Hi - the auto cancel widget on one side of my Ford Fiesta 1.25 Zetec LX (year 2000) has snapped. How do I repair it?

Also the rear windscreen wipers woudl work intermittently and is now dead - any help here would be much appreciated

Jon, June 2008

I can't help you with the auto cancel problem but the rear-wipers fault sounds like you have lost the earth connection to the rear door due to its hinges progressively going rusty. Try connecting a piece of insulated copper wire from a good earth connection in the boot to the wiper motor earth point and see if this cures the fault. If it does you can either find a permanent (out of the way) route for this wire or try carefully tapping the hinge pins slightly in and out to disturb the rust and restore the earth connection. I have only read about slightly moving the hinge pins so I cannot recommend it.

Tom Derby, July 2008