Trending topics in February 2009
Questions from February 2009
The front offside spring on my 2005, 23,000 mile Fiesta Ghia 1.6 snapped causing the spring to travel down the strut and jam into the wheel. Fortunately, the car was at rest when this happened and so no...
Can you please settle a matter that has been the subject of much debate between me and fellow motorists. What is the penalty in power and fuel economy for running a car air conditioning unit?
I have just tried to order a new Michelin Pilot Primacy 205/60 R15 91V (Original tyre fitted to my 06 Skoda Octavia Ambiente Estate). My local tyre dealer has advised me that this tyre is no longer manufactured...
I have an 8 year old Golf V5 and very much like the look of the new Golf, which I believe is in showrooms now though I've not seen any on the road. My question is in view of the current economic situation...
Last September, I sent you an e-mail to ask if you would be good enough to give your thoughts on Chiang Mai in Thailand. Your reply tipped the choice of holiday in favour of Chiang Mai, and we booked for...
As a Mum of two I, like most Mums, share the school run with other Mums. My husband tells me that I should not let my children sit in the rearmost seats of a Toyota Verso (7-seater). I am aware that NCAP...
Our Renault Twingo has just had its first birthday. Then 36 hours after going in for its birthday service, my wife and son were doing 70 on the motorway by Karlsruhe (we live in Stuttgart) when the bonnet...
A note in my diary tells me that 2 years ago we had an argument. My point was that anyone caught speeding deserved all they got. You bet me £5 that I would get points on my licence for speeding within...
My son died in September 2008. In February 2008 his Mazda RX8 Reg WV 04 WG had struck a metal object on the M4 Motorway that ripped the bottom out with a loss of oil. His insurers, Norwich Union, declared...
The local Police have been conducting random breath tests on people driving to work in the early morning. Whilst I do not condone drink driving I cannot find any evidence to suggest that the Police have...
I have just had my second year service on my Honda FRV. 2.2iCDTI, mileage 19,000. I was relieved of the sum of £345 and then told that my brake discs were worn to minimum. I drive the car sensibly and...
Can you tell me if Ford Easy Fuel, that prevents drivers from filling with the wrong fuel, is available as an add-on accessory? I have a 2004 Mondeo LX TDCi Estate. The parts department at my Ford Main...
We own a 2002 Golf, bought in 2004, and a 2005 Octavia, bought in the Spring of 2006. The cars are kept side by side on our drive. Both have remote central locking. In February 2007 (after nearly a year...
If it is the case that car speedometers are routinely 10% inaccurate, how does that leave a motorist who has been caught as a 'low end speeder'? If for example one were caught at 33mph in a 30mph area,...
I would be grateful for some advise please. I bought 2005/55 Golf SE TDI in September 2006 from a VW dealer here in Scotland. The dealer is supremely helpful, provides superb back up and has serviced it...
I did a great deal after your advice. I got a diesel CR-V for £1,000 less than their original price for a petrol version. My query is that no one has mentioned the 10 months road tax that will still be...
I thought you would be interested in the problems I am experiencing with my KIA Cee'd SW 1.6 LS CRDi. When I bought the car I did not expect to achieve the published 57.6mpg combined figure but on good...
I purchased a used 106k-mile Ford Galaxy 1.9 diesel automatic from a garage in Lincoln in April 2007. In the first month the gearbox had to be replaced at extra cost to myself. Since then I have had numerous...
I have a 53-reg Audi TT 3.2 DSG. Last night when I arrived back at home from work and parked up, my TT would not lock with the central locking on my usual key. Thinking it was maybe the battery in the...
Watching TV this morning I saw some disturbing news. New car sales in the UK fell by 36.7%. What are your thoughts about it? Perhaps the labour government should invest some money in the UK car industry?
I recently bought a 2001 BMW for £3,900 from an independent dealer, which came with the standard 3-month warranty. After a few days driving I have noticed that the handbrake cable needs tightening, that...
I work for a small privately-owned construction company. The owner drives a company owned Audi that he uses exclusively on company business. He has his own privately owned vehicle for private use. HMRC...
We have been privately leasing an Audi A6 through VW Finance for 2 years, with the option to purchase at the end, which we decided to do. We were verbally quoted the price in mid November and the purchase...
I am thinking of buying a 2002 Rover 25 1.4 for £2,200, but a friend warns me that Rover hasn't got the best reputation for reliability and thinks that mechanically it might let me down. This particular...
You may be interested to know what we are buying after our e-mail exchange. By chance, we tried the new Laguna, and we were both smitten. Comfortable, quiet, smooth etc. So we are buying tomorrow from...
Having gone through the report mentioned by the Transport Minister, I have written to Francis Maude as follows:-
As a follow-up of my e-mail of 19/12/2008, I have now gone through the "Daytime Running...
My wife and I are returning to the UK after 27 years in The Netherlands. We expect to move in July 2009. The pound is so low and there are so many discounts available that I intend to buy 2 new cars in...
I’m emailing you to let you know about the excellent service I received from Central car auctions in Glasgow when selling my 9-year-old Honda Accord with 112k miles, it made £800. The company was very...
I am amazed that I read or hear so few complaints about bright white or Xenon headlights. At the moment there are still relatively few on the road but I dread to imagine how it would be like if everybody...
I currently drive a 57 plate X5 7-seater, which we have had since new, and my husband drives and old but very well maintained 5 Series. He has been waiting to be able to afford a smart sporty something....
I recently asked the DfT for the legal definition of the terms "parking" and “waiting" and the surprising reply from their Traffic Management Division is that these two terms are not defined in legislation....
I recently purchased a March 2003 BMW 320d. I saw in your car by car breakdown entry on BMW 3-series E46, that 320d prior to October 2003 are prone to turbo failure. What can be done to prevent this happening?...
When Renault increased the power of its 1.9 diesel engine from 120 to 130 bhp they put a particle filter in the exhaust system to clean up the emissions. This meant the service intervals increased from...
I have been having a little stand off with my local dealer and BMW GB over the uneven wear on the front passenger runflat on my 118d Sport. Having unscientifically walked around Tesco and Sainsburys car...
I have a Citroen Berlingo 2.0 HDI, which is due a 5 year service. The ever-decreasing number of solvent Citroen dealers in my vicinity have quoted circa £240 for the service. Local garages quote about...
I am thinking of purchasing a second-hand double cab pickup truck (for personal use, not work), post-2003. So far I have looked at the Mitsubshi L200 and the Ford Ranger, both 2.5 TDi. Also looked at the...
In a rash moment I part exchanged my 2004 Civic Type R for a 2008 Type R GT with Sat Nav and HFT, 9 months old demonstrator.
‘Honda Happiness’ is offering a fixed price servicing package for 5 years or...
My son has a 2005/55 VW Transporter 1.9TDI (85bhp). The van runs out of warranty soon, so, as he finds it a tad pedestrian, he is thinking about having it chipped. He has read about a re-map product from...
I have a three-year-old MkV Golf 1.9TDi with 36,000 miles, almost all of which have been clocked up on cruise control in fifth gear at between 60-70mph. It is just out of warranty, of course. After road...
My son works in Brussels for T and E (Transport and Environment). He has just sent me the following. Maybe you would be interested?
A German has won a court case against Mercedes because his car didn't...
There has been much in the press about photocard licence renewal and I was delighted to read your recent tip that DVLA would now accept a digital photo, held on file by the Passport Agency. Unfortunately,...
I have a 2003/53 BMW530d SE E60 auto that has 101k on the clock and full service history (BMW up to 60k then synthetic oil every 10k after that.). The engine has just been written off because an intake...
I have enjoyed Volvos for many years. What sort of problems are there and worn out replacement parts needed if buying an 05 Volvo S60 automatic 210bhp petrol with high 130,000 miles at a price of £5,000?...
Volvo XC60, Honda CRV, BMW X3? All diesel. Which would you recommend for two 64year olds, both tall?
My wife and I live in Worcester and left in the early hours to be at Gatwick airport at 08:30am. As we were a little early, we stopped at McDonalds for a coffee at Gatwick Airport South Terminal. We were...
I'm thinking of buying a Ford Focus hatchback. But which series, and which engine? I live in west London completely surrounded by speed bumps. I will mostly use the car for short trips. So the suspension...
I'm about to buy a new Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI Elegance estate. I want to protect the car, as far as possible, from the beginning, as I intend to keep it until it falls to bits. My question is, whether you...
My 94 year old mother had just given up driving and we plan to sell her 51 plate 1.0 Vauxhall Agila. As the insurance costs £38 a month I propose cancelling it, as we need all the money she has for her...
I buy and sell second-hand cars, trade, all under £1,000, and sell them with no warranty, but all are legally roadworthy and have no faults reported at the time the customer collects the car. But now...
I have driven a Nissan Micra 1.3 auto from new for nearly 13 years, with very little going wrong. I had the gearbox sorted by King Automatics of Epsom (recommended by HJ) a year ago, needed because of...
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