Refine by channel:  Ask HJ (4850)    Forum (3079)    News (1169)    Article (23)    FAQs (16)    Good Garages (7)  

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• Ford Fiesta (1995 - 1999) - 97 1.3 Endura A - fitting an auxiliary belt 3 Sep 2008 (Forum)
  I don't know the routing of the belt as it snapped when I was driving, and every route I try ends up leaving a fair amount of slack. Plus I can't tell whether it has a automatic tensioner or you use the alternator. any help with the routing would be much appreciated.
• Dazzled by Mitsubishi 11 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  Each unit comprised approximately 23 LEDs and when held up at traffic lights etc. they were exceptionally bright when the brakes were being applied and as this was an automatic it was very uncomfortable being the car immediately being said vehicle. Surely there should be regs. limiting the amount of brightness emanating from this type of assembly - they should be attenuated during the hours of darkness.
• Audi A4 (1995 - 2000) - 1997 1.6 cuts out on cold start 23 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  Any idea what's causing the issues on cold start? {No need to repeat what you've already selected from the drop down menus as this automatically gets included within the subject header}
• Vauxhall Astra G Diesel (1998 - 2004) - 99 1.7 Injection Pump re-programme 19 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  it would need as it has the older engine. Cheers {No need to repeat what you've already selected from the drop down menus as this automatically gets included within the subject header}
• Volkswagen Golf V estate (2007 - ) - Any reason to NOT buy? 4 Feb 2008 (Forum)
  The following have been test driven and EXCLUDED: Passat (too large), Touran (too wide), Volvo V50 (just didn't feel right). Car must have automatic, park sensors, folding door mirrors, at least 2 litre engine. I suggested Skoda Octavia Estate which they have yet to investigate. I welcome comments.
• Volkswagen Polo IV (2002-2005) - 04 1.4 auto, service interval display 5 Jan 2008 (Forum)
  my wife's 1.4 polo automatic 04 has started pinging every time the ignition is turned on. we've had the car for 6 months & i do all the servicing myself when it pings a spanner symbol appears next the trip mileage display i've tried resetting it manually following the owners manual to no avail it says i should go to a main agent!
• A6 Avant vs Freelander 12 Nov 2007 (Forum)
  I'm looking at new cars. My self-imposed brief is a) CO2 < 225, ie not in top VED band, b) automatic, c) 4-wheel drive, d) must be good ON-road, OFF-road irrelevant, e)medium/large estate, f) image totally irrelevant. So far I've got Audi A6 Avant SE 2.7TDi Quattro Tiptronic and Land-Rover Freelander 2.2Td4 SE Auto on the shortlist.
• Ford - W reg mondeo auto 2.0 petrol estate 12 Oct 2007 (Forum)
  hi all. im possibly going to buy a w reg 2.0ltr petrol automatic estate mondeo. 80 k, fsh, 2 owners. it is the first time i will have bought an auto, is there anything i should know about the model itself ? what should i look out for regarding the auto box?.
• BMW 520i - Mechanic in East London? 22 Mar 2007 (Forum)
  I live in E14 and any BMW specialists I've found listed are at least an hours drive away! Also I understand that for automatic transmissions I need to get the the auto fluid changed by a transmission specialist since it's a "sealed for life" transmission. Does anyone have any recommendations? Ideally I'm looking for a small garage who specialise in BMW's and who don't charge ridiculous rates... any advice would be greatly appreciated!
• when to do Proton Persona timing belt? 24 Nov 2006 (Forum)
  Today we bought from a Proton main dealer a 1998 R Proton Persona 1.6 automatic for my mam, its done 45000 miles and has full main dealer history (only cost £655 too), but i was wondering when we should change the timing belt?. The handbook says 54000 miles but the guide in the 'car by car breakdown' section of this wonderful website says regular changes are needed, so i dont know if i should wait until 54000 miles or not.
• Speed limiters on all cars 13 Sep 2006 (Forum)
  What a cracking idea - linked to GPS technology to automatically reduce the speed of the car to the immediate prevailing limit. Advantages: lower fuel consumption less points on licenses probably less accidents/road deaths less chance of being slammed into at 90mph by someone coming the other way.
• Pug 406 radio not turning off 15 Aug 2006 (Forum)
  My peugeot 406 has gotten into the nasty habit of not automatically turning off the radio when I take the key out of the ignition. Happens in about 1 in 10 times. The only solution is to restart the car (not just put the ignition on - at least this is how it appears to me) until the stereo on/off button decides to work (usually about three times).
• Starting Autos in N or P - which is best 8 Aug 2006 (Forum)
  Automatics will only start in Park or Neutral ...... I know Park "Locks" the transmission - I am not sure how, but is it better for the car to start in Park, or move it into Neutral then fire the engine ?
• 1996 Rover Mini stalling when cold 23 May 2006 (Forum)
  I'd appreciate some help with a problem I'm having with an automatic, 1.3 1996 Mini Mayfair. The car starts first time and pulls away OK, however when slowing down when the car is cold it sometimes splutters and then stalls. The car can be restarted OK, however it sometimes stalls a couple of times when pulling away.
• BMW 318i Starter Motor question, HELP! 3 Aug 2005 (Forum)
  This is a cry for help from yes, a WOMAN!! We have an F reg (1989) 318i automatic, the gearbox went on us & was replaced with a G reg (1990) one, now however the pinion teeth from the original starter motor are too wide to engage the flywheel on the newly fitted gearbox. The original starter has 9 teeth, I have no idea if the engine is belt or chain driven, could anyone help me out, we have already bought a starter which turned out to be exactly the same as the original, is there a starter with more teeth out there??
• Value of optional extras 8 Jan 2005 (Forum)
  I know that most optional extras don't increase the value of a second hand car (vs one without extras) and also not having the 'right' options can also make it very difficult to sell a car (ie a BMW X5 with no leather). What about options such as semi automatic transmission though? For example I'm interested in the new golf GTI which has the option of a DSG gearbox (cost £1.5k). Am I likely to lose this full £1.5k after three years or will I get a proportion back?
• Pointless Hazards 12 Nov 2004 (Forum)
  This is an accident blackspot in the rush hour - but a lot of drivers won't pay much heed next time around - when there might really be fog. Does anyone know if fog detectors are automatic - or does it require human input to switch them on and off?
• Opel Vectra 2.0L 1994 starting problem 14 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  After I have been driving for about a kilometer it comes right, and it wont cut out on me. By the way it is an automatic so I can ride the brake and accelerator, and I think it is similar to a vauxill in England.
• flashing blue lights 20 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  Every tiny bump in the road seemed to cause the lights to flash, I have an audi with these style headlights and I'm sure mine don't flash like that. Is this a new feature for BM's - automatic flashing blue lights?
• New Shogun? 9 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  The new model is a 2000 Y reg new shape 3.2 diesel with 52k on the clock, 1 owner. Can anyone answer the following questions? 1)What is triptronic automatic gears? 2)Is that a fair price? 3)Anyone ANY knowledge on these new shape ones? 4)My 98 model is a 2.8 Diesel, what should I expect from this new 3.2 Diesel one? Thanks in advance.