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• What car? Tiny runabout on a tiny budget! 18 Oct 2007 (Forum)
  Hello first post, so apologies if I get this all wrong! We currently run a Seat Altea 2.0 sport. It's three years old and we love it to bits, but life is changing and we need a second car. We live in a small market town, and work is five miles away down country roads, school is also five miles away (about four from work) through some single track country roads, as is nursery.
• Mercedes Benz - Van stolen 30 minutes after buying 13 Oct 2007 (Forum)
  We also have guys mobile number but it is not being answered. The VIN number on van matched the V5 and the tax runs out next month so it will hopelly resurface then. We have since found out that returning to the house it has been tried to be sold again. The address on V5 does not match the address we bought van at.
• Volkswagen Passat (2001 - 2005) - 55reg tdi130 - smokin' 25 Sep 2007 (Forum)
  I've done about 24k now, and at the first dealer service I complained about this and asked for it to be adjusted to run cleaner. 'We checked it and there's nothing wrong with it, and anyway, they all do that.' was the answer. Hmmm. Is it a Tdi 130 thing that I'll just have to get used to, or should I insist to the dealer that it can be improved?
• Mercedes C200 2003 - Misfire problems 18 Aug 2007 (Forum)
  In addition the EML sometimes illuminates when driving without causing any obvious problems with the car?s running. MB dealer charges £250 for diagnostic and says ?unknown? fault code, finds one cylinder slightly low on compression (3 at 11 bar, one at 9bar I believe) and suggests fitting new cylinder head for £3k.
• Life after Subaru 8 Aug 2007 (Forum)
  Well, I'm off to the States next week for several weeks backpacking (work is on hold until I run out of money)in CA and my '95 Defender is also off to a new home. The potential replacement ..a friends 04 non turbo Forester is over my budget of £5k. He paid for a Glass's valuation and it came out at £8200 for a private sale... although he was going to sell it via the auctions to save hassle, and is now contacting the supplying dealer to see if it can be sold on a commission basis!
• GM/Daewoo cambelts -- worth it? 31 Jul 2007 (Forum)
  Obviously if it struggles on the test I won't bother (as this is a sure sign of a car that is not long for this world), but if it flies through then it's a fairly safe bet that the car will run for another 2 or 3 years yet, and I suspect that's exactly what is going to happen. So, (1) is the cambelt snapping issue rare or common on a car of this age and engine model, and (2) is there record of them snapping anyway, even if the work is done?
• '91 Peugeot 205 Gti Starting issue 22 Jul 2007 (Forum)
  Saturday gone i was spending some time finishing the last little lighting problems that i had in order to put it through the MOT, chuffed that everything was working right i took it out round the block to give it a run, all was fine. It Idles lumpy as hell but the guy before put a £700 fast road cam in it so it hasn't worried me at all, that was until now! I got it back and turned it off. When i went to put it back in the garage i turned the key and not much happened.
• There are nice customers too ! 2 Jul 2007 (Forum)
  He replied, Happy with that, but if it takes longer than you expect don't rush it I would rather it was done right than rushed and its only fair you get paid if it happens. Job didnt over run so it was ok anyway but was very nice to have any time pressure removed. Thining about this subject in general and I wonder if menu servicing is responsible for some of the aggro between customer and garage.
• Rover 214 - head gasket failed?? 25 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  Hi all! We have a P-reg Rover 214 (P) whose coolant tank has mysteriously run dry - no signs of any leaks and only topped up with water 2 weeks ago.........then whilst being driven last week emitted a nasty strong odour and started 'bubbling' under the bonnet. After allowing it to cool down I discovered a thick brown gunky mess in the coolant reservoir tank.
• Mondeo TDCi - Uneven power delivery. 12 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  Looked at hoses around intercooler and near turbo and fail to see any splits/holes? any other ideas? Its been running like this now for about 20k. The next problem has started today. Changed the oil (which may not have anything to do with the problem) but now i have a problem when accelerating at motorway speeds.
• Corolla vibration 30 May 2007 (Forum)
  Our 52 plate Toyota Corolla 1.6 VVTI 37,000 miles has developed a vibration which is rpm dependent, and is loudest under light load and when the engine is up to full working temperature. It is centred around 1,600 rpm and disappears 100 rpm or so, above or below 1,600. The engine runs quietly with the throttle closed, under gentle throttle sounds normal as rpm increases, but produces this intrusive rattle as it goes through 1,600 and then is sweet all the way to 6,000 rpm. With the throttle pedal half way down or more, it is almost non-existent.
• The F1 & motorsport thread - Vol 8 25 May 2007 (Forum)
  From today's Guardian: http://football.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,2017051,00.html >>> Small ad may be formula one's smoking gun <<< Towards the back of this month's Motor Sport magazine a company based in America announces the sale of a Benetton B194 formula one car, the very machine with which Michael Schumacher won three grands prix on his way to the 1994 world championship, running Damon Hill off the road in the final round at Adelaide in order to secure the title. Clearly the dents from that notorious encounter have been straightened out but the car is otherwise advertised as being in original condition - "exactly as 'in the day'," to quote the ad, a statement reflected in the asking price of just under half a million quid.
• Matra Murena 2.2 - noise on start-up 22 May 2007 (Forum)
  I had attributed this to condensation, resulting from the fact that it had been sitting unused in the garage, and the engine had only occasionally been started up and run briefly. But could this be a sign of something more serious? Comments and advice would be welcome... br1anstorm
• a4 tdi coolant Sensor and Glow Plugs 14 May 2007 (Forum)
  Now, IF I disconnect the coolant temp sensor from by the thermostat the plugs stay on for approx 20 seconds regardless...this makes me suspect the sensor is faulty, however how do I check for sure? I have a VAG-com unit but are only running the free software. I have taken a look and checked all the coolant parameters and they appear to be reading correctly....does anyone know if the thermostat sensor is 'just for the glow plugs' Will it have any adverse effect if the sensor is disconnected whilst driving?
• Liverpool Goalie's Cayenne stolen 5 May 2007 (Forum)
  Jamie Redknapp also dumped the poserwagon http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/news/33659.html Mateja Kezman sold his too. After knocking down a cyclist in one and also subsequently running half-a-dozen redlights in it while fleeing the police, drunk, one would hope Fabrice Fernandes gave up his. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/3719094.stm I think Scott Parker's still got one though.
• Ripped off by bodyshop? 4 May 2007 (Forum)
  After I had calmed down (and son come out of hiding!!) I took it to a local bodyshop for a quote for touching up. This particular bodyshop has been run for 30 years by the same owner and he does all kinds of body repairs but specialises in the most wonderful 'custom' paint jobs for exhibition cars. He regularly has Porsches in his yard and has been in the local paper because of prizes won at custom car shows.
• Total loss valuation 20 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  VW Passat 1.9 TDI PD115 Sport estate and I have had the car from new. This car was in very good condition as it is not the family run-about and both the exterior and interior were pretty much perfect (apart from the odd stone chip). The CAP guide for this precise model is £4,800 for clean, £4,275 for average and £3,725 for below average, all based on a 90,000 mile clock (i.e. average of 15,000 miles/year).
• Clio 1.6 K7M Oil Leak ? 16 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  We now have a couple of drips on the drive, looking under the car it is dripping off the sump plug, the lowest point, the front of the engine is now 'wetter' and it seems is slowing acumulating enough oil to run down and form a drip over time, the oil level is not noticably dropping. I have taken the manifold heat shield off and the only place I believe the oil can be coming from is the head gasket (though I have not ruled out the cam cover) I changed the coolant about three months ago, the old was spotlessly clean despite its eight years and the new still is perfectly clean, the level is fine and the temp gauge rock steady.
• Escort - issues !! 10 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  but the oil that sdripping is dirty blck... we put new in ? I must say the whole engine and its bays was caked in oil not that bad now though after a run. Whilst we were inside her.. oeer ! we changed the cam belt. now sinse then, when i go from speed to slow... she goes well below revs and starts to stall... (must add the alt is FULL of oil from the 'old' leak. ) can anyone help ?
• probs after intercooler pipe failure v70 21 Mar 2007 (Forum)
  Spoken to a couple of volvo indys - who dont seem to be certain that they can read the codes (msa 15.8 seems to have been used for only a year) and I would rather not have to go to the main dealer - because I would expect that the codes will need reading a couple of times and that will get very expensive very quickly. What is likely to be a problem as a result of running with the hose off ? Any suggestions before I start stripping things down to clean and inspect? EGR? thanks AC