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• Audi 80 Cabriolet 2.6e - A few problems! 28 Feb 2005 (Forum)
  Again, all the fuses are intact. 4)The steering wheel is not quite straight when going straight ahead - about 5 degrees off. Is this just a simple wheel alignment? 5) Finally the when you press the Air Con button the compressor pulley doesn't begin to turn as it should - it is too cold to feel if it's working. Is there a cut out on the system for low temperatures to prevent freezing up?
• Advice Please - Focus All Over The Place 5 Aug 2004 (Forum)
  After the advice of the BR's, I had the tracking sorted, the wheels balanced (all of them) and the steering wheel aligned. Now - I've noticed that at 70ish, if you take your hands off the wheel (not completely off as that would be dangerous ;-) - just loosen the grip slightly) there is quite a bit of shake. The second problem is that at slower speeds the steering wheel seems to ever so slightly "bob" left then right very quickly but continuously but only if you're not gripping the steering wheel.
• Micra - advice needed! 20 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  However, I had it serviced in July at a Nissan dealership and they seem to have caused more harm than good. They swapped one tyre for the spare - fair enough, but I've taken it back to be re-aligned twice and the car still vibrates at over 60mph. This hasn't happened before. They tried to charge me for multiple unnecessary jobs - including £4 for air freshener. I'd had the car looked at briefly beforehand by an off-duty RAC bloke, and he noticed that the cover of the catalytic converter was worn.
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  Should I use an independent garage to service my car? 22 Mar 2022 (Ask HJ)
  I purchased a 2018 Toyota Auris last year - just over three years old. The main dealers I purchased from have called me to book it in for service and MoT....
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  Claiming compensation from trade seller 19 Jun 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I bought a Ford Focus 1.8 (2000) 75,000 miles roughly two months ago from a Trade Seller - one guy owning a fully registered company. I was generally happy...
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  Why is our BMW X5 wearing through tyres so fast? 15 Feb 2011 (Ask HJ)
  Our BMW X5 3.0sd SE, bought new in September 2008 on a HP agreement, wore its rear tyres through to the metal within four months. BMW accepted there was...
• Audi A3 Sportback - Third Party Insurance Claim 20 Nov 2019 (Forum)
   They have also refused me a cash in lieu of repair settlement as the engineer has reported the rear offside wheel is out of alignment? I have owned this vehicle since new, it has FSH, is well maintained and I really just want the minor impact damage repaired and my car back.   Would be grateful for your advice on what I need to do to ensure my car is repaired and returned back to me in the condition it was before the accident (that was not my fault) What lines can I take with Admiral Insurance to ensure my vehicle is repaired?
• Car pulls left then right then straight etc... 8 Aug 2018 (Forum)
  So i'm taking my car into get looked at by an independant mechanic as the dealership i have the warranty with are getting nowhere.... The car is all good alignment wise according to the printout everything in the green, only thing it doesnt show is the caster, but i have a feeling it is okay because my car does drive straight sometimes. It isnt tyre wear or tyre pull as it isn't a constant and varies too much i believe for it to be tyre related, all tyres are set to the door frame recommendations.
• VW Passat CC 2009 2.0TDI DSG 140 - Passat CC pulls to the left even after tracking 19 Jun 2018 (Forum)
  To cut a long story short they did the tracking for me, but a few days later it was pulling again so I opted to take it to a garage of my choice. They concluded there wasn't any suspension or Axel issues with the car and the previous alignment was just not done correctly on rear wheels. After having the adjustments done, I drove on the motorway and even though the car was much better, it is still pulling to the left.   After eliminating tracking and suspension issues out the only thing I suspect is the tyres and I am hoping somebody can help.
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  My Peugeot 205 GTi won't start - any tips? 22 Aug 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I have a Peugeot 205 GTi. It's been sat for three weeks and ran spot on before I parked it up. When I tried to start the car the battery was flat, so I...
• New Tyres and Wheel Tracking - advice please 18 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  The guy who fitted them advised that the uneven wear on the rear tyres was down to the tracking - he briefly explained how they were out of line etc. and advised me to get them checked and so that they can be re-aligned/balanced/corrected - whatever the term is. This is all new to me as still a fairly new driver. He also mentioned if not the tracking the suspension be be damaged - which does alarm me! The car is only 5 years old (a little Micra 1.0l).
• Mondeo 1998 2.5 Auto 8 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  On the way home i noticed some vibration after I had been driving for about 30 mins, but put this down to the tracking needing to be aligned. Then the O/D light came on and started flashing and the vibration seemed to die down. Since I was driving on the motorway no other symptoms were noticed, it was not until I got nearly home and came off the motorway, stopped then pulled away that I noticed when the car changed from first to second it felt like I was breaking the G-force as it was a large and loud clonk with a jolt.
• Problematic '04 mondeo 18 Aug 2006 (Forum)
  Clutch failure clutch hydraulics failure Ingition barrell collapse Suspension bolts had worked their way loose (after less than 5000 miles) Bonnet not correcly aligned I also thought I would add that I seem to eat front tyres (10-12000 miles), just glad I am under a maintenance plan so I don't have to pay for them. I also had one of the metal valves blow out at motorway speeds, not pleasant.
• Mk1 Leon temp gauge & fuel gauge 31 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  Also, the steering angle sender has a sporadic fault (00778 014), which may explain why the car tends to drift left when I let go of the wheel, even though I've had the alignment checked. Wasn't too worried about it all until yesterday when the fuel gauge showed empty on start-up, even though I knew I had about three quarters of a tank - don't want to end up guessing how much fuel is left or trying to keep note of how many miles since the last fill, so, a few questions about all this: How easy are these for a competent mechanic to fix - is it just a question of replacing the bits, or is the software required, leaving me stuck going to the main dealer?
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  I've been missold an accident-damaged, remapped car. What are my options? 20 Jun 2020 (Ask HJ)
  I need some legal advice. I bought a 2018 BMW M140i in February from a used car garage (not BMW). Car was sold as having BMW warranty until 2021 and no...
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  Pain in Spain 15 Aug 2009 (Ask HJ)
  We own a property on Formentera, which is a small Spanish owned Island near to Ibiza. We pay Spanish local property tax (IBI) and for refuse collection...
• Honest John’s Motoring Agony Column 09-09-2017 Part II 15 Sep 2017 (Forum)
  No water pump to replace, don't even need to take the fan/auxilliary drive belt off, though it makes sense to check the condition of it after 90k miles i changed mine for belt and braces, the substantial cambelt only drives the camshaft and its own tensioner nothing else, all timing marks are easily seen. 6x10mm bolts removes the plastic cam cover, turn engine over via crank pulley bolt to align timing marks, 2 bolts sees the tensioner off, 1 bolt holds the idler wheel in place, replace idler wheel and tensioner, slip cambelt on, check timing marks are still in line (making sure the belt is not slack on its long run), remove grenade style clip holding tensioner spring back, belt is now tensioned, check once again timing marks are correct and you can always turn the engine over via the crank pulley bolt two revolutions to double check, refit cover, make cup of tea and acknowledge yet another brilliant design by Mr T's excellent engineers.
• Do insurance companies write off cars too easily? 10 May 2011 (Forum)
  We asked for it back, and it was delivered back on Tuesday this week. So far, I've fitted a new radiator and headlight (which has been aligned), and a new bumper bar (the metal bar which fits behind the bumper). I've secured the original plastic bumper in place, but have a new painted one on order. I've also replaced three tyres. Outstanding issues are to fit the new bumper, get the tracking checked, get a new MOT, and get a Vehicle identity check.
• corsa timing belt change. 3 Oct 2004 (Forum)
  So I ordered this one and hey presto first time pointers started to move up when pump turned then backed off till pointers aligned. Job done, glad these jobs are few and far between. Big Davey
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  Our van is faulty and the dealer has failed to fix the issues - what do we do now? 7 Nov 2017 (Ask HJ)
  We recently purchased a brand new Peugeot Expert van, which now has numerous ongoing issues. The sliding doors are out of alignment, thus causing damage...