not? 1 Jan 2005 (Forum)
  Thought this interesting article by a leading R&D Chemist would open some eyes. A word of caution ? You get what you pay for! Below is an article written by John Rowland, Silkolene/Fuchs Chief R & D Chemist for 40 years. Quote: Costs of synthetics vary considerably.
• Pug 406 - Exactly how bad are they? 22 Nov 2004 (Forum)
  From the car-by-car then: * Light Build: Guessing this means supermarket knocks on the doors etc? * Radiators failing after 3 years. + Coolant loss leading to overheating (same problem, or does the latter relate more to hoses?) * Rear discs & parking brake trouble after 3 years: From my reading here in the backroom, this seems to be that the parking brake dies if you stop on it, and also seen that discs warp (specifically if you hold the car on the foot brake when it's hot?).
• Complacent dealers! 28 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  This says to me that a lot of firms dealing in cars, new and used, must be making so much money that they have no need to go chasing after business. As someone who is self-employed I chase EVERY lead, whether or not it looks worthwhile at the outset. A valuable lesson for those in the motor trade I suggest. As for the eventual replacement? A friend of my son's specializes in nearly-new Mondeos he obtains at auction.
• Luddites of the world unite 23 Apr 2004 (Forum)
  Yes, let's remember the great days of motoring, but let's also remember carrying a can of WD in the car for when it rained on my Mini, drying the HT leads in a low oven, setting the timing in the street, people regularly bump-starting cars down the street, overheated cars in every traffic jam, decokes at 50,000 miles, a bit of grit in the carburettor stranding me in Stoke (very personal one, I admit).
• I am an idiot Legal advice... 5 Mar 2004 (Forum)
  We discussed this for a time, and he said 'I am sure that it's nothing major, and that it will be easily fixed'. Imagining new leads, plugs, rotor etc. would do the trick I was inclined to agree. Being carless, and time poor I took it off his hands for £900 which was certainly generous, but I knew that, and that's OK. Of course, the problem is related to using a litre of oil every 75 miles (see thread in 'Technical'); and is 99% certainly a replacement engine job which will of course cost more than the car is worth - I'm not going to be repairing it on Southwark Bridge, ND - although if I do, perhaps you'll come to help next time you pass!
• Advice needed - Smokey Escort TD. 4 Jan 2004 (Forum)
  They are taking it back in again tomorrow, but i am seriously considering asking for my money back. Can i do it. I have owned it for just over 6 weeks and they have had it for a month of that! Im lead to believe under the sale of goods act you have to give them a chance to fix it, then if its still not right you can get your money back?? Help i dont wanna be stuck with this car if its gonna turn out to be carp!
• Road Users Alliance 27 Sep 2002 (Forum)
  xml=/motoring/2002/09/20/emnrite21.xml&sSheet=/motoring/2002/09/20/ixmot.html -- FOE PRESS RELEASE NEW 'ROAD USERS' GROUP: ANOTHER CAMPAIGN FOR MORE ROADS 17 Sep 2002 Claims by a new road users organisation to "provide a voice for all road users" have been dismissed as absurd by leading transport and environment groups. The Road Users Alliance, which was launched today, will "highlight the importance of roads" . The Road Users’ Alliance (RUA) claims it will "provide a voice for all road-users – from motorists to horse-riders, cyclists to road hauliers, utility companies to pedestrians" .
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  The installation of a black box ruined my son's car - what should we do? 13 Nov 2017 (Ask HJ)
  My son bought a new Volkswagen Golf GTE in September for his commute to work. He changed his insurance to an RAC policy with compulsory Black Box. The...
• A Challenge to Essex Police 21 Apr 2002 (Forum)
  I have attached a long list of the ways that the existence of speed cameras can affect driver behaviour adversely. Will you accept that many, if not most or even all, of these factors can indeed lead to the results we are now seeing? 5/ "Essex Police casualty reduction manager Brian Ladd said: "While the increase in road deaths is extremely disappointing, the downward trend in injuries is encouraging. " To be kind to Mr.
• Mazda 3 - Engine check light codes 15 Jan 2024 (Forum)
  - - - - Any of the causes of the fault may put the ECU into a 'safe mode' for the air-fuel mix and lead to poor running or mpg and even possibly other faults if not fixed. Needless to say, the test drive (25 miles, 2x 12.5 mile trips within 2 hrs) did not register the fault again, and so I'm keeping an eye on it.
• MPG Petrol & Diesel Figures/Car Economics 17 Nov 2021 (Forum)
  Obviously years and mileage vary plus specs available. I’ll focus on the Golf figures, as it’s been the leading candidate, but thinking about others now. I’m a new driver with limited car experience, so apologies if basic questions. I should also add, I expect to drive at least 10000 miles a year, possibly up to 15,000.
• all makes - Antifreeze- Blue vs Orange/Red 8 Oct 2021 (Forum)
  Tolerances are much finer & as little as 0.6mm of scale can reduce heat transfer by 40% often leading to overheating of the engine. The design of a modern engine relies on the high performance inhibitor package in an OAT based antifreeze / coolant to keep the system clear of scale sludge and gelling, while maintaining the PH balance of the solution.
• Compact SUV Possibly Hybrid - Please Clue Me Up 13 Aug 2021 (Forum)
  At the time I wanted a brand new, first time car for two learner teenagers. I set my criteria and my thread here lead me to buy a 1l Toyota Yaris with a fairly basic speck. The car stayed in the family and since 2003 it's never let us down. I've just handed that over to someone else to carry on motoring, but I've been happy driving this as needs be.
• Cataract Surgery 23 Jul 2019 (Forum)
  Regarding the things that had been suggested: Lying when I read the chart was a definite non starter, this would possibly lead to the wrong lens being fitted if surgery was approved. Lying about the pin holes not improving vision would ensure I did not get cataract surgery since it proved that my vision loss would be macular degeneration linked which would mean surgery would not improve my vision and mean I did not meet the criteria.
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  Is it possible to get into a car without a key? 27 Mar 2018 (Ask HJ)
  My sister's car was broken into but undamaged. She said that thieves have a device to open any car without causing damage. Is this true?
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  My son's No Claims runs out soon - should we insure an old banger in his name to maintain his NCB? 31 Jul 2017 (Ask HJ)
  We run two cars: an Audi A5, UK insured for summer and a Nissan X-Trail, insured in France for winter. We share them both with our son, who lives in London...
• VW Passat - Scammed by (deleted) 15 Jun 2017 (Forum)
    I paid £2000 for a recon engine in my passat and regretted it badly, the car came back with endless problems which ultimately lead me to trade the thing in for a big loss on what i could have got for it because of all the fault lights up on the dash- DPF filter, glowpugs (engine management), i count myself lucky to have made it to the dealer without breaking down AGAIN!!
• Advice on a future used car purchase 31 Jan 2017 (Forum)
  I did consider buying another car last year, but after suffering 'paralysis through analysis' decided to stick with my 07 plate GTD Golf (no-dpf). Sadly the Golf's electrics/central locking is playing up and I'm concerned it may lead to a more serious, show stopping issue. I'm caught in two minds whether to buy something roughly 10 years old - petrol, FSH, maybe 1 owner, a brand/model thats generally considered reliable or go for something like a 3 year old Auris (maybe a Civic) and keep it until it dies - I've always kept my cars a long time, better the devil you know!
• 2003 1.8l Mondeo Estate, 144k miles - Ford Mondeo Mk3 Hesitates and Stutters during acce 23 Apr 2015 (Forum)
  Answer from the other web page below:  It could be the coil pack, they are incredibly sensitive to damage if the engine is turned over with a plug lead disconnected - they generate such a high voltage without a plug to limit it, that the internal insulation breaks down. It could also be a partial blockage in the fuel system, if changing the fuel filter disturbed some crud in the pipes.