i need to price up and post some car tyres but i cant find out of royal mail would accept them ?? they are new tyres and with no wheels. have you peeps ever had to post tyres ??? Read more

Why do so many dealers insist on using only double-sided tape to attach number plates? Daughter arrived home yesterday with her rear plate in pieces after she unwittingly reversed over it - it has dropped off in a car park. Plod then pulled her over for failing to show registration plates and she was fortunate to escape with just a warning. Now it looks like the front plate is also loose. Read more

I have a 2003 Ford Ka, Duratec engine, 34000 miles on the clock.

Set off this morning (with a full tank of petrol). About 25 miles or so, driving along at about 50 mph, I started noticing what I would describe as a very slight "kangaroo petrol" effect - i.e. the car would feel like it was hesitating slightly and then surge forward slightly. And I mean 'slightly'. It was so slight as to make me wonder at first if it was my imagination. It didn't do it constantly, but continued to do it on an off.

About 50 miles later, the Engine Warning Light went on. This has never happened before. The handbook says "If [the Engine Warning Light] illuminates with the engine running, it indicates a malfunction. Have it checked by your dealer as soon as possible."

Obviously I will be taking it to the dealer, but has anyone any idea what the fault might be?
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Hello, Does anyone know what are the qualification to be a car trader and how to obtain a motor trade licence ? Can I be a car trader if i work from my home address or do i have to have premise ? In addition, what are the procedure i have to do to register to be a car trader? Read more

Just thought I'd post some initial impressions of the Golf after doing 120 miles or so in it yesterday, plus some odd running around over the weekend.

What we ended up buying was an apparently well cared for, 52 plate GT TDI 130 5dr in reflex silver. A two owner car, with 85,000 miles, and the rare combination of climate control and an electric tilt / slide sunroof. It's by no means in perfect condition, but it's had its big (80k) service with the timing belt, and the alternator pulley replacement, plus some other bits. It's well cared for, and clean overall. reflected in a steep £4100 purchase price. Pretty much spot on according to Parkers, albeit for a 70,000 mile car. Whatever - if you want one of these, it seems you have to pay for it, and the interest in every car we looked at was very strong.

You can kind of see why, too. It's a good looking, understated car which has aged very gracefully, and will probably still look good in ten years time. Inside too it's very pleasant, with good quality materials and a level of fit and finish which is a step up from the Renault. It does not however have the same "hewn from rock" feel as the Volvo, with some of the buttons being a little creaky in use. Somewhere in between the two, then. The overall design is very attractive, although the location of the slightly fiddly Climatronic system right at the base of the centre console is less than ideal. The big, clear instruments have an expensive look to them, and the lovely violet and red glow of their illumination is soothing and easy on the eye. The standard fit "Gamma" radio / cassette with separate CD player is still present, sounds good, and is fairly easy to use. The driving position is excellent, too.

Being a later mkIV (2003 model year), the car benefits from some upgrades over earlier models. This includes more heavily bolstered front seats which are firm, but very comfy. It also, according to HJ, involves some handling improvements, and I have to say this has surprised me. I've heard various criticisms thrown at Golfs including "wallowy" and "soggy", but this car handles very nicely. OK, not the same level of composure and balance as the mk1 Focus I had, but a lot closer that I'd ever have hoped. It steers quite sharply, doesn't roll much, understeers very progressively, and tucks in nicely in response to a lift mid corner. I had quite good fun with it round some Oxfordshire lanes yesterday, with that muscular PD engine catapulting it out of corners in what really should have been a gear too high, with its trademark gutteral growl.

Ah yes, the engine. I've wanted a car powered by the 130PD VAG engine since I first experienced it in the brother-in-law's Passat a few years back. This has since been repeated in the Fabia vRS and my father in law's mk4 Golf SE estate we were running around in last week. After the beautifully smooth Renault dCi unit, the VAG's uncouth rumbling came as quite a shock. In NVH terms, it's back in a bygone era, with a vibe through the wheel at idle, and various minor resonances as it goes through the rev range. It also constantly reminds you of its presence with a deep chested, although not entirely unpleasant growl that is either background noise, or dominating the experience depending on what you're doing.

But what it delivers is astonishing on first acquaintance. I have never experienced an engine which delivers so much for so little effort. As long as it has 1500 RPM on the dial, a squeeze of the pedal delivers a beautifully muscular shove in the back which sends the speedo needle clockwise at an grin inducing rate. It's not a fast car against the stopwatch, but it actually makes my 180 bhp Volvo feel lifeless at "ordinary" revs. It's also giving some silly computer readouts. With a mixture of motorway, fast B road, a 4 mile motorway tailback, and a little urban driving yesterday, I allegedly averaged 52.8 mpg, and I certainly wasn't sparing with the horses. I know VW computers are optimistic, but even if it worked out to a genuine 45 mpg, I think that's incredible for the way it was driven. £120pa RFL is a pleasant surprise too.

First impressions are positive. It's a good looking car which drives well, and is stupidly quick in real world driving conditions. The build quality is a step up from the Renault, but not as good as the reputation suggests, and the handling better than expected. It's also frugal, and for us will be cheap to maintain unless something expensive goes wrong. Yes, it's two years older than the Scenic, and yes it's done 20,000 more miles, but it's had the big cambelt service that was going to set us back £600 on the Renault, and it feels more "together" and actually newer.

Will post an update as we do more miles and get to know it better.
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