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• MPG Petrol & Diesel Figures/Car Economics 17 Nov 2021 (Forum)
  What I am asking is therefore, how noticeable can the difference be? Is it true that a diesel needs a long run to get to those ‘top’ end MPG figure anyway? Aside from my commute, if most journeys are local, will I see these figures around town? I should also note the extra costs that are of concern below.
• F25 BMW X3 - New car run in 4 Sep 2012 (Forum)
   This one is the  20d  4 cyl 184 bhp  8 speed auto box M Sport. The computer says we've averaged  36-37 mpg,  but on runs  ( 3 weekends away , one a 500 mile round trip ) we have had 50 mpg and over.  Was shocked to see tyres are £250 a corner , 245  on 18  runflats,  so better avoid punctures, no spare either.
• Mazda 6 Diesel Sport 2L 2002 model - ENGINE STALLING THEN KNOCKING SOUND PLEASE HELP 17 Jan 2011 (Forum)
   Here is what has happened. I have had the car over 6 months now.  In all this time it seems to have been running ok but has been burning oil (about half a litre every 2-3 weeks).  There has been no sign of water in the oil or the other way round.  It wasn;t smoking other than on full throttle then black smoke could be seen behind the car.
• FIAT Doblo - FIAT Doblo 1.9 in JTD & MJ forms – consumption 2 May 2010 (Forum)
  I thought that maybe the engine needed ‘loosening up’ (I’m an old style motorist who can recall cars having to be ‘run-in’), as the MJ had only covered 27K over 3 years, and being based outside Inverness was unlikely to have had many high-speed runs !   So now the MJ has covered at least 1500 miles at 70’ish, and is also revved to 3500 regularly when changing up.
• Vauxhall Astra G Petrol (1998 - 2004) - 02 1.6 head gasket & cylinder head fault 16 Jan 2009 (Forum)
  Hello, I hope that someone may be able to advise me on how best to proceed with a problem I've been having. I have only a basic understanding so would really appreciate being able to run this by some of the experts here. My car had been in to the dealership twice before. First time was August 2007 at 47,152 miles. No problems with cooling system, no noises etc. Car has been running well since I purchased in April 2007 (it had done 40k when I purchased it).
• KIA Picanto (2004 - ) - Initial report 5 Sep 2008 (Forum)
  Fit and finish generally is very good though, doors feel very solid and everything has a durable feel to it. One nice touch is having elec rear windows, its a little thing but useful. Running costs: Reports of poor economy havent been our experience at all - we got 40 mpg from exclusive town work, 43.5 with a mixture of A-roads and country lanes and on a steady dual carriageway run over to Norfolk, we got 54 mpg.
• Ford Mondeo II (1996 - 2000) - Oh no, not another bangernomics post! 17 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  Been washed 3 times. But it's never let me down or refused to start. One day it did begin underperforming - running on 3 cylinders, but still got us home fine. Needed a new coilpack and plugleads - diagnosed, supplied, and fitted the same day for £75 all-in after I dropped it at a local garage without prior appointment.
• A few days in China, cars, pollution, perspective 26 Mar 2008 (Forum)
  Really enjoyed just piling into the back of those Toyota Crown Taxis (not driving for once) that are running on LPG. There`s a small mountain to climb between the airport and hotel, near the ferry terminal at the other side of the island and the screaming max revs in second gear (obviously the norm) made me wonder how the engine survived one trip, when it had been doing this route for years.
• Ford Mondeo III (2000 - 2007) - 2005 tdci Head CRACKED!!! w pics 26 Feb 2008 (Forum)
  The car has done 56000 miles from new and has been fully maintained by my local ford dealer. A week ago last monday (20th) i started her up after doing a 30 mile motorway run and then i was in a meeting for an hour, so she was still relatively warm and she was spluttering at around 500 rpm,couldnt rev it, smokin very very lump, smelt of diesel, so very quickly turned her off.
• 2002 VW Passat TDI Power Loss 7 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  A local VW main dealer has offered to conduct an investigation ? at £110 an hour + VAT! All I want is my car running as it was before. Any ideas would be gratefully received as the garage have run out of ideas and I see me either having to put up or pay VW big money with no guarantee of success ? or a refund from the servicing garage.
• Mid sized MPV with 5+ cyl petrol engine 26 Mar 2007 (Forum)
  Of course I will drive the car too on occasion, and in any case will be paying both to buy and run it, so what about what I would like? Putting the missus's wishes first, which don't include engine beyond "no diesel", I could probably still have some fun with a second hand Mk I Zafira GSi or ex demo Mk II SRi or VXR.
• Corsa 1.2 Vegas Starting Problems 10 Feb 2007 (Forum)
  Friend of mine took a look and we found that with determination and a lot of fuel flooding problems we could get the car running, albeit misfiring badly, and when it warmed up it was ok. He checked plugs and other stuff and once the car was driven it was fine. Next morning the car was fine. That evening it wouldnt work again.
• Thoughts from America 30 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  I have picked up a copy of Car and Driver mag where they test eight "sports sedans", OK the 330i wins, just, though notably the 9-3 Aero (new 2.8 V6) and S60R are beaten into 7th and 8th places by the IS350, Acura TL, Cadillac CTS etc. Gas, the Jeep V8 produces 50bhp/litre so no surprise it runs on 87 ron petrol though how is it that US spec 255 bhp 330i's and similar can run on 91 ron when Euro spec cars "require" 95 ron with 98 ron being recommended, perhaps it is down to the local additives, any thoughts?
• Doing it yourself!! 10 Jul 2003 (Forum)
  This helps to explain why a friend of mine insists on dealing with the mechanics of every car in his family, and there are several. He is pretty well equipped as he runs a Triumph Stag. If ever a car needed vast amounts of skill and tender loving care to run at an acceptable level of reliability then it is the Stag. Suffice it to say that this fella is pretty handy with the spanners.
• Leaning out mixture is bad isn't it? 6 Feb 2003 (Forum)
  We ran at exactly the same speed (in convoy) at 70 mph on cruise-control for over 100 miles. Two guys claimed 30 mpg on the run there whilst I was down at 25 mpg (on our on-board computers). On the run back (alone!) one of them claimed 36 mpg! This discrepancy (ie 11 mpg difference!) upset me somewhat and I've been trying to find explanations for it.
• 1992 Vauxhall Astra 1.4I 8v SOHC 17 Nov 2002 (Forum)
  Needless to say he has not really looked after and No.1 daughter who is 17 in January is the next candidate ‘owner’. On initial running checks noticed engine running cold as indicated by dash temperature gauge. Verified with infra red thermometer that gauge was accurate and engine was indeed running cold – and therefore diagnosed thermostat as duff.
• MODUS WARNING 3 Apr 2002 (Forum)
  I have not been personnally affected, as I run a Babbage Engine with the Finlandish Modified Gears, which I can highly recommend to the Brotherhood, as they run much smoother, use less steam for the same gear yardage spun, and are not succeptible to the Blue Gear-lock of Death.
• any - battery degradation, handy app 1 Apr 2023 (Forum)
  For a few weeks i've been running this monitor on my battery https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09MJ4PL72?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details, it links by blootooth to your phone, its been sending me warnings about low voltage on cranking.
• BMW X3 - X3 Long Term reliability? 4 Jan 2023 (Forum)
  So - any thoughts as to the degree of (albeit subjective) risk in keeping the BMW if well maintained vs a new Civic, along with any real world experience of running an X3 long term would be appreciated. Thank you.
• Citreon - Struggling to buy a used car at todays prices 15 Oct 2022 (Forum)
  I only use it as a run around now but would love a car I can be confident driving at long distances and looks good. I desperately need to upgrade my car and I have looked around for a while and to buy a car equivalent to my Citreon when i first bought it age wise (8 years old), I'm looking for a 2014-15 model.