Refine by channel:  Forum (7407)    Ask HJ (3003)    News (2267)    Article (67)    productReview (67)    Good Garages (50)    Classics Reviews (16)    FAQs (13)    Reviews (12)  

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDDi Duratorq 2001 Model 25 Jun 2004 (Forum)
  Not sure about this model. Insulation and cladding rubbers in engine become brittle and breaks easily, even in BMW and S-500 Merz. Also, I try to service my car (changing Engine Oil and filter) for every 5,000km distance travelled. Book recommends 3,000 miles which is more or less 5,000km. And it recommends engine oil of grade 5W-30, but I cannot find such grades locally.
• Would you accept this offer? 1 Mar 2004 (Forum)
  > Look forward to hearing from you Sent: Friday, February 27, 2004 11:14 AM Subject: payment and shipping arrangement Thanks for the mail,i really appreciate your speedy response and all the details.as for payment ,there is an associate of mine in U.K who is owing me the sum of £5000 he did promise to pay me by issuing me a cashier\'s check of that amount since this is the case i will not like to delay you, i will instruct him to issue out payment that he is owning me to you so that you can deduct your £675 and send the remining to my shipping agent in italy that will settle the shipping company for the pick upplease i am willing to trust my balance to you after you have deducted your own money and any other charges. please i do not intend to send any fund to my shipper for picking up.this mean without any delay in the shipping, once the payment is in your possession i will like you to send the balance of the payment to my hipping agent via WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER ASAP.for the picking i am doing this to hesten the shipping.if this proccedure is okay by y ou i will like you to forward me your contact adress where the payment will be sent to or your account information, immediatly,so as to send it to my associate immediatly to issue you the payment as soon as possible, as follow NAME...........
• Good therapist needed urgently 20 Feb 2004 (Forum)
  As always with these old big block live-for-ever Fords, whisper-quiet mechanically, no evidence of smoke but with the bellow of an enraged bull when floored, brutal acceleration, trans takes up with a postive clonk straight away, brakes with loads of travel but work fine, some evidence of the traditional Mustang overheating (it's 34 C today), the anti-diluvian Bendix a/c works fine (the seller has a car air-con shop!), delightfully woolly one-finger p/s, lots of body rattles... I haven't been underneath yet but rust should not be a big issue in this climate. New belts, hoses, all the electrics seem OK, electronic ignition conversion...... But, along with the exhaust note, that incomparable four-light shark-nose that was just MADE for tail-gating lesser mortals....that satisfying V-8 body wriggle when gunning the engine at the lights.....hairdressers in Beemers eat your hearts out...this is serious muscle.
• Audi 80 vs BMW 3-series for £2,000 20 Dec 2003 (Forum)
  I make it a golden rule never to consider anything without a full service history, which means there are a lot more Audis in the frame than Beemers. 8 valve 80's seem to abound more than the 16-valve version, but my brother has done his homework on the insurance front and seems dead set on the 16-valve version. Has anyone had experience of running one of these cars, and knows what to look for?
• Omega Maintainance Costs 30 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  (Fully validated mileage and very low at the time for a 6 year old car ex Network Q plus one elderly owner) The Omega now belongs to "she who must be obeyed" and will be doing less than 10K a year while I have gone to a 1998 Audi A4 1.9 Tdi quattro Avant. Wow............ 50 mpg...ish from low to high 20's.......... very refreshing :D Things that have been done in that 3 Year Period in no particular order - 1-Timing Belt Kit @ 80K - £365.00 2-New ECC "Switch/Regulator" The Big 3 Dial Controller - £413.00 3-Multi Function Display Unit - £273.00 4-Coolant Leak & Oil Leak Repairs - (Heater Valve, Oil Cooler Seals & New Oil Cooler.... threads stripped upon removal :( and Cam Cover Seals, New Oil Pressure Switch leaking oil through switch body - £724.00 5-Glove Box Lock Assembly - £12.00 6-New Discs & Pads All Around & Rear H/brake Shoes & Cables - £350.00 7-New Complete Front Wishbone Arms & Stabiliser Link Bars - £145.00 8-New Cat Back Exhaust System - £250.00 9-Auto Transmission Lower Gasket Leak Fix & Fluid change - £50.00 I think I need therapy having looked at this list.......... but hey it is such a nice drive when everything is working right.
• In praise of old clunkers 14 Sep 2003 (Forum)
  Most importantly the horn is very loud and works. It is a bit sluggish on the uptake (I've been too used to low revving torquey V-8's for too long) but wind it up and it goes like the proverbial off a shovel. There are some interesting clunks and clonks from below but it travels in a straight line unless directed otherwise. It also costs only a few shillings to fill up as opposed to most of the contents of my wallet.
• House Swap.... 8 Nov 2001 (Forum)
  No bills involved, i.e. you don't pay my electricity/telephone, I don't pay yours. Weather here at that time is hot (30's) , but subject to rain. When it rains, its normally warm rain and doesn't last long. Most of the time is hot and sunny. You'd find life easier with Portuguese, or perhaps Spanish, but it doesn't really matter, since you'll find the locals pretty accomodating.
• Letter Fom The Colonies Vol 11 14 Mar 2005 (Forum)
  I am an OAP, I will never need to claim the UK OAP heating allowance, Maybe a munificent HMG can subsidise a cooling allowance instead? The last 4 days have seen the Manila Rugby 10's ,which are a popular sporting attraction much like the Hong Kong 7's, so we have seen an influx of brawny male expats from all over Asia, coinciding with busloads of pulchritude arriving from the provinces dressed in its best and with hope on its pretty face.
• 
  What cars can fit three child seats across the back row? 13 Oct 2025 (Ask HJ)
  I am soon going to need a car that I can get 3 child seats into. Ideally want to purchase an SUV, rather than MPV, due to personal preference. This has...
• Peugeot 207 - Bought car fault advice please 10 Apr 2025 (Forum)
  After only ten days I got a dashboard light start to come on each time I turn the ignition on with an exclamation mark in a triangle saying engine fault: repair needed followed by airbag(s) or pretensioner seat belt(s) faulty then ‘risk of particle filter clogging: see handbook’ Contacted them straight away about it and they booked it in for an initial diagnostic in their workshop for two weeks later.
• 
  A dealer lied about the condition of a car I bought. What do I do? 28 Oct 2020 (Ask HJ)
  When I bought a used car recently, I asked about the MOT and was told it was done on the 7 October. I then asked about advisories and was told it had none....
• 
  Someone drove into me and has now changed their story with their insurers - what do I do? 5 Jul 2018 (Ask HJ)
  My car was hit by a car which was in a traffic lane controlled by a red light. My car suffered damage to the rear o/s door and wheel arch. We stopped immediately...
• 
  My friend's partner hit my car and is blaming me - should I take him to court? 9 Aug 2017 (Ask HJ)
  At a recent family reunion, my friend's partner backed into my car in torrential rain - before I'd even moved - causing serious damage to my car. He shot...
• 
  Parking: Politeness, morality and the law 30 May 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I have a question I'm hoping I can get some opinions on, featuring the exciting topic of... PARKING. So, I currently car-share half my journey to work...
• ID3 initial impressions. 26 Sep 2025 (Forum)
  Beyond that it is a Golf sized car on the outside, Passat sized on the inside. It’s as quick to accelerate as a GTi yet smooth as an S class. There’s no noisy combustion motor up front rattling away and no complex automatic gearbox - it’s a battery and a big electric motor. It’ll cost buttons to fuel, and it cost nearly £20,000 less than its new price at less than 3yrs old with 18,000 miles up and it looks like a new car.
• 
  How can I get Emergency Call to work on my Honda now 3G is being switched off? 22 Sep 2025 (Ask HJ)
  I just found out the Emergency Call button on my 2003 Honda CR-V will be inoperable fairly soon as it runs on 3G which is being discontinued in a few months...
• 
  How can I keep an old cheap car going? 11 Aug 2025 (Ask HJ)
  My runabout is a 26 year-old Corsa, approaching a genuine 60K. I bought it for £240 8 years ago from an old chap who had started to bump into other cars...
• 
  Why are hydrogen cars not available? 19 May 2025 (Ask HJ)
  I really don't like the idea of buying an electric powered car. I have seen articles from some quite major companies who have made a hydrogen engine. Why...
• 
  What PHEV estates can carry my mountain bike? 5 Feb 2025 (Ask HJ)
  Can you recommend a vehicle preferably an estate that I can occasionally put a Trek Rail mountain bike (without having to take the wheels off or otherwise...
• 
  Are EcoBoost engines reliable? 31 Jan 2025 (Ask HJ)
  My wife and I own a 2020 Focus and 2022 Kuga both with the 1.5 Ecoblue diesel engine. Both are lovely cars with enough power, though the engine seems better...