Refine by channel:  Forum (930)    Ask HJ (460)    News (263)    Article (21)    FAQs (5)    productReview (5)  

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• Change of Car 4 Jul 2002 (Forum)
  I know that high mile young cars are better than old, low mile, but how long will these engines last, assuming that they have been serviced as specified? I have read the car by car breakdown, and there seem to be enough on the market to allow me to take my time and make sure that they have had the wishbones changed, check the plenum and check if the CAT is ok or has been changed and make sure it hasn't been a taxi.
• 
  How much will it cost to fix my EcoBoost engine after the wet belt failed? 11 Dec 2025 (Ask HJ)
  My Ford Fiesta with a 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine has engine noises and a low oil pressure message on the dash. My local garage has been servicing the car...
• 
  New Touran 10 Nov 2010 (Ask HJ)
  Having waited ages for VW to put the new CR Diesel engines in the facelifted Touran, and finally give a decent choice of interior leather trim colours,...
• 
  I love my old Volkswagen Sharan - should I replace it with the new model or with a Ford Galaxy? 8 Nov 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I wrote to you about five years ago when I had just got my latest 2005 Volkswagen Sharan 1.9 SE diesel company car. This was my third. Like a lot of companies...
• 
  Slippery condition 6 Mar 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I have a 9 month old, 1.8 petrol Ford C-Max. I have done 5,500 miles and am generally pleased with it except that on 2 occasions in stop-start traffic...
• 
  Shifting attitude 3 Oct 2009 (Ask HJ)
  We no have taken delivery of our new SEAT Alhambra 2.0TDI 140 and I wanted to ask you if you could give your advice about the following. The gearbox has...
• 
  Dodgy brakes on my used MX-5 2 Oct 2012 (Ask HJ)
  At the end of August I purchased a 2002 Mazda MX5 (SJ52 MLK) from IS Cars Ltd in Hertfordshire. The car was sold to me in 'Good Condition'. The car came...
• 
  Should I buy a 2015 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate? 26 Jan 2022 (Ask HJ)
  I am considering purchasing a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate E220 auto. It is a 2015 model with 55,000 miles, one owner, full Mercedes-Benz main dealer service...
• 
  Worn out clutch plate after 8500 miles - could this be connected to an accident? 7 Jan 2011 (Ask HJ)
  We bought a new Audi A3 in October 07. Shortly afterwards, I was transferred by my company to Canada, but we kept the A3 and use it on holidays in England....
• Mazda 6 2.2 diesel (183BHP) (2009) - Replacement engine 13 Dec 2012 (Forum)
  Hi I have had a Mazda 6 sport 2.2 diesel (183bhp) since December 2009 and I have been having heating problems for the last 18 months or so.  The car has been into Mazda 3 times (the last time in March) when it had the head gasket replaced under warranty as it was cracked.  This fixed the problem for a few months however on the 26 November the engine had a major breakdown and stalled on the motorway slip road.
• Peugeot 306 (1993 - 2001) - 99 1.9HDi will not start 20 Dec 2009 (Forum)
  is there an easy way to check? Any assistance would be much appreciated as the car was a very good runner up till this incident, and has only done 60,000 miles with full service history. Thanks
• How gullible are some people? 28 Mar 2008 (Forum)
  She was having to give every personal detail, details of other insurances, breakdown insurances - the full works! When she came off the phone I commented that it was an awful long call to get a cover note - apparently this was the insurance division of the large motor retailer and she had been told by the salesman that she had to phone them to get the free 7 day cover so that they could tax her car!
• Unhappy Accord gearbox 7 May 2002 (Forum)
  This is what HJ's car-by-car breakdown has to say about the UK Honda Accord 98 onwards. <<<< What's Bad Reports of problems with manual gearboxes. Serious problem with the printed circuit boards that control the automatic load compensating headlamp beam adjusters of Type Rs which may become the subject of a safety recall. >>>> Can anyone elaborate on what the "problems with manual gearboxes" actually are?
• Dacia Logan MCV / Ford Mondeo - BHP & Torque 28 Jan 2015 (Forum)
  I am a computer geek rather than a car guy so would really appreciate someone advising what these actually mean to me in terms of the above scenario.  My dad keeps saying to me that I need to get a 2.0L or 2.2L car and they are becoming rarer these days.
• Ford Focus Saloon 1.8 TDCI 2003. - diesel pump and injector nightmare! 27 Nov 2013 (Forum)
  I had a major breakdown a few months ago car lost power and died. The problem was traced to the fuel pump, at which the insides decided to go through the fueltank and injectors. Anyway i have had the pump replaced, and got 2nd hand injectors which the salvage yard gave me two weeks to have them fitted to see if they were ok.
• Car stood over Yuletide, will it start? 8 Jan 2009 (Forum)
  On the 'news' section i notice the headline about 5th Jan being breakdown day. As my ageing car has been stood since Christmas Eve, i got my trusty battery charger out and gave the battery a good charge up yesterday. I'll be starting up at about 4.30am Monday, so i don't want to hear the ominous sounds of slowly turning engine followed by the heart stopping sounds of clicking starter.
• Vauxhall Vectra B (1995 - 1999) - or alternative 'bangernomics' estates. 12 Sep 2007 (Forum)
  I'm looking to spend £500-£1500 on as tidy and late an estate car as possible with as few mechanical pit falls as possible. Vectras *seem* a good buy and there are a good few pre-1998 examples local to me cheap. Is the cost/effort of a clutch replacement (as mentioned in the Car by Car breakdown here) a significant reason not to buy a pre-98 Vectra?
• Autoaid 16 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  Evening all, Earlier on I had the pleasure of coming off the Polegate roundabout, going into 3rd, lifting clutch, and....nothing - no drive! The drive shaft on faithful car has broken :-( Straight on phone to Autoaid (my choice of breakdown cover) and within 20min recovery lorry turns up (not bad for a Sunday!), I tell him what's wrong so he doesn't waste time fixing it, loads up, and drives me back home to Brighton.
• Replacing a Focus, am I mad? 21 Dec 2006 (Forum)
  Am i stupid to be considering these things, selling the Focus and replacing with: a) 98S Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 TS, 90,000 miles. £1,500. b) 99S Rover 420 GSDi, 88,000 miles. £950. Here's the thing, I love my Focus, but a car is just a car (possibly the worst place to say this)...and the value of the Focus (offered £2,500 by a local as a car for his wife whose just learnt to drive...) could be put to better use (like possible deposit on mortgage).
• Tinted window glass - a warning 14 Jul 2003 (Forum)
  Briefly, a chap was stopped by the police and 2 \'government inspectors\' who proceeded to check how much light was getting through the windows of his Chrysler Voyager. The test showed not enough so he was ordered to remove his car from the road within the hour. Fortunately for him National Breakdown agreed to take the car, him, his wife and 4 children back home to Reading from Manchester. For more details see this link: http://www.getreading.co.uk/pfriendly.asp?