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• Keys, keys, KEYS! 29 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  Can anyone please tell me if there is an alternative, i.e. cheaper way of going about this without incurring extortionate costs, i think its a bit risky running a car with only 1 key. Cheers basit
• Astra 1.4i Missfiring on idle only 26 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  There's no other problems at all whilst driving or giving it any amount of throttle, infact the engine is running very smooth (it's only done 41,000). On a cold startup it's less of a problem as the choke (auto) keeps the revs slightly higher than the normal warm idle. I've taken it to two garages and they swear blind there's not a problem!
• Citroen Picasso Diesel Miss-fire 23 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  I have recently purchased the picasso 2.0 hdi which has covered about 3,000 miles. I have never owned a diesel before and have noticed that after being on a run and while waiting at some lights or at a roundabout, the engine seems to judder intermitantly at tickover almost like a single miss-fire on a petrol engine, you can feel the wobble through the cabin on what is usually a very smooth performer with little vibration.
• MoT diesel smoke emissions test 21 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  After checking the oil temperature to make sure your engine is warm, the tester will accelerate the engine 3 - 6 times from idle speed until the governor cuts in. Your engine will not be run like this for any length of time, and if it has been reasonably well maintained the test will not damage it." Although my car has been maintained scrupulously, the above has (to me) worrying undertones.
• Ford 1.8 Zetec probs 11 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  My 1997 Escort 1.8 Zetec has started to stutter and doesn't seem to be running at it's best, fuel consumption is normal, all fluid levels fine. The vehicle has 53000 miles and a full Ford service history. The problem is quite difficult to describe but it seems to hesitate at certain revs and when travelling on the Motorway it feels like it's holding back intermittently when I'm maintaining a steady speed.
• Engine Cover 23 May 2003 (Forum)
  Like most new cars today, the top of the engine in my vectra is covered by a plastic clip on cover - that apart from making it look neat and tidy - as far as I can see serves no other purpose. The reason I am posting this is that a number of pipes and wires run out from under the cover to other parts of the engine bay, and as the edge of the cover is quite sharp, there has been chafing to at least two pipes and one set of wiring. This has necessitated the liberal use of black insulation tape to cover the pipes/wires and protect them.
• Peugeot 406 2.0 GTX Family Estate 22 May 2003 (Forum)
  I have been looking for a 6 or 7 seat car for some time now, and have pretty much narrowed the choice down to a V70 or a 406 Estate. My wife (it will be her car for the school run as well as family holidays) hates the V70 inside (I must say that I don't disagree), and the centre seat in the back is virtually unusable - so we have decided on the 406. I have found a 2000 x reg 2.0 GTX with 51,000 miles going privately for just under £7k - full Peugeot service history.
• Is my engine now "loosened up" 15 Mar 2003 (Forum)
  Is it me or am I just imagining it. My Honda Civic 1.6 se VTEC has now done 20000 in 2 years and it seems to be running great. When it was new it seemed to suffer from engine roar which gradually receded after a few thousand miles, it also was not as smooth as it is now. In fact I have lately been tempted to take it into the nether regions of the tachometer just to see what it will realy do but that would realy be out of character for me as rarely go over 60mph, that is apart from giving it an Italian tune up which for me means doing 70mph on a good stretch and geting the engine hot.
• 405 throttle body/fuel injection probs? 9 Mar 2003 (Forum)
  engine running fine, cut out suddenly, now won't start. diagnosed initially with busted cam, all that's been checked out and its o.k. 1600 petrol XU engine, Marelli G5 fuel injection system, '93. engine turns over but doesn't attempt to start.
• Mk2 Golf Leaded or Unleaded? 4 Mar 2003 (Forum)
  I've looked in the owners manual but there are no clues there (its written for both leaded and unleaded cars and assumes you know which one you've got). Will I do the car any harm if I continue to run it on unleaded when it should have leaded fuel? How do I find out what fuel it should really have? Thanks for any help, Nigel
• rover 820 p reg starting probs 1 Mar 2003 (Forum)
  I have a Rover 820 ('97) P reg, bought it last Nov generally dead straight motor with service history , with 76K now 80K But twice this winter I have had problems starting it, both times the symptoms are similar ; it is reluctant to fire , it seems to fire once then doesnt seem to try, if you keep turning it over it might just catch , but runs lumpy till its warm, then its fine. I put a strobe on it and it seemed to be ok on the HT. It only has 4 HT leads and a potted in coil with all the 4 plug leads coming from that and no dizzy as such if thats of any relevance.
• Cooling System Prob / Blocked Radiator?? 28 Feb 2003 (Forum)
  The system isn't loosing coolant any more, but the radiator doesn't seem to get anything like as hot as all my other cars. The top and bottom pipes to the radiator are very hot at normal running temp (Can barely touch them), but the radiator is cool to the touch. I've flushed it while in the car, and the water ran through OK. Can you flush a radiator seemingly ok, but still have a blockage in it??
• Diesel Beamer Judder 25 Feb 2003 (Forum)
  My 2001 525 diesel engine judders like it's misfiring or running on 5 cylinders. This happens when you stop it and start it again after sitting for 10/15 mins with the engine hot. It goes after 5 to 10 minutes at idle or if you hold the revs at 1500/2000 for a few minutes.
• Chucking out time 25 Feb 2003 (Forum)
  Re. the school run, Extreme care must be taken when passing schools at finishing times. In my own experiences I have seen a few near misses when parents are collecting their children due to the sheer volume of traffic in the one location.
• Mondeo TDCi engine noise.... 14 Feb 2003 (Forum)
  What are your experiences with engine noise? I have a 10 month old Mondeo TDCi LX with 15,000 miles. The engine runs great, pulls like a train and returns around 50 mpg. My concern is with the engine noise. Mine sounds very noisy with a real harsh diesel "clatter" when pulling hard, is this normal? When ticking over it sounds very "tappety".
• First maintenance on used car? 5 Jan 2003 (Forum)
  No idea if the cam belt has been replaced ( can you tell anyway ). The engine sounds ok and it drives nicely except that it sounds like it's running a little rough at idle( exhusty noise ). Is anyone familiar with these cars, the dash has various switches for stuff like rear defrost and aircon but the LED doesn't light up.. does this mean it doesn't work?
• Rover 220 Coupe Problems 21 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  Rover 220 Coupe N Reg 96 2.0L DOHC Engine Problem: Engine cuts out when the car is in traffic (idling for long time after long runs) and won't idle until temperature under the hood drops. The engine seems very hot but gauge doesn't indicate hot. I've tried disconnecting the following to determine a problem: Lambda Sensor ATS CTS TPS Idle control stepper motor Changed fuel relay, HT Coil, rotor arm and lead to distributor.
• BMW 528 15 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  The car has done 94K miles now but drives like new-I do not wish to change it for at least the next 5 years-if anyone is tempted I can only thoroughly recommend BMW for comfort, solidity and longevity(not to mention 31 mpg overall-34 on a run!). What's more over 4 yrs old and you get a 10% discount from a main dealer.
• 6 or 7 seater 11 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  I am in a position where I need to have a car that can seat 6 (for the school run), but still have the flexibility and loadspace for normal family motoring (2 adults + 3 kids + luggage, and trips to the tip with a bootful of garden rubbish!). I don't want a large MPV (i.e. Galaxy/Sharan/Alhambra) and am looking at the Volvo 850/V70 (Yes I'm turning into my Dad!!)
• Antiquated Traffic Lights 10 Dec 2002 (Forum)
  According to an evironmental programme I heard recently, it takes the entire output of a small power station just to keep the UK's traffic lights running. If we changed to LED lights, available for years, the consumption would be reduced to a small fraction of that currently required, and costly maintenance would be reduced to a miniscule amount owing to the extremely long life of the LED units.