Car Maintenance

holts radweld, bars seal, etc
Hi, In the recent thread about not having a spare tyre, someone said you were more likely to puncture a radiator than a tyre. This got me wondering. These radweld type of products: are they all the same or is one better than the rest? I'm sure a mechanic once told me that there was one which was superior but ne... 29 Mar 2010 14:47

Headlamp circuit
Have a 95 Corolla 1.3. The drivers side headlamp bulb in the dipped position recently went on the blink. So I replaced the bulb. Looking carefully at the bulb the filaments still seem fine. On replacing the bulb, the new one worked in both the dipped and the full beam positions. But it only worked for one ... 22 Mar 2010 20:44

Warning- WhichManuals.com
Trying hard not to rant- but just had a terrible experience from WhichManuals.com. Happy to go into detail of the issues I had, but before anyone puts in an order for a workshop manual download, do the research with Google. I just wish I'd have thought to check them out before purchasing- looks like I wasn't... 22 Mar 2010 15:35

Focus econetic: no spare tyre
Hi, I am thinking of buying a Focus and was reading a Ford brochure. They do two economical 1.6 diesels: I think one is a Zetec and the other is the Econetic. The econetic does slightly more mpg. How does the econetic achieve the better figure? I think it's the same engine, so is the engine tweaked in econetic o... 26 Mar 2010 14:25

Losing gearbox oil
Hi, my car is a Toyota Corolla GLS, VVTi , 1.4, year 2000. After noticing oil on the gearbox casing, I checked the gearbox oil level and it was lower than the filling plug. Topped it up with approx quarter of a litre. At the time I thought it was the drain plug washer, so replaced it. Recently checked again,... 23 Mar 2010 13:43

Mayo under my oil fill Cap
I recently purchased a 2008 Coblat and when i changed the oil i noticed mayonnaise under my oil cap. the car was sitting in the lot for three months before i bought it and i have been driving it long distance for about two months now. the car only has 20,000 kms on it so what could be causing the mayonnaise? th... 22 Mar 2010 07:12

Smoking Kangoo
I have an 03 reg diesel Kangoo van, 57,000 mile on the clock. On the door panel its described as 1.7DCi, the plastic cowling over the engine reads 1.5 DCi and the logbook reads 1465cc. Passed MOT in January, but now its started smoking. No change in performance, no starting problems, no sign of overheating. ... 21 Mar 2010 20:54

Tuning for economy
My wife has a Daewoo Kalos (04) (alright - don't laugh). I feel it isn't as economical as it should be but I don't want to throw money at a garage if there is nothing that can be done. Does anyone know if a garage would be able to improve it? (over and above changing the air filter, etc) Can anything on the f... 20 Mar 2010 22:13

03 plate fiesta clutch
Hi all, SiL said his clutch went today and booked it in a garage for Tuesday. Just had a (quick) look and all that was wrong was the cable had popped off the pedal. Should there be any sort of cap / captive nut / whatever holding it in place or does it just hook over the "stub" on the top of the pedal. H... 22 Mar 2010 05:01

de-coking egr
Hi, Following on from my recent thread about p0400 and 401 diagnostic codes. What's the best way to decoke the egr bits and pieces? The pipe does have a sooty interior but it is only a thin layer; its not narrowing the bore of the pipe. The garage advised injector cleaner in the diesel but I read here to use ... 25 Mar 2010 15:05