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• Which old banger? 5 Nov 2004 (Forum)
  I want an "old banger" for a run-around until I can get a bargain for a bit more, possibly it will have to make one trip to Cornwall, return, 270 miles each way. Which would you choose? Why?
• First car questions 13 Sep 2004 (Forum)
  However I plan to use the car when I come back from uni in the hols, so it's got to last a while. I've been looking at cars, so far at VW Golf's and Fiestas as they are cheap to run and insure. Corsa's have also been suggested. The main issue is money, I have about £2000 limit on spending on the car, however the less money I spend the better. Obviously I want something that is reliable, cheap to run and cheap on insurance.
• White smoke from M Reg Astra 1.4 2 Aug 2004 (Forum)
  Had head skimmed, replaced the thermostat, water pump, cam belt and used all new bolts tightened to the correct torque. Started the car, worked fine, continued to run for approx 15 mins, still fine. Temperature gauge didnt move but we also own a Corsa which can run happily for nearly 30 mins before gauge moves. Popped car in gear to move off drive but as it had been sitting for a while the back brakes had locked.
• Subaru Misfire 1 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  He gave me a lift from their house to a friend of mines this evening and it misfired once during the journey only for a few seconds then was OK again and he said that he filled up with Shell Optimax a few days ago and it's been running a lot better since it's had the Optimax although the misfire is still there. It's been out to our second home in Wales and down to London e.t.c. so it's been getting long runs (so a substitute for the italian tune up) in the last six months so it's not as if it's choked up.
• Ford Fiesta - misfiring, it now happens 2 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  ive now got this problem all the time now, these are the symptoms: 1. i can somethimes smell diesel inside the car with the engine running. ive checked the exhaust for leaks - none found. 2. ive been told that it misfiring possiably because one of my injecters has worn out or is beyond its useful life. how do i tell if its worn out & in need of replacing??
• Cost of motoring 28 May 2004 (Forum)
  Then I worked out the total cost (I also keep reasonable records of money spent) - I find that my cars run at around 17p / mile all in. This means 133,000 miles has cost me around £22,600. Ouch. I'm glad it's bangernomics for me, and not running new cars with dealer overheads to pay for! Both current cars just MOT'd (0ne on 102k, the other 113k) for a handbrake cable, track rod end, front wishbone, and drop link - all in under £200 - phew, I was bracing myself for it being an expensive month!
• Glow Plug changing on Audi A6 2.5 TDI? 20 Dec 2003 (Forum)
  I have to continue to crank the engine for a further 1/2 second before enough cylinders are firing for the engine to run properly. There is often a brief cloud of whitish smoke after the engine fires. Once running, the car performs fine and it starts from warm perfectly. All but 1 of the glow plugs are the original factory fitted items so I am considering getting all 6 renewed to try and improve starting.
• MoT Question - Not Technical ! 25 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  The XT's old ticket ran out on 29.5 and I phoned to pre-book a test yesterday in case I got pulled by the Rozzers. If they come up behind me in the future or I run through a ANPR system I will get pulled if they do a PNC check on the bike and find my MoTs run out - and being a cynical type of guy - am I more likely to get booked than I would have been today if I had been stopped on spec and explained the situation before the Officer got tot he "I kmust book him" state of mind ?
• Toyota Timing belt 24 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  My daughter runs a 1989 Corolla, a 1.6 twin cam carb engine. Nothing special, in fact it drives rather nastily, however she's just got away with snapping the timing belt. Firth thing the car started running rough, lots of misfire.
• Vectra Engine Management 10 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  I have a Vectra 1.8 1997P with a similar fault to that described on the archive dated Sept 01 by Peter Bowman. A couple of miles into a run, the engine hesitates and the rev counter dips to zero. Afterwards the engine management light comes on and remains on. When this first happened, switching the engine off and restarting would clear the fault, but in the past few days it refuses to restart.
• BMW 316i auto box slipping (E36)? 16 Mar 2003 (Forum)
  I took it for a test run and, despite appearing to be one of the slowest-accelerating cars I have ever driven, it shifted up and down fine, went into R or D at a standstill without jerking or clunking, etc. However, when pootling along at say 25mph, kickdown seems surprisingly jerky.
• VW Passat Lurching!!!!! 23 Feb 2003 (Forum)
  Hi All, At last a tech forum that has people who reply and seem to know what they are talking about! Right, as short as possible here goes..... My car is running absolutely fine on idle, round town BUT after a few miles on the motorway develops what I can only describe as a lurch, a bit like when you are about to run out of fuel. Cut an even longer story short....have done full service, ignition system all fine, plugs and leads, filters all done.
• Heat/water problem on 94 Corsa SRi 16 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  Last night - i noticed the engine temperature gauge seemed almost stuck between the rest pin and the 90 marker, the same toda, it has until now run at 90 or there abouts. The needle falls when the engine is stopped so its not stuck there. There is now more yellow gunk in the top cover than before, no noticeable water loss however - and even when i leave the engine running with the car sat still, the needle will not rise to 90, previously it would take about 5 minutes before the temp had risen enough for the fan to kick in.
• Chrysler customer services (or not) 4 Oct 2002 (Forum)
  I feel I need to let off steam at Chrysler Customer Services after having the run around for nearly 2 months... On 8th August I noted an unhealthy noise coming from by Chrysler Diesel Voyager and reported it to my nearest dealer, 5 days later they took a look at it and advised it would need a 5th gear input shaft which would need to be ordered.
• Mint Volvo 460 in need of a radiator 24 Aug 2002 (Forum)
  2) Yesterday my Uncle drove it to Birmingham to the airport to drop off my cousin (as a means of giving the car a run). Just before he got home the temp gauge rose alarmingly, steam poured out of the bonnet, and it transpires that the radiator has sprung a major leak. Volvo quoted a ridiculous price for a new rad.
• Cheap LPG? 16 Oct 2001 (Forum)
  , is it possible just to either get some contraption to fill your car gas tank from (very cheap) "heating" gas bottles you can get from anywhere, or even perhaps run the car directly from a (securely mounted) cylinder in the boot?
• Faulty Megane and Motorpoint 28 Apr 2001 (Forum)
  Not so said the dealer, the warranty book is stamped 29th March 2000 with a Renault dealer in Calais' stamp. Motorpoint must have bought it from them then and that's when the waranty runs from. They contacted Renault UK who agreed with them, even though the warranty booket states it runs from the date of delivery (29th March) or the date of first registration (20th October 2000) whichever is the later.
• Mondeo Diesel 19 Mar 2001 (Forum)
  He says that when he pulls away from a road junction he has to slip the clutch to get the speed up. Once its up to normal running it runs normally. He bought the car new about two years ago. I told him I was sure one of you gang will come up with something. regards Alvin Booth
• Nissan 200SX - Very slow to build revs when hot 6 Jan 2001 (Forum)
  Above 3,000 rpm the care operates normally. The local garage I use to service the car has spent a day running various diagnostics and drawn a blank. I would be grateful if anyone with a 200SX who has suffered from a similar problem could let me know how it was rectified before I approach Nissan. Thank you in advance for your help.
• Jazz CRV ? - Honda May return to the UK 27 Dec 2024 (Forum)
  News that discussions are underway for a collaboration between the two companies and Nissan May allow Honda to produce cars at the Sunderland factory which is running under capacity. Formal agreement will be needed from Renault who are also in discussions with a Taiwanese company who wish to buy Nissan. Grest news for car production in the UK if it all goes through