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  Why is my Hyundai i10 so difficult to start? 25 Aug 2010 (Ask HJ)
  My Hyundai i10 is beginning to give me starting problems, intermittently. Its a March 2010 model with only 600 miles on the clock. I mainly do short runs...
• Jaguar S-Type - Mystery Engine Seizure 23 Aug 2010 (Forum)
  Subsequent efforts to start the car resulted in a very sluggish attempt to turn the engine, hence my initial thoughts that it was the battery which is five years old and in the car since I bought it. After attempts to jump start and purchase of a new battery I then believed the problem was the starter but the garage said no and after keeping the car for five days to 'investigate' has now told me he thinks the crankshaft is seized.
• 
  Thames tation 3 Oct 2009 (Ask HJ)
  My friends in Portugal have a 1959 Ford Thames van, engine/chassis number 715531. The van was taken to Portugal from Zimbabwe so it could be of South African...
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  Roving sigh 9 May 2009 (Ask HJ)
  I read your page in The Telegraph every Saturday and know that you do not favour very low mileage second-hand cars. There is the opportunity to purchase...
• Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - Should dealer repair faults? 27 Mar 2009 (Forum)
  Hi, I wonder if anyone can offer any advice on this: I test drove a used (2001) Ford Focus (Automatic) earlier this week, which was for sale at a local independent garage - it was advertised as having "remote central locking" on AutoTrader... When I test drove the car, the keyfob was missing a battery so the remote part of the central locking didn't work. It appeared to work fine when locking/opening the doors with the key though, so I presumed buying a new battery for the fob would suffice. After the test drive, I negotiated a price with the dealer and agreed to buy - without warranty.
• Citroen Saxo (1997 - 2003) - 00 1.2 ignition key stuck in barrel, citreon saxo 11 Feb 2009 (Forum)
  Hi, I've been driving my saxo for about 2-3 months never had any problems, today i arrived at work and the key wouldnt turn or come out, i took it to the local garage and they said they dont deal with this sort of job but give me a number of a guy that deals with locks/igntions, he is away on holiday so not much luck atm, i called the AA, stalled the car as i waited and he couldnt get it out either so he started it back up from the bonnet, thats when i went to the garage and they told me to try contact the guy above and told me to take it home, stall it and disconnect the wires under the sterring wheel so the batterys dont drain, the key is stuck in position 2 or whichiver , as the battery was still on. ive been told because its not in position 1 it is going to be hard to get it out, can anyone explain alittle further how and why it is harder and if theres anything i can resort to get it in position one or any ideas at all?
• Renewable Energy and Cars. feeble renewable... 25 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  No chance of a `green` pure electric car then, when all of the wind farms combined will not even be able to power the nations electric kettles. A disappointment (but no surprise looking into it) Regards and yes, I chose the 20 LED battery torch
• Basic auto electrical theory 22 Mar 2002 (Forum)
  This can > be verified repeatedly through empirical testing. For example, if one > places a copper bar across the terminals of a battery, prodigious > quantities of smoke are liberated and the battery shortly ceases to > function. In addition, if one observes smoke escaping from an electrical > component such as a Lucas voltage regulator, it will also be observed > that the component no longer functions.
• 2008 Ford Focus Mk2.5 Titanium 1.8 Duratec Petrol - 08 Ford Focus 1.8 Weird Revs/Idle No Codes But S 4 Sep 2020 (Forum)
  Managed to get home and take it to an independent. He changed the battery (was only pulling 5V) to a Bosch S4 one. Tested the Alternator wiring as far as he could up to the main loom and there are no breaks. The alternator's 3-pin plug is getting a signal to and from the ECU too apparently.
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  Is a first generation Honda Insight a good buy? 4 Sep 2019 (Ask HJ)
  What are your views on a 2001 Honda Insight? I am very keen on them for aesthetics and economy, cheap tax. Are there things I should ask the owner about?...
• Smart Forfour - Merc/smart failure to resolve. Please Advise. 10 Mar 2014 (Forum)
  When I spoke to .... your service team leader, he states that it needed a new battery and disputed my objection of being perfectly fit for duty and less than 2 years old. After charging over night he rang to say the battery was perfectly ok and there was no need to change it. (Even though he was originally insistent and wanting to charge £181.00).
• Peugeot 106 - Peugeot 106 - Preheating / cold starting problem 7 Dec 2010 (Forum)
    Now the cold weather has set in again and starting has become difficult without draining the battery so I thought I ought to do something about it! My question is regarding how to proceed on my diagnostic journey, thus far I have changed: the battery - no benefit the glow-plugs (albeit only the three I can) to beru ones - no change I have tested the voltage on the glow-plugs and they do indeed receive power (between 10 and 12 volts), unfortunately I do not have a heavy ammeter so cannot easily test the current.
• I am a recovery service, I am 12 Feb 2008 (Forum)
  It takes only a minute to realise that the jump leads that have been sitting in the AX boot for over a year are useless, dangerous even. The plastic insulation of one clip bubbles, melts on to the battery and then smokes vigorously. I return home for the jump leads from my car. While the AX is running at a brisk tickover, I look in the battery cells. The plates are scarcely damp. Even the manufacturer's sticker from 2004 is covering two of the cells so I doubt they have ever been topped up.
• BMW 523i E39 - What stopped my car?! 5 Feb 2024 (Forum)
  Car wouldn't start, seemed to be no power at pump. removed the relay in the boot and tried jumping + to gnd but no pump running. Took a feed direct from the battery to gnd on relay socket and pump ran no problem. Tried to start car with relay removed and ran for a few seconds till fuel ran out, Checked both relay fuses and no problem found. Plugged relay back in and car now runs like a dream.
• Ford fiesta. - Thoughts?low mileage, 2k in 2 years. Is this good? 4 Sep 2023 (Forum)
  I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on purchasing a 45k miles fiesta that has only done 2k in the last two years  I always buy low mileage but know under use can be as bad as overuse . Things I was going to check , battery, flat spots on tyres. , blocked water runs and rust - tail gate etc. , oil change regardless of mileage. Fluids in general.  I once bought a low mileages pristine sports car and the turbos blew within a week as the oil channels were blocked through lack of use.
• Any - Can 'jump starting' cause damage? If so, what? 14 Aug 2023 (Forum)
  Came across this comment in another thread..... ..... but as with full EV’s or any car for that matter 12v battery failure can stop proceedings for a very short spell and cost you a mighty £80-£150 or so to cure. Hardly a disaster, as long as you don’t try to jump start them, this can cause problems.....
• The EV cloak 14 Jul 2023 (Forum)
  ocid=msedgntp&cvid=168f36746ea34b92b8a92c1e72d0cce5&ei=44">Desperate electric car owners turn to thermal cloak to help boost battery range (msn.com)  Question is who is going to use it.  Fancy dressing and undressing your car in all weathers just to travel a few extra miles and where do you keep it or do you take it with you.
• Ford Focus mk2 2004 1.6 petrol - Flashing lights, juddering wipers, clicking relays 10 Nov 2022 (Forum)
  Started car again and drove a short distance with no problems, turned off and it was mayhem again. Have disconnected the battery and left it until the morning to have a closer look. Must be lots of Focus owners on here so any suggestions welcome. Thanks.    
• Honda - many models 2002 upwards - Clock Failure affects wide range of older Hondas 7 Jan 2022 (Forum)
  Started car and noted the clock was at the wrong time. First thoughts were a rechargeable battery in the Centre dashboard had failed. Googled "Honda CRV failing clock" only to find it was not just my car but Hondas & Acuras all over the world were having issues. The problem seems to be file systems somewhere in the world have exceeded the limits of the numbering limit in systems.
• Huawei car 6 Jan 2022 (Forum)
    ICE cars had so much different characteristics for engine, vibration, sound, handling etc. EVs are just boxes on wheels with motors. Some batteries are better than others. It is difficult to get excited over fridge or washing machines. EVs are turning cars into kitchen white goods. For phones nobody cares what model you have. All people care about operating system - whether you are Android or iOS camp because it is OS which affects overall user experience of the phone.