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• Car Insurance EXCESS question 28 Jul 2021 (Forum)
    Just been surfing the comparison sites for good car insurance deals-interesting. Questions plse. I see that there are two excess options- a compulsory and a voluntary. So if the compulsory excess is £200 and I also opt for a voluntary excess of -say-£250--then I have to pay the first £450 of any claim-yes?
• Ford Galaxy - Air con recharge issue 13 Jan 2011 (Forum)
  I have a Ford Galaxy, 2000 V reg, 2.3 zetec. I recently had a breakdown recovery van take my car to its garages due to a problem with the Compressor. This was replaced and the air con was re-charged. Since then I have heard a hissing (similar to an aerosol) sound from the passenger footwell.
• Toyota Yaris (1999 - 2005) - 03 1.4d drive shaft query 13 May 2009 (Forum)
  , my chances of getting a contribution from toyota towards the costs( always been serviced at a toyota main dealer and only 53 miles?? and how safe is it drive ( i appreciate hard to tell unless you hear the noise) . on the car by car breakdown for a yaris it does mention its a point to look for when looking for possible faults just wondering how common it is?. thanks andrew
• Volkswagen Passat (2001 - 2005) - Passat 2.0 20v-warranty claim advice 27 Nov 2008 (Forum)
  Hi all, With perfect timing for xmas my 2003 passat has decided to have a strop and breakdown. Much clattering from the front of the engine and a VW specialists diagnosis of sheared viscous fan bolt/bolts resulting in the need for a new fan/coupling, new housing, bolts, pulley etc. Two things - in the BR experience is this something you might expect on a 5 year old car having covered 47K and with full service history?
• Focus wont go in to 5th gear or reverse 7 Aug 2006 (Forum)
  I have put it in to be seen by a mechanic who I know and I have this extended 12 month warranmtry I got off the dealer who sold me the car in April 2006, but am not sure if this would be mechanical breakdown or not. Any of you guys know what it might be and what the cost of repair may be?? Thanks, John
• Toyota Previa (1990 - 2000) - 2.4 petrol Auto transmission problem 8 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  2.4 petrol 1994. Done 160,000 miles without breakdown. New fault as follows. The car has 3 forward gears plus overdrive. There is also a "lock up" mode which engages at 50-60 mph depending on how hard the throttle is pressed. This now makes a nasty grinding noise when it engages.
• Citroen Berlingo Multispace (1998 - 2010) - Quite fancy one - any tips ? 3 Dec 2011 (Forum)
  I've had a Berlingo Multispace as a hire car a few times, and quite fancy one as my next car. Want an old, cheap one, with a pre-ruined interior and some scratches and dents, as that would suit my style of vehicle ownership. I've read the car-by-car breakdown entry for it - and I know the head gaskets always go on the XUD diesels and with French cars you always want a base model with as little electrical stuff as possible - but I'd be grateful for any other tips or advice peope had.
• Buying Used - "attitude indicators" 14 Dec 2005 (Forum)
  Just food for thought really - If you're buying a used car (from an independant dealer or privately) how do you know how well it has been looked after. I know there's the obvious stuff, such as service history, and checking the items in the car-by-car breakdown, body condition etc.
• Vauxhall Zafira 2.2 - Power failure - not fit for purpose? 25 Feb 2011 (Forum)
  I bought this car in August 2009, it had around 5500 miles on the clock.  I traded my car in, and took out finance on this one.  I bought it as I had become a childminder.  No problems until around October last year when it experienced total power failure and the engine management light came on.
• Should I buy a Vectra? 22 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  As I have said in my thread in Technical Matters I have the possibility of buying a 1999 V plate Vectra 2.0 DTi LS with A/C for about £2,500. It has covered 70K and had only one owner. I have read the Car By Car breakdown and I'm not impressed by what I have read, are the 99 model Vectras really that bad? My uncle had one for a good while and didn't seem to have any major issues, but I was wondering what other Backroomers have found.
• Police on hard shoulder 5 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  Can I pose a question that I don't know the answer to? If a broken down car is on hard shoulder and AA/RAC van behind it, traffic flows by. If a police car is behind it, traffic slows down to have a look, causing potential accident. If accident happens on motorway and cars go to hard shoulder, police will appear, want driver details etc, if accident happens on the high street, as long as no one injured police will not want to know!
• Ford Focus 1.6 auto. - Changing Insurance company 26 Jan 2016 (Forum)
  Every year the comprehensive insurance cover goes up and last year cost me £410 with breakdown cover, legal expenses cover and admin fee. I assume the car is only worth less than £1000. I am going to try the comparative sites when it is nearly due in January. I know the broker needs to take their cut but if the broker cannot get near (within £100) of the quotes I get, I am thinking of looking elsewhere for cover.
• Volkswagen Golf IV (1998 - 2004) - 2002, 1.9TDi - Clutch pedal replacement 31 Oct 2007 (Forum)
  I understand that the latest pedals have replaced the plastic bit with metal cos its a common fault. Thanks {car details added to header as per the yet again ignored sticky messages - DD}
• Almera and Kia Rio 17 Dec 2006 (Forum)
  Overall they seem good value and simple enough to maintain long term rather than risk a diesel and complicated breakdowns. Ta.
• Wet Rover won't start 30 Mar 2003 (Forum)
  I've also fitted a rubber coil cover off of a later model and cleaned all of the low tension leads from the ECU but all to no avail even after a liberal soaking of WD40. The car does several hundred miles a week, easliy passed all of its emission tests in last months MOT and when running is fautless. What else can I try?
• starter motor faulty? 26 Feb 2003 (Forum)
  i have astra mk2, recent problems include stalling after 10 mins drive; carbonised spark plugs; faulty battery.( sparks & battery replaced); today it wouldn't start. nor turn the engine; i checked for loose wires etc, found 1 and rewired it on the ignition switch. i eventually called in the breakdown mechs, and although they managed to start the car by short towing they warned me that starter motor is faulty and may not restart if left off overnight. can anyone advise on where i go from here and could a dodgy starter motor explain the cutting out/stalling problem mentioned earlier. how would i proceed with removing current starter motor to take to auto-sparks as haynes mentioned the procedure for 1.2cc and 16 valve 1.6cc only. how much can i expect to pay for repair/replacement etc. any and all advice on this most welcome urgently please. thanks again.... rob
• Jaguar XF 2.2D - Is it safe?? 12 Sep 2013 (Forum)
  I feel less that safe in the car now having 2 near accidents.Let down by the AA for a less than helpful, just turn the light of breakdown service. I feel let down by Jaguar for letting me take the car with a known problem. Im not sure how to feel about the conversation with the insurance company.
• Ford CMax 1.0 Ecoboost 2013 reg - overheating and engine replacement = lemon? 1 Nov 2017 (Forum)
    Or should I feel confident that it is fixed and fine? I only have two breakdown calls left on my insurance and have already spent £900 on hire cars so far while waiting for it to be fixed so want to decide quickly what to do next.
• Ford Mondeo - Ford mondeo titanium battery drain 11 Oct 2013 (Forum)
  I have a 58 plate mondeo titanium 2 litre petrol. Had car about 6 months and battery died on me. Changed battery, all good. About 3 months later car died again and breakdown couldn't start it battery was so dead. Since then it has failed on me half a dozen times.
• Renault Espace - Failed repair to alternator 14 Apr 2012 (Forum)
  As we were travelling in France,  (before we had even reached our destination) only  3 days after getting car back, the same light appeared. I texted uk garage but received no reply. I rang breakdown insurers who arranged for car to be mended at nearest local Renault garage in Paris. They said both the alternator and battery needed to be replaced.