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• insurance renewal 31 Mar 2007 (Forum)
  Then I found the premium had been taken from my credit card - and now they are saying i have to prove the car was insured elsewhere. I was simply not using the car - it may suit some people to have their insurnace renewed automatically but not me. The complany is reviewing the case so i will find out soon what they will do. So, read your renewal notice carefully - this one said do nothing and we will renew and charge you!
• Stationary with foot on the brake pedal 20 Oct 2006 (Forum)
  In a similar vein to the lack of indication by selfish drivers, I am astonished by the amount of drivers that sit with their foot on the brake pedal when stationary at traffic lights, level crossings etc, usually dazzling the person behind if their car has LED type high level lights. I used to think it was confined to drivers of automatic cars but it's too widespread nowadays. Unfortunately I've even witnessed learners doing it in driving school cars so what hope is there if proper technique isn't even being taught these days?
• DSG:Multitronic 6 Aug 2006 (Forum)
  I am about to replace my Pug 406Hdi and have decided on VAG 2.0 tdi engine as it seems the only modern diesel which is not common rail. I would like an automatic but are faced with the above types, neither is the proven auto technology. I want a car that I can keep for years without major expense, hence not wanting another "common fail" Are these new auto boes reliable.
• 95 Mondeo 1.8 Zetec timing 23 Jan 2006 (Forum)
  This petrol Mondeo has an automatic gearbox. Due to persistent pinking not cured by various attempts by DIY, main dealer and independent (fuel filter, vacuum leak checks, new air mass meter, new EGR valve, new ECU! etc) the next step is going to be to check the timing.
• 1990 Audi 80s Auto Central Locking Failu 3 Dec 2005 (Forum)
  My Haynes Manual says if the bi pressure pump unit (located right hand side of boot) runs for 35 secs (which it did) an internal control unit will automatically turn it off. Does Anybody know how to get this system back up and running properly ? Is there anyway of swithing the bi-pressure pump back on ? The relevent fuse in the engine compartment is fine by the way.
• Ideas for first car? 1 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  Am about to start learning to drive and realise that it would probably be a good idea to get a car seeing as my parents only own automatics. What is a good car to get for around 2 - 3k? Wouldn't want it to be particularly old because I will probably drive to school (30 miles there and back) and around quite a lot so I want something reliable and solid.
• Peugeot 306 (2000/W) Windscreen Wipers 30 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  I have a 306 GTi6 that has the Automatic Rain Sensitive Wipers. These are now causing me no end of grief. About 95% of the time when the wipers return to the off/down position, they jerk up and down a few times by a good few inches. When in Auto mode, this is unbearable..
• Honda's reputation at stake? 3 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  In order to further my long-term policy of buying middle-aged Hondas, rather than younger ones, to save money that I can then hand over to the bank, the oil companies and the government as demanded, I am close to coughing up for a 1998 Prelude 2.2 vti automatic with sequential gear shift option. Rumour has it that this gearbox is a bit iffy, which surprises me because my other Honda autos have been excellent and fault-free. HJ mentions this in the car by car breakdown - anyone know how prevalent this problem is?
• No car tax,no SORN,last day of month!!!! 31 Mar 2005 (Forum)
  I have just realised it is the last day of the month and my untaxed off-road resto project has no SORN. The tax ran out 1 month ago, so I am in line for an automatic fine from tomorrow. Solution, rang 0870 240 0010 the DVLA number (difficult to get through to) and declared SORN over the phone. Helps if you have the car logbook as it asks for the number on the front.
• Clio auto gearbox jumping into 1st 21 Mar 2005 (Forum)
  It'll drive along fine and then change itself down into 1st gear. As this happens, the lights on the car go dim as if it's lost power and the automatic gearbox light on the dashboard lights up. The battery is obviously iffy as i had to jump start it twice last night just to get it home. Would a duff battery cause this problem? Would reduced electrical power tell the gearbox to change down into 1st?
• Instant Heat From VW 9 Mar 2005 (Forum)
  When setting off from stone cold in freezing conditions, with the airflow diverted manually to the fascia vents ,I get warm air within one minute. Not so noticeable when set on Automatic as most of the air goes into the footwell and windscreen. Do VWs indeed have some special feature? -- I wasna fu but just had plenty.
• Almera Tino auto central locking 25 Jan 2005 (Forum)
  If you remove key from ignition and exit the vehicle, leaving the vehicle unlocked, after 2 minutes (ish) the central locking activates and automatically locks all the doors. Nice safety feature - to a point. There is the danger of locking things in the car e.g. keys or kids. Does anyone know of any way of disabling this facility i.e. so that the vehicle will only lock with the remote or turning the key in the lock?
• Car warranties - worth it? 15 Dec 2004 (Forum)
  I've got a 6 year old Polo automatic which I bought this time last year. The warranty that I was sold with it is up for renewal and I'm trying to work out whether or not it's worth forking out a few hundred quid for a new one. My main worry is that the autobox will fail and I'll be left with a massive bill (that happened to me on my previous car and I was forced to sell it).
• Polo auto refuses to engage 4th gear 8 Dec 2004 (Forum)
  VW Polo Automatic(1999), 48K miles, full dealer history, always carefully driven (mostly motorway miles). Gearbox suddenly refuses to engage 4th gear, gears 1,2,3 are fine! Gets to 50mph at about 3500rpm in 3rd gear, I just kept it at that speed for my last journey!
• Nissan Almera 1.6SLX 3 Nov 2004 (Forum)
  Can any one help on this: a while back I asked some questions on the board to try to work out what car to get. We want an automatic but I dont want a particularly big car. We decided on a Nissan Almera. Now I'm thinking, how fuel efficient are these? We dont do a huge amount of driving, no more than 40 miles a week, what does the SLX mean?
• Traffic counters 20 Sep 2004 (Forum)
  Not important but one of those things I've wondered about. You know those automatic traffic counters the councils use, box at the side of the road, two rubber tubes across the road. Tyres crossing the tubes presumably cause some sort of counter to operate. When the tubes go all the way across the road, how do they sort out how many vehicles have gone in which direction, or don't they bother?
• Delaying tactics? 17 Sep 2004 (Forum)
  Surely, if a car has been suffering the same problems for some time and the dealer has failed to resolve them within the warranty period, why should not the warranty be automatically extended to cover any associated repairs undertaken until the fault is found/fixed?
• 94 Supra TT a good buy? 11 Aug 2004 (Forum)
  I have the opportunity of buying a uk spec Supra turbo automatic. The car is a 94 with 100k on the clock but has been maintained to a high standard by an enthusiast. Am I barking mad even considering such a car I really dont want to end up with a money pit. At present Im running a yaris for running to work and an 1100 virago for weekend blasts.
• BMW 323 - loud scraping noise at revs 23 Dec 2003 (Forum)
  I drive a 1997 323i Automatic. Recently, on returning from a 250 mile round trip i noticed a scraping noise coming from the front of the car. I assumed the under tray had come off and was dragging on the road; however this was not the case.
• Choke ? Vauxhall Astra (Expression) 1.4 25 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  I've just bought a Vauxhall Astra (Expression) 1.4 litre hatchback H reg. It has 120,000 miles on the clock. The engine runs really well. However... the automatic choke does not work. When starting the car I need to keep my foot on the accellerator until the engine warms up to stop the engine from cutting out. Has anyone experienced similar problems with the CHOKE not working on Vauxhall's Astra range?