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Honest John Ask Honest John » January 2009
Trending topics in January 2009
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Questions from January 2009
Please can I have some advice. My husband was forced to keep to the edge of the road as an on coming vehicle came in the opposite direction, there was a big hole in the road and he could not avoid it...
Whilst accepting that limitations on space may preclude publication of the full advice you give to contributors, so as not to mislead others, your reply to R.G., on 29 November should have included his...
My wife wants to buy me a 12v tyre pump. Can you recommend one please?
I have a Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 16 valve GLS that is coming up for 12 years old and am looking for a new or nearly new car as a replacement. I would like something a little larger and a little more sporty,...
When we were visiting my son in the USA recently, he drove us to a local place of interest. He parked by a meter and put in a dollar. The meter rejected his dollar and proceeded to spew out a further...
Have you received reports of BMW 3 Series coupes lacking traction? Last week in Scotland my 335d completely failed to hold the road on a hill covered in compacted snow with fresh snow on top and had to...
My shortlist for my next car includes Citroen C4, Ford Focus ECOnetic, and SEAT Ibiza/Leon Ecomotive. I am looking at manual gearbox, room for four adults including the 6' 3'' driver (me), a reasonable...
Your letter from C.E. in Cyprus (November 29) struck a real chord in terms of the 'ankle breaker' cheap Chinese foot pumps flooding the market. Maybe he (and you) might consider joining me in my 'sustainability'...
What do you make of the information film currently on TV to promote the wearing of seat belts? In the scenario: a head-on collision between identical cars travelling at the same speed, so that each stops...
Many people are currently using sidelights, dipped beams and front fog lights all on together. I rarely see anyone with front fog lights on, but dipped beams off. Today's dull weather has been a good...
My Golf Plus 2.0 TDI Sport is now a year old and the Service Indicator counted down to "Service in 200 miles" then said "Service Now", although the service sticker on the B pillar indicated variable servicing...
My brother and my wife are learning to drive and we have been looking around London for places/tracks, etc that are preferably free of traffic so they can go and pay for 2 or 3 hours to develop some skills...but...
I am looking to swap my aging Freelander for a used Honda CRV, with a budget up to £7k. I've never owned a diesel before but am tempted by getting one due to the rising VED costs and wanting to get better...
I am getting conflicting information from Mercedes and my local dealership. The front tyres of my W210 E-Class are wearing badly on the inside. The dealer suggests that the front springs are changed and...
In July this year I part-exchanged my old motor home for a new vehicle with a West Country main dealer. I posted the V5C/3 document for the part exchanged vehicle stamped and signed by the dealer to DVLA...
This month was our Polo’s first service. On the receipt the long life SLX Oil was priced by the VW Garage in half litres at £6.90 each, they claim to have used 9 half litres, total £62.10 plus VAT. As...
Can you please try to publicise the Portuguese system whereby the speed cameras are linked to a pedestrian crossing 100 yards down the road, that turns to red for 30 seconds if you exceed the limit. The...
I know you have written in the recent past that UK FIAT dealers have little or no room for manoeuvre on new car prices when it comes to the 500. However, the dealership from which I bought my current FIAT...
I have looked on your website and read John's and Mr Money’s advice. However I can't seem to find "deals" on new MINIs. Am I missing something? Or are these cars still exempt from discounts due to either...
I have just bought a 2004 manual BMW 320 diesel ES Tourer. I switched on the computer at the start of a run largely in 6th gear of 130 motorway miles. At the end I had done no better than 45mpg according...
I’m now car downsizing and wish to get a small/medium hatchback in the £8k-£10k range. Since I am 76 years old, does it under current market conditions make economic sense to purchase new rather than used?...
One of your e-mails inspired me to check my insurance details with the MID via www.askmid.com. Two of my three vehicles are recorded correctly, but the third shows my registration number is insured but...
I would be grateful for your advice. We have a 2008 VW 1.4TDI Polo SE which is generally fine, but the headlight main beam is rather weak and adds little to distance vision at night. Our dealer dismissively...
A friend recently had a minor accident in a multi-storey car park. His vehicle failed to respond when he tried to steer up one of the ramps to the next floor and, instead of turning, continued to go forward...
I want to tell you about my mother-in-law's Peugeot 206, which she bought in March 2004 and in which she has driven just 13,800 miles. In September this year, she drove from Liverpool up to the Lake District....
The fuel consumption of my February 2008 Nissan Pathfinder Aventura diesel has been carefully monitored driving on country roads at an average of 50mph and motorway driving at 69mph using cruise control....
I drive into a large pothole last weekend in the dark near where I live (Stockport in Cheshire) and my front nearside alloy wheel of my A4 Audi quattro 3.0 litre was severely damaged and has to be replaced....
On the 1st of August 2008, I purchased a second-hand RAV-4 from a used car dealer and also purchased an additional two-year warranty from them. My RAV 4 is 3 years old (in Dec 08) and the mileage stated...
You wrote of the Audi A6 2005 on: "All engines apart from base TDI PD 140 four cylinder are chain cam." I asked at the dealer in order to check servicing cost and was told that the 2007 MY 3.0TDi is a...
Is there a definitive answer to BMWs auto gearbox 'sealed for life' conundrum? I have trawled the internet, including your hallowed pages, but there still seems to be some doubt whether to change the...
I am interested in buying a classic car, I was thinking of an MGB. I would be grateful for any advice you could give, on this car or any other manufacturers I should be considering.
I have owned a CRV for a year and from new have had a judder when applying the rear brakes. Honda has said that it will solve the problem by skimming the discs. I am reluctant to accept this as I feel...
I have a Vauxhall Cavalier 1.7TD. The car had a problem with the driver's window not going up and down. I repaired this, as it was the runner that had come out of the guide. Now I have found that I have...
My wife's driving license shows the date 23-04-09 under item 4b. However the counterpart says it is valid until a later date and it also shows that same date under item 11 on the back of the photo license....
I have to hand back the keys to my company car next month, and have started my own business. I need a comfortable motorway cruiser, to do approx 30,000 miles per annum, but do not have a great deal of...
I was somewhat puzzled about your recent reply concerning young people's insurance premiums. I have driven now for over 50 years, many of them professionally, doing over 40k per year and never been responsible...
Thanks to a friend who worked at Toyo, I have just acquired a set of their tyres for 12-year old Porsche 911/993. My local tyre dealer (a specialist - and very good) fitted them and did the tracking on...
I am in the market for a new Honda Jazz, either an automatic 1.4ES I-Shift or the 1.4 EX I-Shift and have a Honda Jazz 1.4 automatic with 42k miles on the clock, purchased in 2005. I have been offered...
Could you please clarify the position regarding the use of automatic transmission when stationary at traffic lights. I seem to recall your advice given some time ago, was to select neutral and hold on...
I have a Golf which will be 3 years old at the end of December and am thinking of taking out a one year warranty with Warranty Direct, which I have seen advertised in the Telegraph. What are your views...
As a fairly well seasoned motor trader of some seventeen years now I read your Saturday column with eager interest. Two points really, in the main it never ceases to amaze me that the vast majority of...
I am the second owner of a 1994 LHD Renault Twingo, imported twelve years ago. I receive a good insurance deal from Privilege, but out of curiosity I recently shopped around for online quotes and found...
My BMW 118d still very good. Excellent to drive and getting anywhere between 54+ and 56+ mpg average and occasional 60+mpg on long, careful runs. Quite a bit of local driving as well and some full acceleration....
I have a 2000 Audi 2.5 TDI which suffers an electric drain somewhere in the system, if I don't start the car for 3 days the battery will be too low to start the car. I now carry a spare battery in the...
I too bought a new Honda Civic with I-SHIFT gearbox earlier this year. Trading in a faultless 2005 Civic with conventional automatic gearbox was the worst day's work I ever did. Trying to hurry the I-SHIFT,...
I drove through some floodwater in my Peugeot 406 HDI 110 that was deeper than I expected. Several hundred yards up the road the engine started losing power. Home was only a few hundred yards away so I...
Having recently read in your Telegraph Motoring column of people suffering woe at the hands of canvassers I have just sold my 2002 VW Polo via www.autotrader.co.uk and didn't receive a single call from...
A short time ago I read a piece in the Telegraph regarding number plates. Could you confirm one or two points for me? The number plate can only carry the registration number, the name of the garage (or...
Four weeks ago, my wife’s car was written off. It was parked in a disabled car park outside a hotel in Llandudno. When we woke in the morning a note was under the bedroom door asking us to go to the reception....
I have been an avid reader of your column for some time, but never thought that I might have the misfortune to need some of your expert advice, but here goes. My 3½-year-old VW Golf MK 5 TDI, has developed...
 

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