J.R.

Do the mileage checks from the past MOT results on line in which case, as long as you are happy with the vehicle and the price you paid thats all that matters, I would happily have one myself as they are usually well maintained, my concern would be the dealer feigning ignorance, with one previous owner they had to have known, it would make me suspect the mileage if it is anything but very high.

Sounds like severe cam rattle but with what sounds to me to be a misfire I think one of the valves is not opening, does that engine use finger type rocker cam followers? If so one may be broken or displaced which would be perhaps an easier repair. Otherwise a very very worn camshaft, I cant imagine why it would have sounded better for a while though.

Yes indeed, no matter what reprogramming I try its stiĺl fault code city. Cant communicate with radio, so remove the radio from the installation list and it then complains that a radio is trying to talk to it ☹️. Its like its ghosting the new head unit.

You are out of touch! Happy to oblige.

The lights in the headlights will have been flashing blue lights, probably LED's. Yeah, like he would admit it! How many previous owners, if only the one then its stretching credibility that he didn't know but it's easy to ignore things if ignorance is profitable. Does the indicated mileage seem commensurate with the vehicle condition? I think you should so some checks starting with the MOT history. Cop cars have a hard life especially the high powered variants used as pursuit vehicles, I bet its had a lot more than the one bash in its time. Check under the rear seat for any drugs or weapons stashed!! 😄

That subframe and suspension in the photo looks like it has spent its 13 years at the bottom of a canal! Thats about the condition of any second hand parts available on E-bay etc in my country and priced at more than you could buy a good vehicle for!

Further diffusion of the urban myth, the compressor pumps a small quantity of refrigerant around the system even when switched off.

An urban myth inasmuch as your system with the variable displacement compressor is concerned. As you say the noise follows engine speed and sounds like the DSG box going wrong can we be sceptical about the noise coming from the dashboard area? After all the DSG box is not located there. A partially separated shear plate or pulley bearing would explain the noise now that you have added more info, I suggest you open the bonnet and listen for the noise there when the engine is running, get an assistant to switch the AC on and off and run through the rev range with it in both states.

As a qualified translator of garage Bravo Sugar I can explain what that means to you: Customer - "you have had my car for X time to look at why the rear wheel is leaning inwards, what did you find?" Garage - "The rear beam axle is the only thing that tends to rust and give out and everything else is fine" Translation - We could not be ar5ed to look at it so we will avoid the question. My observation - They have neither admitted that they didn't look at the vehicle nor told any direct lies, "everything else is fine" does not relate to your vehicle but a statement that in general nothing else rusts and fails which is actually far from the truth.

I suspect that the rear crossmember/subframe/call it what you will has severe corrosion and the upper wishbone has parted company, that would explain the confusion in the terms. Could equally be a rotted upper or lower wishbone, the whole set up is self composting! Every day someone is on here saying, "my garage/my mechanic says.................." and the challenge is usually to find what the real issue is or indeed no issue at all, and then to convince the owner who has swallowed the guff.

Its most likely to be a diaphragm clutch.

I enjoyed those, that is exactly how I intend to have my first EV.

Thirteen point five. They fill the tank when it is near to empty.

Cool photo. I cant actually recall the Morris but as the fumes no doubt made me a petrolhead I remember in detail every family car after that. It was many years before I saw a restored one at a car show, I think they were as good as worthless for a very long time, I was shocked at how tiny it was in the flesh but also how much internal space there was, perhaps inspiration for the Mini? It certainly would have been held up as a benchmark which Issigonis knocked out of court! He would turn in his grave were he to see the monstrosities that bear his name today, an absolute insult to his memory.

California, the EU emissions standards of the time safely exceeded it. It was what brought in long life oils, wasted spark twin coil packs, platinum point spark plugs and most noticably a massive increase in air filter surface area.

The fans will not work on a system that needs regassing but non working fans do not prevent a system being regassed. Try to find someone else with the gear and some idea! Editted, I see you are in France so little chance of finding the above, I had your experience and some! Its what pushed me into getting my own AC test and recharging gear. You look to be a couple of hours drive from me, otherwise I would help, is 41°c here today and will be the same tomorrow, not the time for a long drive without AC.

Many years ago? Many many years ago more like. Its been close to 30 years since the emissions standards changed whereby vehicles had to be able to run for 100000kms without any maintenance whatsoever, no oil changes, no spark plugs etc and still remain within the emissions limits for the new vehicle. What your experience was in the 70's with a liberal dose of exaggeration is not relevant today.

Is this not the thing that happens when someone gets the bolt lengths muddled when changing the dogbone bushes or is that another vehicle?

The fans will not cut in until the high side pressure reaches something like 15 bar, more in this hot weather, if the refrigerant level is low then the pump will not reach the threshold pressure.

I also made the wrong assumption that the bonnet closed contact would be normally closed, open circuit on opening, not so as Pete patiently explained to me. Which as a safety circuit is a big surprise. My jumper was more artful but equally redundant.

Only if each sensor has about 1.5 metres of slack cable. The sensors are handed and cant be swopped side to side but might be common front to rear.

Does your vehicle have the beam rear axle or independent suspension? If the latter then "the best they could" = did nothing. You should be concentrating on the printout of the geometry measurements and not BS customer speak

I have never got around to doing mine, it would take a very arsey CT tester to fail the vehicle, its visible from afar whatever side of the vehicle it is on, far more so than the tiny yellow led indicators on both ends of many modern vehicles styled by teenagers.

You are rather stretching the limits of "many" there from a few in one case to the vast majority in the other.

Other than bad luck or bad design like several time bomb VAG engines you would not count on having to replace an engine at 160K miles which is a fantastic improvement compared to the cars that I drove in my youth which would definitely be on their second if not 3rd rebuild by then. So its not really a valid comparison, what would be is how much the Tesla driver would have saved in servicing costs over that period and you could add on a sum for the odd repairs that an IC engined vehicle would likely have had like a new EGR, DMF, sensors etc.