Refine by channel:  Forum (5074)    Ask HJ (1550)    News (284)    productReview (124)    Article (112)    FAQs (7)    Good Garages (4)  

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• 
  Does my Land Rover Freelander have a DPF? 4 Sep 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I keep hearing about the problems you get with diesel particulate filters if you make lots of short car journeys from cold. Can you tell me if the Land...
• 
  What problems can I expect when restarting my Renault Clio which has been stood for two years? 27 Aug 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I have a Renault Clio 172 which has been stood for two and a half years. Before it was parked up it had the head rebuilt and the cam belt done. it only...
• 
  Why is my SEAT Alhambra's alarm going off constantly? 17 Jul 2010 (Ask HJ)
  The alarm on my SEAT Alhambra keeps going off. I have disconnected the battery to hopefully reset the system, but to no avail. Help is needed urgently,...
• 
  Where do I get a radio code for my Vauxhall Astra? 16 Jul 2010 (Ask HJ)
  We recently had to disconnect our Vauxhall Astra's battery and the radio went off, unfortunately. When we looked in the logbook for the code we could not...
• 
  Can I get compensation from Renault after my Grand Scenic switched itself off? 22 Jun 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I bought a Renault Grand Scenic and, after 30 miles, it switched itself off (lost all electrics and power) on a roundabout at 20mph, and I had to try and...
• Citroen C3 (2002 - 2009) - 02 1.4 HDi driving us mad with random non starting 10 Feb 2010 (Forum)
  On the tow there I plugged my phone into the cig lighter to charge it - result one utterly scrambled phone which has never worked again. A few days ago, a new fault - the battery went flat overnight. Replaced it - new one went flat overnight. AA man found a 4amp current drain. But charged battery and it started fine. Electrical specialist has just found cause of drain - relay to injectors.
• Vauxhall Astra G Petrol (1998 - 2004) - 00 1.6 Engine goosed. 4 Feb 2010 (Forum)
  It froze up...he didn't check the coolant. I think he must have tried to tow start it, thinking it was just the starter clicking or battery flat. It seems certain the belt has slipped, because the valves are broken and some are embedded in the head and pistons.. I'm sure a conrod has gone as well. Engineer got the head off today. So, the rest of the car is mint, new tyres, battery , exhaust and he does really look after it .
• Nissan Micra (1992 - 2003) - 00 1.0 Strange Juddering 26 Jan 2010 (Forum)
  Hello, My sisters K11 Micra was originally struggling to start, and having confirmed the battery wasn't as fault (changed with another working battery), we narrowed down the fault to possibly be Spark Plugs, Distributor or Rotor arm. So we thought we would just swap it all over. Put it back together and it started on the button, we thought it was fixed.
• 
  Telling tails 14 Nov 2009 (Ask HJ)
  What cars are you now recommending with low tailgate level suitable to accommodate disability scooter, battery driven and automatic gear. A high seat position...
• BMW 3-Series E46 (1998 - 2005) - 02 2.0 Car not starting 7 Aug 2009 (Forum)
  When I got there with the car running he tested the battery with the meter and it read 14.5V, even after turning on air-con and headlights. Turned off the car to show him the problem but it started first time! All of a sudden the problem seemed to have gone.
• BMW 3-Series E46 (1998 - 2005) - 01 1.9 wont start - intermittently!!! 27 Jul 2009 (Forum)
  sometimes (maybe the 3rd or 10th time) the starter turns, and the car starts straight away (it doesnt hesitate to start, the starter doesnt have to run for any longer than usual) When this happened, i rolled it down the hill in second gear with the clutch down, with the key ignition turned on (2nd position), and tried to bump start it. That didnt work either!!! i was very suprised at this, if the battery or started was at fault - then bump starting should definitely work?? I had to call the breakdown man, because the car just wouldnt start. He came out, and tested the battery - which was fine, he told me to push and tried to bump start it as well, and it wouldnt work.
• Ford Mondeo II (1996 - 2000) - 00 2.5 Alternator problem - need advice ASAP 9 Jul 2009 (Forum)
  Hi guys, I'd really appreciate some quick advice with this, my alternator recently stopped charging so I put it in at my mate's garage and they replaced it with a new Bosch unit (think it was rated at 130A) When I got it back I noticed the car was mis-firing and also the lights were flickering even whilst driving (it used to do it at idle but stopped as soon as you revved it). My mate has now replaced the alternator with another new Bosch unit and also fitted a new battery (apparently they need a particular Lead Calcium battery and mine only had a cheapo one fitted). Despite that the lights are still flickering even when revving the car, the alternator is charging at 14.8V at idle and 15.11V when revving.
• Peugeot 306 (1993 - 2001) - 2000 1.4 cutting out problem 5 Dec 2008 (Forum)
  I park on a flat area at work and never had a problem when taking it out at lunchtimes or after work. I do however have a dodgy battery (completely de-charges after 2 days of no use). A friend said it could be to do with the internals of the battery being at an angle. Could this be my problem? My remote central locking has died recently too around the same time as this problem started happening.
• Peugeot 306 (1993 - 2001) - 2000 2.0HDi - Fuse keeps blowing 28 Sep 2008 (Forum)
  Jumped in the car a few days back and not sure if it was just a coincidence but shortly after plugging in my phone into the charger (connected to cigar lighter) I smelt something burning. Not long after the battery light came on and I thought I had blown the relay for the alternator. However, the electrics windows (front and back), rear wash wipe, clock/outside temperature do not work and the battery light is permanently on.
• astra dti loss of power steering 3 Jul 2007 (Forum)
  I left it there for the day with the intention of looking at it later in the day, but when i went back to it the next morning i started it up and all was fine again, no battery light and power steering back as normal. It was fine until this morning when it done the same again, but when i stopped it and started it again it was fine! To me this is a weird problem that i can't get my head round.
• Renault Scenic Petrol loss of electrics 13 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  Do peopel think it could be water ingress shorting something out (water seems to be coming out of plastic console housing only). Have done usual checks as to battery cables/battery connections/alternator connections etc and they also seem fine. Am flummoxed !!!!
• Vectra Alternator 25 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  I pulled all the cables and reconnected more carefully (not sure if I had them on wrong as I didn't check them as I pulled them). The fuses are all fine, the Vectra starts okay but cuts out when the jump lead is removed. The battery does charge because if I leave it 'jumping' for while the car will run on it's own for a few minutes until the charge runs out. The Battery warning light was on but flared and went out, it now does not light up at ignition.
• Audi A4 How Much Is It Worth? 15 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  Hi, would appreciate a rough valuation from you guys as to how much my audi a4 is worth as it's going to be sold as im no longer doing the mileage to justify it so have bought a bmw project instead. 1998 S Audi A4 1.9 TDi Base model 90bhp AHU Engine 119000 Miles FSH, mostly dealer then audi specialist 6 Months Tax, 12 Months Mot 18 inch RS4 Wheels, New Tyres All Round CD Player Blue/purple metalic paint grey cloth interior good condition, no marks stains, i don't smoke Work Done In Last 6 months New brake pads front and rear All tyres replaced new coolant temperature sensor new battery new drivers side cv boot service with new fuel, air, oil filters fitted Good condition all round, only advisories on mot were insecure battery, cracked windowscreen(new screen fitted), very slight play in drivers balljoint and theres a small trolley ding in drivers side rear door. only other downside is cambelt will be due at around 125k, and it will have an oil change done before sale as it's coming up to six months cheers chris
• VW Polo 1994 cutting out problem 10 Feb 2007 (Forum)
  I've heard that polo's and some other VW's are prone to this kind of problem. Does anyone have any suggestions, I've changed the spark plugs, alternator, and battery. Any help will be very helpful! Jen
• Audi A4 Avant - water leak in cabin 22 Jan 2006 (Forum)
  Have also found some damp on the front passenger seat. Yesterday we cleaned out the drains under the battery and behind the servo unit - the battery drain was clogged with mud and on clearing some water came out. Spent the day drying the car out with a portable heater and a dehumidifier. However, it rained overnight and the rear seat is damp again - seems to be spreading from the edge of the seat against the door?