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• Volkswagen Golf IV (1998 - 2004) - 2000 1.4 Brake overhaul-bleeding 7 Aug 2008 (Forum)
  Helping a friend bleed his brakes after he had fitted new rear discs and pads and despite having bled all 4 wheels we can get no pedal at all when the engine is running. There is something there before you start the engine but when you do the pedal goes straight to the floor. A few points to note:- i/he had the calipers off the car to wind the pistons back ii/ he noticed a split servo hose and replaced this.
• Talk me out of this 6 Aug 2008 (Forum)
  That car has lost some 90% of its original list price in 45 months. That's almost £500 per month. A nearly-new car for beer money. And it apparently runs on SVO... Glass's gives Part-exchange Price: Excellent condition: £3000 Average condition: £2680 Below average condition: £2360 Downsides: It does only seem to have been serviced every 15-18k, against recommended 12k - and HJ's recommendation of twice that frequent.
• Nissan Micra (1992 - 2003) - Scrapping a driveable car: economic sense? 5 Aug 2008 (Forum)
  And is cosmetically bad, with scratched bodywork and front bumper repaired with insulation tape. And that's before the MOT test. It runs OK, though. Should/when it fails its MOT. Any ideas for scrap values in the North of England? Thanks Mike
• Alfa Romeo 159 (2006 - ) - Alfa 5 pot Diesel Cambelts 31 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  Very nice car at London Motorhow with Auto and the most beautiful red paint and leather I have seen in a car. 210 BHp and the promise of 40 mpg on a run sounds good.HOWEVER I remember reading that a cambelt change for this engine requires the lump to be lifted out of the engine. I shudder to think of the cost.I remember driving a Marea estate hire car a few years ago with the petrol 5 and it looked tight in the bay.
• How hot can cars get? 31 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  My car stood in the sun for three hours after a gentle motorway run of 40 km. When we got in it the dash temp gauge read 39 degrees C Ambled back at gentle 70 and at home thought I would check my oil. Well I still have red but not blistered marks on two fingers and one thumb off the bonnet prop !!!
• Ford Fiesta (1989 - 1995) - 1995 1.3 Idle problems/overfuelling? 28 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  Hi all A friend is having trouble with his old mk3 Fiesta - the idle speed is too low so, although it runs okay on the open road, slowing down for junctions etc. requires fancy footwork! I initially thought the idle control valve would be at fault, however he turned up in it yesterday and it's spluttering and blowing black smoke, which would suggest overfuelling?
• Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - 2000 1.6 would a blowing exhaust cause??? 20 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  i have just changed oil & filter, air filter, re set gap on spark plugs, and checked HT leads for Arc-ing. car idles fine on rev counter and runs fine, however when idleing it appears to miss every 4-5 seconds (counter does not move), causing the whole car to vibrate, it also sounds like pop pop sound from the centre exhaust box, i noticed the other day that this seemed to be blowing, however it was only replaced in december.
• Nissan Terrano II (1993 - 2005) - 1994 2.7 Clutch 15 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  It happens that there has been a piece of the pipe which has rotted away causing the leak. When it has been looked at it seems that where the pipe runs to the back of the car towards the rear wheel the pipe has come away from (where it is suposed to go) and there is something missing from the end of the pipe which is preventing the pipe from being re connected.
• Monday moan about car parks 7 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  It means if the bay in front of you is empty, you can't drive forwards and out, oh no that'd be too simple. Instead you have to waste more fuel and time reversing out and run the increased risk of being rear ended by Darren in his knackered Saxo racing up to get to Halfords before they shut! Aaaagh. thank you, rant over.
• Citroen Berlingo Multispace (1998 - 2010) - 07 1.6HDI - cuts out it's only 20 months old 1 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  hoe the problem happs is that it warms it as any car would normally, then the engine management system light comes on you can then drive it for around 2 more minutes then it cuts out.. you can normally re-start and it will go for around 30 yards and cut out again. if you turn it over and leave it standing it runs but as soon as you put the revs up to 2000 it cuts out? anyone any ideas o and it normally cuts out when it is going uphill..
• M27 delays today 25 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  I was coming home this afternoon, M271 Northbound on to M27 westbound, broken down truck in lane one running through roadworks, took over an hour to get from Nursling Junction of M271 (J2??) to M27 J4, just a few miles that would normally take five minutes tops. It took over 30 minutes from J2 to J3 of M271 !!!
• Renewable energy 23 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  What if the same stuff was applied to a motorcar. i.e the slightist movement of panels, or floorpan generated sufficient charge to top up batteries. maybe a generator could be combined with the wheels spinning or the suspension working, so that each time a bump was hit, a charge is created and stored. You'd never run out of juice in London with all those speed humps! Anyone else got any ideas on saving planet Erf whilst still being able to enjoy the freedom of a car?
• Volvo 340/360 (1976 - 1991) - C reg, 21,000 miles! 'Offers' - I'm intrigued 18 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  Volvo 360 2.0 in gold (so an embarassing colour, which would make it cheaper!) - has done no mileage in eleven years save for an annual run down the road for the MOT to be done. Basically the lady selling it lost her husband that many years ago and has kept the car but never used it - it is being sold as 'immaculate' so I'm intrigued to know what it may need beyond fluid changes straight away?
• Peugeot 306 (1993 - 2001) - 1997 1.9 Engine cuts out first time 3 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  Hi i have a Peugeot 306 D turbo and it starts first time but shortly cuts out afterwards as if it is chocking even when i give it revs - i need to pop the bonnet and prime the fuel line before i can start it again, and once it is running it works fine. I recently used biodiesel for the first time but changed the filter as i know this can become blocked but the aforementioned problem still happens. I have made sure there is no air in the fuel line.
• Renault Scenic (1999 - 2003) - 2003 1.6 Occasionally won't start when warm. 9 May 2008 (Forum)
  HI all I have a renault scenic 1.6 2003 reg and it sometimes wont start when its warm or when i go on a short run, the immobiliser flashes and works ok ???? but the car will start if i bump start it its so frustrating when i go out because sometimes it starts and sometimes it dont .the engine turns ok but its not firing up .i havent had a diagnostic check yet but someone has said it could be the crank sensor can you help and maybe point me in the right direction of getting it fixed {subject header made less vague, and moved across to the Technical Matters forum}
• Vauxhall Vectra C (2002 - 2008) - 03 2.2TD - limping home 30 Apr 2008 (Forum)
  A friend has an 2003 Vectra 2.2 diesel SRi, around 70k on the clock and regularly main dealer serviced. Occasionally, particularly on a long run, the engine management light comes on and it goes into limp-home mode. This can be a bit hairy if it happens in lane 3 of a motorway or if overtaking. If you stop the engine and restart, the fault clears.
• Vauxhall Astra G Petrol (1998 - 2004) - 98 1.8 Engine Cutting Out 29 Apr 2008 (Forum)
  Recently a friend of mine said he had a similar problem with his 2001 Astra and vauxhall changed the coil pack and it is now running fine. Does anyone have/had a similar problem and was this rectified by replacing Coil Pack?
• MG MGF (1995 - 2002) - 01 1.8 radio codes 23 Apr 2008 (Forum)
  I have an MGF ( X reg) and recently had to disconnect the battery. Now I can't find the radio code to get the radio / cd player up and running again. I have tried the previous owner to no avail and my old MG Rover garage tell me they no longer have access to the database where this information was held ( they are now a SEAT garage). Does anyone know how I can find this number?
• Peugeot 306 (1993 - 2001) - 2001 HDI - whining noise when revving, EGR/Turbo? 27 Mar 2008 (Forum)
  However the picture of the engine bay that ive seen shows the turbo in this position connected to the EGR. Im wondering if this could be coked up? Any advise to make it run better/quieter would be appreciated. Its MOT time next week thanks
• True costs of a loaded' car? 24 Mar 2008 (Forum)
  She finds the PAS an unnecessary extra. It would appear that besides adding to the purchase price it also adds to the onging running costs.