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• Vauxhall Corsa B (1993 - 2000) - 97 1.2 poor running, then won't start - now solved 16 Jan 2009 (Forum)
  The car very quickly was running badly, cut out when idling, and finally refused to start. It was full of good fuel, and had good battery etc. It was towed to my indy, who found a load of faults in the memory, finally managed to clear the memory, and then started looking at the faults that appeared. The plugs were very badly damaged, and were replaced.
• Renault Espace (1997 - 2002) - 98 3.0 Do I need to replace water pump 19 Oct 2008 (Forum)
  Hi All I need some help please with my 1998 V6 Renault Espace. It recently overheated and was towed back to a garage. The AA man said it's the expansion chamber, which I have replaced and it no longer overheats. It now makes a noise but yesterday a friend poured some water on the belt next to the pump and the noise disappeared for a minute or two.
• Mazda Mazda 5 7-str (2005 - 2010) - mazda 5 Ts2 spring assisters-advice and needed 29 Aug 2008 (Forum)
  Hi all! I have a mazda 5 Ts2 08(facelift model) 2.0lt petrol which I plan to tow with.I carry in the boot space a fair amount of disability equipment plus a 1000w generator when out with my caravan.I have been told that the suspension on the mazda 5 can be a little soft and that I might need spring assisters.Is this the case and if so what size would I need?
• Ford Fiesta (1989 - 1995) - 93 1.1 Transmission problem 17 Jul 2008 (Forum)
  My Daughter has a 1993 Ford Fiesta I think its 1.1. She was driving along normally when suddenly he car lost transmision. She got it towed back to her house. The Engine runs ok and you can select any gear without using the clutch while the engine is running Obviously the car doesnt move. I can also put it in gear when the engine is off and push the car as if it is in nuetral.
• Toyota - Liteace 94 2.0 not changing gears 13 Jun 2008 (Forum)
  We had it changed, it went ok, then over heated again. It had a hole in the rad so we had it changed, but they towed it back. Now we have it home the engine runs ok but no transmision. Has it got a safe mode on it, because its an automatic and is stuck in third gear when we put it in drive. We have spent a small fortune and are at our wits end and still no go.
• Blocked motorway - missed flights? 20 May 2008 (Forum)
  The Department of Transport for providing such a derisory autoroute network? I suspect twenty blokes and a couple of knotted tow ropes would have righted the rig and cleared it out of the way but as I passed, absolutely nothing was happening.
• Volkswagen Golf II (1983 - 1992) - clutch cable adjustment 19 Oct 2007 (Forum)
  I could try putting another nut on it to jam it in to place, but I am reluctant to even drive it now as the last time I had a problem with the clutch cable it snapped and I had to pay to have the car towed.
• Informed FSH/1 owner - am I being picky? 8 Aug 2007 (Forum)
  Bought a car in May being told it had FSH and was one owner (verbally) from a Land Rover dealership. Had tow bar fitted and brought home. Since receiving log book found out I am the third owner. Dealership have contacted us to say they can't find out who first serviced the vehicle and are trying to contact the first owner - this has been going on since May.
• pug 306 dying clutch/gearbox prob? HELP! 30 May 2007 (Forum)
  hi i own a t plate 1.9td meridian 306 with approx 109k on the clock, yesterday while driving i noticed my car started slipping out of gear, but then it got stuck into 4th gear and would not budge, i got a mate to help me tow it back home, but when i took my foot off the clutch despite being in 4th gear the engine was running as if in neutral, i have tried to get this looked into but so far i have been told seperately the clutch has gone, the gearbox has gone and everything in between, i appreciate the problem may need to be looked into further but would be grateful for any advice as i feel like i might be being taken 4 a ride. thanks in advance.
• car in garage yard, require access to it 23 May 2007 (Forum)
  colleague had a crash with another car, his (my colleagues) fault & car insured TPO although no-one injured, police got involved & 'kindly' arranged for car to be towed away now it is in some garages' yard, £150-odd fee for removal plus £12/day storage need to get shot of the car ASAP as don't want to incur any extra charges than the frankly horrendous charges so far.
• Freelander fuel comsumption 22 Dec 2006 (Forum)
  I did a 50 to 60 mile journey on A roads around 50 to 60mph. Roughly the same distance would be covered doing little journeys towing a light trailer (a couple of ladders). The rest would be relatively short journeys. I know these are not fuel efficient journeys, however this fill returned 23.5mpg. My usual is 26 to 27 and I have never exceeded 28.5mpg.
• vw polo intermittent elec fault 7 Sep 2006 (Forum)
  hi i have a 2002 polo 1.4 75bhp, twice in a week it has failed to start, when this happens i loose my dash display, no warning lights or background light, although the gauges work. when this happens it will turn over but not fire up. the rest of the dashboard lights work, radio, fan, h lights indicators all good but no start. whilst we were being towed there was a sudden jolt in the chain and everything came back on and started. 5 days later same again and recovery bloke messed with fuses and wires under dash, 20 mins later it started but he didn't know what had happened??
• ABS Fault - Renault Scenic 1.8 Ltr 12 Jun 2006 (Forum)
  - 45,000 miles - 52 Reg. but just out of warranty - Paid £1,009 to have ABS Control Unit replaced. Started car on my drive and the brake warning lights stayed on. Renault garage advised towing the car to them. They diagnosed a failure in the ABS control unit and charged £1009 to replace it. They admitted this part should last a great deal longer and offered 20% discount on the labour cost of replacement.
• Any auto trans bods in the house? 22 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  I can sort most of the problems with running both ends together, but where I'm going to come unstuck is when in economy mode and just running on the front engine, the rear trans is going to cook its clutches. (ie when being towed) I'm wondering if circulating the trans fluid through a cooler with an electric pump would overcome the problem? Your thoughts would be appreciated DC
• Fallen star fails to proceed... 20 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  It's an auto, and decided to stop moving forward the other morning whilst on its way to work. No horrid noises - just lost drive. I know how it feels. Anyway, upshot was a tow to main dealer (Nooooooo!!!), diagnosis of completely lunched gearbox - debris found in the filter apparently - and a £4k quote to replace the box. Ouch. Car's worth about 5kish. Otherwise good condition.
• glowplugs vw caravelle 2.4 d 18 Mar 2006 (Forum)
  were having real trouble starting our bus on these cold mornings ,the colder it gets harder she is to start ,we think we must have a glow plug prob,the 50 amp fuse is fine and there is a good feed to this point ,the next problem is the glow plugs are a real swine to get to ,what is the easiest way to check them and how, any suggestions would be a great help ,once started shes fine all day but when left over night the problems begin,weve even had to tow her once because the battery drained trying to start her and within a matter of yards she started,its only started doing this in this very cold weather but if we leave her until later in the day when it warms up a bit she will start but with a struggle
• New Octavia 4x4 tdi - Any experience? 13 Sep 2005 (Forum)
  Hi I'm looking to replace my current Volvo S60 D5 auto. I've recently started towing and could do with a the 4wd for "Green Ice" and slippery mud paths and roads. I've driven the Volvo XC70 which is expensive and I didn't like the way it rolled in corners. The Audi All Roader is a bit pricey and I don't like the Audi dealers in my area.
• FWD & Caravan & Mud - How to get grip. 20 Aug 2005 (Forum)
  It's usually okay when it gets a bit slippery as it has a winter mode which locks the car in to a higher gear when it gets slippery. However I'm going to start towing a caravan and reckon that a wet muddy grass field, courtesy of our exceptional summer may be too much. I don't want to buy a 4wd just for this rare event. I remember seeing mats/grates that 4wd cars use when they get stuck and wondered if anyone knew of such a device for cars, or if any one had an idea for a substitute?
• bangernomics vehicle of choice 4 Jul 2005 (Forum)
  I am currently giving consideration to replacing my aging vauxhall Corsa with something a little more inspiring to drive (it would also be useful if it was up to a little light towing). Bearing in mind it essentially a banger that has been 100% reliable for the last couple of years, maybe this bangernomics stuff isn't complete rubbish. (Although I only do about 3K miles a year so maybe it's not much of a challenge) Therefore I was wondering about an old Audi 80 or VW passat as they seem a useful size and can be picked up for just over a grand in reasonable condition.
• Bora stops because the lights don't work 15 Apr 2005 (Forum)
  Being a good person she stops driving, phones the local VW agent who says "If it tells you to stop driving you should stop driving". Breakdown service comes out and tows the thing into the VW garage who keep it overnight. Next morning they phone up saying if was the rear lights that failed. It cost £80 to fix mind you. Is this a scam to get cars into the workshop?