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• Finally got Her back behind the wheel! 10 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  The lady in my life was always a very reluctant driver, having been coersed into taking her test by an ex employer, and then disaster struck with the little pug 309 SRi. She was pulling in for petrol and couldn't align it to the pump at our local garage. She got into such a flurry that she just completely lost her nerve. Apparently an old chap tapped on the window and asked her if she was OK. This was some 3 years ago.
• New C-Class... 21 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  I noticed it when I got home; no doubt M-B would argue that it is ?within spec? but even a black Citroen Saxo has no such fault. 5/10. -Body panel alignment on bonnet not 100%; body panels (?fangs?)either side of radiator grille are not level. RHS panel protrudes 0.5 inch more than left. This sounds petty, but my wife noticed this obvious misalignment and was furious.
• Toyota Yaris Hybrid - Coincidence or negligence? 6 Apr 2021 (Forum)
  They did a standard visual inspection and suggested I replace the windscreen wipers, the cracked back tyre and have a 4 wheel alignment. Given my  experience with the faulty tyre I decided to go ahead with all of this (I had planned on replacing the wipers and back wheel anyway). I took the car in to have this work done today and have just been called by the garage as the locking wheel nut on the rear tyre (I forget which one) is missing.
• Jaguar XJ - Replacing Wheel Studs 9 May 2019 (Forum)
  There was a bit of wheel shake before though as the previous owner kerbed the wheels a fair bit so I probably also need to get the alignment/tracking checked. Regarding replacing the studs, I could only find studs for the X350 on eBay so I called Jaguar and was told I'd have to buy the entire hub for around £220!! Does anyone know if it is possible just to buy the wheel studs for the X351 and will it be possible for a tyre fitter to fit just the studs?
• Aftermarket Xenons Illegal... 27 Aug 2007 (Forum)
  Also the dipped beam must stay on with the main beam. The headlamp must be maintained in good working order, kept clean and aligned/adjusted correctly like any other headlamp. Fitting HID light sources adapted for fitment to headlamps originally designed for use with filament light sources is not permitted and it is not possible to obtain EC type approval for such "modified" HID light sources.
• 
  Lex loather 22 Aug 2009 (Ask HJ)
  Further to the recent letter from P.W., of Dyserth that drew attention to the possible risks of buying a car when the vendor is not in the UK, I'd like...
• Mazda 6 Tourer - Mazda 6 - Brakes Issues 6 Feb 2018 (Forum)
  I took the car to a local garage and he checked and confirmed the discs are warped again. He thought that if the issue keeps recurring the hubs may be out of alignment, but can't check as he doesn't have the equipment or the specifications to measure against. I contacted the Mazda dealer in York again and I get the impression they're now trying to blame this on the non-genuine discs.
• Audi a3 cabriolet - Audi a3 cabriolet..problems after problems 31 Jul 2015 (Forum)
  She took car to Audi for free healthcheck, they picked up on oil leak on engine..turbo jet gone..cambelt not changed...brake fluid not changed..alignment out..tyre condition..fail..not looking good. Contacted finance and dealer to let them know..no one seems to be taking responsibility...she paid for full check from Audi as now worried what else could be wrong..and it cost another £150..they wouldn't let car go until oil leak fixed add another 30 quid...fair do to them that courtesy car was provided...my daughter has contacted dealers who have admitted they 'misinformed' her about cambelt change, but refuse to pay for work or approve it through warranty or finance company.
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  Discovered accident damage on my new car - is the dealer liable ? 1 Jan 2015 (Ask HJ)
  I purchased a Skoda Superb (2008 model) four months ago from a local dealer. The car only had 20 miles on the clock and was fine to start with, but a few...
• MINI Cooper S R53 (2002 - 2007) - Rejecting cherished MINI Cooper S 13 Nov 2008 (Forum)
  Tomorrow I?m coming to see Jeremy regarding a rattle from the gearbox at low revs, loose boot, miss aligned front bumper, brake ?grinding? and a rattle I get when starting the car. Could you tell me what my rights are regarding rejecting the car please? Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks
• VW Golf GT TDI 9 Aug 2005 (Forum)
  The dealership, said that they would take the car into the dealership and try to fix it. After 3 days, the car came back and the door were still massively out of alignment. The VW garage, said they would get me another car. In March, the new one came. Initially, there was a problem with the centre console cover, which was badly marked. I pointed this out to the salesman, who offered to replace the part, straight away, with a second hand part out of another car.
• New Alfa 147 Selespeed Fit for Breakers Yard. 23 Mar 2002 (Forum)
  Sometimes it takes minutes to stop the Alarm. 3) Boot plastic gutter trim is not secure at rear edge, and hatch not aligning. 4) Some oil leak benieth the car. 5) Positive terminal battery cover is broken 6) CD Player skips on normal CDs even when car stationary. 7) Front Windscreen washers very poor 8) Power Steering level below minimum 9) Handbreak cable on left is not fitted properly to floor bracket 10) Timing belt cover not fitted correctly, with gap at top, and its loose. 11) Carpeting hanging out of passenger front lower trim 12) Carpeting loose on side of center console 13) Alternator fails to charge battery 14) Only 25 to 26mpg 15) Car uses oil Other problems 16) Rattles from Door trims 17) Rattles from rear seats 18) Rear seats not locking in position 19) Sunroof blind completely missing 20) Where sunroof blind eventually fitted after months, grease, and bad fit. 21) Sunroof fails to open 22) Selespeed Paddles on steering wheel.
• Citroen Berlingo First Van 1.4 Petrol 2009 - 1.4 Berlingo Van Steering Knock & Tracking Issues 15 Mar 2014 (Forum)
  After that - when I can afford to take a day off I will get my van back in for my mechanic to have another look. If anyone wants to have my 4 wheel alignment readings (before and after fitment of new parts) please ask - I'm told there's no camber/caster adjustments possible on my van - not front nor rear - and I would of course be very grateful for any suggestions viewers may have on helping my mechanic and I to cure my van woes.
• Mercedes-Benz SportCoupé Kompressor - Too Shiny For Me 19 Apr 2017 (Forum)
  I note the HJ review (dating from when the cars were a recent model) has "Can suffer from suspension misalignment and aggravated tyre wear. It's a good idea to have all four wheels laser-aligned to be sure."  "Has also been one report of accelerated suspension bush wear problems due to the dire state of Britain's road and its unique traffic calming/harming measures." "Mechanism of single arm wiper needs freqent greasing and is not included in normal Mercedes service schedules.
• CAT C AND D SALVAGE EXPLAINED 22 Mar 2016 (Forum)
  The best thing to do in all circumstances is to ignore categories and go with an independent inspection,or an MOT contrary to popular belief a badly repaired car will fail the mot as any visible chassis damage is a failure. Another cheap option is a four wheel alignment check carried out at any good tyre centre. If possible ask to see photos of the vehicle pre repair, most salvage now comes direct from insurance websites so photos should be easily available         CATEGORY C IS DEFINED BY THE A.B.I. ( ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH INSURERS) AS "REPAIRABLE total loss vehicles where repair costs including VAT exceed the vehicle’s pre-accident value" CATEGORY D IS DEFINED BY THE A.B.I. ( ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH INSURERS) AS "REPAIRABLE total loss vehicles where repair costs including VAT do not exceed the vehicle’s P.A.V."
• MG - Roadster 1970 1.8 running problem with classic car 18 Jul 2009 (Forum)
  Checked TDC marks on pulley and case are correct by moving piston 1 to TDC, checking rotor pointing to No.1 lead and checking timing marks aligned - all ok. Fuel 1. Removed fuel pump. Cleaned (was not really dirty), checked points - cleaned points (slightly pitted), pump run on bench. Looks and sounds ok. No filters in pump. 2. Attached clear tube after filter before carbs and run pump into container - plenty of fuel coming through although quite alot of air bubbles mixed in. 3.
• Legal Advice Sought 22 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  I started it up (thinking the brakes must be fixed for it to get there). The brakes appeared to be fixed. Also the wheel alignment had apparently been corrected (it was previously quite bad). So I drove it back home - 0.25 miles - and very sheepishly. I phoned the establishment. I asked if there had been any progress on the removal - I expected to pay a £25 recycling fee and deal with the documentation etc.
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  My car suddenly veered off the road and crashed - any idea why? 29 Sep 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I was driving my one-year old Audi A3 at about 40mph on a rural road near my home when the car suddenly veered to the right, crossed the road, knocked...
• Ford Fiesta 1.6tdci Titanium - Cat C repaired car - major issues, any advice 28 Jun 2012 (Forum)
  The guys at the garage said that this car had obviously been involved in quite a heavy front end impact. They also said that the cambelt had probably snapped due to the mis-alignment of the belt on the fuel and cam pulleys casued by a shift to the engine (probably upon collision) Ford have quoted £5,400 for a replacement engine and fuel pump to be fitted and just over £2,000 for bodywork repairs (although I admit I thinksome of this is unneccassary).
• Ford - 1.0 litre destined for Focus & possibly Mondeo 29 Jan 2012 (Forum)
  The engine also makes do with a simple yet advanced design of turbocharger, has twin variable camshaft timing, uses low friction coatings on some internal components to save more energy and the crank is offset slightly to align more efficiently with the pistons’ connecting rods. How economical is this extreme downsizing lark? Is the 1.0 Ecoboost frugal? It’s efficient (in the Focus the engine will produce less than 120g/km CO2) and yet the 118bhp version develops 125lb ft torque over a wide range, between 1300rpm and 4500rpm.