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• How do I replace my Impreza? 12 Aug 2006 (Forum)
  I drive over 15k miles per year, so a Diesel seems to make sense. If my next car returns 45mpg, i will save £1300 a year on fuel alone. A no brainer. I don't need a big car, something Golf sized would be ideal, certainly no bigger. Aircon and a decent sound system are essentials. I would prefer a car still in manufacturer's warranty and with under 50k miles.
• Hot Weather - a Warning 20 Jul 2006 (Forum)
  Strong smell of petrol round front of house she says, distinctly odd I think, as we run a brace of diesels. Then remember the mower fuel. Check reveal that petrol vapour has "blown" the container splitting the seam, fortunately only extent of a pinhole, but nonetheless shelf is well damped and paint bubbled. Five litres of petrol donated to neighbour's Audi and container isolated at bottom of garden.
• Subaru 3.0 - cambelt or chain 5 Jun 2006 (Forum)
  I am close to deciding on changing my X-Trail 2.5 auto for a Subaru Legacy Outback 3.0. I can live with the fuel consumption as it won't be more than 2 mpg worse than the X-Trail. I wondered if the very few Outback owners who post here (Thallium springs to mind) could tell me if the scooby 3.0 cam is chain driven.
• £3000 to spend on a motor to Geneva 26 May 2006 (Forum)
  I want something that is going to be relatively comfortable on the motorway, largely maintenance free, fuel economy is not highest priority but a concern. I need to be able to put stuff in it as I will be moving so tiny cars aren't going to work. My question is, what do I get? I have been looking at cheap Volvo V40s, leather clad Honda Accords and even a couple of big Toyota Surfs and tinny RAV4s.
• Vectra 2.2TDi 16v Auto MPG ??? 26 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  It seems to me to be drinking the diesel very heavily and I have now filled it up three times since Ive had it and on each occassion it is struggling to make 300 miles before the low fuel light appears. seems a bit heavy to me, have got it booked in for a FULL service as the previous service by Vauxhall at 33k only did the oil and filter and nothing else (before I bought it) and will have all filters changed etc. to see if this increases MPG at all.
• Fiesta '96(P) 1.8D takes ages to start! 10 Feb 2006 (Forum)
  I have only owned the car a month and in that time had it serviced, which included oil & filter change, air filter change, fuel filter change, cam belt change, brake fluid and engine coolant replacement and today changed the glow plugs. The car still seems to take a while to start, but only when starting from cold. I have had the battery checked and have been told it is in excellent condition.
• Fiesta EAC Fail 24 Jan 2006 (Forum)
  About 5 months ago, with no warning I have had the EAC FAIL warning come up on the dash (where the fuel & mileage panels flash), power to accleration reduces. I pulled over and switched the engine off for about a minute, restarted and was able to carry on my way. I took it to the Ford Dealer and they reprogrammed the unit which cost about £80.
• Help replacing my Mondeo 27 Dec 2005 (Forum)
  I started looking at Audi (A4 and A6), VW Passat, Volvo, Saab, Mazda MX6, Honda Accord, Nissan Primera... not too keen on BMW's or Jags, just because of the type of person who normally drives them -(;0) I've got about £10k to spend, if I get a good trade in on the Mondeo and also shift the Shogun - I've been looking at Diesels for fuel economy, performance isn't too important although I've always loved the V6 sound -(:0). Gadgets are compelling, but I've almost disregarded the Primera despite its tech, because it looks so dull! So come on then - give me your pointers and guidance.
• How to avoid spilling petrol on your car 19 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  I know there will be some here who will think this is a ridiculous thing to share, but if I only just worked it out after 6 and a half years of driving then there must be a few that will benefit from this little tip: When I fill up, I find it really hard not to get a few drops of petrol on the car, which invariable either marks the laquer, or results in a scramble for the (often missing) forecourt wet sponge, not pleasent in this nippy weather. It dawned upon me last week that after you finish fueling, rather than shaking the nozzle, trying to time between drips to whip it away from the car etc, you can pull it -just- out (so any drips still go into the car's tank), rotate the nozzle through 180 degrees so it's pointing upwards, and hey presto, no more drippage or spillage woes!
• Audi 80 E-reg, cat puzzle 18 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  The bloke told him it was definitely the right car and my father took the car to an independant garage who also say it has a catalyst. Now I thought you couldn't fit a cat to cars without fuel injection and lamda probe, ECU etc to measure the oxygen content in the exhaust and adjust the mixture accordingly?? This car definitely has a carburettor, however there is definitely also something round and cat shaped in the exhaust system.....
• Golf GT Tdi 110 hot starting 15 Jun 2005 (Forum)
  I've tried both waiting, and not waiting for the glow plug light to extinguish but that seems to make no difference. All I can think of is perhaps air in the fuel line, but wonder why cold starting is ok because the engine was obviously hot when it was shut down the previous evening, and I don't see that waiting for it to cool would miraculously get rid of any air bubbles that might have formed.
• Pug 406 1.9td P reg smoke 24 May 2005 (Forum)
  I do have the odd day when it does not happen. The car has covered 161,000 miles, has 6000 mile oil and filter changes, and air and fuel filters are change before they are due. Other than this the car drives perfectly. The smoke smells like it is oil thats burning. I suspect valve guide seals my mate thinks it could be blocked breather.
• Insurance for Megasquirt on Volvo 360 10 May 2005 (Forum)
  Anybody know of any insurance companies that take a 'sensible' view to 'mods'. I'm probably going to see a minimal gain in bhp. I'm still using the same injectors, fuel pump etc. but should hopefully get better, more consistent performance.
• official mpg figures and reality 7 May 2005 (Forum)
  (And I sort of get the impression that people with Honda Accord diesel engines don't usually get the mileage they expect, but people with VAG diesels do.) The most obvious way of testing this is when a driver who regularly keeps a record of fuel consumption changes cars. In most cases the driving style and conditions will remain unchanged, so any large discrepancy would be attributable to the difference between the engines.
• zafira 2001 misfire & engine light 6 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  I put my faith in a Vauxhall dealer and he has dissapointingly came up with no fault code so tried spark plugs and a fuel line clean. He has already started talking about sticky valves which I think is a bit premature. Looking through your other guys problems it seems close to a faulty EGR valve or less likely the coil pack.
• vw passatt misfire 4 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  hello ,i have a passatt 1.8 20v non turbo 1997 adr engine code mileage 72000. full vag history. i foolishly bought the car at auction and since i bought it about 5 months ago the car has been suffering a loss of power/misfire between 2000 and3000 revs. it doesnt always happen but usually by the time its warm ,it starts to play up although it can be rough when cold. when the car reaches 3000 revs and beyond it runs superb no problem. ive renewed maf meter,fuel filter, plugs and leads airfilter all to no avail .before replacing maf a friend with vag software plugged into the ecu and the reading was "knock sensor exceeded upper limits" he hadnt seen this before and suggested new maf .no joy ,can anybody throw some light on this as i am going crazy as the car is so lovely otherwise cheers steve
• Fitting Intercooler to Pug 306 HDi 90 27 Dec 2004 (Forum)
  It is great on the handling side, but I am missing the extra bhp. I have read on the forums that the tuning boxes that plug in to the common rail just over fuel and chuck out lots of smoke. These are in the 350 quid bracket, and seem to be a lot of cash for something that cokes up the engine. Is it possible, sensible and easy to take the larger turbo and intercooler off a scrapped 406 110bhp and fit it to my 90?
• The solution to UK traffic problems? 4 Nov 2004 (Forum)
  If most A and B roads were made one-way, then * all the traffic would move a lot faster * distance travelled may increase, but fuel consumption would be little different due to less acceleration and braking * a large number of road junctions, traffic lights and roundabouts could be removed or reduced in complexity * road safety would dramatically improve - fewer junctions, less traffic moving on roads at high closing speeds * most roads would then have at least two lanes, meaning easier overtaking ?
• Megane engine tapping. 7 Oct 2004 (Forum)
  I also think there's a whiff of petrol coming from the engine, which I'm pretty sure I didn't notice before. There doesn't appear to be any weeping from the fuel rail, as I did have that off. So I'm not sure where that is coming from either.
• Mercedes Vaneo oh dear 16 Aug 2004 (Forum)
  Please please quickly suggest alternatives, but she does not fancy the sensible Berlingo and clone HDI route, but Lexus build quality with versatile and boxy accommodation, which rules out A4 avants and their ilk. Fuel consumption is not really an issue as she only drives 12k miles pa.