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• Multiple Mechanics.. different diagnoses.... 8 Dec 2015 (Forum)
    meanwhile im off the road now 4 days and not making any money afraid to drive the car... incase i ruin the engine.   S
• 2001 Ford Mondeo TDDI - Part deterioration - query 13 Jul 2014 (Forum)
  Unfortunately I didn't think at the time to ask the garage to take a photo to have 'evidence' of the faults they claim the car has, but... apparently the N/S/R wheel bearing has excessive play to the point of it being dangerous and the "Front to Rear brake pipe is excessively corroded" (there are numerous other things they've found/listed) - My question is, could a wheel bearing go from being fine/not noticed on an MOT to have excessive play within two weeks?
• ENGINES - NATIONAL ENGINE CENTRE 1 Jun 2014 (Forum)
  AN EXAMPLE IS A 4 CYLINDER PETROL VW ENGINE, REMOVING THE CRANK FROM THE BLOCK RENDERS THE ENGINE U/S AND THIS INFO IS FROM THE MANUFACTURER. YET I STILL SEE SO CALLED RECON ENGINES FOR THESE VEHICLES FOR SALE. MOST CYLINDER BLOCKS FOR PETROL ENGINES ARE NOW MADE FROM A CAST ALLOY 90% OF FAILURES IN THIS TYPE OF ENGINE RENDER THEM SCRAP/ IMPOSSIBLE TO REMANUFACTURE.
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  Bought a used car with incomplete history - what can we do? 20 Feb 2014 (Ask HJ)
  My girlfriend recently bought a 2007 Audi A3 from a used car dealer seven months ago. The service history book states that the "toothed belt" (timing belt)...
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  Nine punctures in three years - what's causing it? 26 Sep 2013 (Ask HJ)
  My wife and I are the proud owner of a Skoda Yeti 2.0-litre Diesel. We have had the car for over three years, but have had nine punctures over this time....
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  Skoda Yeti wiring fault - should I ask the dealer to pay for repairs? 15 Sep 2013 (Ask HJ)
  The near side windows, central locking and electric mirrors on my Skoda Yeti have failed, just six months after the car's three year warranty expired....
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  Which sporty car for my elderly mother? 18 May 2013 (Ask HJ)
  My mum, well embarked on her 80s, has decided she 'wants a more sporty car' (don't ask). She is a strong willed lady, in full possession of her faculties...
• BMW 535/Honda CRV/Volvo 40 - Acquiring a fleet of cars - need to let one go 14 Nov 2012 (Forum)
  I really need to let go of at least one of them (if only to get some driveway space back), but I know I will get a paltry amount for each of them, so I'd like readers' advice on which one(s) to sell and not kick myself afterwards.  Here's my profile: mainly myself in the car (40 miles daily) + occasionally my wife, 3 young teenagers and occasionally 2 dogs as well. Wife drives a 2004 Golf 1.6 SE (a bit of a squeeze, but refuses to use CRV/Volvo as feels they are less comfortable for her bad back than the Golf)   Here are the motors: (1)Honda CRV (2002) 85K miles (so due a timing belt change at next service), full year's MOT left, driving well though occasionally front offside brake mildly binding and due brakepad change soon.
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  Was I right to refuse a hire car from my insurance company? 3 Oct 2012 (Ask HJ)
  Last Tuesday a lady in an automatic Golf rammed me when I was stationary, I think owing to your frequently-mentioned habit of pressing the wrong pedal....
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  My Ford Galaxy won't start 31 Jul 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I have a problem with a Y reg 2000 Ford Galaxy MkII 2.3 petrol manual. The engine doesn't start or even attempt to turn over. All the dash lights come...
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  Why can't I contact a car's owner to tell him his car has been damaged? 24 Mar 2012 (Ask HJ)
  Two cars had had a collision outside my home. I got their numbers. Unfortunately, an unattended parked car also had its near-side front wing damaged in...
• Citroen Saxo (1997 - 2003) - 98 1.1 (petrol) Engine stalls/spontaneously revs 28 Jan 2012 (Forum)
  OK, this is an S registration Saxo. Regularly serviced, well-maintained (on the whole!). There are two engine problems, possibly related. This is my partner's car, so I don't drive it much...what I'm reporting is based on a combination of her description of what happens, and my experiences when I have driven it.
• Audi A4 cabriolet 2003 - water in front passenger footwell 9 Jun 2011 (Forum)
  This post is both for information to other owners but also to confirm my own interpreation of the problem.There are a number of posts all over the cobweb about water ingress in A4's and I have verified that none of them are causing my problem. Water gets in over the inner plastic trim. This trim is the one along the hinge side of the pasenger door sill and up the side of the footwell (not the longer piece of trim running back along the rest of the door sill).
• Ford Focus TDCi - Not enough grit this winter-all weather tyres? 15 Oct 2010 (Forum)
  But you need to choose well - a lot of these are aimed at the North American market, where tread wear is king - I have seen reviews of European tyres, where they have been criticised for not lasting more than 30,000 miles.... ! I ended up with Nokian WR-G2's, ordered via MyTyres since they don't have UK distribution. Vredestein make some good all-weather tyres, too. The difference? In the warm weather, they feel like a good entry level tyre - you wouldn't want to put them on your ST, but for the majority of normal cars they are fine.
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  Do you know of any problems with the Alfa Romeo 159? 15 Sep 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I have decided to buy a used Alfa Romeo 159 2.4 JTDm. I have read your review of the 159 and you list a number of faults that affect the 1.9 JTDm, but...
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  Why did my insurance premium increase by 15 per cent when I moved 400 yards to another property? 30 Jul 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I have my Volkswagen Jetta insured through a major insurance company. As a man in his mid-50s the premium was only around £290. When I notified the company...
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  Why won't Toyota allow me to fit a louder indicator ticking relay into my 2007 Yaris? 21 Jun 2010 (Ask HJ)
  The indicator 'ticking' is inaudible in my 2007 Toyota Yaris, so the occasional failure to notice its non-cancellation is frustrating and potentially dangerous....
• SAAB - SAAB 93, good opportunity or bad idea? 4 Jun 2009 (Forum)
  Looking at 'the usual suspects' of cars such as Mondeo's, I have noticed that only one of the three main car supermarkets (Motorpoint) I normally look at have any 08/58 plate Mondeos, (Trade Sales and Car Giant are the others, our company is in the South East), but there are a lot of SAAB 93's. Most are Auto's (not good either for BiK or mpg) but there are a few 150hp diesel Linear SE's saloons at £11,800 and estates at £12,500. This to me would put the guy in a nice 'premium' (note the small letters) car at a very affordable price.
• Suzuki Alto (2009 - ) - Spot-on marketing from Suzuki 24 Jan 2009 (Forum)
  I'm pleased the Alto has a 3-pot (going back to the roots of the late 70s/ early 80s Alto FX - remember those, with the glass hatch and '5 speed' badge?!) as 3 cylinder engines seem to have so much more zest than a 4 cylinder, though the i10's new Kappa 1.2 sounds like a great unit. As for the new Charade due in Feb... Daihatsu seem to be doing nothing. I think they could learn something from Suzuki. I'm sure the previous Charade would have sold in much greater numbers had it been decently marketed.
• Ford Mondeo III (2000 - 2007) - tdci 160,000 mile report 10 Dec 2008 (Forum)
  Injectors at £150 each, a recoding fee, sensible hourly labour rate for the work. The first decision came after they'd properly tested the four injectors. #4 was definitely dead. #s 2&3 were very sick and #1 wasn't very good. Had a choice of just changing one and putting it through the ring hoping that the engine light would stay off but decided that the extra money on changing all four would be worth it.