Questions from May 2011
Would you please recommed and estate car that is comfortable over long distances, has good boot storage, and is economical? (Petrol engine).
I am looking to buy a used car for a weekly commute (180 miles each way at the beginning and end of the week). From what I have previously read a diesel still makes the most economical sense due to annual...
I need to buy a new 5 door petrol supermini, Fiesta type size - max budget around £9k. I've been looking at the i20 1.2 comfort, but haven't found a decent second hand one - and was concerned by some corrosion...
I own a Ford KA running on 165/60/14 wheels and tyres; would the same wheels and tyres be interchangable with a Ford Street KA running on 16 inch wheels (195/45 R16 tyres)?
I visited my local ASDA Hypermarket on Sunday and upon finding no mother and baby spaces I parked in a disabled bay - there were over a dozen other free disabled spaces.
I had noticed in the mother and...
I have had the same fault re-occuring for the past seven months which commenced at 400 miles.
There have been a number of experts form Head Office Technical and I presume the same or similar parts are...
I'm looking for a 2010 Jaguar XF 3.0 diesel premium luxury that you have praised. The best Jag dealer list price is around £30,000 but my local dealer is not of a mind to negotiate a lower price, he says...
I'm due to change my motability car and have narrowed down the choice to the new Focus 2.0 Diesel Titanium Powershift and the Golf Match 1.6 diesel DSG. Currently have the 2008 Focus 2.0 diesel Powershift,...
I have ordered an Alfa Romeo Giulietta from NHS fleet solutions, with the order being placed on 21st April.
I have contacted them to firm up a delivery date and I have been told it's slipped back to...
Many thanks for your help on buying my last car. I have a £5k budget and I have no prejudice against any particular car maker; I do however require plenty of interior space and an automatic transmission....
Advice required on best company car selection between Audi Q5 2.0TDi S Line Quattro v new Jag XF 2.2D in Premium Luxury trim.
Jag seems better bet on CO2 emissions and thus cost, but is the new 190ps...
I have a problem with my Caravelle. The revs shoot up occasionally whilst driving around town. We do low mileage, mostly around town, and the car can go a few days without any problem, then on another...
My car MOT and service are both due in August but I will be away from early July and wont be back until early September.
To keep my car warranty I need to service the car within four weeks of the service...
I've recently noticed what I can only describe as a groaning noise, like a screen wash pump on it's last legs, coming from behind the dash of my Passat every time I turn the engine off.
It lasts for about...
About a week ago I was reversing out of a sports centre car park. I thought I may have scraped the car next to me. I got out, had a look, there didn't appear to be any damage, so I headed off.
A week...
Just bought a 1998 Chrysler Voyager. I don't think it's been in for any recalls at all. Would I still get it done and would it still be free?
I've read your forums and have faults that should have been...
I am seriously considering puchasing the above model, although I am having a problem agreeing on a price (that's my court).
Before I go any further are there any known problems with the 1.8DI-D 4WD diesel?
And...
Hi there, I'm very interested in buying a new KIA Sedona 2. What's the best price I should be aiming for? The dealer has made it clear he is open to a deal to meet their new car targets. I realise the...
I've read with interest your advice regarding low mileage and the problems with DPFs and also your view of the potential expense of failing dual density flywheels etc. for diesels - would these be issues...
I recently purchased an Audi A5 2.0 TSI coupe. My wife uses it to commute to work and it has done 3,285 miles, mostly short journeys of less than 16 miles each), in 3 months. The car has used 2 litres...
Our 17-year-old daughter is learning to drive and we are trying to work out the most cost effective way of getting her on the road once she passes her test. The Pass Plus course is an obvious safety choice...
I live in a hilly rural area with local access being a problem in icy/snow conditions. I also have to travel to rural schools as part of my job. I want to change my car but don't want a big fuel guzzling...
I think your readers should be made aware of a survey currently being circulated by the RAC via email. As with most online surveys, the questions are very carefully worded. The survey starts off by asking...
I own a 3-year-old (just had first MoT) Nissan Qashqai 1.5DCI Tekna 4x2 that I like very much. We bought this car due to my husband's illness as we had previously owned Land Rover Freelanders, which my...
A full-size matching road wheel (I paid extra as I tow a caravan) does not fit in the well of the boot of my fantastic new Astra SRi 2.0 CTDI. The ‘spacesaver’ is two inches smaller in diameter and the...
I drive an increasingly inappropriate Porsche 911. It's wrong for two reasons - it's a sports car, so it's best for younger folk and at 63 maybe I'm getting a bit long in the tooth. Secondly, the state...
Somebody told me yesterday that if you are caught speeding you are allowed 10 per cent over the limit plus 3mph because a car's speedo is not calibrated. Is this true?
My current car is an August 2004 1.8 Astra automatic purchased a year later, which I am now considering replacing. My two previous cars were also Astra automatics and I have been well pleased with them....
I'm a 23-year-old female, just about to graduate from university. I passed my driving test in 2010, and am looking for my first car. I need one that's as cheap as possible to insure and reliable. I will...
I bought a new Mercedes-Benz A160 Blue Efficiency model for my wife's use a year ago. From the outset it was obvious the fuel economy was going to be nowhere near that advertised. It has been in to the...
I had to smile at your comment to RH of Worthing about the myth of Volkswagen Auto Group cars' quality and reliability. I, too, have ploughed a similar lonely furrow for many years, mainly as a result...
My local Ford dealer has sent me a letter saying it has a limited number of pre-registered Ford Fiesta cars with delivery mileage. The dealer said they are a one-off batch and the prices are extraordinarily...
Two weeks ago we purchased a 2007 Citroen Xsara Picasso VTX HDI 1,560cc, 65,000 miles, from a reputable local non-franchised dealer. We like the car very much. However, after removing the two interior...
I filled my diesel Jaguar XF with unleaded fuel. I drove it 400 metres to my house with no problem. In the morning I had difficulty starting it. When it eventually fired it ran rough for approximately...
Some manufacturers seem to manage to make their cars deliver closer to the official fuel figures than others. As the owner of a Jaguar XF diesel I get a steady 40 - 41 mpg on mixed (60 per cent dual carriageway...
You recently wrote that Ford still builds the old shape Focus even though it now produces a new model that, presumably, is better. Why would any manufacturer do that? I would have expected them just to...
I bought a top-of-the range BMW Z4, and with the Comfort package it cost me over £43,000. I unfortunately became unwell and had to surrender my driving licence. I went back to the dealer I purchased it...
I own a 2004 Jaguar XJ6 3.0 petrol automatic which has completed 61,000. It has been main dealer serviced from new and I have owned it since August 2007. The car has been a delight to own. At its last...
I own a 2008 Mazda 6 2.0-litre diesel with 77,000 miles. A little while ago a DPF warning light came on and the car went into 'limp' mode. I spoke with the Mazda dealer who suggested the DPF filter required...
I have had a succession of seven Mercedes-Benz cars, which have found most satisfactory apart from high servicing bills. Three years ago I sold the last one when I moved to London and bought a Ford Mondeo...
I would appreciate your opinion on the pros and cons of the automatic transmissions currently available and which you consider to be the smoothest.
Could you advise me what car to get for my wife who works for blind children? We currently have a Toyota Auris, which my wife uses for her job, but she is struggling to get wheelchairs and the Labrador...
Normal NCD goes: 30 per cent discount for your first claim-free year. 40 per cent for second year, 50 per cent for third and 60 per cent for your fourth year. But some companies have different scales....
What, if anything, is the difference between a "pre-registered" car and a "nearly new" one?
As the Surrey County Cllr. for Camberley West I've spent hundreds of hours trying to help people in Cedar Lane CP Frimley who've been the victims of clamping. Some, of course, who were trying to avoid...
Last week the engine warning light would not go out on my wife's 2003 Jazz 1.4. I rang the local Honda dealer and was quoted £86 an hour to read the fault codes to find out what was wrong ("or a bit less...
Having been clamped on private land (where I was working, I parked in the wrong bay at a block of flats last week), I now carry a powerful angle grinder in my van. The nice Russian lad who came to remove...
Certainly I believe the proposals in the Protection of Freedoms Bill to allow 'keepers' to be penalised to be outrageous. In my view the BPA and SIA have done little to control the 'rogue clampers' and...
My son has just taken a post with a company in Newbury and will be travelling from Bournemouth five days a week. It would appear he will cover 30,000 miles per year. He has decided to purchase a new or...
On 19 February I was sitting in the passenger seat of my parked car (husband had gone into a shop). A large DHL lorry drove past indicating he was turning right. As he turned, the back end of the lorry...
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