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• VW Sharon 2.0CL for 3.5K 29 Apr 2004 (Forum)
  anyone had one of these and suffered a lot of problems. The cars in Brighton i,m in Taunton is this worth the trip? I can do basic servicing, inc brakes, CV Gaiters,shock changes etc what are the costs of running these things?
• Toledo TDI power loss 2 Apr 2004 (Forum)
  Hi everyone, We run a year 2000 Seat Toledo TDI 110 Red eye. On driving the car today, after 4 miles, the engine suddenly lost power akin to the brakes being applied and staying on or loss of Turbo. The car was gutless but drivable. We parked up for 2 hours, came back and restarted and the car was fine. After another 4 miles the same thing happened = gutless but drivable.
• 318i MOT Failure 27 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  1) Quoted £14 for this but how much to fit? 2) Change of front pads, this shouldn't be a problem to fix myself should it? 3) This is a brake item that was tested but have no idea how to fix this myself or how much it would cost to fix. I went to German Swedish and told me I would have to go to a dealer for this. Any ideas? and.. 4) Screw off old, screw on new.... this would be okay.
• Reviving a Fiat Punto.... 24 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  I want to help but I'm not sure where I should start; The battery is going to be flat - should I recharge it or would it be less hassle to get a new one (£25-30)? What other things should I look at? - oil/filter/coolant change, brakes, tyres, spark plugs perhaps? Bear in mind that it just needs to be MOT'd and will be sold almost immediately afterwards Thanks in advance, Chad.
• New Vectra - Sensor Failures & Trim ratt 26 Jan 2004 (Forum)
  I bought a six month old new shape 1.8 litre Vectra Elegance five door from a local Network Q dealer at the beginning of December. It immeadiatly had a brake pad wear sensor fail which took the dealer a month to get a replacement for, meantime the drivers door glass began to rattle in the frame and the cruise control packed up....the pad sensor was replaced and another sensor diagnosed as the CC problem, despite being back in and had the CC sensor replaced CC still doesnt work.
• Useful signs 24 Dec 2003 (Forum)
  On the way to Stansted this morning at around JCN 2 of the M25 I caught sight of a multitude of brake lights in the distance and immediately expected mayhem to ensue. What happened next was that various matrix signs illuminated and a much larger version flashed a warning "stranded vehicle ahead".
• Speed bumps 8 Dec 2003 (Forum)
  Every single vehicle is physically punished each time it crosses one of these ill conceived obstructions, even at low speed. Each crossing involves increased wear of tyres, suspension systems and brakes, plus greater exhaust emissions from the ensuing acceleration, plus more noise from deceleration, impact and acceleration -- all negative effects that not only hit the pocket of the vehicle owner but also degrade the environment.
• Seriously Weird behaviour... 11 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  In an empty parking lot preferably. Fun for a few minutes - until the security guards get to you. Don't forget to release the h/brake to effect your getaway. Now, let me see what the Mrs has got stored in the cupboard...
• Passat cutting out 15 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  In the last six weeks he has noticed an intermittent problem. The car cuts out when the speed is reduced to around 10-20 mph i.e. when needing to brake from a higher speed. This has been happening about once or twice a week for the last six weeks. The car starts again immediately with no problems. The other problem over this period has been, in his words, "the exhaust splutters when you start and rev the engine".
• Audi A6 Multitronic gearbox fault 6 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  When I engage drive,or reverse, there is a significant delay of 2 - 5 seconds before the gearbox engages and when it does engage there is an audible "bang" due to the rev's that have built up. If I attempt a hill start with the box in drive I need to keep my foot on the brake to stop the vehicle rolling backwards. ie the gearbox wil not hold the car.Again there is a delay whilst drive engages-even though it is already in drive! Audi tell me this is normal and that I need to adjust my driving style.
• Alloy Wheel reconditioning - effect 8 Sep 2003 (Forum)
  If I don't bother getting it done will it cause horrendous things to happen later? btw none of the wheels are spoiled with brake dust, thanks to Green Stuff dustless pads
• The hated caravan 12 Aug 2003 (Forum)
  As I look forward to this summer's holiday in Norfolk (not renowned for dualled main roads) I wonder is it because back roomres are so often held up by caravans on main roads travelling at 50 mph? In that case, now that modern cars are relatively more powerful and have better brakes than their ancestors, shouldn't the 50 mph restriction on main roads and the 60 mph restriction on dual carriageways and motorways be lifted? I think our outfit would be less of an annoyance to others if it was allowed to travel at the NSL.
• New Vectra towing electrics 30 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  Upon investigation we found that the rear parking lights on the Vectra operate on only 3.5 volts. The output at the 12N plug is about 3 volts. When the brake pedal is pressed one of the parking light bulbs on each side of the car becomes brighter as it then receives the full 12 volts. The bulbs are not traditional dual filament. In addition there are clicking sounds from a large fuse block at the back, nearside of the car when the 12N plug is inserted into the car socket.
• Progress over 5/10 years 21 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  We know that top of the range BMs etc have sat nav,, clim control, cruise control etc but what do you think the basic Astra or Focus equivalent will have as standard in 5 years - xenons? sat nav? mp3 , DVD?? It wasn't that long ago that a high level brake light was the "new thing". Where will we be in 5 years time?
• Audi power steering/hydraulic system 1 Mar 2003 (Forum)
  Hoping someone out there in the backroom has been here before..... Have an ols coupe with the combined power steering and central hydraulics system (aids the brake servo). Yesterday I drained the system in order to remove a bit of it and get to something else. Re-filled the system, bled it and checked as per Haynes manual, all seemed OK. But it's not. The auto-check system displays the symbol indicating a problem with the system (low fluid level or lack of pressure), and the pump makes a bit of noise that wasn't there before.
• Free 1965 Rover 3 litre 1 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  The inside is very poor due to a leaking windscreen seal and is very wet. Some of the leather is splitting apart and the varnish all gone. Carpets are rotten. The rear brakes are locked on. It's parked on grass/earth about 10 metres from the nearest tarmac. A land Rover and 10 metres of chain/steel wire should get it out. From then it needs a trailer. A friend owns it and has to get rid of it because the land owner wants the land back.
• Passat, jumping out of gear 1 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  I have a September 2001 VW Passat 130 bhp PDI. (10,000 miles to date). Very rarely it jumps out of 1st gear when using engine braking going at about 5 mph down an extremely steep hill; the engine is obviously not pulling the car. Like all good faults it cannot be reproduced at will. VW know nothing about it and my dealer is willing to investigate but only if I can make it happen - which of course, I can't when I want to!
• Calling DVD and colleagues 22 Nov 2002 (Forum)
  (2) Paragraph (1) does not apply in respect of- (a) a direction indicator; (b) a headlamp fitted to an emergency vehicle; (c) a warning beacon or special warning lamp; (d) a lamp or illuminated sign fitted to a vehicle used for police purposes; all fair enough then one gets (e) a green warning lamp used as an anti-lock brake indicator; Pardon? What's all that about then? in case you donn't believe me the link is here >> http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_3.htm#(Tii)i4filamentlamp ??
• 309 service 7 Aug 2002 (Forum)
  . £146 covers the following: -Engline flush -Mobil 1 and filter -Air filter -Spark plugs -Coolant change -Fuel filter -'Checks on brake fluid boiling temperature, steering, suspension and so on' (what exactly this covers I don't know) I like using them as they do report back about anything they notice, which is reassuring. Plus, Peugeot have quoted me £250, god knows why.
• Ford Focus wheel bearing problem 2 Apr 2002 (Forum)
  The wheel bearing had broken up with 2-3mm of movement on the hub, now seemingly located mainly by the brake caliper. As this vehicle is relatively young with moderate mileage I would be interested to know if this failure is a known problem or just a one off. Thanks for reading and I would appreciate any feedback on this subject.