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• Transit van camper - Pre purchase inspection 20 Sep 2024 (Forum)
  Needing brake down recovery and major mechanical work every time. Presently broken down on a roundabout in France waiting for another tow truck. He is cutting his holiday short and trying to make his way back to the uk. As he can't afford anymore repairs. What steps should he take when he gets there? Thanks for any advice given.  Regards Shaun
• Renault - Should I trust Renault? 21 Jul 2024 (Forum)
  The garage is mucking us around but that's probably just our garage My question is has any one else experienced this with a Renault? Is it a common problem and therefore should I look elsewhere next time We do tow a small caravan but that shouldn't be a problem Any thoughts gratefully received Thanks
• Mazda 3 - 3x faults on car bought 3 months ago 11 Jan 2024 (Forum)
  Week after purchase engine management light came on - went back and was fixed.  Month later belt went xar not driveable and was towed to dealer and fixed. No clutch has gone. Presume they will try to say not covered under warranty as wear and tear item. Had 12k miles on when purchased and i have added about 3k. Any thoughts?
• Daihatsu Skywing - Turn Indicator Circuit and LED Substitution? 4 Feb 2023 (Forum)
  I'll be heading back to Taiwan soon, and (assuming it hasn't been towed) will have to get the car through its overdue 6-monthly inspection sharpish. IIRC (don't have my notes here) I have 2/3 indicator lights (It has front, rear and side indicators) on each side working, with the circuit dead for the non-working light.
• Citroen C4 08 1.6 Diesel - Citroen C4 08 1.6 Diesel - Thermostat job cost 4 May 2022 (Forum)
  My partners car came up with a STOP warning light recently. AA suspected it was the thermostat which had failed.  Towed it to a garage with a 'good' reputation and a lot of good reviews. They said the thermostat certainly needs replacing, but until they do that, they can't say whether there is further work to be done.
• Fiat Ducato 2.3 2006 - Fiat Ducato won’t start 26 Jan 2020 (Forum)
  Hi we have purchased a Ducato 2.3 2006 knowing that it needed the turbo replaced. When limping the van home it cut out and had to be towed home. After investigation we discovered a starter motor problem. Now having purchased a new one checked it and fitted it the engine will not engage. When you turn the key the lights for the coil and the immobiliser come on and go off as expected, but when you turn the key fully there is a loud clunk which we think is the starters dog kicking out but nothing else.
• Vauxhall Astra GTC 2.0 CDTI Auto - Automatic Gearbox longevity/known problems 3 Sep 2019 (Forum)
  , with regular serving, which has been suggested at every 25,000 miles for the auto box, from now on.   The car does not tow, and does not sit in much traffic,  Any input much appreciated,    many thanks 
• Throwing cigarettes out of car windows 27 Jul 2019 (Forum)
  According to our village web site, a driver threw a lit cigarette out of his car window. The car behind was a farm vehicle towing a large load of hay bales. The cigarette landed on the hay, and you can guess the rest. Witnesses said flames reached 40 feet high. HJ has claimed in print that discarded cigarettes are a major cause of engine fires.
• Peugeot 508 - peugeot 508 2012 2.2l starting failure 30 Apr 2019 (Forum)
  After few tries I had succeded but after 5 minutes of driving the was an erroor (engine fault) and I needed to stop. After 4 minutes I tried to start the engine but it failed, but it didn't schow any errors. The towing service checked the battery and then the car went crazy - showed all imaginable errors (from tires to brake system). It looked something like electronic short-circuit. Even the psrking brake didn't turn off for like 10 tries.
• Vw golf bluemotion tsi 1.4 2013 - Car been off road idle for approx 1 year 4 Feb 2019 (Forum)
  I’ve had a couple of people tell me that it will be fine just to jump start the car and see what happens and I’ve had a couple tell me that I should drain oil and fuel and install new battery before starting it for the first time. I’m guessing the best option would be to get it towed to the nearest vw garage and get them to do a full service with new tyres etc but I’m quite restrained by budget. Any advice would be appreciated.
• Focus/VW Golf - Medium Family Car Choice 13 Nov 2018 (Forum)
  Have a maximum budget of £5k for a medium size 4 door petrol car as only doing about 5000 miles per annum running around town and being dads taxi locally for my kids. Have in mind tow cars a petrol Ford Focus (prefer new shape) or the VW Golf 1.4cc upwards petrol also. I know golfs design has not changed that much probably why I am biased to the focus.  Are the perceived quality sturdiness of the German cars correct and therefore worth paying extra for?
• Ford C-MAX - Recovering costs incurred by faulty fuel filter 18 Aug 2016 (Forum)
  As I had no breakdown cover (I know, I know), I had to sign up with the AA on the spot in order to get towed home - not an insignificant cost. The garage has replaced the part but said they had to return the faulty part in order to get a replacement. Is there any precedent for recovering costs incurred by faulty parts, or should I just suck this one up?
• car brokers-which one arranges for the best deals? 14 Sep 2015 (Forum)
  I have been getting quotes for various vehicles, with a view to purchase in January 2016. I decided to buy a new vehicle in readiness for towing a caravan(also to buy in Jan 2016). Some brokers have come up with very good prices, other not so good. By that I mean sometimes over a 1K difference between them for identical cars. Drivethedeal seems to be consistently quite good, but others here have mentioned other websites or brokers they have used.
• Citroen Berlingo Multispace2004 - Rear N,S, tyre wear on outer edge 8 Jun 2015 (Forum)
  Is it possible that worn/soft rear suspension is allowing the geometry to change? It's usually loaded with tools and has done approx 5000 miles of fairly hard towing since I've owned it Cheers!
• astravan 1.7 dti. - astravan 1.7dti. 2003. sudden cut out. 22 Apr 2015 (Forum)
  He sprayed some stuff in the air filter and it almost started but wouldn't run. No warning light's on dashboard come on. Eventually got towed home. Tried to start again at home and and it nearly started. Just wondered if any one has any other views before i start to investigate the problem. Thank's for  any info. Sparky 100.
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  Accident while reverse parking - who's to blame? 1 Dec 2014 (Ask HJ)
  While reverse parking - facing oncoming traffic - a van hit my protruding passenger side front wheel. My insurance company says fault is 50/50 because...
• VW Passat 2007, 2.0 TDI - Twin Electrics Fuses 28 Jun 2014 (Forum)
  A VW car garage recenty did an electrical job (ignition barrell replacement) in my car and for some unknown reason removed the tow bar 'twin' electric fuses from the fuse box. How do I know where to put them back? Can I put them into any space in the fuse box as long as it's the correct wattage?
• Mpv - Any car buying suggestions? 28 Apr 2014 (Forum)
  I really should buy an economical supermini as most of my driving is round town with my 5 year old but I just don't like them! A mpv would also be useful for holidays and towing our Dandy. So I've completely confused myself and torn between two options. Does anyone have any recommendations for an economical mpv that's a bit special like the multipla and around that size (I.e not too long)?
• Renault Scenic - Fuel injection fault 16 Apr 2014 (Forum)
  Hi everybody Any help much appriciated I broke down and had the aa tow the car to my local garage On dashboard it said fuel injector fault The garage said he replaced an injector at cost of £495 2 days later same thing happened I broke down and aa took car back to garage he replaced the other 3 injectors and had my car.
• 2002 - Ford Focus ZX3 brakes seizing 17 Jan 2013 (Forum)
  Help??? I bought this car two months ago. Daughter was driving, Brakes seized.  I towed it in, had back brakes replaced.  Was fine for two days.  Daughter had it again,,,,seized gain, back bearings and cables replaced.  Fine again for few days.  Seized.  Noticed front passenger side was hot.