ms1007

This one at Bamburgh.

If it's more of a whistling type noise then it's definitely like Surrey Ocy says. I had my front grille replaced after a bird strike and ever since I had that noise. Only at motorway speeds, only in warmer weather and sometimes dependent on wind speed and direction. My dealer couldn't work out what it was and only after someone checked that I'd had a new grille recently did they think that was the problem. Apparently newer grilles are a slightly different size and so need a thicker felt tape to bung up a gap. Sorted now though and the noise has gone.

Thanks everybody - you were right. Checked with a voltmeter in the 12v socket and it was pretty low. Took it for a long run (which thinking about it I haven't done for a while) and all is now well. I must remember to check it more often as my commute probably isn't healthy for the battery (4 miles stop/start each way!)

Hi everyone. There's a new sound coming from my 2010 vrs - and it's starting to annoy me. After unlocking the car there's what I can only describe as a "breathy low bong"! This happens just after I've unlocked the car and before I've put the key in the ignition so I know it's not any of the usual and myriad bongs and bings! Hope someone can shed some light?

With my rear blinds I've squeezed them together as much as possible - to help narrow the line down the centre - which can irritate if (when!) you look in the rear view mirror.

I have a Pure Highway connected from its headphone port to the aux with a 30cm 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable. For my commute through an urban area listening to talkSPORT it's fine - with the Highway sitting on the passenger seat. When its not being used it hides away nicely under the armrest and I only need to charge the 2 AA batteries once a week. However like anything related with DAB, signal is everything and it takes a bit of trial and error and is hugely dependent on where you are and how fast you're going! I tend not to use it for other journeys as the intermittent signal is hugely irritating. I've even tried a longer (6ft) cable snaked around the passenger seat to no avail. The Highway originally came with an aerial that stuck to the inside of the windscreen which gave me a perfect signal but left wires trailing all over when I had it in my old C4, but apparently the Pure 300di can also be specified with this aerial? If so that would be ideal for me as the two part aerial inside and outside looks a terrible idea.

So - done today - but not without some little niggles. Thankfully the dealer has a nice comfortable viewing area so I could watch what was happening. 1st technician took a half hour to get the broken grill off and then gave up trying to separate the chrome surround. 2 more "experienced" technicians then took over and spent a further 20 minutes "fiddling". To be honest it was an uncomfortable watch so I went for some fresh air and by the time I was back it was ready. Happy though I was that it was done and my cars gap-toothed grin was fixed - having read some of the advice on here - I knew that one of the pitfalls was leaving the bonnet release lever stuck behind the grill. And sure enough it was. I think I'd have had less problems if I'd done it myself - and saved myself the labour charge. Anyway it's done now. But if there's a next time....

Thanks for all the replies. I remember having a stone spat at me from a truck that day but it seemed so innocuous I didn't give it a second thought. There is no damage behind the grill - either to the bodywork or the radiator - so in some ways I was lucky. However I don't have a very good history with any kind of plastic clip - I have visions of myself breaking one grill after another. And so - bullet bitten - dealer is sorting it next Monday - £72 all in.

Woke up to this I don't know when it happened - there was no remnants near the car so it must've happened yesterday and I didn't notice it. Is this an easy, DIY, cheap(ish) fix? Looking under the bonnet the black grill appears to be attached to just about everything else under there - is the black part available seperately? If so how much? Or should I bite the bullet and let my dealer sort it? Any advice appreciated.

Bought one of these last November. http://www.easylifegroup.com/eco-car-dehumidifier-3770 I have it on the transmission tunnel behind the front seats - never had any condensation until last week - but a weekend on the radiator (or apparently a few mins in the microwave) and its good as new!

This weekend will see Kwik-Fit swap the summer conti's on my octavia vrs for some 225/40 18 Marangoni Meteo HPs. All 4 for a smidge over £415. I've said it before but I like my 18" alloys a lot so to swap to 16" steelies or 16" VAG alloys just to get slightly cheaper winter tyres seems a waste.

It's a compromise. But 18" winters are still going to be better in snow/ice/cold/wet than 18" summers.

I've spent the last few months weighing up my options for the winter. I bought the Snowsocks first, then decided after reading the winter tyre thread that proper winter tyres are the way to go. I also decided against 2nd hand alloys or steelies because tbh I like my 18's and to have them sat in the garage for 6 months just seems a waste. Coinciding with the Kwik-Fit 25% off offer means the Marangonis are just about affordable. Plus it means I'll get another year out of my summer conti's.

I have bought these as well. I had to use several days flexi time last winter when the Vrs couldn't go anywhere so £104 a corner is a smallish price to pay to avoid this again. I also have some Snowsocks too - cue the mildest driest winter on record no doubt.

Nice. But how much was it to colour code your pressure washer?