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• Best SUV/4x4? 20 May 2016 (Forum)
   I havent driven it yet so jury still out on that one but as a former Toyota owner I'm swayed by the long term reliability and lower running costs they offer. Any views on whether it's a good option based on that or am I better hanging on the the BMW for a couple of years?  It's taken a much bigger than expected depreciation hit since I bought it (second hand) at £8k less than the purchase cost in just under a year.
• Need help in deciding a Crossover vehicle 15 Feb 2016 (Forum)
  Comfortable ride and spacious, especially the rear passenger seats (have to accommodate my 6 year old son and my parents) 2. Low running costs as I'll be doing around 20K miles per annum (Mostly motorway miles) 3. Technology kit (Bluetooth phone & music streaming, Parking sensors are a minimum). Not so keen on the SatNav as I'll be using my 6 inch Tomtom or my Google Maps in my 6-inch phone.
• Vauxhall Astra - Is it a ruined head gasket..? If so, advice please 2 Dec 2015 (Forum)
  A lot of the symtoms on the car I wasn't experiencing such as misfire but I checked the oil cap and it was completely covered in a white substance.   The past few days the car has been running out of coolant/water again and again within hours and I'm now starting to think that maybe, just maybe, I have been duped into buying a car from a dealer that does have a bad head gasket. The engine light has started rear its ugly head on the dash and I am getting quite a lot of misfires on the car.
• Toyota - Estima 1996, 2.2 3CT-E engine. Diesel fault. 29 Nov 2015 (Forum)
  I have 5.4 volts at both wires on one of the 4 electonic valves on the pump that control fuel to the injectors on the pump. Engine earth seems OK. I did a diagnostic test - (the engine had not run since the ECU had been disconnected for a night). I get flashes showing everything is wrong - coolent temp,intake air temp signal, alt register, turbo pressure sensor, fuel temp sensor, throttle position sensor.
• LandRover Freelander 2 - Land Rover ongoing costs 10 May 2015 (Forum)
  The car was 7 years old but bought from and known by the dealer and had done 43000 miles. Having had two company Freelander 2's previously I was confident that I knew the fuel running costs and having the warranty set my mind at ease to do the deal. In March however the car needed servicing, the service flagged all brake pads needing replacement and one pair disks. This set me back with the service nearly £900 so already I am over what I had intended to spent split over just a year assuming nothing else goes wrong.
• Citroen C4 Picasso 2013+ - Citroen C4 Picasso 2013+ pros and cons 1 May 2015 (Forum)
  The 1.6 diesel engine should be reliable as it is used in so many other makes of cars.   A 60mpg ave is based on a 64 mile daily run of 16 miles in London and 8 miles country roads against the rush hour, with 40 motorway miles, not in boy-racer style. Handling is good and the turning circle, very good. Space in the rear with seats up or down is good, and the screen navigation features are impressive.
• Sold the S-Max; Now what to get? 2 Mar 2015 (Forum)
   The car is almost six years old and I have owned it for almost five years and 44,000 miles out of 55,000.   I run a growing company of Chartered Surveyors and my Commercial Director said it was about time to upgrade for 'image reasons' as much as anything else.  I need to project a successful professional image - so no Range Rovers or BMW X5.
• Low Tax band 31 Oct 2014 (Forum)
  . :( Consequently, as a charity worker in a very expensive city, I am now on the hunt and engaging in detailed research on how I can make a good value purchase on a cost-effective to run "family car" (estate or MPV/SUV) with no greater than "Band C". Budget around £5000 equivalent. I feel daunted at this task and write to ask Honest John and its forum posters for any felt tips advice and help on this matter.
• Rover 25 2003 1.6 - clock resets itself ,door alarm,alternator belt 1 Jul 2014 (Forum)
  The current battery in the car is old may even be the original battery as it looks old and rusted and testing it using a volt meter gives a 12.4 reading with ignition off in the morning .two garages did free battery tests using their advanced devices and they both said it is on its way out, hence I will be replacing this battery.The trip which shows the journey mileage does not reset it self like the clock when engine is switched off. does anyone have any ideas whether it is the battery causing the clock to reset itself or something else like a fuse or something? I did notice my obd reader readiness monitors says the oxygen sensor and cat have run but not the other monitors. Problem 2 I noticed that if I lock the doors manaully using the car key instead of using remote key , the alarm goes off ,it is a minor problem,Any ideas on this?
• Vauxhall Astra H (2005) - Fault codes after head gasket replacement 16 Jun 2014 (Forum)
  I've done the 'pedal test' and it's come up - Cam shaft sensor - O2 sensor - Exhaust recirculation sensor - Knock sensor Of course, all this has put the car into 'limp mode', but prior to this it was running quieter and better than it has in years. My question is this: is there something about the repairs they've done that might need a bit of adjustment as things 'settle down', for want of a better phrase?
• Vauxhall Astra G Petrol 2002 1.6i - engine management light 13 May 2014 (Forum)
  Anyway he hadn't got back to me so i went down he said " give me address i'll come for it Saturday morning " he never showed , so i took it to another mechanic and he said changel the  cam and crankshaft sensors ,egr valve and the thermostat .... so i did had the ecu reset and ....... still the same took it off the rd in october finally as i could now not afford to tax and insure it as i lost my job for always being late , i couldn't afford to get another car , so i decided take it off the rd save up and have a proper mechanic get it running get an MOT and get shut part ex or somat , i have had it with a mechanic now for three days and he's changed the lamber sensor the cam sensor and egr valve again as he said they are faulty that i put on ........ 250 quid later and its still the blooming same .................... has anyone got a clue .... he's now saying its the inlet manifold and the throttle body ?????
• Ford mondeo ghia diesel 51 reg - Stutters/jerks and cuts out 2 Jan 2014 (Forum)
  Took the car to garage on return and apparently the inlet turbo pipe was split and garage replaced it at a cost of 190. Car did run fine for few miles but as soon as I hit 40 then it slowly started the stutter again and I pulled it on the side of road and turned the engine off and it refused to start for few minutes the started again so I drive back home and took it to garage.
• Democracy 25 Nov 2013 (Forum)
      Perhaps it is time to embrace this new world order and get rid of parliament, politicians, and the notion of democracy and we just have corporations running things. It is mostly in place anyway.
• Ford Modeo 2003 - Intermittent dashboard fault 28 Sep 2013 (Forum)
  I'm at a loss really on what I should do. I'm a lone parent on a low income, my plan was to run this car into the ground but it's turning into a money pit.  Should I try and fix this electrical fault?  It's so hard to diagnose, as it comes and goes.  But I cannot sell the car whilst it is doing this.
• Any VW/Audi etc - Why do people still buy VW group cars. 24 Jun 2013 (Forum)
  I did have a Volvo 940 Diesel estate with a VW engine, the 6 pot 2.4 lifted straight from the LT van range, an excellent if noisy engine that from VW's old school.   We have lots of threads running at the moment and have over time, there have been so many oft reported problems with the cars from balance shafts to injectors to electric parking brake failures to DSG and Multichronic gearbox problems, in almost all cases the manufacturers group have spectacularly failed to cover themselves in glory as regards standing by their product once warranty has expired.
• Citroen C5 2.0 HDI diesel - Coolant problems on Citroen C5 23 Jun 2013 (Forum)
  Hi there I'm no car expert so apologies if I'm not very clear, just looking for some advice. I bought a Citroen C5 2.0 HDI (2004) diesel second-hand two years ago and have run it with no problems since - it's a lovely car.  But a few months ago we noticed that the coolant temperature sensor was occasionally swinging up or down wildly, then returning to normal.
• Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec 2000 - Speedo dropping intermittently 19 Feb 2013 (Forum)
    At this point the traction control light came on and wouldn't go off and my mileage just appeared as a row of short lines.  Very scary indeed.  Again the car keeps running but does show a slight loss of power initially and the radio volume dipped again. My husband has replaced the HT Leads and put in a new coil pack.  We have a VSS on the way which he will fit at the weekend, so am hoping this will solve the problem.
• Dilemma 31 Jan 2013 (Forum)
  Fess up to the dealer that there may be a problem and offer to knock some cash off the trade in c. Put a new fuse in, take it to the dealer and run - it's someone else's problem.
• Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Petrol 2001 - Emissions Warning Light Problem 18 Aug 2012 (Forum)
    It seems to come out of that when I'm at 30mph or above, ie in 4th or 5th gear.  If I'm in 2nd or 3rd it just feels a bit sluggish and not running nicely.  As I said, it's only subtle so a passenger in the car wouldnt notice.   I have googled the warning light and so far it's come up with: coil packs, lambada sensors and egr valves.
• Any - Badge of Honour schemes your veiws please. 16 Jul 2012 (Forum)
  Hi i run an independent small workshop and would like some feedback from the public motoring and the trade. There are so many of these code of conduct scheme's being banded around that even as someone in the trade it can be baffling.