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• Bargain Hunt 5 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  It's just coming up to 99k miles, so should be good for another 150-200k. Not that I'll have it that long. No malfunctions, no mayonnaise, good oil, starts first time from cold, plenty of life in the tyres which were on long enough to show even wear all round, history checks out, and the only rust I could find (believe me, I looked everywhere) was a tiny spot above the rim of the two headlamps.
• Mercedes CLK 270 CDI 2004 - Dealer Issues with a Faulty Car 3 May 2014 (Forum)
  3. Tyres fitted to the front where of a larger diameter then the rears (these have now been changed round) 4. One of the two tyres they fitted is heavily cracked on the inner rim and they are also of different brands. 5. Driver’s seat broken (the back rest twists under load) 6.
• Skoda Yeti - My Yeti(s) 25 Mar 2018 (Forum)
  After the remap it seemed sensible to take it outside the dealer network for servicing and I've found a knowledgeable indie, who now looks after the car. I've stuck with long-life servicing, but change the oil myself after 10k miles, using a Pela oil extractor.  I plan to get the cambelt / water pump changed at 4 years old and am currently investigating the costs involved in switching to 312 mm front brakes.
• 
  Of particulate interest 9 May 2009 (Ask HJ)
  I am sure that you are aware of he problem that exists with the DPF on diesel Zafiras. The Zafira in question (Elite 150 bhp) was bought brand new in May...
• Peugeot 508 Sw 2.0 HDi 16v - 508SW 2.0 HDi 16v Random Stalling at Idle. 27 May 2019 (Forum)
  My Vin is VF38ERHF8CL033315 I have bought the download tool with pp2000/diagbox checked. couple of codes store. Maybe some one can explain the last one. B1825: Oil level information fault. Level too low (now top up to max mark on dip stick was in-between min and max) B1418: Fault in status of seat belt fastening information for determining the presence of the driver.
• Mitsubishi Outlander-Could it be a failed DMF on? 24 May 2020 (Forum)
  It has done 106000mls, and has a a full service history, mixture of indies and Mitsubishi. I had the gearbox oil changed at as a precaution ~90k as I couldn't find any evidence of a change.This was done by the nearest Mitsubishi dealer, which has since gone out of business. Recently when the car is warm, it develops the following symptom:- At cruise, below 2000rpm, the engine speed gently surges by about 100-150rpm.
• Nissan Almera Tino - Suggestions for Automatic replacement 18 Feb 2018 (Forum)
  Hi Folks I have a 2001 Nissan Almera Tino (thats the MPV variant of an Almera hatchback for those that don't recognise it) 1.8 petrol manual gearbox and we have had it since 2004 (ex motability) and apart from a few early niggles and a crank sensor going recently its been remarkably dependable. Currently on 71,500 miles It gets an oil change and filter every year regardless of minimal miles covered and doesn't seem to be encountering the notorious "chcolate cam chain issue" that affected many of these cars, especially the 1.5 hatchbacks.
• 
  what are considered 'Reasonable' repairs on 1997 car 11 Dec 2011 (Ask HJ)
  I bought a second hand car (1997 Jeep Cherokee 2.5TD) from a dealer. When I bought it, there were leaks underneath which I had noted, and was assured...
• Vauxhall Zafira A - How long can an average petrol car run for? 24 Oct 2018 (Forum)
    And tbh I see it more risky to buy a car from a dealer that has mechanics that only work for the dealer, than to buy it from a garage that has a mechanic there that owns the place, and his dad also owned the place too and so passed his skills on and ultimately his name is on the line more than a faceless corporation), it's not really using oil differently, it always seems to use a lot of oil in the winter and then not so much in the summer (usually I have to top it up twice in the winter, but nothing in the summer - it's been like that since we got it so I guess that's just normal).
• Things we didn't ask for on cars 22 Sep 2009 (Forum)
  The DPF.....great idea, especially the regen cycle being so bad on many cars that it starts diluting the sump oil with Diesel. No problem I read just change it if the oil level rises too much...whaaat, we pay a lot of money for quality lubricants, with fancy ratings and don't worry if it gets diluted by half a litre or more of Diesel.
• Skoda Karoq 1.5tsi DSG - One year in 5 Nov 2023 (Forum)
  Two very minor problems when I first got it: 1. 12v sockets weren't working.  I changed what I thought was the fuse to no avail. 2.  One of the rear tyres had a (very) slow puncture.  One day whilst topping it up I noticed that it said 'inside' on the sidewall facing me.
• 
  Would a trickle charger be suitable for the battery on my Lexus hybrid? 22 Nov 2018 (Ask HJ)
  I have read several of your comments advocating a trickle charge for the battery. Would that be suitable for my Lexus hybrid? And if so what would you...
• 
  Can they cancel my warranty over a missed service? 19 Sep 2014 (Ask HJ)
  I bought a SEAT Leon (2010) from a car supermarket. The car was sold with an extended three year warrant, which cost £2300. When I collected the car the...
• Woe, Woe, Woe ! 18 Mar 2005 (Forum)
  Arrived p.m. to collect car and paid £310+ for additional work, full geometry realignment (tyres wearing unevenly), change auto transmission fluid and gearbox oils, fit reversing light. Next morning, in daylight, look at the lights. Body has been drilled but in wrong place and holes left raw. (Had to paint the holes myself.)
• Luddites of the world unite 23 Apr 2004 (Forum)
  Constantly having to work on it just keep the damned thing running. Now, I bet you could buy a MINI, change the oil every 5000 miles, never do ANYTHING else to it and it would go on for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of miles. I remember trips to the coast as a kid (early 1970s) when there would be a broken down car every few miles.
• Peugeot 206 hatchback (1998 - 2006) - 03 1.4 HDI poor fuel economy, how to identify prob 12 Dec 2009 (Forum)
  So my thoughts from the reading I have done so far are MAF sensor could be faulty, or maybe I have a problem with my turbo (the rattling sound). The power delivery seems fine as far as I know. Its due an oil change which I will be doing over the next couple of days. I have already fitted a new air filter from the service kit I bought and it hasn't made any difference. Something else I read were to do with electrovalves, and the EGR valve?
• Peugeot 205 record? 1 Nov 2000 (Forum)
  The latter was necessary after the originals nearly caught fire on the first event. Smoke and smell everywhere and no brakes: quite exciting really! Oil and filters have been changed every 6,000 miles and it certainly paid dividends. I stripped down the engine after 230,000 miles and the machine shop refused to believe me! There was minimal wear in either the bore or the valves.
• All makes and models - All cars are unreliable according to this site 11 Aug 2016 (Forum)
  I fancied something a little nicer than usual: BMW, Audi, VW etc, really don't want to be stuck with a boring old Focus. I’d decided on an Audi TT Mk2 2 litre petrol TFSI Auto, but then I read about the TFSI oil issues and broken timing chains and DSG gear box issues in abundance. Then I decided on a VW Golf 1.4 auto petrol TFSI, but read, on here, the same issues. Then I looked at a BMW 1 and 3 series, too many issues.
• Corsa CDTI 2004 - LOTS of Black smoke..... 13 Nov 2011 (Forum)
  Glow plug and times tested EGR was replaced 12 months ago when the light cam on in the car so isn't very old (less than 250 miles on it) i have removed this and inspected it (there was lots of loose carbon inside but apart that looked like new) Recent new head gasket (no oil in water or water in oil) Compression was checked and was 350psi on each pot (cold and dry) Valve timing, I checked this using the cam tool and a 6 mm drill which i put in the hole in the bottom of the gear box and they lined up fine.
• Please help me choose a diesel estate car 25 Feb 2013 (Forum)
    We also complained about the harsh shifting of the auto transmission. 1,000 Euro later, we have a new alternator, wiper motor, wiper control, and an "oil change" for the tranny.  They said you could not flush this transmission, so the change is the best they could do.  Aside from the tranny, the car was doing well.  But the transmission is still giving us problems.