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• BMW 5-Series E39 (1996 - 2003) - 01 3.0 Some advice... 14 Jul 2009 (Forum)
  The paperwork was okay, and seemed to have been regularly serviced, although it seemed to have missed a brake fluid change one of the designated intervals. I requested that the car was started as soon as I saw the car, and leave it running while I checked over it. After about 8 or 9 minutes, the temperature rose beyond the midpoint. I currently have an E46, and the temperature never rises beyond the midpoint whatever I do. I then went for a test run, and the temperature needle duly settled at the midpoint.
• Renault Espace (1985 - 1997) - 94 2.0 Engine loses power for a second or two 12 Jul 2009 (Forum)
  Starts fine, runs happily on long journeys, but on local trips it's plagued by frequent (every minute or so) loss of power for a second or two. This shows as uneven idle speed, too, fine when cold and (probably) fine after running for half an hour, but otherwise fluctuating 500- 850 rpm (should be steady 850).
• Skoda Fabia 2 (2007 - ) - Engine oil - factory underfill? 22 Jun 2009 (Forum)
  During handover, usual questions - "Have fluids been checked?" - Yes sir, definitely. So accept the car - drive home 40 miles - stick to own running in rules (under 55mph - 3000 rpm max) - everthing fine. Sat morning, now 150 miles on the clock, on a whim decide to check the engine oil level (cold before first start) . WHAT? ENGINE OIL BELOW MINIMUM MARK!
• Peugeot 405 Diesel (1988 - 1996) - 92 1.9 Leak around injector pump throttle shaft 10 Jun 2009 (Forum)
  Tried unsuccessfully to get a second hand pump and was about to scrap the car when I was told to try running the engine on tickover "until the engine was hot". To stop the leak as a temporary measure I pulled up on the shaft with the linkage removed as this seemed to overcome the problem until the linkage was replaced.
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  Burning question 6 Jun 2009 (Ask HJ)
  I have a 2006 Chevrolet and there is smelly smoke coming out near the radiator. I have since had problems with my engine management light. It went off...
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  Mini-mum 16 May 2009 (Ask HJ)
  My post-pensionable mum is looking to replace her teenage Astra with something reliable and inexpensive to run and maintain. Journeys are typically local...
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  No mileage 25 Apr 2009 (Ask HJ)
  I would appreciate your wisdom and advice, as I am a first time buyer. I am interested in a 2003 Toyota Yaris 1.0 T-Spirit with aircon, sunroof and alloys...
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  No hybing place 18 Apr 2009 (Ask HJ)
  I am very pleased with the automatic Skoda Roomster I run, apart from that my wife feels ill when she sits in the back. Maybe it is my driving, but she...
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  Hard shouldered 18 Apr 2009 (Ask HJ)
  I have a BMW E91 3-Series 2.5 Tourer with runflat tyres. After 16,000 miles the fronts are coming close to need replacing. I have found the present Bridgestone...
• The truncated rev range myth? 4 Mar 2009 (Forum)
  Time and again on here we see the statement that diesels have great shove, but run out of steam as the revs run out at 4.5k. I just don't get this at all. What is relevant from a drivers point of view is how much of the rev range is useable, not the absolute revs - that's just a number on the dial that could be changed if you wanted.
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  Chip van? 14 Feb 2009 (Ask HJ)
  My son has a 2005/55 VW Transporter 1.9TDI (85bhp). The van runs out of warranty soon, so, as he finds it a tad pedestrian, he is thinking about having...
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  Hip hop 24 Jan 2009 (Ask HJ)
  I had intended to buy the new Honda Jazz but discovered that it was slightly wider and not fully automatic. The old Honda Jazz, which we have will only...
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  Eco worrier 17 Jan 2009 (Ask HJ)
  I have just bought a 2004 manual BMW 320 diesel ES Tourer. I switched on the computer at the start of a run largely in 6th gear of 130 motorway miles....
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  Warrant point 17 Jan 2009 (Ask HJ)
  I have a Golf which will be 3 years old at the end of December and am thinking of taking out a one year warranty with Warranty Direct, which I have seen...
• Peugeot 106 (1991 - 2002) - 98 1.5D Removing sheared nut on glow plug 11 Dec 2008 (Forum)
  Any suggestions- other than the non starting hopefully to be solved with new glow plugs it a great little car and I'm loathed to return it. Just another point- I know a couple of people elsewhere on this site have suggested you can just run on three plugs but typically this plug is the nearest to the battery and the top part of the glow plug (where the cables slip on) also shear away with the holding nut so I cannot even re-attach the cables to run one old plug with the three new ones!!!
• Jaguar S-Type (1999 - 2007) - possibly insane car change 20 Nov 2008 (Forum)
  Hi all, We (me, wife & 11 week old son) currently run an 04 reg Toyota Avensis 1.8vvti T4 hatch, and very happy with it we are. Big enough to fit junior's pram & gubbins in and reasonably economical, if not terribly exciting. However... I am about to come into an inheritance.
• Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - 03 1.8 LPG fuel problem 7 Oct 2008 (Forum)
  Sometimes after this happens I switch to petrol then back to gas again and the same thing occurs after a few minutes. However, once the car has been running on gas for a while it seems to be OK for the rest of the journey. This is only recent; I've had the car for a year now and it has always run fine before. It has covered 103000 miles so far. I'm not an expert on lpg so not sure who makes the system that Ford fitted in their vehicles or what effect this might have.
• The case for second hand petrol cars? 29 Aug 2008 (Forum)
  At last, some "man maths" which actually stack up ! As some of you will already know I have been running two cars back to back for a month. One is my older (02 )Mondeo diesel estate, the other is my recently aquired, albeit second hand, 2.2 petrol Signum. This has been an especially busy motoring month and I have managed to rack up 3000 miles in both cars.
• Peugeot 307 (2001 - 2007) - HDi Pollution fault 17 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  I disconnected each plug of the injectors, she is off number 2 and 3 injector completely, if you take 1 or 4 injectors off, the engine stalls. The engine gets a good long run all the time and gets a good blow out. I have asked manufactures mechanics and they have not come across this problem before. Do you know what this fault code1355 is and have you come across this before?
• Ford Mondeo III (2000 - 2007) - Downsizing - only slightly - but what to? 4 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  My father has admitted that his Mondy (2002, 1.8) is too big and expensive to run for his infrequent use (he has a company van and only uses the Mondy to drive my mother to the supermarket, and to take my grandmother shopping). With the road tax exceeding 200quid, he wants something 'more reasonable to tax, run and insure'.