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• Engine oil burning comeback 9 Nov 2006 (Forum)
  Hi. I bought an Alfa147 1.6 Lusso from a 'reputable' car supermarket two months ago and in that time, over 1,000 miles, it has used 3 to 4 litres of oil. The garage could find no leak and no signs in the coolant, meaning its being burned through the engine.
• Jacksons of Basingstoke 6 Nov 2006 (Forum)
  The bodyshop place did a lovely job on putting Polo back together in 2002 and I have had nothing but old fashioned good service when I've been to the Skoda dealership to look at Fabias, even though I made it clear it was for a company car. They always seemed quite busy both in sales and service. The only bit that never seemed to work were the Fords in the Motorland section - that bit of the business always looked a bit shabby in my opinion.
• VW goodwill 23 Oct 2006 (Forum)
  My Golf 1.6 has packed up and the dealer diagnoses a new EGR valve and emap sensor. The car's done 48K and is 3 years 3 months old. They want £380 to put it right, and the parts are on back order so it will be at least a week before I get it back. Is it worth a goodwill claim? It's VW dealer serviced from new and only 3 months out of warranty.
• Quick diesels with auto?? 24 Aug 2006 (Forum)
  Can anyone here tell me if this kind of transmission is available on any of the cars that might fit my pocket? (Peugot 206 2.0 HDi, Punto Grande 1.9 Multijet etc. etc.)
• Fabia sdi Diesel 20 Jun 2006 (Forum)
  He said he had never seen that happen on a Fabia before but had on Octavias, also the new pedals are plastic. Which brings me to are plastic ones better? The car is 6 years old and I've had it for nearly half it's life.
• New AA advert 20 Apr 2006 (Forum)
  Can anyone explain why I should be impressed enough to join the AA when it apparently takes about 200 brightly-jacketed singing AA men (appearing on foot) to fix that old Toyota Previa? What does that say for their skill? Can't just a few of them turn up wearing rocket packs like the RAC? Not a tool box in sight. No patrol van to charge a dead battery or tow the car away.
• Rover 416 Thermostat 24 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  I have had to replace the thermostat in my 1995 rover 416 (Twin overhead cam, the new body shape). It's a damn fiddly job, and I have just about managed it, but when I separated the housing , the old thermostat fell out before I could check which way round it goes. Any ideas how I sould fit the new unit? Its on the right hand side of the car, and the unit has a cone shaped actuator on one side and a big spring on the other.
• Tom Tom Go....Urgent Request 27 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  A friend of mine is urgently wanting to obtain maps of USA (especially for Florida) to use on his Tom Tom Go when he uses a hire car over there shortly. Tom Tom have told him that the old version maps have been discontinued but that the new ones are not yet available! He has tried E-Bay without success. Can anyone come up with a solution other than the suggestion which I would make...ie...that he takes the sat-nav with him in the hope that he can purchase the necessary SD card states-side?
• Best cheaper tyres? 24 Jan 2005 (Forum)
  I am intending to sell my 5 year old BMW 5 Series privately in the near future. It will need 4 new tyres for the MOT and I've been quoted around £600 to replace the Continentals. However seeing as I am sellin the car it is unlikely this outlay will be reflected in the selling price so has anyone any experience/ideas of cheaper tyres with a relatively well known brand name.
• VW Transporter aerial 14 Oct 2004 (Forum)
  My main dealer, after 15 minutes on his parts computer, could not find it and tells me to contact a van specialist many miles away! Surely I can get a replacement aerial for a T4 without resorting to this? The main dealer (cars only)suggested getting a roof mounted aerial, but as it is a HiRoof model (as I pointed out)surely this would incur unnecessary cost. Any advice please, apart from the old coat hanger routine. thang you
• I have a question Volume 55 13 Oct 2004 (Forum)
  As I'm currently "between jobs" I don't want to spend more than I have to, so my plan is to drive from Luton into North London, park the car somewhere where there is reasonable free parking and then cycle the rest of the way. up to five miles of cycling is my limiit as I'm not as fit as I used ot be. So where is the best place to park that hasn't got resident parking restrictions, is outside the congestion zone and will be safe(ish) for my old Cavalier?
• Vectra rear suspension 28 Sep 2004 (Forum)
  Ive had the bearings and shocks changed but its still the same? Vauxhall said to fit gas shocks because the car is getting old? Sounds like a cop out? Any ideas what could be causing this? Ive heard about bushes and struts but am at a loss. Would be nice to hear from anyone who has had a similar problem. Thanks.
• Mazda MX-5 cam shaft drive belt 12 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  Is this purely a distance service item? My mark 2 MX-5 has done only 30k miles and is coming up to 6 years old. There appears to be some doubt as to whether a change is now necessary. As I understand it, any break would not do irrepairable damage to the engine, as it is a non-interference type (obviously the car would not be usable in this state, but could be repaired comparatively cheaply).
• Audi A3 Fuel Economy 29 Mar 2004 (Forum)
  I've done about 1400 miles in the A3 now, and all round its a very nice car, but the economy seems a little on the low side still, the only way to break 50mpg is to do less than 70mph at all times, whereas the Passat has no problem breaking 50mpg on a journey. Except the passat has the old 110 TDI and 5 Speed box, while the Audi is the new 2.0TDI.
• Cost of Scratch Repairs 5 Jan 2004 (Forum)
  My main concern is to get a repair that looks as good as new and which doesn't get marked down as "accident damage" when I come to sell the car in a few years time. Any advice or experience from others would be appreciated.
• Transporting a frail OAP 30 Dec 2003 (Forum)
  Has anyone had experience of driving a pretty frail elderley relative a long way? We had a death in the family a few days ago and we now face the need to get my 97 year old grandmother from Middlesborough to Liverpool for the funeral. Obviously I can drive her and my car is big and comfy, but a near three hour journey will be no picnic for her so I'd like to look at a private ambulance as she needs a wheelchair to get more than a few yards and may need nursing care at the Liverpool end.
• "stuff" in the coolant 25 Sep 2003 (Forum)
  This deposit does not float on the top of the water, so I think its unlikely to be oil. The blue coloured coolant water appears very clean, and also smells normal (antifreeze). The car is 7months old. I would normally just keep an eye on this, but Im off on Sun morn to Italy, so I`m a bit paranoid. Any ideas? TIA
• Focus Cambelt 16 Sep 2003 (Forum)
  The old cambelt question again! My 1999 1.8 Focus is nearing 40k miles/4 years which is about when I would change the cambelt on previous cars. However, I'm getting a big difference in opinion about when this should be done: Haynes Manual: 40k, 4 years (and change tensioner/pulleys) Local Mechanics: 100k, 10 years Ford dealer 'A': 60k, 5 Years Ford dealer 'B': 100k, 10 years I know its better to err on the side of caution but I would interested if anyone had a more accurate view!
• Battery Drain 3 Aug 2003 (Forum)
  Repeated the charge/test routine. The dropping off slowed down but it was still apparent. Battery isn't too old. All cells are OK with DI water. Fitted back to the car and checked the drain in series with the earth terminal (to earth strap). Showing 130 mA. Is that a problem?? Is the battery "duff"?
• Where can I get an aerial for Passat 21 Jul 2003 (Forum)
  Haven't got a clue how it happened. As far as I know it is not a seal so water ingress isn't a a problem (the cars only 18mths old). It just looks naff now. VW say that they will have to fit a whole new aerial £75 plus fitting which obviously I wish to avoid. I'm not even sure whether they would have to remove the roof lining to get at it!