Refine by channel:  Forum (7407)    Ask HJ (2998)    News (2267)    Article (69)    productReview (66)    Good Garages (50)    Classics Reviews (16)    FAQs (13)    Reviews (12)  

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• Peugeot 306 1.9 TD DHY Conrod failure 3 Aug 2006 (Forum)
  When I searched on the Internet for an engine to replace it, I found the Car-by-Car Breakdown telling that this failure was not unusual: "Spate of conrod failures on 1997 -1998 R and S reg 1.9 XUTD diesels; one case of a late reg T: too many to attribute merely to running with low oil levels. Seems only to affect cars built from April 1997 with DHY (not DHX) serial number engines" So I (or the garage) will have to find an engine without this fault.
• Audi A6 2.6SE - will not start 27 Jun 2006 (Forum)
  3 - checked the spark plugs & there is no spark at the plugs. 4 - Checked the ignition modules at the front of the engine, but still no spark So I'm presuming that the gadjet that sends the spark to the plugs isn't working - what module sends the spar to the plugs ? Could it be some sort of cut off switch ? - do the A6's have a hidden switch anywhere as the Fords do ?? What do you lot think that it could be ???
• Help to decide what 'mans' car for me? 17 Jun 2006 (Forum)
  It may sound like a funny thing to ask, but although ive had a few good ideas over the last few months about what second car I want, its come down to this. What 1970/80's car can I get that trully is a car for a guy? The sort of thing Madmax would drive on sundays :) It cant be too in your face and certainly not a convertible. 4-door is a no no generally although im sure there can be exceptions.
• What's my car worth? 20 Apr 2006 (Forum)
  I don't really want to trade it in (probaly not possible anyway as I'll buy through a broker) and I think I have someone locally who is interested. So your views on the car's value would be gratefully recieved. BMW 318i SE Touring 1998 S reg, metallic green, velour interior, sports suspension, Mtec steering wheel & gear knob, cargo net, heated locks, radio/cd, good condition (one or two small rust patches on front wheel arches),.. and 175,000 miles on the clock I am second owner.
• Eceptionally low milage 7 Apr 2006 (Forum)
  It was serviced 1000Km and 1500Km and last December 05 (oil/filter change) I believe the Klms to be genuine as it is an Expat who bought the car then had to relocate.He is now trying to cut his losses.The car was approx 25/26K new and i was thinking of offering 15/16K. I know virtually nothing about V8's and A/T and the effects of such a low milage over 20 months could have.Any advice would be welcome. I am budgeting for new tyres/discs/full service but wonder if there are any other items which may need attention.
• Main dealer labour rates? 31 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  t believe that the parts for a Mazda 323 are that much more expensive that a Ford Focus on which it?s based. I intend to investigate labour rates before I choose my next car and would be most interested to hear which make of car is typically cheapest to service through a main dealer. And why are diesels dearer to service than petrols?
• Swapping tyres rear to front 23 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  I have got a case of the thrumming, chamfered blocks on the rear tyre(s) causing a thrum at certain speeds, there has been a few cases reported recently within these pages, I recall a 330d and a Vectra. My rear tyres have done about 25k miles and are wearing more on the outside than the inside, the Mondeo does that, they both have a fair bit of wear left in them though the nearside is slightly more worn than the offside.
• VW Polo misfire 17 Feb 2006 (Forum)
  hello, I've been reading The back room for ages - and have been impressed with (nearly) all the threads and quality! Now I need help - so this is first post! SWMBO has a S reg VW Polo 1.4CL - we've had it virtually from new. Its recently developed a sort of misfire - but only when it's warm, and only under harshish acceleration. It happens in all gears, and at all revs - its more annoying than anything else.
• Volvo airbags 24 Jan 2006 (Forum)
  I have been offered a Volvo S40 02 reg which has had a side impact and needs a new drivers door and some tin bashing to the front wing and rear quarter. Nothing heavy . What concerns me though is that the curtain airbag(s) in the roof (drivers side)have gone off and are hanging down. I have seen front bags replaced but Volvo quote £500 to buy a new roof one and maybe £1000 for the sensors plus £200 labour. All of which would make the car not worth the effort. 2 questions then, please ;_ 1.
• Another Honda Accord oxygen sensor 13 Jan 2006 (Forum)
  The invoice states 'trace fault to O2 sensor 2' (£44), and they told me it will need replacing at a cost of £336 otherwise it will fail the MOT. Assuming their diagnosis is correct, judging by P 2501's experiences it looks like the only viable option I have is to find the £336, although if the warning light in itself isn't yet an MoT failure I could get the emissions checked to see if they really are going to cause a fail.
• Peugeot 406 rear o/side "thumping" noise 23 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  My 406 family estate (7 seater) has an annoying (and seemingly untraceable!) "thumping noise", which seems to come from around the rear o/s wheel /wheel arch area. It only happens at lowish speeds on a particular type of road. It seems to have a "resonance" with certain road surfaces, e.g. slight imperfections in the surface or low relief cobles.
• Vx Vectra battery & Alarm 17 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  I seem to remember you have to do something with the key in the ignition in order to prevent this happening. I could find no reference on what to do in either the owner?s manual or Haynes. For future reference does any body know the correct procedure? I guess it was kind of a blessing as it forced me to splice on a +12V battery from a handy UPS using the fused phone car kit wiring loom while I swapped the old one out, so I did not have to and hunt for the radio codes etc....
• I can't vouch for this... 4 Nov 2005 (Forum)
  We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone each time we tried it." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
• Nissan Almera 1.5 SE W Reg 23,848 Miles 27 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  I had an expensive experience yesterday had my car in for full service and mot and it failed on the o/s/r brake caliper had seized not due to corrosion . The garage i used advised it was down to a component failure inside ! They were quite amazed as they seem to think a part like this should have lasted a lot longer .
• Insurance certificate error 5 Jun 2005 (Forum)
  Second question, if I had tried to make an insurance claim, could that kind of minor error have invalidated my policy? It?s only £25 plus some annoyance, but my mind ponders.
• Inexpensive motoring - how? 17 May 2005 (Forum)
  My own circumstances are that we need two cars, mostly for shorter trips, with 2/3 people, and not much need for load/luggage. Add to the mix that we live down a lane that's a sreatm for 6/12's of the year, so cars that like oxidising are not a good bet. We currently have a £1000 Punto 55S (about to be taken over full time by daughter #1) and a £150 Uno that may be scrapped if it's going to cost too much for an MOT.
• Broken motorbike 7 May 2005 (Forum)
  Help, I,ve pushed it further than it,s been ridden over the last 3 weeks. Honda CBR1000F has 3 times in the last 3 weeks flooded when it's been either(1)sat with the choke in on a cold engine at idle (2)choke has been put off when it should run again on a cold engine and (3)having been started on choke allowd to warm up 2 minutes then allowed to idle and blipped to 2000 rpm has died.
• Peugeot 306 diesel pulley failure 15 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  Does this constitute a design failiure? I've just taken the 306HDi for a timing belt and pully change. At 62,000 miles my local garage said I was being...
• M.O.T. Rules. 11 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  Previously, I have for the last four or five years, taken my car(s) to a "while you wait" testing station, who always allowed me two weeks to make any repairs required, then take it back, have the work checked, and then issue me with a certificate with no extra charge over and above the standard test fee.
• Skoda Octavia DSG Wait 28 Feb 2005 (Forum)
  SWMBO dragged me to a Skoda dealer to test drive the new Octavia DSG. She liked it enough to think about changing and I started talking deals with the...