Showing results in  Forum [Show all channels]

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• Nightmare car buys 9 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  So - spend £30 on two new cylinders and fluid, £5 for a new wing and front valance from the breakers and drove it some 30 miles to Rugby to get my friend to do some welding on it. As he was trying to weld the floor, I removed the trim from above the N/S rear suspension strut (this had coil suspension springs with the shocks running through). As the trim cam away, the car sank by about 1 inch! Well I was glad I got to Rugby safely. On closer inspection one of the 3 bolt holes had completely rusted away and the suspension was being kept in place by a small flap of rotting steel.
• Advice/input re 75 buying decision 23 Sep 2002 (Forum)
  But I'm trying to get a clearer idea of how reliable the engine will be. Does anybody know how long this engine has been in use, or which Beamer(s) it's been used in? What kind of mileage can I expect it to be good for? I expect to do 15k a year, but I'd like to hold on to this car for around 5 years. Is it likely to pack up after 150k? I'm also wondering whether or not I should hold off till the new year to let used Rover prices ease.
• Volvo 740 GL -Cutting out 10 Feb 2002 (Forum)
  This is a problem that has become progressively worse over months to the degree that the car is too unsafe to drive. I understand that 'cutting out' is a common problem with Volvo series 240, 360 and 740's. There would seem to be at least two different 'cutting out' scenarios - 1. The car intermittently cuts out whether the speed be high or low. Mph therefore does not seem to be a critical factor in causing this problem.
• Bikers/ex-bikers make Better Drivers? 14 Oct 2001 (Forum)
  Motorcycle riders being vastly more vulnerable, their need for sharper awareness is blindingly obvious, but I have always felt I am a better driver as a result of what I learn on my bike(s), and after each session in the saddle feel I do a better job next time I get behind the wheel. So far so good, and of course I would add that everyone on a bike should take a rider training course.
• BMW 5-Series E61 Touring (2004 - ) - 25,000km report BMW 530d 9 Jun 2009 (Forum)
  After looking at options including C6, Audi A4/A6, Jaguar XF, Merc C/E-Class, Lexus IS/GS, VW Passat CC, Skoda Superb and BMW?s own 3-Series I eventually went for another 530d on the basis of highly competitive leasing rates (I get a monthly budget to spend) and the fact that even after 6 years it is just much better to drive than any of its competitors.
• All the car you need? 7 Feb 2022 (Forum)
  Mazda 3 2.0 Sport - Great fun yet practical. Enough power yet no worse on fuel day to day than the 1.6 models. Honda Civic 2.0 Type S 5dr - All the practicality and reliability of this model of Civic but with Rev happy 158bhp motor and firmed (but not too firm) up handling. Today I’d put the honour on the Mk III Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec petrol.
• Volkswagen Passat - Newly purchased car and not the legal owner. 7 May 2021 (Forum)
  Will the fact that I'm not the legal owner help my case against them for selling me a crock of s***.. Do I have any recourse.. I know banks have a chargeback scheme where they can try and get the money refunded..  Help!!!!   Moved to Legal
• Renault Twingo - Arnold Clarke will not do body warranty inspection 16 Oct 2020 (Forum)
  Bought our Renault Twingo Dynamique S brand new via my son who worked as a salesman at AC Renault. It's a MY 2016 but registered late 2015. Due to retirement and latterly the 'lockdown' it has only done 792 miles since its last annual service in November 2019.
• 2009 Honda Crv 2.2 Diesel - *Slow Battery Drain + Sat Nav Fascia Glitch!* 26 Jun 2020 (Forum)
  Anyone who has been in the same predicament or has any expertise of what might be the problem please let me know! P. S. Myself and hubby are not car savvy in the slightest, so please bear with us if we struggle with questions... Things may take a while to Google! ?????? *Please see video link below...       https://youtu.be/3xGENQPsFZ8
• Multiple Mechanics.. different diagnoses.... 8 Dec 2015 (Forum)
    meanwhile im off the road now 4 days and not making any money afraid to drive the car... incase i ruin the engine.   S
• 2001 Ford Mondeo TDDI - Part deterioration - query 13 Jul 2014 (Forum)
  Unfortunately I didn't think at the time to ask the garage to take a photo to have 'evidence' of the faults they claim the car has, but... apparently the N/S/R wheel bearing has excessive play to the point of it being dangerous and the "Front to Rear brake pipe is excessively corroded" (there are numerous other things they've found/listed) - My question is, could a wheel bearing go from being fine/not noticed on an MOT to have excessive play within two weeks?
• ENGINES - NATIONAL ENGINE CENTRE 1 Jun 2014 (Forum)
  AN EXAMPLE IS A 4 CYLINDER PETROL VW ENGINE, REMOVING THE CRANK FROM THE BLOCK RENDERS THE ENGINE U/S AND THIS INFO IS FROM THE MANUFACTURER. YET I STILL SEE SO CALLED RECON ENGINES FOR THESE VEHICLES FOR SALE. MOST CYLINDER BLOCKS FOR PETROL ENGINES ARE NOW MADE FROM A CAST ALLOY 90% OF FAILURES IN THIS TYPE OF ENGINE RENDER THEM SCRAP/ IMPOSSIBLE TO REMANUFACTURE.
• BMW 535/Honda CRV/Volvo 40 - Acquiring a fleet of cars - need to let one go 14 Nov 2012 (Forum)
  I really need to let go of at least one of them (if only to get some driveway space back), but I know I will get a paltry amount for each of them, so I'd like readers' advice on which one(s) to sell and not kick myself afterwards.  Here's my profile: mainly myself in the car (40 miles daily) + occasionally my wife, 3 young teenagers and occasionally 2 dogs as well. Wife drives a 2004 Golf 1.6 SE (a bit of a squeeze, but refuses to use CRV/Volvo as feels they are less comfortable for her bad back than the Golf)   Here are the motors: (1)Honda CRV (2002) 85K miles (so due a timing belt change at next service), full year's MOT left, driving well though occasionally front offside brake mildly binding and due brakepad change soon.
• Citroen Saxo (1997 - 2003) - 98 1.1 (petrol) Engine stalls/spontaneously revs 28 Jan 2012 (Forum)
  OK, this is an S registration Saxo. Regularly serviced, well-maintained (on the whole!). There are two engine problems, possibly related. This is my partner's car, so I don't drive it much...what I'm reporting is based on a combination of her description of what happens, and my experiences when I have driven it.
• Audi A4 cabriolet 2003 - water in front passenger footwell 9 Jun 2011 (Forum)
  This post is both for information to other owners but also to confirm my own interpreation of the problem.There are a number of posts all over the cobweb about water ingress in A4's and I have verified that none of them are causing my problem. Water gets in over the inner plastic trim. This trim is the one along the hinge side of the pasenger door sill and up the side of the footwell (not the longer piece of trim running back along the rest of the door sill).
• Ford Focus TDCi - Not enough grit this winter-all weather tyres? 15 Oct 2010 (Forum)
  But you need to choose well - a lot of these are aimed at the North American market, where tread wear is king - I have seen reviews of European tyres, where they have been criticised for not lasting more than 30,000 miles.... ! I ended up with Nokian WR-G2's, ordered via MyTyres since they don't have UK distribution. Vredestein make some good all-weather tyres, too. The difference? In the warm weather, they feel like a good entry level tyre - you wouldn't want to put them on your ST, but for the majority of normal cars they are fine.
• SAAB - SAAB 93, good opportunity or bad idea? 4 Jun 2009 (Forum)
  Looking at 'the usual suspects' of cars such as Mondeo's, I have noticed that only one of the three main car supermarkets (Motorpoint) I normally look at have any 08/58 plate Mondeos, (Trade Sales and Car Giant are the others, our company is in the South East), but there are a lot of SAAB 93's. Most are Auto's (not good either for BiK or mpg) but there are a few 150hp diesel Linear SE's saloons at £11,800 and estates at £12,500. This to me would put the guy in a nice 'premium' (note the small letters) car at a very affordable price.
• Suzuki Alto (2009 - ) - Spot-on marketing from Suzuki 24 Jan 2009 (Forum)
  I'm pleased the Alto has a 3-pot (going back to the roots of the late 70s/ early 80s Alto FX - remember those, with the glass hatch and '5 speed' badge?!) as 3 cylinder engines seem to have so much more zest than a 4 cylinder, though the i10's new Kappa 1.2 sounds like a great unit. As for the new Charade due in Feb... Daihatsu seem to be doing nothing. I think they could learn something from Suzuki. I'm sure the previous Charade would have sold in much greater numbers had it been decently marketed.
• Ford Mondeo III (2000 - 2007) - tdci 160,000 mile report 10 Dec 2008 (Forum)
  Injectors at £150 each, a recoding fee, sensible hourly labour rate for the work. The first decision came after they'd properly tested the four injectors. #4 was definitely dead. #s 2&3 were very sick and #1 wasn't very good. Had a choice of just changing one and putting it through the ring hoping that the engine light would stay off but decided that the extra money on changing all four would be worth it.
• Servicing. Why bother? 30 Jul 2007 (Forum)
  I'm not saying that this 'schedule' must be followed but taking your car to a main dealer for servicing seems expensive when I can only think that they 'suggest' to change parts when really they have a few more months or 1000's of miles left on them? The only reason I can think of taking it for a regular service is that it may stop your car from breaking down, but hey, a car regularly serviced can breakdown just as much (I've had such an experience) .