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    How's your luck with Premium Bonds?

    Heading for the shoe shine....... £125 this morning :unsure: John :)
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    Tyre Rotation, any point?

    Personally I don't bother.......on FWD vehicles I keep the best tyres on the front, maybe putting them on the back depending on wear. I don't mix up offside and near side. Balancing won't be affected, unless in a rare occasion the wheel is balanced on the hub. Camber wear shouldn't be evident...
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    Door hinge screws not secure, quick fix?

    If it's not too bad, we used to plug the holes with matchsticks covered in PVA glue, let it dry and then replace the screws. John :)
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    Just bought an old car any advice welcome.

    Sure, the water gets in around the lamp units.....never seen a watertight seal yet! John :)
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    Metal Storm Door Closer Stripped

    Freddie is bang on with this......pop rivets can be used blind so just what you need! I'd go for 5mm diameter (officially 4.9mm but 5 is fine), around 10mm long or whatever. All you need is at Wickes or B&Q etc, and the spreader metal around 2mm thick. John :)
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    Just bought an old car any advice welcome.

    It could be a good buy.......what is the MOT status? It's sure to need such items like discs and pads - nothing to worry about there. The Focus of this generation did tend to let water drain from the bonnet into the spark plug wells, so it's worth a look see there. Timing belt and auxiliary belt...
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    A3 rear calipers and hose replacement

    A quality pipe spanner is a good move.......I have a Halfords Professional one, nice wall thickness etc. On difficult pipes I've used Mole grips if the spanner jaws had a tendency to spread. Curious - I thought these cars had a banjo bolt system on the rears! John :)
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    Brake query

    Yep, eventually there will be brake imbalance on one side, which will eventually show up on the MOT. The pads may wear unevenly too. John:)
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    Brake query

    With the caliper bracket off, can you hold the rectangular pin head in the vice, and work it to and fro? John :)
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    Unable to start MS170 so advice needed for me to rule things out

    Yes, that's exactly right......just see what power you have when in the depths of a heavy log! Ignore any smoke - it will be residue lubricant and if any more occurs it's likely to be blue. I'm using Stihl mixed two stroke fuel (50:1) all of the time now - expensive but worth it......these...
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    Oil dilution problems on Focus 2017 Mk 3.5 1.5 litre durotorq 120 bhp engine

    If indeed this engine does use excess diesel to regenerate the DPF then it is a particularly bad thing, and has caused the demise of many a good motor....Mitsubishi and Mazda in my experience! Diesel is an excellent solvent but a hopeless lubricant. I'd be contacting Ford concerning this one...
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    Vitara 1.6 Sx4 petrol should I buy?

    You've given us a bit of a head scratcher here........! Maybe I can hear a whirring of a bearing, which could be from the alternator or air conditioning compressor. The only real way to isolate these is to remove the auxiliary belt and start the engine up -- hopefully the noise will stop. I'm...
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    Vitara 1.6 Sx4 petrol should I buy?

    If you get a chance...... Get the car up on a ramp, and check for the aluminium shrouds that cover the exhaust pipe and silencer(s) that comes loose and drops. Hopefully the rattle is as simple as this. John :)
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    Unable to start MS170 so advice needed for me to rule things out

    Result indeed! Pleased you've got it sorted. John
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    Unable to start MS170 so advice needed for me to rule things out

    Just a word of wisdom when fitting the new flywheel........grip the flywheel as you tighten the nut - avoid the temptation to hold the other end of the crankshaft as it will twist. John :)
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    Brake pad - stainless shim greasing

    I don't think manufacturers give a chuff about their vehicles - just so long as they don't have to pay out on warranty claims and they can screw you big time for service. Here's an example........Honda HRV, 19 plate, bought new costing around £35K (I think) so hardly a bargain basement vehicle...
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    Unable to start MS170 so advice needed for me to rule things out

    It looks like the flywheel key has sheared (from here, anyway) so a new flywheel is required. Is the crankshaft key slot damaged at all? John :)
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    Brake pad - stainless shim greasing

    For me, it's shims out, and file where they sit if necessary - rust can be a huge issue here, and it doesn't seem to matter what quality of car you have - rather the metal that the pad carrier bracket is made of. Then, all contact areas are plastered with ceramic grease and reassembled. John :)
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    Unable to start MS170 so advice needed for me to rule things out

    This is a heat insulating spacer, and won't stop the coil working. As you've found, the key is part of the flywheel on these engines and yours looks fine. I have to conclude you have a dud carburettor here. John :)
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    Unable to start MS170 so advice needed for me to rule things out

    just a point or two - not intended as criticism. If a flywheel key has sheared, the flywheel will still turn on the crankshaft - just not at the correct time - but a spark will still be present. The carb will have only one fuel pipe, but the tank will have a breather of some sort......often...
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