I have a 1998 vauxhall astra 1.6 8v. the car judders when pulling away from stationary so much so i hear a banging as if the wheels are bouncing of the ground and seems to pull back whenever i change up gears. The car also seems to get blown around when travelling at speed although it is not a windy day i feel like im in the centre of a hurricane! a friend of mine is a mechanic and has been unable to find the problem! where should he be looking? should i just cut my losses?

mikey, January 2008

thanks for that, i will give it a go. obviously xmas has just passed and pockets are empty i decided to wait untill feb. but the car seems to be getting worse...like a nightmare.
the engine management light has started coming on when travelling in excess of 60mph and the front lights turn themselves on/off as they please!!! this ontop of all of the above seems to be unreal, i cant beleive my bad luck! i will be trying to change the bulbs and the fuses for the lights and i will check the eml on the scanner! any ideas what this could be and costs involved.

mikey, January 2008

If it were me I would first get the wheels aligned and balanced. If that didn't fix it I would take it for a MOT, even if my old one wasn't up yet, just to make sure it is safe.
If the testers found something wrong you have your answer. If not then I would sell it with a full MOT.

Colin, January 2008