Trending topics in January 2010
Questions from January 2010
I own an 06 model Range Rover Sport that came on 20" Continental Summer tyres which are rubbish for anything other than road-driving! As I have horses and tow a trailer, and with last November/December...
What is the best way to calculate how much a second hand car will depreciate over a certain period of ownership? I ask as I have an Oct 06 Golf 2.0 TDi, which, after reading your review on their potential...
We're a retired couple who run two cars. My husband drives a Hyundai i30 and I have a MINI One. We've had both cars nearly 3 years. However, I think I've finally been convinced that we only need 1 car....
I am considering buying a 2008 Audi A4 2.7 TDI (190 PS) SE with CVT transmission. Does the CVT auto have the same problems as the DSG? Also is the car likely to have the problematic European suspension...
Further to the email in Saturday 7th January Telegraph Motoring, I have a plastic clip on the right hand side of my 9-year-old Citroen C5 that I use to hold parking tickets. When I got the car I asked...
I would welcome your advice on which 4x4 to choose. I intend to purchase new and keep the car for 10 years during which time I estimate I will drive 150,000 miles. I want a diesel engine and automatic...
Last year I bought a new Suzuki Swift and the accompanying literature recommended that if I had an accident I contact Suzuki, rather than my insurance company. Suzuki would then do everything (recover...
Having driven quite often in South Africa, I realise the value of being able legally to overtake on either side on 3 or more lane roads. It makes lane hogging pointless and means much better use of road...
Thanks John, for the links you sent me about the Plymouth Prowler that I found very interesting. I think I will hang on to my £25,000 at the moment and treat it as rainy day money. We live in quite a wealthy...
We are told that there are several million vehicles on the road which are untaxed, uninsured, do not have a current MoT certificate and are probably being driven by an unlicensed driver. Yet every year,...
I had an accident in icy conditions almost 2 years ago on a freezing evening when I stopped at the scene of another accident where a car had overturned due to black ice. Then, a few seconds later, a third...
In 2010 I ordered a 2.0 petrol Nissan Qashqai Tekna CVT 2WD. This was to replace a car of the same specification as I had been very pleased with the first. Delivery was quoted at 14 weeks and I went to...
Is it reasonable to assume that a Honda i-shift is similar to the VW DSG system, which I have acquired on a new 1.4 Polo and have not found it easy to get used to, despite having driven a number of automatic...
There have been several letters in your column complaining about the Honda Jazz i-shift. I have owned two Jazz autos in the past and it was with some trepidation that I tried a test drive in a Jazz i-shift....
I am shortly to take delivery of a new VW Polo, and have decided against my better judgement to order flash red paintwork. The last car I had with red paint was a Peugeot some 20 years ago, but it suffered...
Sometime ago you recommended a portable steering wheel lock. What would be suitable for a Mercedes SLK200 kompressor that I have recently purchased?
Recently there have been press articles about the Organ Donation Register and the DVLA. Some months ago I had to apply for a new driving licence. This was attended to very promptly. However, late Nov I...
Who has priority at a motorway junction involving an entry slip road? I had long believed that the pecked or dashed line where an entry slip comes onto the nearside lane of a dual carriageway or motorway...
I have checked on your website as to whether you have covered the topic of dealing with potholes as well as snow and ice with a 4x4. People seem mainly concerned with ice and snow. I want to ask if a 4x4...
Can you help please? Last Tuesday my wife was involved in a motor accident. She had stopped, indicating right, intending to pass through a dual carriageway intersection when her car was rammed by a Mazda...
My elderly cousin wants to replace her battered 9-year-old Nissan Micra with an economical automatic for pottering about the town only. 2 doors ok, very much wants rear parking sensors but I guess they...
I am enquiring on behalf of my elderly parents (aged 87 and 79) who currently run a 1 owner pristine BMW 320 SE (petrol) with leather, metallic paint and folding mirrors. Registered in June 2007 the car...
My wife found last year’s snow particularly challenging for her much-loved Honda Jazz CVT. She would appreciate your advice regarding a small automatic 4x4.
I have just bought a 2003 Jaguar XK8. I was told I would get a 12-month warranty with the car and when it was delivered by the salesman, I was asked to sign the warranty form that was then placed in a...
My son is looking to renew his car insurance. He will be 18 in February. He passed his test 6 months ago, and got his car when he was 17, so now has 1 year no claims. He also took his Pass Plus test, but...
I purchased a car from a BMW dealer. Problems occurred and the car needed invasive work that was covered under warranty. However, we discovered that the engine had been changed one month before purchase...
After many years of driving I have on odd occasions stalled my car by getting my left foot on the brake as well as the clutch, which could be dangerous. My friends are telling me I should change to an...
My son and daughter in law need a second car and have a budget of £4,000 to spend. The car will be used mainly for local runs but will undertake occasional longer runs to see family, etc. It needs to accommodate...
The Mrs and I are looking to buy a new car and we went to look at the new Lexus models. The salesman was very nice and informative and we got chatting, when a guy in trainers and tracksuit and dripping...
I recently bought a car from a car dealer some distance from home. Before leaving the car lot I pointed out that the coolant level was way below the minimum line but the dealer assured me that topping...
With the ever-increasing price of fuel I am more than ever aware that Honda sold me a new Jazz without a locking petrol cap.
With regard to KC's letter, the most charitable thing I can say about motor insurers practices towards drivers is that they are ignorant of the nature of risk and how it arises. I have written several...
Why don't they make sure that all the batteries, in every electric car, are the same and all easily removable and replaceable (maybe in a large sliding tray underneath.) Motorway service stations and garages...
Last year I collected 12 penalty points that will remain with me for the next 3 years. I currently have an Audi A4 Cabriolet 3.0 with 100,000 miles, but prior to that a Jaguar XKR and a TVR Cerbera. I...
We will soon need to replace an 8year old 2 litre diesel Zafira Elegance after 120,000 satisfactory miles. Requirements are: estate type vehicle for ease of loading/dog transport. Reasonable power/handling/economy....
I wish to change my car and would appreciate your advice as to what I should buy. I would be prepared to spend up to £9,000. I currently drive a 54 plate Peugeot 206S, 1,360cc, 5 door with 32,000 miles...
We are both retired and in our sixties. My present car is a 2003 reg Toyota RAV-4 (3 door) with only 35,000 miles on the clock (less than 5,000 miles a year). I have always been delighted with the car...
I am having trouble with my 2006 VW Golf TDI and wondered if you might have any thoughts. I am not technologically literate, but I understand that the engine has a turbo so that when you press the accelerator...
I own a 2007 Citroen C4 Picasso with the 1.6HDi engine (about 110bhp I think) with the DPF. However it seems that it is essential for these engines to be run with C2 grade engine oil (low sulphur and ash...
I read your advice about buying a personal registration to avoid cloning. I cannot understand how that will stop someone either stealing my number plate or using my number on a stolen car and me getting...
My wife wants a cute second car to bomb around in. I on the other hand would like a classic. We have agreed (compromised) that a late 1960s Wolseley Hornet or Riley Elf would suit our weekend inner city...
What is the technical reason for suggesting that turbos are allowed to idle for a couple of minutes before switch-off, and does this apply only after a motorway-type drive? What effect does it have on...
I am considering trading in my Autotrail Cheyenne motorhome and unused car (2004 Mercedes C270 Estate) and going back to towing a caravan with a new towcar. I don't actually do that many miles per annum...
What I want is a car that looks like a Honda CR-V - chunky with high seating - but is not 4x4. Is there such a thing? Also, I hear on the radio today that Carcraft is offering a £2,000 scrappage deal against...
I hope that you will do your utmost to publicise the iniquitous proposal to disallow costs when a motorist successful contests a wrongful motoring conviction. Please encourage readers to sign the petition...
For the last three years or so I have been running a Peugeot 407 and have been very pleased with it. It recently developed a fault with a dash display warning that ABS and ESP were disabled. As it was...
As you may remember, Gowrings Mobility is now back in business and has some new products that fulfil specific needs of the disabled. The Gowrings Vauxhall Combo Tour is the best-value wheelchair-carrying...
I own a 2001 Honda Accord V-type 2.3L which is really a Rolls with another badge. However, the neatly fitted integral sat-nav system is now antiquated and needs new data. Honda very politely told me all...
I bought a 55 plate Skoda Octavia in March 2009, 52,000 miles, with a three-month warranty. On 12th September 2009 the hydraulic pipe between the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder failed. As I...
I am looking to replace the 1-litre V Reg Corsa I have had since being a student with a good family car now that I am married with a son. I think the Corsa's small engine is the main reason my license...
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