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• Austin (Rover) Montego 2.0 (1984 - 1995) - 92 1.9td Clonk cornering or going over dips/bumps 16 May 2008 (Forum)
  Even though the vehicle was ramped and prodded and levered with large pinch bars, the problem came to light by chance. Whilst reading past posts about skimming discs, it bought back memories of our old Montego which has nothing to do with skimming discs! I was changing a CV Boot. Whilst lifting the hub away from the driveshaft I had to remove the lower ball joint bolt. This was worn excessively, but no one had got any movement from there when the car was up on the ramps.
• Citroen BX (1983 - 1993) - 1987 Turbo Diesel - Flat battery 7 Apr 2008 (Forum)
  Hi all, I am currently living in France, and still hanging onto my old (1987) Citroen BX Turbo Diesel. Living in the Alps, but it usually performs remarkably well in the cold. This is the second time though this year that we've had a flat battery, first was probably due to extreme cold and that we hadn't given the car a good run for a while.
• Ford Focus II (2004 - 2007) - I may have made a mistake.... 30 Mar 2008 (Forum)
  Focus is on a PCP but settlement is £10K, which I'm likely to be able to get (ish) from a main dealer if I go for something less than a year old. My head says if the numbers work go for a pre-reg Seat Altea/Toledo again since I know the car etc etc. All suggestions gratefully received!
• Ford Focus II (2004 - 2007) - Facelift - Bonnet Release. (2005) 1 Dec 2007 (Forum)
  Anyone have any knowledge of these??. My car is an 05 model. To try and cut a long story short. My car has a plastic rod that runs between the lock in the grill and the release mechanism. It appears self adjusting and spring loaded although mine does not have a spring.
• Volkswagen Passat (2005 - ) - 05-Tracking, do now, or when new tyres are fitted? 8 Nov 2007 (Forum)
  (all other tyres wearing evenly) I am aware this is clearly a tracking issue and I will be having the car fully checked out to ensure the TOE - CASTER - CAMBER are all correct / corrected. My Question is: Do I pay to have the tracking done whilst the old tyres are still on the car, or do I have the new ones fitted (I will be replacing ALL 4 road tyres) then drive to the specialist garage to have the tracking done properly.
• 5 door Subaru Impreza ? 13 Jul 2007 (Forum)
  My company car is currently up for renewal soon and I'm thinking about taking the money instead as the car is purely a perk and I dont need it for business. I've really enjoyed the 120d and will be v sorry to see it go - in fact I might yield to temptation and get another, or perhaps hold out until the 123d comes out.
• Another "what car should I buy?" post 6 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  Looking for reliable and comfortable family transport which will wont need replacing for at least 5 years preferably more. Needs to accomodate two adults...
• Pesky breakdown cover 25 Feb 2007 (Forum)
  Hi there, My car has just passed its 16th birthday and is no longer allowed breakdown cover with my current provider - I rang them up: they said, up to 15 years was fine, I said, it's sixteen years so I'll have to cancel then they said, in the uk it doesn't matter, it can be 40 years old, we thought you meant Europe I said, it doesn't make any distinction in the policy doc?
• Tricky Garages 10 Feb 2007 (Forum)
  I had a look under the bonnet and noticed they had re fitted the old glazed and cracked alternator drive belt.......( hoping for another repair?) I think so. There was a lot more than this including low oil pressure and oil consumption...... Now I REALLY knew this car and engine and had been servicing one of the same for some time.
• Vectra C Eco-Service Query 15 Feb 2006 (Forum)
  I'm baffled by the service interval on my recently purchased 1.8 16v 2005 Vectra. I bought the car at 11 months old and the supplying Network Q retailer agreed to carry out the 1st service. He has stamped the service book under Eco-Service (G) which should be for 1 year or 20,000 ml intervals. I believe you can also opt for Eco-Service Flex on this vehicle which extends the time between services depending on driving style.
• price changes, place for good advice 9 Jan 2006 (Forum)
  Maybe they've got an "inside line" into the car pricing gods. I don't usually recommend anything but am doing this time as they were very clued up and, unlike some of the other internet floggers we tried, they were bang up to date on everything and they weren't advertising old registered stock as "new" like some of them do.
• Golf 1990. fuel mixture & idle speed 13 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  I just phoned a local garage about getting the carburettor adjusted and the timing done and was told there isn't much hope for an old Golf. He said the carburettors used for those were a problem and could not be adjusted. He also said that would be an MOT failure if the fuel mixture was too rich. The car has done 100,000 miles and since passing the MOT last year has only done about 3,000 miles.
• Lousy Design 22 Aug 2005 (Forum)
  The brakes grabbed badly at low speed and the A-pillar and door mirror hid any view of the kerb when negotiating the inside lane on roundabouts. If the Polo is supposed to be one of the better cars in it's class I hate to think what the mediocre ones are like. The biggest disappointment however was the new XJ which I took the opportunity to give the once-over. The switches for the windows are the same as those in the Polo and old Datsuns.
• Which Estate? 16 Jun 2005 (Forum)
  My criteria is as follows: 1.I only drive about 11K a year so I believe that may rule out diesels as being a cost effective propsosal so petrol only? 2.Speed is not a concern of mine so under 2 litre will suffice. 3.Budget of up to 13K. 4.Car can be up to 3 years old. 5.Must be as cost effective as possible i.e when considering depreciation, maintenance, fuel and insurance. This is probably the biggest deciding factor for me as I hate losing 000's on cars!!
• Ford Focus suspension failure 27 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  My question is therefore is this as rare as it first seems or is it more common than the mechanic had visibility of? ? Should I have a detailed discussion with my dealer regarding a disappointment that a car less than 4 years old with below average mileage should have such a major failure? (P.S The vehicle has been religiously serviced at Ford, including its MOT and has had no modifications) Carse
• Toyota Starlet - Value 8 Feb 2005 (Forum)
  I started working from home 6 months ago and we have decided that we no longer need two cars, therefore I am selling SWMBO's Starlet. I am a bit unsure what to ask for it, having checked Autotrader, simliar cars seem to be advertised anywhere between £800 and £1200, which seems quite high to me, so any opinions welcome: It is a 1995 M reg Toyota Starlet Kudos 1.3 manual petrol.
• Alfa 146 - Erratic Idling 31 Oct 2004 (Forum)
  It can happen at any time and is usually rectified by turning off the engine for a few minutes and restarting. I have had the idle control valve changed and the car was fine for a few weeks, then went back to its old ways. I took it to an Alfa dealer for a service and they had the car for 10 days, it did not play up once and nothing showed up on the computer.
• Zafira or New Corolla Verso? 2 Aug 2004 (Forum)
  Design or Elegance), or the new Toyota Corolla Verso 1.8 MMT (triptronic type transmission). Firstly, does anybody have any views on how these cars compare - I've looked around for a head-to-head but haven't seen one. Secondly, total cost of ownership is important to me, I expect I'll keep the car for 2 to 3 years, so am keen to see how much I will lose due to depreciation over this period.
• Decisions Decisions. Vectra for Vectra. 7 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  Went in the garage for one thing today and ended up test driving another car whilst waiting for the prognosis of my car. Anyway, to cut a long story short:- Been offered £5100 for my X Reg Vectra CD (yr 2000, 2.2i Auto, with 40,000 miles on the clock) against a 5 month old Vectra Elegance (again 2.2i auto, yr 2003, 53 Reg) with 9,000 miles on the clock, priced at £12,995.
• New Audi A8 W12 22 Apr 2004 (Forum)
  A full bore standing start in deep snow on top of sheet ice gave drama free acceleration to rival my 2.4T Volvo in the dry, with nothing but chattering of anti wheel spin devices to say how hard the car was working to keep the driver out of trouble. In the dry, the way it serenely picked up its skirts and flew, totally drama free, was just as impressive. The built-in phone system is the best I have used of any car (though a colleague\'s Merc runs it close), and the list of gadgets would fill an encyclopedia.