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  Which automatic family car for my Dad? 18 Jul 2010 (Ask HJ)
  My Dad needs an automatic and was looking at a KIA Sportage 2wd diesel auto because of its 7-year warranty, which is about £18,000 new. Then he saw a Mercedes-Benz...
• FIAT Doblo - FIAT Doblo 1.9 in JTD & MJ forms – consumption 2 May 2010 (Forum)
  I thought that maybe the engine needed ‘loosening up’ (I’m an old style motorist who can recall cars having to be ‘run-in’), as the MJ had only covered 27K over 3 years, and being based outside Inverness was unlikely to have had many high-speed runs !   So now the MJ has covered at least 1500 miles at 70’ish, and is also revved to 3500 regularly when changing up.
• Vauxhall Astra G Petrol (1998 - 2004) - 02 1.6 head gasket & cylinder head fault 16 Jan 2009 (Forum)
  Hello, I hope that someone may be able to advise me on how best to proceed with a problem I've been having. I have only a basic understanding so would really appreciate being able to run this by some of the experts here. My car had been in to the dealership twice before. First time was August 2007 at 47,152 miles. No problems with cooling system, no noises etc. Car has been running well since I purchased in April 2007 (it had done 40k when I purchased it).
• KIA Picanto (2004 - ) - Initial report 5 Sep 2008 (Forum)
  Fit and finish generally is very good though, doors feel very solid and everything has a durable feel to it. One nice touch is having elec rear windows, its a little thing but useful. Running costs: Reports of poor economy havent been our experience at all - we got 40 mpg from exclusive town work, 43.5 with a mixture of A-roads and country lanes and on a steady dual carriageway run over to Norfolk, we got 54 mpg.
• Ford Mondeo II (1996 - 2000) - Oh no, not another bangernomics post! 17 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  Been washed 3 times. But it's never let me down or refused to start. One day it did begin underperforming - running on 3 cylinders, but still got us home fine. Needed a new coilpack and plugleads - diagnosed, supplied, and fitted the same day for £75 all-in after I dropped it at a local garage without prior appointment.
• A few days in China, cars, pollution, perspective 26 Mar 2008 (Forum)
  Really enjoyed just piling into the back of those Toyota Crown Taxis (not driving for once) that are running on LPG. There`s a small mountain to climb between the airport and hotel, near the ferry terminal at the other side of the island and the screaming max revs in second gear (obviously the norm) made me wonder how the engine survived one trip, when it had been doing this route for years.
• Ford Mondeo III (2000 - 2007) - 2005 tdci Head CRACKED!!! w pics 26 Feb 2008 (Forum)
  The car has done 56000 miles from new and has been fully maintained by my local ford dealer. A week ago last monday (20th) i started her up after doing a 30 mile motorway run and then i was in a meeting for an hour, so she was still relatively warm and she was spluttering at around 500 rpm,couldnt rev it, smokin very very lump, smelt of diesel, so very quickly turned her off.
• 2002 VW Passat TDI Power Loss 7 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  A local VW main dealer has offered to conduct an investigation ? at £110 an hour + VAT! All I want is my car running as it was before. Any ideas would be gratefully received as the garage have run out of ideas and I see me either having to put up or pay VW big money with no guarantee of success ? or a refund from the servicing garage.
• Mid sized MPV with 5+ cyl petrol engine 26 Mar 2007 (Forum)
  Of course I will drive the car too on occasion, and in any case will be paying both to buy and run it, so what about what I would like? Putting the missus's wishes first, which don't include engine beyond "no diesel", I could probably still have some fun with a second hand Mk I Zafira GSi or ex demo Mk II SRi or VXR.
• Corsa 1.2 Vegas Starting Problems 10 Feb 2007 (Forum)
  Friend of mine took a look and we found that with determination and a lot of fuel flooding problems we could get the car running, albeit misfiring badly, and when it warmed up it was ok. He checked plugs and other stuff and once the car was driven it was fine. Next morning the car was fine. That evening it wouldnt work again.
• Thoughts from America 30 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  I have picked up a copy of Car and Driver mag where they test eight "sports sedans", OK the 330i wins, just, though notably the 9-3 Aero (new 2.8 V6) and S60R are beaten into 7th and 8th places by the IS350, Acura TL, Cadillac CTS etc. Gas, the Jeep V8 produces 50bhp/litre so no surprise it runs on 87 ron petrol though how is it that US spec 255 bhp 330i's and similar can run on 91 ron when Euro spec cars "require" 95 ron with 98 ron being recommended, perhaps it is down to the local additives, any thoughts?
• Doing it yourself!! 10 Jul 2003 (Forum)
  This helps to explain why a friend of mine insists on dealing with the mechanics of every car in his family, and there are several. He is pretty well equipped as he runs a Triumph Stag. If ever a car needed vast amounts of skill and tender loving care to run at an acceptable level of reliability then it is the Stag. Suffice it to say that this fella is pretty handy with the spanners.
• Leaning out mixture is bad isn't it? 6 Feb 2003 (Forum)
  We ran at exactly the same speed (in convoy) at 70 mph on cruise-control for over 100 miles. Two guys claimed 30 mpg on the run there whilst I was down at 25 mpg (on our on-board computers). On the run back (alone!) one of them claimed 36 mpg! This discrepancy (ie 11 mpg difference!) upset me somewhat and I've been trying to find explanations for it.
• 1992 Vauxhall Astra 1.4I 8v SOHC 17 Nov 2002 (Forum)
  Needless to say he has not really looked after and No.1 daughter who is 17 in January is the next candidate ‘owner’. On initial running checks noticed engine running cold as indicated by dash temperature gauge. Verified with infra red thermometer that gauge was accurate and engine was indeed running cold – and therefore diagnosed thermostat as duff.
• MODUS WARNING 3 Apr 2002 (Forum)
  I have not been personnally affected, as I run a Babbage Engine with the Finlandish Modified Gears, which I can highly recommend to the Brotherhood, as they run much smoother, use less steam for the same gear yardage spun, and are not succeptible to the Blue Gear-lock of Death.
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  Is the alarm going off a sign of a weak battery? 23 Jul 2025 (Ask HJ)
  I have a 2017 BMW 440i still running on its original 12-volt battery. Although there are no obvious signs of failure, the alarm went off yesterday for...
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  What has caused a broken intake valve in my car? 20 Jul 2025 (Ask HJ)
  I recently had my fuel injectors renewed at a garage. The car ran fine for two months then just cut out on a short motorway journey. I took it back to...
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  My car produces clouds of white smoke during DPF regeneration - what's wrong? 11 May 2025 (Ask HJ)
  I'm really concerned and embarrassed with my 2012 Alfa Romeo Mito 1.3 JTDM producing clouds of white smoke during DPF regen. After removing the DPF and...
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  Will fitting a dashcam to an EV reduce the range? 7 May 2025 (Ask HJ)
  We've recently bought a Toyota Bz4x electric car and I'm wondering how much effect on the range running a dash cam will have?
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  Should I use a fuel additive in my car? 9 Apr 2025 (Ask HJ)
  I have a 2004 Mercedes R230 SL500. Is there a recommended fuel additive to use to keep the system clean and running perfectly?