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• Rover 100 23 Oct 2005 (Forum)
  My son is having problems with an R reg Rover 100, with about 15000 miles up (yes!!). It started with a coolant pipe becoming detached, and it now seems likely (damp exhaust gases) that the head gasket has gone. His friendly local garage advise him to sell the car, saying that if they skimmed the head etc and replaced the gasket it would go again quite quickly, at least within the year.
• Peugeot 405 Cooling System 16 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  I'm loosing coolant from the rear of the engine (1994 2 litre 8 valve petrol), towards the timing end. I fear the leak may be from the core plugs (although I have not completly eliminated a problem with the oil-encrusted cooling pipes).
• Citroen Xantia servicing 9 May 2004 (Forum)
  Does anbody know if there are any other items that need checking during service on the Xantia, other than the obvious ie. oil, coolant etc.
• Car Servicing 31 Mar 2004 (Forum)
  I have always just got 6 monthly oil changes, replaced the air filter and spark plugs myself, carried out the rest of the basic checks and had things like brake fluid and coolant changed when required. Do you think that is enough or should the car be put in for a garage service? Also would you change spark plugs as a matter of course after 20,000 miles (4 years), everyone seems to think just leave them if the car is running ok.
• Rover 416 Si Heater Cold. 20 Dec 2003 (Forum)
  Can anyone tell me how i can rectify these problems as there is no work shop manuals that cover from "P" reg upwards on this model. I have checked the coolant for oil and the engine runs sooth and does not over heat, so my guess is the head gasket is ok. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Steff.
• Passat problems 1 Dec 2003 (Forum)
  Symptoms: red temp symbol sometimes lights up on start-up from cold, but shutdown and re start immediately and it disappears. Oil/coolant levels have been checked and are okay. More recently, the ABS warning light has occasionally flickered (but never stayed on permanently). One unrelated item. For tens of thousands of miles now there has also been a high-pitched 'yowl' when the engines cold and I'm either accelerating in low gears.
• Espace 1998 anti-freeze type 29 Sep 2003 (Forum)
  Just changes the radiator in my 1998 2.2 TD Renault Espace and the coolant that came out was the red colour one (plus some brown silt). I have flushed the rest of the system as much as possible and the question is whether the red anti-freeze is the one to stick to. I bought blue ethylene glycol stuff before I started the radiator change but I have read that the blue and red ones are not compatible.
• strange problem losing power 29 Apr 2003 (Forum)
  i can take car from cold and drive for 10 min or so no probs. but then as i\'m driving the car loses power and slows down say from 30 to 20.... it\'ll then go back up again and down and so on.. now and again i\'ll pull over and it just stop... i\'ve cleaned the plugs they were covered in black soot and checked the ht leads they seem fine nothing visible... i\'ve not lost no coolant and the oil is clear. please help. i need my car back working for next week to take litlin back to nursery...
• Peugeot 406 (1999 - 2004) - 99 2.0 petrol cooling system - Help Please 4 May 2002 (Forum)
  Intend to replace the coolant in my 1999 (i.e. new spec) 406 2.0 LX petrol this weekend. Had a quick look over it to know what to expect before I scooted off to buy the antifreeze. Bedamned if I can find the cylinder block drain plug or the thermostat housing bleedscrew.
• Anti-freeze and dead cats! 15 Apr 2002 (Forum)
  I know a mechanic who would test the strength of anti-freeze by dipping his finger in the rad. and tasting the coolant. He was not dead, at the last count. Is it really so dangerous?
• Frontera Turbo Diesel 12 Mar 2002 (Forum)
  The cylinder heads (there are 4 separate heads on this engine) have been removed and there is no evidence of head gasket failure or coolant leakage into the cylinders. The heads have been sent to a specialist for pressure testing as these are a known weak point but have checked out ok and they are sure these have not caused the problem.
• Golf oil filler cap mayonnaise 22 Feb 2002 (Forum)
  I rang my local VW specialist to get a price for a head gasket replacement and he was cagey and said book it in and it may not be the head gasket but just a 'sub £100' repair. Now the car does not seem to be losing coolant so perhaps he is right and it is not the head gasket, but any ideas what it could be??? The rocker gasket is leaking but can't see that making a difference??? He would not tell me his thoughts so would be interested if anyone has any ideas...
• Sludge under oil cap 22 Nov 2001 (Forum)
  Recently I noticed a film 92mm thick) of tan sludge forming under the oil cap. I haven't noticed this before. There has been no apparent lose of coolant, the performance has not been suffering, the oil was clear when I changed it, there are no leaks around the engine block. Where could the moisture be getting into the oil. I do a daily 70 mile return run - motorway driving so it should be hot enough to get rid of condensation.
• MY TRUSTY SAAB 900 28 Jan 2001 (Forum)
  Good moaning! My Saab has a slow leak in the radiator system and the "Coolant Level Low" message reminds me to top it up - which I do there and then. The Saab dealer wants me to bring it in and have a very expensive radiator repair whereas I would prefer to: a. Keep topping up the radiator until the annual service is due in mid February.
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  Is the Volkswagen EA888 engine reliable? 31 Jul 2025 (Ask HJ)
  I value your tech advice. I’m planning on buying a 2018/19 Audi SQ2 facelift. I am aware that common issues with the 2.0-litre EA888 engine have been PCV...
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  Why does our car always have misty windows? 29 Jan 2020 (Ask HJ)
  My wife has a 2013 Nissan Micra and finds in certain conditions that the windows severely mist up, even on a dry day. We have checked there are no damp...
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  What should I do to prepare my car for winter storage? 9 Oct 2017 (Ask HJ)
  At the end of the month I will put my Mazda MX5 in an outside carcoon for the winter months. Have you any tips on tasks that should be done before and...
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  BMW E36 320i cuts out when idling 16 Nov 2016 (Ask HJ)
  My 1992 BMW E36 320i has 55,000 miles on the clock and, occasionally, cuts out when idling. So far the electronic testing has not revealed any faults....
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  Buying a Renault Modus - which engine is best? 24 May 2016 (Ask HJ)
  I need your assistance and opinion regarding the Renault Modus. We are planning to buy second car (used) and we are considering the Modus. We are in...
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  Apparent misfire when cold BMW 1 Series F20 118iSport 2014 - 14 plate 6 Feb 2016 (Ask HJ)
  Hi. Car is 23 months old, c13k miles. Main dealer supplied. It has developed an apparent misfire when starting from cold - engine runs rough, reduced/no...