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• 1.4 206 HDi mpg and low revs 1 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  I have driven a Focus 1.6 TDCi and got over 60mpg so was expecting better from this car, certinaly high 60's on a run! Can I really expect fuel consumption to increase by 10-15mpg as the engine loosens up to start getting even close to the manufacturers figures? Many of my journeys have been long and I have delibertaely tried to keep the engines revs low and just stretch the car from time to time to clean the injectors.
• How do I work out what I can tow??! 3 Mar 2005 (Forum)
  Can anyone tell me what the maximum braked weight I can tow with my Passat would be? Also, how can I weigh the Beetle? Take it to the local tip and ask nicely if I can run over their weighbridge??! I can imagine that Mr Traffic Plod would have difficulty understanding all this, even if I was stopped!! Cheers all, Steve
• Thatcham Cat 1 alarm install 4 Feb 2005 (Forum)
  I had the car for a couple of hours and found the fitting to be a complete shambles - poorly made connections, an unfused 12V feed wire running taut over a sharp metal edge, loads of black tape everywhere etc etc and a piece of the Mercs trim broken. To cut short a long story I have removed this heap of junk and the owner has managed to get a 50% refund from the installer.
• 4 x 4 advice 2 Feb 2005 (Forum)
  It must be an auto and I would prefer it to be diesel/LPG. The budget is 7-8 thousand, also I would expect to run it for about 5 years at 12 thousand miles per year. We have kids and all the in-car-junk and abuse that this involves so it wouldn't have to be perfect, the most important question is over the maintenace of it: I don't want to spend thousands keeping the thing on the road and if I can't get a good one without the hassle we can have something else, it doesn't have to be a discovery.
• I was carjacked last night (almost) 2 Feb 2005 (Forum)
  Sitting in my Subary Forester XT last night (6pm) in a queue of traffic about 20 cars back from the junction. In my mirrors, I saw two lads running towards me on either side of the cars. They looked menacing. I locked the car and the lad on the passnger side tried to open the front door just as I locked the car so he failed to get in. The lad on my side started hitting the drivers door window with a sledge hammer.
• Peugeot 306dt low compression 23 Jan 2005 (Forum)
  I have a '95 Peugeot 306 dt which has suffered from poor starting for a long time.The car starts, but runs very rough for around 30s from cold.When warm the car drives ok. After trying and failing to find air leaks in the fuel system,I booked it in with a diesel specialist who has said the fuel system is fine but has diagnosed low compression (270psi) on one of the cylinders.
• Time for a change? Opinions? 17 Jan 2005 (Forum)
  Hi Back Room, Not sure who is aware but i have a 1994 Peugeot 306 1.9 diesel non turbo. This car is cheap to run/inusre etc. But being a 10 year old car parts wear out, i have owned this car for 10 months and spent £800 on parts/labour and i only bought it for £1000. The reason i bought a diesel was i had to commute quite a way to work.
• VW TDI misfire solved! 14 Dec 2004 (Forum)
  I've posted on here before about the misfire that has beset my 1994 Passat 1.9 TDI estate ever since just after I boasted on here how well it was running!! (see http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=24091 ) At first the suspect problem was the connector for the MAF unit, as the engine had cut to default mode once or twice and been restored to normal by fiddling with the connector.
• Mondeo condensation 22 Nov 2004 (Forum)
  I assume that this sort of thing isn't normal and could be the result of the seal around the door and headlights letting in water. I didn't notice any damp inside the car on the seats - though I didn't run my hand over any of the carpet or look under the space saver in the boot for any water. The dealer assured me that he'd get the the problem 'checked out' when he has the car serviced before he delivers it to me this Sunday.
• Green mould - removal & prevention? 18 Nov 2004 (Forum)
  The problem is that I live near a wood, and the window rubber, side bumper strips, boot plastic etc., anywhere there's rubber protective plastic is going green and leaving green run marks down the car :( It looks blooming awful. So I've two questions, firstly is there some kind of treatment I can use for this? Some type of cleaner or detergent or anti-mould thing that I can add to washing water that will both clean it away without damaging the vehicle and that helps prevent it growing again?
• Mk2 astra 1.3 oil burning quandary 12 Sep 2004 (Forum)
  The following week did lots of jobs for MOT,it passed, treated it to an oil change, a week later I have the same scenario, but now its worse. Removed top of air filter while engine is running to check fumage, seems fine even when I rev it. I suspect it could either be: The new oil is thinner so its working its way past the seals although I have changed the oil evey year with Halfords 15W-40 and never had this problem before.
• Cure for rain leak in 306 22 Aug 2004 (Forum)
  Having read numerous forums about this issue being a seal round the windscreen, ariel hole or blocked gutter under the bonnet I decided to investigate. It was none of the above. The problem was caused by the drain pipe from the rear offside whihc runs down the rear quarter panel in to the wheel arch - thisis fine on the near side but on the offside there is the fuel filler etc. This means the inside of the rear arch has a lining - as the pipe poked through the inside arch it bent back on its-self against this lining causing a blockage (nice factory fitted sunroof!).
• Peugeot non start 3 Aug 2004 (Forum)
  This all started when i drove it through a huge pool of water , it cut out on the way back from that trip at a roundabout, luckily it started up after a few minutes and i got it home. Unfortunately, this problem is getting more severe lately. I runs fine on some days and just doesnt start one others (sometime cutting out when i come to a sharp halt in traffic). It was working the other day so i decided to check if the fuel pump relay was damp by unplugging it.
• A convoy of BMW 1 Series 22 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  Have to admit, they do look a lot better in real life than some of the preview photos led me to believe - still a little snouty, but not unpleasing - the lines seem to run more cohesively than those of the Z4, 7 Series or even 5 Series. Not quite as Alfa 147 from the back as I first thought, either. Definitely more distinctive than the Audi A3 (I won't even dignify the looks of the Golf by comparing it here).
• Congestion Charging v Road Tax 22 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  This would mean that every road in the country would have vehicle recognition cameras, and charges would be weighted against those using busier areas, with high milage business drivers in London paying as much as £141 per month, and those in rural areas (such as myself) getting away with cheaper running costs. It makes me wonder how the people who make up these publicly funded bodies think the economy works. People who drive high milages invariably do so because their business requires them to, and any increased costs would be passed back to the consumer by those who were not forced into bankrupcy by the charge.
• Ford Ka cooling fan/warning light inop 21 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  Noticed that leaving the car on idle with the lid off the expansion tank the water boiled over without the fan starting or warning light coming on (lamp tests OK when ignition switches on). Have run it since then for a few months long & short trips without any problems but have to have heater blowing hot in traffic to keep it cool and would like to fix fan/light. Coolant level has been rock solid so I reckon head gasket is OK so checked out fan circuit which is driven by engine management.
• Jaguar series 3, V12, starting problem 4 Jul 2004 (Forum)
  On trying to restart the car, after turning over the engine for about 5 seconds, the electrics shut down. The car was started by turning the ignition swith to II (to run the fuel pump) and bypassing the starting relay and the circuit that controls the relay - the engine fired straight away and ran smoothly. The car was fitted by Lancaster Mayfair in 1991 with a Sonar Auto Alarm and we are wondering if the alarm has tripped and is somehow preventing the car from starting on the ignition switch.
• Local car robber killed - with a twist 9 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  Fate, in the form of a car driven by a dominee [vicar, to you lot!], caught up with the leader of a highway ambush gang - he was run over and killed as he lay on the N7 in Cape Town posing as an injured pedestrian. At the last possible moment the man sat up, but it was too late. In the dark, NGK minister François Hanekom saw the man at the last instant, and was unable to stop in time, he told the Cape Argus on Tuesday.
• Drink drive Road accident 9 May 2004 (Forum)
  some 15 minuites later the police turned up when the passenger and his helper decided to leave the scene too. Fortunately, one officer was pointed in the right direction and went running to grab both relevent collars. He duly brought them back to start establishing who was driving at the time of the accident. It is then you realise how a professional PC gets answeres! Callington is a small community and a number of traders and residents have long complained about the growing yob culture in the town centre.
• Volvo V40 7 May 2004 (Forum)
  She would like the following specification with preferably the 1.9 diesel engine. 1) Air Conditioning 2) Cruise Control 3) Leather Upholstery 4) Heated Front Seats 5) CD Autochanger what models would we look for that offer this sort of luxury? CD / XS / SE? We currently run a Subaru Forester 2.0 AWD GLS with the All Weather pack (heated front seats, heated front screen e.t.c) which will have to go as it's a bit too thirsty but we still want to retain some of the luxuries that we've had for the past 3.5 years we've had the Forester.