Just been looking through my maintenance log for the 2001 2.0 Focus seeing as the nearside front pads are graunching down to the metal at the moment and are about to be replaced. I bought the car with 33k miles on it and fitted new Motorcraft pads at 34k after giving everything a good check over and seeing there wasn't much pad material left. I also skimmed the discs on my lathe to ensure...

Have chassis vibration cold idle after start up (range 30Hz- 50Hz approx). Disappears after warm up. NOT Plugs/Coils. Suggestions ?

As well as getting rid of the over-revving while rolling which had developed recently, the new cheapo IACV has made the on-off throttle transmission much smoother, which was something that the car has shown for many years.

The venerable 2001 3 door 2.0 ESP has started graunching its nearside front pads. Down to the metal me reckons. The discs have run two sets of pads and are way under the wear limit so I'll be fitting new everything. I used Motorcraft pads last time because the aftermarket set I first fitted were about as much use as putting your feet through the floor and trying to stop the car Flintstone...

I have a VW Passat that I have owned for four years. It goes to the same MoT station every year. It still has the original headlamp bulbs and the headlamp aim has never been adjusted since i bought the car 4 years ago. For three years in a row, it passes its MoT. However this year, it has failed its MoT, on the grounds of both

I bought a new CAT from a motor Factors in Preston. According to the paperwork its Type approved. Took my Golf MKIV in for its MoT and to get the garage to replace the front pipe with the one I had bought. They do the MoT first. It passed with one Advisory:

Vauxhall Combo 58 reg. Rear disk brake pad change. Can anybody advise me on how to get the piston back into the caliper to fit new shoes? I've splashed out on a rewind tool. I'm told pressure while you turn but after an hour we only got the piston back far enough to put the old pads back. (Was told that opening the bleed nipple might help but no joy). The new shoes came with a bolt that looks...

D A Stocks wrote: Google Maps on a smartphone is as good, if not better, than a cheap sat-nav It could do with reading out directions a couple of hundred yards earlier in most cases.

Graham J graham@invalid wrote: Davey wrote: On Sat, 15 Jun 2013 22:48:50 +0100 Gordon H wrote: On 14/06/2013 11:41, Davey wrote: Back in my student days, we bought a TV set from an Indian or Pakistani family, and being a valve job, it stank of curry for a week until it had burned off.

What is the procedure for changing the registered keepership of a car from person A to person B, where * person A is the driver now, and will continue to be * person B is the owner now, and will continue to be, and doesn't drive the car, and won't drive it in the future either (in fact, hasn't got a licence), and is A's spouse ?

I was always of the understanding that a *missing* SRS malfunction indicator lamp would be an MOT failure, and indeed that's many online manuals appear to suggest e.g. http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_540.htm (ref: 5.4.2) However, on checking with the horses mouth at http://www.motinfo.gov.uk/htdocs/m4s05000401.htm I see that the bit about the lamp being 'inoperative' counting as a reason for...

Are there any set procedures for testing second hand tyres before they are fitted? Bear in mind that they could easily have come from a fatac which you don't know about and have hidden wall damage.

A friend with one of the new ML wagons from Mercedes has had a problem getting it to start today, Mercedes say it was to do with the Adblu system. Why on earth are they fitting road cars with bloody adblu? Also, would that cause it not to start?

Hi I have lost my only transponder key for my Ford Focus 2008. I have ordered a replacement from, keys in the post. I now need to get the key programmed to the car. Most people want £90-100 to come to me and do this.

Hi Folks, I have a 5 year old Touran 2.0 TDi DSG with 126k covered. I have owned the car from new. I have recently noticed what I thought was tyre or bearing noise coming from the rear. My father (an ex mechanic) was sat in the back and noticed it first. On Sunday I swapped the wheels back to front on the same sides and the noise has changed dramatically so that it now appear to come from...

Any ideas what might cause jerking when coming off the gas 04 focus 1.8 petrol ? It had the plugs changed last year and full service etc. Thanks

I recently turned away a Renault something people carrier, turbo diesel and it was smoking. I suggested that fanning the flames was the best way out. Anyway, she got her neighbour that runs a garage to look at it, he diagnosed worn out turbo and offered to fit a secondhand one and did so, it still smokes, is seriously down on power and he wants to be paid 800 quid for the whole job, which...

on a 04 petrol focus for an oil and filter change + speed sensor £50. I supplied parts the cost is just just labour. Seems fair plus I dont fancy mucking about with the speedo sensor clip.

I had a tyre blow out a few weeks ago. And today I saw a mate I shall call Jim, and he told me his next door neighbour had had a puncture yesterday. This is the comparison of our experiences. Me - 1 Get the puncture, pull to a place of safety, turn on hazard flashers. 2 Get jack and wheelbrace out of car. 3. Remove wheel trim and slacken wheel nuts. 4. While wheelbrace is in my hand, wind down...

Driving on the north circular at about five o'clock, near Heathrow airport today; the traffic was thick in all three lanes. Behind me was a gentleman from the Indian sub-continent together with his family. He was setting new standards for tail-gating. I did not want to enter the nearside lane and it was impossible to get into the outer lane. I do not think he had any hostile intentions, but...

Elderly retired couple want an *inexpensive* and easy to use sat nav for just jogging around to a picnic spots near to London at the weekends. We have seen a Tomtom 'start 20 family edition 5 inch' sat nav for £90 on sale at the moment, and it says the original price was £180. Is this a lot to pay for something that they need to be really simple (and simple to operate). Thanks for any...

Car: 55 plate Mondeo, 1.8 Duratec petrol engine. After pulling to a stop and disengaging the clutch the revs sit at 2k for around 2 seconds, then drop to around 1.5k for another couple of seconds before dropping to normal approx 900. If I rev the engine when stationary (say to 3k rpm) then when releasing the accelerator the revs drop to around 1.5k for a couple of seconds before dropping to...

Took my 2002 VW golf estate 1.9TDI into garage for new timing belt and water pump. This is the ATD engine. Had asked garage to tell me where loud noise was coming from when I put pedal to metal. I expected to be told it's your rear silencer. Turns out there are two holes in the front exhaust pipe. This pipe also has a cat on it and there is one hole before it and another hole after it. The...

What size TORX driver is needed to remove the rear screen washer outlet / light module on a 2004 Focus hatchback? Thanks

I have got my self a Sony CDX-GT230 CD player for my Citroen C3 LX (03 reg). I installed it but the volume controls on the steering wheel does not work, but after 30 mins the central locking failed, it wouldn't unlock the doors. I put the orginal original radio cassette player back in and the central locking works fine. Do I need these...

Does anybody know if there is any manufactures in China? Something akin to Caterham?