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• Escort (CVH) compressions & spark plugs 6 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  Second, any ideas why #4 plug is black (indicating rich running?) but the other three are OK? It's definitely sooty black and not oil-covered black. Thanks very much! Mark
• paintwork and road grit 15 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  With the winter salt + sand season approaching, can anyone reasure me about a phenomena I noticed last year on my 1999 peugeot boxer based camper van - at the end of the winter, the white paintwork was speckled with tiny "rust" spots - so tiny you had to gt on your hands and knees to see them. They covered the area from the mid door downwards, and I'm guessing they are the result of ferrous bits + bobs either in the grit or in the general road spray. A days T-cutting removed them, but my worries are: 1) I've never noticed this before on previous white cars. 2) If left, are these specks liable to burrow down and cause damage to the bodywork (presumably if I had a darker vehicle, I would not see them).
• Traffic cops on BBC1 2 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  Beat car in the ditch! Bet that cost a few cuppas and sticky buns in the canteen. As for those dozy women with kiddie in pushchair intending to walk in the dark on a pedestrian barred road from Sheffield to Doncaster!
• Focus Terminator 18 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  None of the available four-pot Zetec motors are deemed good enough, soo....they've shoe-horned a supercharged 4.6 litre V8 from the SVT Mustang Cobra under the hood, wound it up to 500bhp or so, and sent drive south to the rear wheels (straightforward job, apparently: the exhaust tunnel is already big enough to take a propshaft). Result is a car which covers the quarter mile in around 11 seconds and spins its wheels gleefully in third (no surprise: there's 500lbs/ft of torque). It's called the Terminator Focus and it's on sale to the public for $69,500 plus the donor Focus.
• Shell Optimax Petrol 8 May 2003 (Forum)
  I havent checked the figures but given my average driving style, routes and use of air con I feel that I am getting more miles from a tank in the last journey. Guess I will have to test this out more accurately, but so far I've covered over 300 miles and still have 1/4 tank remaining, whereas before I would be almost empty! Must be my imagination or just driving style has changed!!!! However I have noticed the car is quieter and smoother with the new fuel!
• Peugeot 306 'M' reg turbo diesel. 17 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  I have studied the 'laid up' sec. of FAQ's but it really doesn't fully cover my problem. My 19 yrs. old soldier grandson left his base in Germany in some haste last Feb. to go to Iraq, where he expects to stay some 6-12 months. He has left the above car standing unattended in Germany.
• Fiat electrical problem 17 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  Hi I have a 1984 FIAT Regata 70 ES (Energy Saving) with Magneti Marelli Digiplex electronic ignition (Actually it has the CityMatic system which cuts off the engine at traffic lights.) The car is in excellent condition having only covered 37,000 from new and me being the only owner from new. Recently, I have been suffering intermittent non starting problems (no spark). I have changed the coil, HT lead, distributor cap/rotor arm, battery but still I get this intermittent non-sparking.
• 2 into 1 doesn't go 10 Mar 2003 (Forum)
  Time for a bit of a rant, apologies if this has been covered before: Scene today on A1: Traffic tailed back…reach sign saying one lane closing in 800yds…traffic in closing lane starting to move quicker than the other…cars prematurely moving over to open lane…still 600yds to go…slower lane drivers starting to get peeved…lorry does honourable thing and straddles both carriageways to stop queue jumpers…still 400yds to go…horns blowing…fists being waved…road rage about 8.7 on richter scale… Why don’t drivers use BOTH lanes until they reach the traffic cones and then merge in orderly fashion: …shorter queue…no queue jumping…no road rage…pleasant journey… Rant complete Splodgeface
• National radio travel bulletins 23 Jan 2003 (Forum)
  I ask the question because in all the years that I have been driving, I cannot recall ever finding them of any benefit (in fact I find them distracting and annoying). Furthermore, with most cars equipped with RDS radios, local radio bulletins are easily accessed and are superior since they cover only the immediate area and incorporate local, detailed information. Each hour there are two 5 minute bulletins, and so 17% of the stations output is irrelevant to the majority of listeners (especially to those at home or at work!).
• Immobiliser problem 18 Apr 2002 (Forum)
  I rang round for insurance quotes on my Audi, and managed to get £450 off the renewal premium. Problem is, the insurer won't cover me for theft unless I can tell them what kind of immobiliser is fitted, and provide proof of installation. So I took the car to a local alarm/immobiliser specialist, who told me they can't identify the immobiliser.
• Skoda Disc Brakes 12 Feb 2002 (Forum)
  Yesterday I went to the main dealer as my disc calliper "slider" on the front offside has partially seized and therefore the pad had worn away prematurely. It would go on but not retract fully. This is the second time that it has happened. The car is 2.5 yrs old and has a three-year warranty. It also came with free servicing, but that has all been used up. To the point, Skoda have refused to pay for the replacement disc pads and fitting stating that pads are a consumable and therefore not covered by the warranty.
• Renault defeated in small claims court 11 Dec 2001 (Forum)
  The air distribution dial on my Renault Clio 1.2RN seized at 17,400 miles when the car was two-and-a-half years old. There was no warranty cover and Renault UK would pay only 75% of the repairs leaving me with a bill for £120 for a new heater box (total cost £480). I lodged a claim in the Small Claims Court complaining that the component was of unsatisfactory quality, lacked durability and became unsafe.
• Overheating 23 Aug 2001 (Forum)
  When will people learn? Do we have a large indicator type light (as found in competition cars) to indicate low oil pressure and/or overheating? Methinks it would make no difference. Rgds David
• Daewoo 3 Jun 2001 (Forum)
  A superkarket chain in Germany Edeka has apparently bought up all the Daewoos from what where returned by the dealer network when the firm collapsed in Europe.As from tuesday they will be selling them from the supermarkets immidiate delivery for about half there previous price.All are zero KM and covered with a one year gaurantee.If you do not mind LHD it is a cheap way to drive a new throughaway car. I also have a number of Trabants for sale both with 2 stroke motors and with the 1.1 Polo motor some are Estates some have tuv and some are scrappers .the 1.1 s are in very good condition.
• Towing with auto Saab 23 May 2001 (Forum)
  I currently own a Saab 9000CSE 2.0ltr LPT with auto box. The vehicle has covered 85000 miles and has been regularly serviced including changing the auto box oil. I have previously towed my caravan (approx 21cwt laden) with a BMW 2.8i auto with no problems. I changed that car for a 2.9 Scorpio auto and blew two boxes, one whilst towing and the other shortly after a tow trip.
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  European insurers focus on the vehicle rather than the driver - why don't UK insurers operate like this? 15 Feb 2018 (Ask HJ)
  After living in France for some years, and insuring a car which covered all drivers, I cannot understand why UK insurers base prices on the driver rather...
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  Someone scraped my son's car and didn't leave details - do I need to notify my insurer if we aren't claiming? 30 Jan 2018 (Ask HJ)
  Someone has scraped my son's car while it was parked. Do I need to tell the insurance company? I'm afraid it would put up his premiums even though it's...
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  Buying a Audi Q5 - petrol or diesel? 24 Dec 2014 (Ask HJ)
  I am considering the Audi Q5 as my next new car. I got a really nice offer from my local Audi dealer (11 per cent off the list price) but I can't decide...
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  Should Honda pay to fix the air con in my 10 year old car? 13 May 2014 (Ask HJ)
  My 2004 Honda CR-V has been very reliable and I have covered 106,000 miles. However, recently, the air con pump has started getting noisy and I have been...
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  Bought a used car, but brakes worn out after just one month - who' should pay? 14 Oct 2013 (Ask HJ)
  Last month I purchased a 2002 Volvo V70 auto (127,000 miles) from a local dealer. After a few weeks of running the car I noticed some brake fading, so...