Refine by channel:  Forum (22913)    Ask HJ (10549)    News (2897)    Article (135)    productReview (99)    FAQs (35)    Good Garages (18)    Reviews (1)  

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• is this normal practice? 3 Apr 2011 (Forum)
  Hi,   I went to a large Nissan dealer knowing exactly what I wanted to buy (used).  Throughout the salesman kept asking if I wanted a test drive, I politely declined as I have already driven one at a different dealer. Thinking we would get into the talking about knocking a few quid off, throwing in a few extras he said he could not sell me the car if I did not test drive an equivalent.
• 
  Focus alternator? 4 Jan 2011 (Ask HJ)
  My 2006 Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi has just started making a whining/howling sound coming from the alternator area. When I started the car this morning (first...
• MAROONED - Will a small 4x4 help beat the snow? - Second-hand reliable and cheap small 4x4 12 Nov 2010 (Forum)
  I was thinking about something like a year 2000 Suzuki Jimny. Also wondered about a Fiat Panda 4x4 (although I believe the all-wheel drive version starts at 2005). I do have chains for our front-wheel drive car...but they are a hassle to fit in the dark. I think a 4x4 - with winter tyres could be the solution... I would appreciate advice from anyone who's faced a similar predicament.
• Rover 25 (1999 - 2005) - 03 1.6 rattling when driving 10 Sep 2010 (Forum)
  However...theres an annoying but occasional rattle which seems to be coming from underneath the car whilst driving. I reckoned at first that it was the exhaust, but my son took it to a fast fit centre and was assured that the exhaust was fine (it must be if they didnt insist on replacing the entire system), and that there appeared to be some issue associated with a sloppy gearstick, which the mechanic said was uncharacteristic of Rovers.
• Need a 4x4 27 Jul 2010 (Forum)
  I am looking to buy a 4x4 but have not got a clue which one to get so if I say what I'm looking for maybe someone can throw a few ideas my way.I know I want a diesel one and I want a smallish one aswell.I'm not going to be doing much off roading its just my job involves driving along a beach about 40 yards to get to my place of work and theres a couple of rocks to go over so a car will just not do.I have a couple of children so I want something with all the toys you get in a car air con cruise control all electrics and a sunroof if poss.I was thinking of a jeep cherokee CRD limited that was quite nice and I quite like the rav 4.I will be doing mostly day to day driving on roads and my misses will want to drive it aswell school runs shopping etc so I want something thats as close to being in a car as poss not an agri type 4x4 something that pulls quite well ,so any ideas anyone.
• Renault Clio 1 Petrol (1991 - 1998) - 95 1.8 car wont start, just died whilst driving, 10 Nov 2009 (Forum)
  hi, i have a problem with my clio, whilst i was driving last night it just cut out, and now wont start, we tried jump leads and bump start but to no avail, all my electrics work i.e lights, radio ect. i have noticed that the immobiliser light on the dash now does not appear at all!!
• Vauxhall Astra F (1991 - 1998) - 93 1.4 Mk3 auxilliary drive belt!! 7 May 2009 (Forum)
  Me again I'm afraid with my elderly (1993) Mk3! Can anyone out there advise how you're supposed to replace the auxiliary drive belt on a Mk3 with C14SE engine and power steering??? Haynes suggests removal of the RH engine mount, but doesn't cater for the power steering variant where the pump and the mount appear to be integrated!
• Volkswagen Passat (2005 - ) - 2007 170 PDi - Is my DPF blocking up? 17 Jan 2009 (Forum)
  Hi I've just bought a new VW Passat with the 170 PDI diesel engine. Great car to drive, will let you know in due course if it has any of the trade-mark VW reliability problems! My understanding of the DPF is that if my driving style doesn't suit the DPF then it starts to block up.
• Renault Scenic (2003 - 2009) - 08 2.0 auto stays in low gears too long 11 Oct 2008 (Forum)
  We are only getting 20-25 mpg. The car is noisy and is stressful to drive. If you select manual and select a more appropriate gear then return to automatic the car changes down. I have requested a test drive of another car with the same engine/transmission to see if the problem is replicated because the garage has analysed the gearbox for 2 days and says no fault found.
• Nissan Qashqai (2007 - ) - DPFs again 26 Sep 2008 (Forum)
  As it happened, the car was going in for service. Dealer has effectively blamed driving style (car has done 15,000 miles in a year, does 2 x 20 mile commutes every day, and the owner doesn't hang about) and not following the procedure of "driving on the motorway for half an hour", which is not mentioned in the handbook.
• The most economical... 16 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  Or any a bit problematic on brisk country roads? And do they really return the kind of figures they report - I know this depends on driving, but the Mondeo always lived up to its 48mpg with mixed driving? She's only small so driving positions are unlikely to bug her, but she does want good visibility and something very easy to park!
• Nissan Micra (2003 - 2010) - 03 1.0 16 valve K12 - EML on 15 Apr 2008 (Forum)
  Hi everyone , i have a problem with my micra its a k12 model 1.0 16v on an 03 plate , it has covered 26k , the car has developed a problem my eml came on and my autodiagnos brought up the problem of a crank shaft position sensor being at fault , i changed the sensor in the gearbox and the cam sensor in the head at the same time and reset the light , all is well with running when the car is warm , but when starting from cold the idle speed raises and drops till the car is driven , the light comes straight back on and the car feels underpowered , the same fault indicating the crank sensor at fault , but if i run the engine till its warm reset the eml and drive its fine can drive as far as i like until , its left over night and started in the morning from cold and the eratic idle starts and the light comes on as i pull off the drive , any help is welcomed , many thanks .
• Driving Music 18 Mar 2008 (Forum)
  I reasonably regularly drive overnight to, or indeed from, Italy. Usually alone so music is very important. As most continental night time radio stations are fairly poor I take my own. I don't want you to think I'm doing a "Clarkson" in some transcontinental supercar, in fact it is mainly in my trusty old Mondeo estate !
• Driving without insurance - ANPR starts to bite? 21 Feb 2008 (Forum)
  In The Times this weekend is an article talking about the progress they are making in London to identify uninsured drivers in operation Reclaim. It appears that not all the stereotypes about who drives without insurance are true. They've been finding a large number of decent cars, including some exotica, that aren't insured. To be honest, I was astounded at the number of cars they have been impounding: 30-40 cars a day.
• Driving examiners getting worse! 7 Aug 2007 (Forum)
  When I took my test 20+ years ago examiners were not held in high esteem. I've just seen my dad who is a driving instructor and always has a tale to tell! 1 - Examiners now also 'examine' the car before going out. The new test centre my dad uses has a newly laid car park. Instructor with 4 day old Yaris parks up for someone to take an extended test (£90 BTW).
• Driving can still be enjoyable! 8 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  Very crisp turn in (I can recomend the Falken FK452s) and responsive steering, really great fun! Not bad for a five year old car with nearly 120k on the clock, really drives as well as when new in these circumstances (I have had it since new), in fact perhaps better, it has become freer revving as the miles have accumulated. So I didnt regret not taking the bike though off for a run on that this evening weather permitting!
• Drink Driving Info 10 May 2007 (Forum)
  My father in law has rather stupidly been caught drink driving on saturday night. he has a date in court for wednesday. I've already told him to expect a 12 mth ban and a hefty fine (aprox £300-500?? he only earns about £10k). My questions are.... Is it worth him getting a solicitor or should he just plead guilty.
• Crash worthiness of classic/old cars 8 Mar 2007 (Forum)
  The track suit wearing Mondeo driver legged it from the scene. Few minutes earlier and I would have been tangled up in it. I often drive late at night (through necessity) down the mean inner city streets of a large Northern town (city), in my 1979 Austin Allegro. I can tell you, that the amount of dodgy driving+erratic behavior I see at 12-00 at night is incredible.
• HUD (Head Up Display) 25 May 2006 (Forum)
  But I would like to think that when I am driving, I am driving in a manner that allows me to glance at the speedo for a sec without running the risk of an accident. So what benefit is this HUD actually going to give us? Is it another development for the sake of it which will add to the cost of a car?
• Compulsory surrender of paper licenc 3 Jan 2006 (Forum)
  The Government had included a clause on "Compulsory surrender of old-form licences" in the Road Safety Bill, but opposition peers suspected that the Government could be planning to make the driving licence a "designated document" under the ID card scheme, eventually making it necessary to have an ID card in order to obtain a driving licence. Peers also feared that ultimately all existing licences, including the current generation of photocard licence, could be withdrawn as the licence database was integrated with the ID scheme.