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  • Hands Off 24 Nov 2003 (Forum)
    I nominate the chap I used to see regularly commuting to work in a back lane having a shave at around 40mph ( no - not with the soap and cuthroat)but a battery operated razor. I quite regularly see girls applying makeup , surely this and eating drinking and smoking at the wheel are all as potentially distracting as a mobile. We have a charge 'Driving without due care and attention' which surely covers mobile use.
  • Old VW Polo cutting out 14 Oct 2003 (Forum)
    Any suggestions as to what this could be would be greatly appreciated. The car has a brand new distributor & battery, and on a friends advice, I changed the fuel relay. Otherwise, it is in great nick and is well serviced.
  • Xantia Won't start 12 Aug 2003 (Forum)
    After several attempts, gave it up as a bad job, got some petrol from my garage, put that in, only a couple of litres and still won't start. The push button code is OK, coming on green, however, I have now run the battery down and will give it up until morning. Hopefully a full 5 litres of petrol from the garage will do the trick, but are there any obvious probs with this I should look at if this doesn't work? Further info, the car has been parked on my drive for a few days, which is reasonably steep.
  • tips : removing Golf mk3 steering wheel 26 May 2003 (Forum)
    Two allen screws underneath secure the VR6 airbag to the wheel. I understand I should disconnect the battery to avoid inadvertant airbag deployment but am rather nervous about removing the TDi wheel. When I last changed a steering wheel (20+ years ago) there was a large nut with a split pin. Can some kind soul tell me what secures the wheel to the steering rack ?
  • Peugeot 306 'M' reg turbo diesel. 17 Apr 2003 (Forum)
    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. I am not just concerned about flat battery and flat spot tyres but also whether the remote control zapper will work, the turbo draining of oil , and brake problems. If I decide to go over there can any of you experts give me any advice on how I can safely put it back on the road before he returns Grandad.
  • Fiat electrical problem 17 Apr 2003 (Forum)
    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. The only thing left to change is the Digiplex electronic ignition unit. Does anyone know if these tend to become faulty or what else might you suggest?
  • Golf MkIII Diesel - Starting problem 22 Nov 2002 (Forum)
    This happened having started the car, driven several miles and then parking for 10 minutes. It wouldn't seem to be a battery problem, so am guessing possibly an earth or ECU problem. Has anybody else had this problem or can suggest where to start looking? Also, any idea what OEL stands for, as it doesn't appear in the owners handbook.
  • BMW 318Ti 7 Nov 2002 (Forum)
    What are the views on a) the price (seems about right to me, HJ has seen quite a few higher mileage ones at auction recently) b) more importantly the mechanics after 5-6 years of shortish runs, I'm normally a believer in high mileage low price and do not want to pay top dollar for a car that that's going to need brakes, tyres, battery etc, the moment I drive away. plus the fact I'd prefer a 5 speed manual. I have fond memories of an e36 318i which handled and drove fantastically well, does the Compact have the same on the road feel.
  • diesel corsa brakes 17 Oct 2002 (Forum)
    Today, only a few days after its first MOT at 4 years/50k miles, my 1.7 Corsa lost its brakes just after I pulled out of a tight parking slot in Belfast. I noticed that the brake pedal stayed firm but that the battery discharge light stayed on, there was no useful residual braking left. I managed to find a larger slot around the corner and gingerly put the car in there, then I called the AA. They were excellent and got me to a local Vauxhall shop who confirmed the AA man's diagnosis that the alternator/brake servo unit drive belt had failed.
  • Ford Escort - not start 9 Oct 2002 (Forum)
    The car never cuts out whilst driving, runs perfectly. When trying to start the car, the engine will turn for as long as the battery would last. When it does start, tyhe car fires up and runs perfectly, no miss-fire, nothing wrong. When the car will not start the fuel pump is definatley not running. I have tried several garages and Ford technical services to no avail.
  • Injectors or not??????? 11 Feb 2002 (Forum)
    It starts first time and idles for about 10 seconds and then dies . ( if you rev it , it also dies ) . After nearly flattening the battery , waking the neighbours up and reving the gonads off of it ( wild rage!! ) , it runs ok when it is warm ( maybe not as well as it used to ) and starts first time . I have changed the glow plugs but that has made no difference .
  • CD player 3 Jan 2002 (Forum)
    It was fully 10 minutes before it started to play anything, even selecting different discs. It now seems to play normally. Question; why? Do CD players have a rechargeable battery which needs time for a charge to build up. Would it have condensation in it, and if so would the unit be smart enough to detect it. What should I do to keep it in good order. Is it like air con in that it needs playing at regular intervals?
  • Spring has sprung and two wheels turn. 9 May 2001 (Forum)
    Well after a long winter lay up, sort the bike out - already taxed and insured it was just a matter of starting the beast (CBR1000) and getting it MOT'd. Japanese build quality or what. It last turned a wheel last October, Battery was flat - a two hour re-charge, the starter motor churned over to get the oil light off, engage the kill switch and it burst into life. Pre-book its MOT (13.50) stop off a a garage to check tyres and woosh, sailed through its MOT and a blast home.
  • Why does charging an EV have to be such a complicated process? 1 Nov 2018 (Ask HJ)
    I have just bought a 2017 Nissan Leaf with a 30kW battery. I have been looking at recharging points across the country and in France but am now very confused...
  • What is Ford doing about the fire issue on the new Kuga PHEV? 25 Sep 2020 (Ask HJ)
    What is Ford doing about the fire issue on the new Kuga PHEV? I can't charge my car so what is the point in having it? Ford has not contacted me even though...
  • Ford Focus 2006 (Mk2) LX 1.6 Petrol - Rattling, Powertrain light and won't start. 6 Mar 2019 (Forum)
    This is what I'm doing in order to attempt to rule out some things myself. 1) The car battery is currently on charge to see if giving it a full charge will cure the problem. 2) Whilst the battery is out of the car, and will be for a few days, the PCM (and other chips) will hopefully reset themselves.
  • What's the best petrol or hybrid family car? 14 Nov 2018 (Ask HJ)
    My mother-in-law is spending more time back in the UK and is in need of a car. The car will be used mainly in a London suburb but it will need to head...
  • Citroen Xsara Picasso 1.6i - Airbag light constantly off 9 Nov 2014 (Forum)
    Now when I got this car from the dealer it worked great, power steering the whole 9 yards then the words stamped AIRBAG came to my attention and have been an issue ever since. I did what I now know is something very dumb and thought well seeing as the battery appeared to be a bit naff I would put a new one in and promptly did so, took seat up, removed cover, undid clamp, unclipped battery, removed battery, put new one in, ( I can feel heads nodding now, hence the explanation of driving a pug for 10 years.) put the clamp back on, reconnected the wires turned the ignition on and no Airbag light.
  • Should my Suzuki SX4 have been sold with newer tyres? 14 Sep 2013 (Ask HJ)
    The original tyres have perished on my April 2012 Suzuki SX4. A report prepared by Kwikfit states that the tyres were manufactured in week 33 of 2010....
  • Store car 5 Oct 2011 (Ask HJ)
    I have recently purchased a 15 year old 1996 P Jaguar XJ Executive from an elderly gent who has decided to hang up his driving gloves. The car has full...
 

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