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• Daihatsu Sirion 55 plate - 60k report 13 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  The car is a joy to own, averages 61mpg including a 40 mile motorway round-trip each day Carries 5 adults with ease - 5 doors as standard a big plus Enough power for around town Air con is great Handles with ease - very easy to park good, easy to use while driving stereo. an aboslute delight to own and run - highly recomended. Done nothing to it, except the service. Downside - bit noisy if going over 90mph We are considering another one (now only £6500!)
• 2003 Ibiza probs 24 Sep 2006 (Forum)
  The first thing is that if the engine is under any load at less than 2000 rpm it sounds as though the fan belt slipping. This goes away if you switch the air con on- but surely the fan belt wouldn't slip at 3 yrs old and less than 30000 miles would it? The second thing is if you leave the car locked for any length of time and then unlock it, as soon as you open the drivers door theres an electrical whirring noise that seems to come from under the car somewhere for about 2 seconds.
• Are older cars more reliable? 21 May 2006 (Forum)
  On a car worth on average 15k???!! So here I am, putting off the purchase of a new car. I've got my old R reg golf, No air con, no ABS, no sat nav, in act not very much but the essential: a good strong engine. So what do you folks thing?
• diesel estate for £4-5k? 4 Oct 2005 (Forum)
  Hi all, I'm looking for recommendations for a diesel estate and have at most £5k to spend. Economy and size v important to me, toys (eg air con etc) nice but not essential. Am thinking something like a skoda octavia estate, maybe 99-01 with 90k miles or so on it? Any others worth trying? For some reason I am put off focuses or anything french (bad experience with a xsara a while back) but not for any really good reason.
• Reliable Diesel with excellent ride 1 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  I have thought of a Superb and am lining up a 24-hour test drive. Also I have thought of a Fabia vRS 130 or a Corolla 1.4D. Air-con is a must for summer holidays in Europe. I have discounted the Citroen C5 on the grounds of poor reliability but is this fair? Come on you owners of these cars and give me your opinions.
• peugeot 306 cooling fan not coming on 28 Jan 2005 (Forum)
  I left the engine running until the temp gauge read 100C (red line is just over 110C), but I would expect the fan to have cut in by 100. Any thoughts? Thermostat? Broken fan? Dodgy wiring? I had the air con condensor, some pipes and both rads changed a few months ago and can't remember whether I have heard the fan since. Could this be related? Thanks Greg
• Nissan Almera GLX Auto T reg - how much? 16 May 2004 (Forum)
  The glasses guide site now charges and to be honest, their valuations tend not to take into account regional variations. I have to dispose of a 5 door Nissan Almera GLX Auto, with all the trimmings (EW air con sun roof etc) as the executor of an estate. The car is a T reg (1999) has done less than 23,000. I believe it was first registered in Ireland and brought over to the UK when it was a few months old.
• Espace 'smoking' problem! 18 Apr 2004 (Forum)
  I have had this checked out by AA and also by Renault but no-one can find a fault. Renault said it could be something to do with the air con (even though didn't have it on) and that water drops down onto the pipes and causes steam. After a couple of minutes it does stop but it's pretty disconcerting when you are filling up with fuel and there's smoke pouring out of your car!
• Corolla 1.6 SR 6-Speed 9 Mar 2004 (Forum)
  Thinking of trading in my rather well-used (but reliable, apart from the gearbox whine ?bearing?) Corolla old-shape 1.4 (no air-con or other goodies) for a 1.6 old-shape at much lower mileage - mainly because I know the Corolla now, so know what to look for, and the SR sorts out all the things about my car I don't like - floppy suspension, more engine poke and 6-speed box for the motorway.
• Final Car 18 Nov 2003 (Forum)
  Am downsizing from a 2-0ltr Vectra to a 1-6ltr Astra (yes I know the general opinions on Vauxhall but I have a first class local agent and a good rapport with their staff.)I have chosen the Club model it has no ABS to go wrong green tinted glass(it stands on drive so I dont want the trim fading)I have chosen the no cost option of an alectric sun roof in place of the standard Air/Con,and finally it has the same radio as in the Vectra ie takes tapes of which I have plenty instead of CDs. I am the octogenarian from how old are you and feel I will be leaving my wife a car with less expensive things to go wrong but adequate for the purpose.
• Cheaper cars? 2 Jun 2003 (Forum)
  How much would they be able to make a car for if you took out all those little extras that have "crept" in over the years. Im not talking air con here but wind up windows full stop. Have a catch and locking mechanism to slide them up and down. No carpets, just rubber mats. Radio, ash trays, glove compartments get rid of the lot. No servo brakes and ABS right out.
• Shell Optimax Petrol 8 May 2003 (Forum)
  Recently switched from Supermarket petrol to Shell optimax (filled full tank when on empty) and I get the impression that my fuel consumption has improved. I havent checked the figures but given my average driving style, routes and use of air con I feel that I am getting more miles from a tank in the last journey. Guess I will have to test this out more accurately, but so far I've covered over 300 miles and still have 1/4 tank remaining, whereas before I would be almost empty!
• VW's! Are they perfect? 1 Feb 2002 (Forum)
  However, i have tried to establish what bad points VW Passats can have. Parkers say they are great and do not mention what to watch out for except Air Con. Which magazine is equally praising. However, there is always a catch in buying used cars and i am sure VW Passats have their bad spots. Any ideas as to what is typically problamatic in high miler Passats?
• New Car 20 Jan 2002 (Forum)
  She has asked my advice on it and wants a new or nearly new (under a year) car for about £9k. She would also like some nicities such as PAS, Air Con, Elec Windows, etc with if poss ABS and EBD. She wants a Polo, but I have been trying to steer her towards a Yaris bearing in mind she would like trouble free motoring this time. The only other requirement is that it should be less low on tax so if a year old less than 1.5l.
• CD player 3 Jan 2002 (Forum)
  Would it have condensation in it, and if so would the unit be smart enough to detect it. What should I do to keep it in good order. Is it like air con in that it needs playing at regular intervals?
• Tyre repairs 3 May 2006 (Forum)
  As I mentioned in the recent 'Slow Driving' thread "Noticed a "pattering" noise while on the A38/M5 on Wednesday, stopped at Cullompton and found a clout nail securely stuck in my rear nearside tyre, no air loss, weighed up the pros and cons of putting the space saver on and being stuck at 50mph with reduced braking etc or carrying on with the nail at 50mph though with normal handling intact. Decided on the latter ......."
• Ford Focus II (2004 - 2007) - 1.6 (115) poor fuel economy..help! 19 Aug 2013 (Forum)
  The usual journey is 4.5 miles of single carrigeway A road followed by two miles of town driving. She doesn't use the air con much and is a reasonably steady driver. It's coming up for a service and obviously we'll make sure that the air filter and plugs are changed and see what happens after that (Tyres pressures are fine).
• 
  Is it true that aircon is supposed to be running full time? 28 Nov 2020 (Ask HJ)
  You say that the aircon in Skoda cars should be running all the time. Surely not. Is this peculiar to Skoda? Thank you.
• 
  Dealer can't fix the used car I bought 28 Sep 2012 (Ask HJ)
  I bought a 13 month old 20,000 mile Peugeot 3008 from Peugeot dealer 4 weeks ago. There were about 7 or 8 issues needing attention when I picked car up...
• Vauxhall Zafira B (2005 - ) - 07 1.8 Bad smell in car 25 Jan 2010 (Forum)
  Next step is to look at the pollen filter/fan inside. Filter was changed last year. Last owner says some de-odourising was done on the air con when it was serviced by Vauxhall. Any thoughts or help would be appreciated. Cheers, Mike