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• Nissan Almera (2000 - 2006) - Oversteering Almera. '53, 1.5, 5-door, manual 17 Dec 2007 (Forum)
  I would've thought a modern, front engined, FWD would understeer to eternity. It hasn't got anything tricky, like stability control, just ABS, but I didn't touch the brakes. Can BRs suggest what I should be checking? I've given the car a good looking over, and pulling around. I've even taken it out on my own and 'chucked it around a bit', but can't get it to do it again.
• A new breed of motorist... 31 Aug 2007 (Forum)
  Quite a few times now there's been a vehicle in the middle lane about thirty feet away. They'll either hang back to let me out or, more usually, slam on the brakes before I've pulled out then stick behind my coach while I complete the manouevre then accelerate past me once I've pulled back into lane one and either give me a filthy look or blast the horn. Sometimes I'm luky enough to get both.
• Come back on car seller 29 Aug 2007 (Forum)
  It was described as a decent car. It has turned out to be anything but. Most of the lights failed, the brakes were iffy, the steering had broken parts. I have kept on with it always thinking the next lot of repairs will turn it into being a reasonable car. The main problems left are persistent poor running and it losing oil.
• Evidence of care towards future owners? 11 Jul 2007 (Forum)
  Injector pipes on the engine badly rusted, that had only needed a squirt of WD 40 now and then to look pristine. Rusty brake pipes that had only needed a wipe of grease. Subframes scabbed with corrosion on cars only a few years old.... why not hose underneath? So, the opposite, Any examples of care for future owners, that you may have come across, that went beyond being of benefit to the previous owner?
• A close shave ! / CLS V12 ? 30 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  However as I crossed in front of the van I could see the nose of a CLS steaming towards me lifting under full throttle, I guess the driver wanted to head south, the same way as the van and thought he would nip around the outside of the van at the roundabout. We both braked, I could hear a chirp from the Mercs front wheels as it stopped, must have been a fag paper between us. A close shave, IIRC I took a quick second to indicate the lowest prime number to the driver of the Merc and carried on my way.
• elderly 520i, cheap 23 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  Perhaps as a result of that, it idled much too fast, nearly 2,000 rpm, and the idiot economy meter read zero at idle (!). It drove OK but like a boat. Brakes weren't sharp but worked. Whole thing felt just slightly lopsided, not in a bad way, and not unusually for a 175,000 miler. My mechanic, who has a much newer-shape 525 and is a fine fellow, said the light wasn't a problem and BMWs were generally reliable and long-lasting, but the original 5 series could suffer rust.
• Mercedes E series Instument Pod Failure 4 Feb 2007 (Forum)
  The marketing focus on each new E- Series appears to be one of "trust us we have finally got it right". A previous new model from 2000 exhibited ABS, Brake Failure and other warnings on a daily basis. Cutting a long story short the advice from MB was that I should pull over whenever this occurred, switch off the ignition, restart the car and if the lamps went out then all was OK!
• 4x4's & sports cars priced off the road 19 Jan 2007 (Forum)
  A politician ? even one of the unelected, unaccountable Brussels variety ? comes between a motorist and his brake horse-power at his peril. Incidentally, Mr Dimas is, like all his European Commission colleagues, chauffeured round in a gigantic Mercedes. Naturally." -- Roger I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
• Do dealers know what they're doing? 7 Jan 2007 (Forum)
  Current issue is with my girlfriends MINI, she has only had it 3 months and there are some problems that need sorting from when we bought it. The brakes are grinding so obviously need new pads or disks however they cant hear it (they must seriously be deaf because its blatent and happens every time you apply them - worse when not used for a few hours).
• Insurance Payout - 3rd party at fault 16 Jul 2006 (Forum)
  We have proceeded to lauch a 3rd party claim using a friend's accident repair centre. My worry is this: My car has a custom 3 stage pearlescent paintjob, alloy wheels, lowered, big brakes, manufacturer bodykit (taken from other models - not fibreglass!) etc. etc. None of which is declared to my insurance company (i know! silly!) BUT my question is this : The person who shunted me has admitted 100% liability for the accident, and since we're not using my insurance, the undeclared modifications shouldn't come into it should they?
• Diesel/auto estate -suggestions please! 3 Jun 2006 (Forum)
  My (reasonable priced) mechanic is good with mechanical stuff, but not so with electronics, so something he can routinely service and do mechanical repairs (cambelts, alternators, suspension, brakes etc) to, and it could go to a not-too-expensive independent specialist if it needed any fancy diagnostics, but not a vehicle where I was dependent on a main-dealer for servicing and maintenance.
• more police vehicles 26 Jan 2006 (Forum)
  We get closer to roadworks (40mph, camera enforced) - cop car having dropped back into lane 1 for a while, speeds up and parallels the car on the nearside and puts blue lights on briefly, only to realise he has accel'd very close to the 40 limit himself, where he then has to brake significantly and retreat to lane 1 to exit the m-way, shortly followed by AX who goes into lane 1 and exits at the slip road!!! SO AX goes left at roundabout, cop car turns right, with myself dutifully sat behind, still trying to believe what I am seeing.
• Cannabis Candidate 27 Oct 2005 (Forum)
  I'm very lucky to avoid both him and the kerb and give him a blast of the horn. His immediate reaction is to brake sharply whilst simultaneously waving his arms around and talking in sign language. At the Clockhouse roundabout he stops, gets out of his car and lets loose with a stream of Anglo Saxon. "Hang on!"
• Maniac 25 Oct 2005 (Forum)
  He/she was alongside the first when an oncoming car appeared out of the dip and for a moment I thought we would have a head-on at combined speed of 140+ Fortunately the guy he was overtaking, and the rest of us, grasped the situation and braked to create the space for him to him to get back in. A minute or so later he finally passed everyone, but then just sat at the front of the queue. What depresses me is(a) I doubt the driver had any idea of the risk he was causing for others; and(b) we still take lightly the fact that driving is probably the only activity most of us perform every day where we could potentially kill other people
• Escort Suspension/Steering problem 28 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  There was a fairly loud bang where i either went into a large pot-hole or may have nudged the kerb slightly with the left side of my car. After this point, the handling felt 'weird'. It drives, accelerates and brakes in a straight line, but definitely has a lot more 'bite' when turning right, as if the car was close to oversteering. I keep thinking that it's a little rattlier/noiser over bumps now too, although that could just be my imagination.
• Yet another "senior moment" 20 Feb 2005 (Forum)
  Only the Japs would make a V-Twin that looked like an air-cooled engine then hook up a liquid cooling system with a fan to boot. As for fuel injection, that's voodoo material. No carb? Chain drive? Rear drum brake? That's more retro than any Harley. Not to mention more bits to go wrong. When I parked it up in the car port this a.m. I swear I could hear our two Harleys sniffing with disdain. Somehow I felt guilty of infidelity.
• Praise - HiQ Tyres & Exhausts 20 Jan 2005 (Forum)
  Hi-Q Motorway (Owned by Goodyear Dunlop) on Blackpool Road in Preston. Your usual kwik-fit type place that does tyres, brakes exhausts etc First visit I went in for 2 tyres. Second visit I went in for them to find the fault with my exhaust / and repair it. Both times I received excellent service. I was served by a guy called Simon (who looks like Tommy Harris from Coranation Street) He was cheerful, explained what needed replacing, why it needed replacing, showed me on the car the damage, explained how the new part would be joined on etc, and quoted me what I think was a very cheap price (lets put it this way, if I got the exhaust done at the dealer it would have easily been 4-6 times more expensive) The tyres took 10mins to change and the exhaust took about 15mins (I'd like to see a main dealer do a job that quick) and as I said the prices were very very low.
• Peugeot 306 noise 24 Aug 2004 (Forum)
  It never occurs when the accelerator is not pressed, regardless of speed or amount of steering applied, and this applies whether the car is under engine braking or coasting. The volume/noticeability generally increases as the amount of lock and/or speed increases. Interestingly, the noise also only seems to be present once the car is warmed up. When driving in slippery conditions recently, the same noise was made when the front wheels accelerated at different speeds without any steering lock applied - so it may be related to the front wheels turning at different speeds, just as they do when turning, particularly in tight circles.
• Keep the bonnet shut!! 18 Mar 2004 (Forum)
  That sounds reasonable for most folks. What is the current situation supporting this approach. On non executive cars: Low brake fluid indicators are normal. Electronic dipstick is available e.g. Renault Scenic. Low coolant / overheating. Yaris has no temp gauge just blue thermometer on start up and red if things overheat. Batteries sealed for life but charge indicator obviously standard.
• Mondeo, 2.0 or 2.5? Also other questions 11 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  Whats is the fuel economy like - I do about 5000 miles a year, mostly in town. I get a few more toys on the V6 as well, rear disc brakes and traction control, but thats nothing I couldn\'t live without. What do you reckon? Insurance aside, V6 or 16v?