Questions from March 2010
I have been looking at some smallish cars (so they fit into my garage) and have narrowed the choice down to the FIAT Punto Evo or FIAT 500 (which may be a bit small, although fun and stylish) or the MINI....
In their short-term efforts to stop the planet warming, more and more manufacturers are introducing small capacity pressurised petrol engines. Renault, VW Group and the new Astra all offer turbos of 1.2...
My wife is changing her 1994 Rover 214 for a new KIA Cee'd 1.4 1 hatchback under the scrappage scheme and KIA's very generous contribution. The list price for the KIA is £11,895 and with the allowances...
There has been a lot of discussion recently about alloy wheels developing cracks that necessitate replacing the wheels at considerable cost. The cracks have been variously attributed to either faulty manufacture...
Please could you recommend a medium sized, not too expensive, car for my daughter that has 7 seats, two being able to be used occasionally possibly in the boot area. She has three children and sometimes...
I have a 2001 Jaguar X-Type and recently it has become very reluctant to lock using the key fob. Fortunately, it opens the car with no problems. I assumed that after eight years it could do with a new...
My car has been in for repair. I received a hire car, for 4 days, the duration of the repair to my car. One week after returning hire car, I received a letter and claim form saying I had returned the hire...
Audi assist recently hired me a vehicle whilst a faulty handbrake on mine was repaired. Scratches to bumpers and alloys were apparent on the hire car. I had it for just over 24 hours before re-parking...
I currently own an 04 plate Audi with 39,000 miles on the clock. I have yet to replace the cam-belt due to the relatively low mileage for the year of the car, however I am aware that the car is in its...
I can only walk 50 metres or so and have a Brigaid Hoist fitted in my car and a powered wheel chair. I went to a Mobility Centre to get advice on cars, chairs, etc. 3 years ago. I do not qualify for Motability...
At 170,000 miles, my 2002/52 Fiesta 1.4 Diesel has developed a very intermittent problem with the speedo. Every few weeks the speedo stops working for a mile or so and then returns to normal. Sometimes...
I have a 2008/58 BMW 320d with pop-up washer jets. While washing the screen and lights on the M62 during a January snowfall both jets popped up a little too far and came out completely, last seen in lane...
My daughter wants to buy a car to keep in the garage of her house in France for use when she's there. It's likely to be parked for 3 months at a time then used for 2-4 weeks. We realise this isn't ideal,...
Please can I have your opinion on what I consider to be an absolutely farcical situation. I went along to a KIA dealer with my ex-wife to look at buying a new Rio and taking advantage of the scrappage...
I purchased a brand new Hyundai coupe from a Hyundai dealer. After only three thousand miles it is pulling to the left. I took it back to the dealer and he asked for nearly £90 to check it. Do you think...
I have a problem. The gasket seals on my engine have gone and my engine slowly but surely drips oil out quite rapidly leaving drips everywhere. Would my car fail its MoT for this or if there is no oil...
I will soon be changing my car and will have £25k-£30k to spend on a new or almost new vehicle. I live in a farmhouse that can only be approached by a single-track lane of about 1/3 mile. The nearest town...
I purchased ex-demo E Class 320 CDI WITH 4,500 miles in March this year from MB Direct, is 58 reg. It has now completed 9,500 miles. I had cause to return to dealer as a warning light appeared. The garage...
I have a 9 month old, 1.8 petrol Ford C-Max. I have done 5,500 miles and am generally pleased with it except that on 2 occasions in stop-start traffic conditions I have had an appalling stink fill the...
On reflection, I think I will have a VW Polo as my "run-about" baby car now, but what particular model? Petrol or diesel? What colour?
Do they do an automatic version? Will it accommodate Cornelius - my...
We too were astounded by the £1,700 minimum quotes for learner and/or new drivers. We finally got L driver insurance for 6 weeks, after an initial 4 weeks with an instructor, with Collingwood for approx...
A few months ago I had 4 new tyres fitted on my KIA Sportage (05 plate) 2.0 litre diesel. Unfortunately, they needed balancing and the guy came back and did this. Again they still weren't right, especially...
I have a Rover 75 diesel estate auto. It has done 120,000 miles. The gearbox has failed and would cost about £2,000 to replace. It's a lovely car but I'm very worried about spending serious money when...
My daughter has asked me to advise her on the selection of a new car. She is not a car owner so has no vehicle to trade in. She has 4 children aged 11 to 19, husband no longer around. She needs a 5-seater...
We are planning to buy a car with a budget of around £5,000-£7,000. We will only be doing 4,000 miles a year and would like it to have low depreciation, top grade spec, good in mpg, diesel or petrol. Don't...
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