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• Danger of long service intervals 5 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  The Lesson to pass on to all motorists is that oil will only be good for 15,000 if there is enough of it left in the engine - ie you still have to check the oil evry 2-3000 miles as modern engines do use oil, in fact are designed to I believe. Another probelm with 15,000 mile service intervals is that Disc brakes can needed servicing much earlier e.g if rears are sticking like on many cars or pads are worn Charles Fox South Croydon
• Ford Focus - DIY pad change - uh oh! 21 Oct 2005 (Forum)
  Secondly, can somebody run through what to do please? I don't mind getting my hands dirty and I could have a good stab at it but with it being brakes, I want to get it right! Lastly, what pads should I get and where from? I don't want cheapo ones and if the more expensive ones mean better stopping power then so be it. Would going to Ford be the best option or are there better places to buy better pads?
• Service History 12 Oct 2005 (Forum)
  However they never went back to the dealership for servicing and the service books remained unstamped. He did his own servicing - oil changes, brake pads, contact breakers, plugs etc etc. Parts all bought from the local motor factors (no Halfords in those days). Only jobs like decokes and new clutches were farmed out. Even when I got my first car in the late 80s (a 7 year old Capri) it had no paperwork other than the current MOT and reg document.
• Nissan Almera 1.5 SE W Reg 23,848 Miles 27 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  I had an expensive experience yesterday had my car in for full service and mot and it failed on the o/s/r brake caliper had seized not due to corrosion . The garage i used advised it was down to a component failure inside ! They were quite amazed as they seem to think a part like this should have lasted a lot longer .
• Ive Gone And Brought the E320!!! 19 Mar 2005 (Forum)
  A fully loaded Mercedes Benz E320 AvantGarde in Black, with nappa black leather ( soft as a babes bum), satnav, panaoramic roof with solar panels to run the a/c or heating when youre not in it, Bose auto change cd and 12 speakers, parktronic back and front, sports set up, massaging seats, auto boot opener, each seat with its own air con control (upgraded)auto boot opener and closer, rear window blind, full telephone kit, radar on the cruise control that applies the brakes when too close to the car in front!!! This car is fantastic, 6 months old ex demo with 7k on the clock, I cant wait to pick it up and Im as excited as hell. I know the extras are gonna hit the residual but you know what....
• Some advice please 17 Feb 2005 (Forum)
  On Monday my mother was using the Proton, and whist driving it, the car cut out on her (The same fault or similar problem as the pug's 207s) the total loss of engine power - so no brakes, etc... RAC has said that the car is now unfit and unsafe to drive, so it has been towed to another Proton Dealer in Notts this time to find the fault. HQ has been informed and trying to locate the fault.
• Lane Hogging on the M25 24 Dec 2004 (Forum)
  If you try to follow the Police advice and move into the left lane when it is clear ahead you rapidly come up behind a truck or other slow mover and then other drivers in the middle lane wont let you back out! Most of the time you end up braking and using far more fuel. I have tried staying in the middle lane but then you end up undertaking slower traffic in the fast lane. I think we should use the US system Find a lane and stick to it undertaking is legal and the whole system just works better!
• Dangerous is the new safe 31 Oct 2004 (Forum)
  Up to now, haven't all efforts on traffic planning been directed towards making the roads safer and easier for all to use? Will this new thinking spread to car design? Remove seatbelts and airbags, reduce braking efficiency by 50% and design steering mechanisms with an inbuilt wandering tendency and you have a more dangerous car. Naturally drivers will drive these death traps more cautiously, leading to fewer accidents!
• A/T tyres - Toyota Rav4 24 Sep 2004 (Forum)
  The current tyres are Bridgestone Dueler H/T 235/60/R16 100H, these do not grip well on these tracks (gravel, grass, wet etc)and slide even under braking at low speed (13k miles on the clock and plenty of tread left) I cannot find any A/T tyres in 235/60 so is it possible to fit 235/70/R 16 with a different speed rating? Would I need new rims, would it affect the performance on road i.e. make the car unstable, would it cause any other problems?
• galaxy no go 8 Sep 2004 (Forum)
  member of my family finally got round to getting rid of his galaxy tdi. its a 51 late, 64k, full service history, new engine mounts, clutch and brakes and tyres - the works. its the 1.9 hdi 90 lx - still has air con and elec windows. he even had side airbag option put on to it. placed it in the auto trader. anyhow, long story short - he told me today, he has only had 1 offer of someone who rang up and said 9 k without seeing it.
• Tailgating - to be bullied or not? 24 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  He was talking on his phone too, and even worse, had a little kid in the front seat with no seatbelt on. Pulling over to let him in would mean standing on the brakes to slow down enough to fit into a gap, and he was so close I really didn't think he'd be able to slow down in time. So I carried on, and eventuallly he undertook me, frightening the pants off a lorry driver, who almost went off the road.
• Ford Fiesta Encore 1.3L - over revving 15 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  This problem happens more often than not, occurring both during hard acceleration through the gears and braking from speed when approaching roundabouts. The over-revving engine can usually be brought back down to lower revs by tapping the accelerator. We had the opposite problem around 12 months ago - in this instance we had to buy a new ISCV (cleaning the old one didnt solve the problem).
• Toyota Avensis - Front Discs and Pads 25 May 2004 (Forum)
  His 1999 Avensis 5 dr SE Liftback has just been through its 27,000 mile service and the engineer (Toyota dealer from where he bought the car as new) has said that the front discs and pads are very badly worn and will need replacing within 6 months, cost £250. Prior to 1999, he ran a Carina for 8 years and the brakes never needed changing (the same garage serviced it regularly). A suggestion has been made by the mechanic that the problem is that his British built Avensis is made of inferior quality parts compared to the Japanese built Carina.
• Sourcing Special Tools VW Golf IV 23 Mar 2004 (Forum)
  Went into local VW Main Dealer last saturday morning and while purchasing normal service parts, asked to buy the Special Tool to change Rear Brake Pads. (Basically I imagine this to be a tube type peg spanner which engages with the piston, and winds it back in). Was taken aback when the Parts Sales person rather frostily said something like: "We have never been allowed by VW to order Special Tools for retail customers" There was no chance of negotiating this.
• Car door 'break-off' hinges 30 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  There were roadworks at the time, and a very long queue of stopped traffic. A careless ?person? threw open a nearside car door into the cycleway too late for my grandson to brake. He is small for his age, but the bike is a heavy, robust thing. He said that he hit the door, folding it forward, and breaking it off. He rode over part of it. I asked him if he stopped to complain, but he replied that he just carried on as he was late for school.
• Low Fuel Consumption 29 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  What could I do to improve the consumption? I bought a car from an Independant VW/Audi garage, who mainly deal second hand motors. Also, brakes squeak while driving at low speeds and when turning corners. Have taken it back to the dealer who has taken the wheel off, checked the pads and disks and found nothing wrong! Hope someone can help!!!
• Coincidence?? 3 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  Total journey distance about 20 miles and saw the sftermath of 4 accidents (luckily none serious) 1. Saxo in outer lane of a dual carriageway had braked for roundabout but gone straight on where road curved left onto roundabout onto central (raised) reservation damaging front of car. 2. Saxo had been rearended by a Metro at another roundabout so it went into a 406 in front - damage front and rear 3.
• Being a passenger in a badly driven car 14 May 2003 (Forum)
  I feel so unsafe in this situation but still say nothing.I often find my right foot pressing against the bulkhead when the driver leaves the braking a bit late ! Fortunately I dont often travel as a passenger but when I do its usually possible to tell within the first half mile whether the driver is good or not. Anyone feel the same ?
• Exchange of fluids! 18 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  I asked my Skoda dealers to carry out the 45,000 service last Monday and in addition requested they change the engine coolant, brake fluid and gearbox oil, plus the air and pollen filters. The charming lady receptionist point blank refused "Is no necessary" in her best English. My Spanish is not yet good enough to argue the point so there the matter rested.
• ABS - boon or liablity? 6 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  I can think of only less than 10 occasions where I locked the wheels up in situations where ABS MAY have helped (but which were controlled by cadence braking), which begs the question really is it really worth it? Does it make people drive as if they are invincible \"because I\'ve got ABS\" under the mis-apprehension that it shortens stopping distances markedly?