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• Peugeot Boxer (2000 - 2007) - 1999 2.5 non starter 5 Apr 2009 (Forum)
  Tried restarting and engine turned over fast a couple of times and then nothing at all, completely dead. Towed home, recharged battery, and still no response from starter. Battery is fine, checked main earth cable from gearbox to wing, that's fine too. I have sidelights, but no headlights, radio works fine, etc.
• Nissan X-Trail (2007 - ) - 09 temporary spare wheel replacement 17 Mar 2009 (Forum)
  My xtrail comes with a full size 16" spare steel wheel, fitted with a 215/65 R16 98M Bridgestone TEMPORARY tyre, pressure 44psi. Nissan say i cannot fit a different tyre to this rim. I cannot tow with this wheel/tyre, and the speed limit is 50mph I can buy a 16" steel spare wheel, fitted with a tyre of the same make as the rest of the wheels. The tyre is dunlop SP20 215/65 R16 98H. (But of a different size.)
• Audi A3 + S3 (1996 - 2001) - 1999 1.6 Big Boil up Now cant get it to run 4 Mar 2009 (Forum)
  I have an A3 Code AVU and the water pump failed causing a boil up ...replaced pump and head gasket also fitted new rings and glaze busted the bores had head skimmed and pressure tested re ground the valves and the compression is still not as good as id like (around 110) the car will run with a tow but cuts instantly when allowed to drop below about 1200 revs like ive turned off the ignition no missfire just a staight stop. ive tested the spark and fuel at cranking and both are fine and ideas id be really grateful Thanks
• Police Insurance 16 Jan 2009 (Forum)
  My question is if the car actually has to have insurance regardless of any third party cover from other insurance policies how was the policeman who drove it away covered to do so.. Wouldn?t the car have to be towed / flatbed to the impound. Does anyone know if there is a procedure document which the police have to follow??? many thanks for your replys.. Tim
• Peugeot 406 (1996 - 1998) - 1997 2ltr Water damage 10 Nov 2008 (Forum)
  My wife went through a flooded road today in her 406 2ltr petrol, the car cut out and wouldnt restart, the AA came out, removed the spark plugs the engine was then turned over and water forced out the plug holes. The plugs were replaced, but the car wouldnt start, AA then towed the car home. Appears water has been sucked into the engine. What should i do first? i was going to drain and replace the oil, take plugs out pour some oil into the plug holes and spin the engine over, the battery appears to be flat as the engine wont turn over by the key.
• Nissan Note (2006 - ) - 07 1.6 - towbar fitting. 8 Sep 2008 (Forum)
  My father has recently bought a Nissan Note 1.6 He's very happy with the car - but wants to put a towbar on it (light towing only - the kerb weight is too low for much else). Looking at the internet there are plenty of towbars available for the car - problem is that they all require cutting of the bumper to fit. This is unacceptable to my dad - and I to agree (amacks of lazy design - or just a cheap solution).
• Vauxhall Zafira B (2005 - ) - Bike rack for a new shape zafira?? 29 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  HI I have a 2007 Zafira and I need a bike rack for 4 bikes - 2 adults and 2 childrens. I dont want to fit a tow bar as I have to cut the bumper on all the versions I have seen. Anyway - so far the Avenir 4 bike rack like this one: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AVENIR-4-BIKE-CAR-RACK-BIKE-RACK-CYCLE-CARRIER-BRANDNEW_W0QQitemZ380041755077QQcmdZViewItem?
• Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - 1999 tddi - scrap or repair? 3 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  Hi All I have a 'T' reg ('99) Tddi Focus estate with 125K on the clock that broke down yesterday. After being towed to the garage it's been diagnosed with a bust fuel pump which will cost £700 for the pump, £300 labour plus VAT on top to replace. (I browsed the owners club website and it seems that this price is pretty much par for the course) A quick search on autotrader showed a couple of similar cars advertised for around £1700. so what I'm trying to decide at the moment is whether to fork out the dough and hope nothing else goes wrong or scrap it.
• Land Rover Freelander 2 (2006 - ) - Anyone with experience of an automatic ? 13 Feb 2008 (Forum)
  It appears to have the ford/psa 2.2d with 400nm tourque at 2000rpm which is just what I am looking for a 6 speed auto box. Quick for a hulk as well, very grunty . A little juciy but apart from that it has a good towing capacity which hopefully means the box is strong. Has anyone actually experienced any problems yet. I have spoken to a couple of dealers independent of a sales inquirey & they say they are the best vehicle for reliability they have had the pleasure of dealing with.
• Vauxhall Cavalier (1988 - 1995) - 94 1.7td non starter 12 Feb 2008 (Forum)
  hi,i have recently aquired the cv off a friend.i put jump leads to it with a new battery too,still wont start.so i towed iyt and she fired up and purred like a kitten.shes been stood for a year. the only thing ive noticed now is that i have to put a jump lead to the engine just to get it to slighlty turn over. when i do this she turns as if the battery was dying,just a couple of turns then nothing. i left a small lead attached and it melted it straight away. when i was connecting the earth to the engine i could hear a relay somewhere clicking?????
• Fabia V Focus 4 Dec 2007 (Forum)
  Uncle looking to change his car and its between two cars. 03 Fabia 1.9 diesel 70k trim level he can't recall £4,300 with £1,500 trade in on a car worth £1,000 tops so say £3,800 for cash. Or 02 Focus 1.8 diesel 70k trim again he can't remember. Same money. The Focus has a tow bar which always makes me suspicious plus Uncle says it smelt damp which the dealer said was because it had just been valeted. He is aware of the misfueling saga and wants to know if there are any signs to look for.
• A tale of hope in the motor trade. 11 Aug 2007 (Forum)
  Some foreign tourists in the area last week lost their keys, this rendered them totally immobile. Local indie was the nearest garage to them, he turned up in his truck and towed the vehicle away. Whilst they sat down to that uniquely British experience of bacon butty and tea in the statutory chipped and grime stained mug, he ingeniously by passed the ignition and immobiliser and secured a temporary ignition lock and key.
• Flood damaged engines 10 Aug 2007 (Forum)
  Apparently he was able to move the van from the flood water by using the starter motor whilst in gear. Someone offered him a tow start, and eventually the rear wheels locked. The engine is now 'solid' and in the process of being stripped down. My best guess so far is that the initial flood of water into the air filter totally blocked it, causing the engine to stall through lack of air, and that subsequent attempts to move and restart it have caused terminal damage.
• Towbar question 28 May 2007 (Forum)
  A question for anyone who tows, or for the clever people amongst us! A towbar sticks out the back of the car, and a towball is bolted on to it. On a Honda CRV the boot mounted spare wheel prevents the use of the towball mounted cycle carrier that I currently have.
• VW Golf - water in the oil tank 6 Mar 2007 (Forum)
  Fortunately she realised her error before starting up the engine (well, a passing bloke pointed it out to her....). The car is currently being towed home by the breakdown service. Seeing as the engine hasn't been turned, would I be right in thinking/hoping that it is a simple matter of completely draining and replacing the oil ? Or is it more complicated than that (i.e. it's a garage job)?
• diesel particulate filter - Audi A4 (06) 10 Dec 2006 (Forum)
  Since purchase , filter has been a nightmare. Clogs up on short and repetitive town journeys.Broken down 3 times to be towed away. Had new ECU, new filter, new sensors. Light is still coming on. Been in over 15 times to Audi. they say car cannot have filter removed. I love car but hate filter with passion. C I have even written letter saying they may have to refund for car if it breaks down again.
• m reg rover 414 sli rear shocks 21 Dec 2005 (Forum)
  my dad thinks that the rear shockabsorbers or the springs themselves are past their best because he has said that when he drives his car over certain bumps or releived manholes he feels a kind of bottoming out feeling despite the fact that it drives normal over rough terrain and on smooth roads. he has done the bounce test and they return after one bounce. personally i think that it is due to the tow bar,as i think it is a little low but is fitted correctly. has he got something to worry about or is he just imagining this? also it is happening with just him in the car with no load, so would the shock just be simply old/ any thought welcome
• Brake fluid and bad luck 29 Aug 2005 (Forum)
  We were going only 27 mph and the junction was empty so we were lucky enough to cross it in red and stop on the other side. We were towed home and found out that the brakes pump has gone. The next week I got a camera notification for going on red light which was on for 66 seconds. Great! I will pay it and get 3 points on my provo license but how can I complain to the police that a technical brakedown caused all this mess?
• Test Drive Technique...? 23 Feb 2005 (Forum)
  Is there anything in particular I can do while on the test drive that will give me some pointers? I know to check the ATF and the service history for fluid changes, and one of the cars has a tow bar fitted which I guess will have a bearing on condition, but has anyone got any other suggestions? Thanks in advance Sunshine
• Transportation of broken down car 14 Feb 2005 (Forum)
  RAC can organise private recovery but obviously expect me to foot the bill; 2. Ring round private recovery firms for quotes; 3. Tow it myself. Option 3 is excluded for reasons of safety. The route's round the s/w corner of the M25 and along the M4. I honestly don't fancy it. Before I start phoning round Monday morning has anyone any experience or advice?