Refine by channel:  Forum (3882)    Ask HJ (3015)    News (1200)    Article (122)    productReview (74)    FAQs (20)  

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• Stupidity 30 Sep 2002 (Forum)
  There are many reasons why we choose to use our cars instead of travelling by train and the latest, infantile, moronic, and distressing behaviour by Midland Mainline,(Part of National Express Group) is another. They are now sending out facsimile "Parking Offence Notices", with the recipients name and address printed on, and, at first sight, they cause distress and indignation.
• to recon or not ? 22 Aug 2002 (Forum)
  Hello, this is my first post on this splendid site, so please be gentle! At the moment i have an Escort 1.3 Hcs it's covered 74,000.(93,L) It's using oil, and visibly smoking upon start- up, however not when warmed up, having inspected the plugs all four are a light sandy colour. I suspect one or more piston rings has gone down.
• Coolant loss, any idea's? 23 Apr 2002 (Forum)
  The problem has become worse, to such an extent I?m loosing 1 litre of coolant every 30 odd miles, and I?ve stopped running the car. The coolant seems to be coming out of the expansion tank vent, and pooling on the engine protector cover. I guess this is happening because the system is being pressurised by a leak somewhere. A friend who works for VW say's he's never heard of this problem with this engine?
• Traffic calming and houses 24 Sep 2001 (Forum)
  However one house required two very large sleeping policemen to be negotiated to get to it. My Caterham wouldn't get over without touching the sump so couldn't buy that one. Even a normal car had problems due to the ramp angle. The top of the hump was covered in scratches. When speaking to the estate agent about it they said it puts off no end of buyers. It must have such a detrimental effect on house prices I wonder why no one has got rid of them - no where else in the estate has them on a no-through road.
• Any - 'Used Approved' 28 Feb 2020 (Forum)
  Unfortunately the car itself is not so good and I am rejecting it because of bodywork corrosion (a shame, because I really rate these cars). Which led me to wonder how 'Approved Used' cars are selected. AFAIK, the manufacturer has no 'quality assurance' programme.
• 
  Buying a second car - what's best for £12k? 4 Feb 2014 (Ask HJ)
  I’m looking for a second car, which is fun to drive and has a pleasant ride . Something with a bit of class would be nice as I’ll cover 3000 miles, mostly...
• 2002 Ford Mondeo TDCI - Problems with Car since coming back from Garage 3 May 2011 (Forum)
  We had a failed Injector in the engine and we had it replaced at a local garage at a cost of almost £300. When we got the car back boyfriend noticed that oil/fuel was leaking from the Injector and over the engine cover. Car went back to garage and they said they replaced seals. We checked the car again about a week later and the Injector was still leaking.
• Dilema (no it's not a car) 23 Jan 2002 (Forum)
  The car stays garaged until i need it over the summer or winter, when as i said it drives down to south Europe on the Autoroute. Consequently i need a very reliable car as i cannot afford to breakdown in Europe (even with AA intnational cover), it is just too much stress and hassel.
• 
  Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 problems - can I get a refund? 9 Dec 2021 (Ask HJ)
  My Peugeot Hybrid4 has failed for the third time in less than a year with the latest being that the prop shaft has snapped and knackered the gearbox (happened...
• 
  What's the best nearly new car for around £7000? 16 Apr 2020 (Ask HJ)
  I'm looking to purchase a car for £7000 - £8000 and was wondering what models you think would be best to look at in terms of reliability? I'm looking for...
• 
  Corroded head gasket - should Kia pay for the repairs? 6 Jan 2016 (Ask HJ)
  I purchased a used 2009 Kia Picanto last year from a dealership. One evening after work the car started shuddering and making an awful noise. In the morning...
• 
  We bought a new car and later found out it had been resprayed - is this fraud? 11 May 2013 (Ask HJ)
  I bought a new Vauxhall Corsa for my daughter in late 2007. Gradually the paint on the front of the bonnet bubbled and rusted and she rang the dealership,...
• BMW X5 - Turbo failure BMW X5 34k 2020 no goodwill?? 14 Sep 2025 (Forum)
  Surely a car of this prestige & price should be manufactured to the highest quality & covered by the manufacturer, is there an legal requirement from them?
• Hit by cloned plates, third party wants costs back 9 Mar 2025 (Forum)
  Hi I'm in need of advice A year ago my partner was hit by a car that ran a red light and wrote off his car. After going through insurance the third party admitted fault and gave a payout of £12000 for the car. A few months after the accident unbeknownst to my partner, the third party insurer got in contact with their client and got proof that their car was not involved in the accident and that the car was on cloned plates.
• Honda Civic 2017 - My rights? - Engine failure 15 Jan 2024 (Forum)
    Was originally wondering what my comeback was regarding the Car Supermarket but now wondering if I'm doing the right thing going down this route and what my expectations should be if Honda refuse to repair under good will? Am I right in thinking I am covered by the 2015 consumer goods act or would I have to prove the fault was there at the time of purchase from the Car Supermarket.
• Renault Zoe and similar - Electric Car ownership 25 Sep 2019 (Forum)
  In theory this is good until you find a new charger for example costs more than the residual value of the car!! So its completely uneconomic to buy it but unless you do you have a useless metal lump sitting on the drive. Again funny enough this is also never covered when magazines, reviewers or the motor industry talk about EV ownership.
• VW Tiguan - Haggling with franchised dealer? 2 May 2018 (Forum)
    I don't want to do this until I have agreed the price. I spoke on the phone to the salesman who was not interested in shifting on price - he said the car was a good price and cheaper than ones I had looked at the garage. I pointed out that Parkers priced the car at £15,585 from a franchised deadlier. He said this would cover the things suchs as 6 month road tax, extended warranty etc (not strictly true if Parkers price was for a franchised dealer, as this is part of the reason you pay the higher price for the car).
• Toyota Prius - toyota prius - brake actuator fault 16 Feb 2017 (Forum)
  HJ's Car by Car review mentions:- "Brake actuator fault on 5 year old Prius cost £2,757 for Toyota dealer to repair.
• Busted for No Business Insurance 4 Dec 2016 (Forum)
  I wonder if anyone knows the answer to this scenario. Wife's friend's husband was stopped by the Police driving his wife's car on valentines day. He is a florist and was dropping off a bouqet of flowers to a customer who had ordered them late in the day and begged him to deliver them that day. He was looking for the house number in a residential street and the Police drove over and stopped him and asked if he needed any help and he said no I have found the address thanks, and they asked what he was doing and he said delivering these flowers, I own a flower shop, and they said come into our car and checked his details and then said they are seizing  the car as he has no business insurance on this car, just SD&P.
• 
  Buying a five year old car with 20 miles on the clock 1 Sep 2016 (Ask HJ)
  I have spotted a five year old Audi A5 2.0 TFSI for sale. It has just 20 miles on the clock and the seller will service the car and fit a new battery before...