Trending topics in November 2009
Questions from November 2009
A friend of mine bought an 05 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3½ years ago from a private individual. He paid for a full HPI check, arranged his own bank loan, paid cash and got a signed receipt. A few weeks ago he...
We have been offered a year old Ford Focus Titanium, imported to the UK from Jersey, and on your advice I have also looked at drivethedeal.com which has quoted £13,458 for the same car but new. However...
Regarding the e-mail you published from preformed bump manufacturer, is there a published drawing or dimensions for motorists to check them to see if they are legal? I presume that if they are outside...
In May this year we bought a Vauxhall Meriva, first registered in January 2008. We have had a small number of minor faults that were dealt with to our satisfaction, by the dealer who sold it to us, however...
With regards to your reply to W.B. on August 15th, I have been driving for 50 years and am now in my mid-seventies. I have never fancied an automatic, partly because you warn older people off them. However,...
I have successfully completed the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) driving course, which, considering that it is almost 40 yrs since I passed my driving test, was a great opportunity to refresh my...
I would like to endorse you advice in using automatics. In the 1960s I took over my father's automatic Jag, having just sold a manual Mk2. I quickly worked out that two feet was the way to drive it. Later...
For many years I have owned and driven 4x4s: RangeRovers, Shoguns etc. For many reasons I am now considering to a smaller car. I have always fancied a MINI Cooper. However friends say I will find the difference...
I have decided to buy a CC - convertible with a metal folding roof. Having owned a 3 Series BMW convertible in the past, I find their servicing costs, cost of oil changes, batteries and other parts to...
Three years ago I purchased a new Mercedes CLS 320 from a local main dealer and was persuaded to utilise MB Finance as their rate was 3.5%. This seemed a very good deal against other options and there...
I own a 1953 Ford Anglia 494A car (Upright), which has never been restored and is regarded as being a fine example of the original production model, although not concourse standard. Recently my wife and...
I own a 2005 Renault Grand Scenic 1.9CDi Privilege that has done 52,000 miles. I bought it used a year ago. We were travelling back down the A9 from Dornoch, just coming to Blair Atholl when the engine...
I have owned my Audi A4 Sports since 10,000 miles and it was warranted until the end of March 2009. At 25,000 miles, in April 2008, I started noticing a hesitation when pulling away from stationary, albeit...
My three daughters grew up in my 1948 MG TC or 1966 Sunbeam Alpine. They travelled in the front passenger seat, or behind the seats. Now I am a grandfather but how do modern laws effect children travelling...
I have just ordered a car from a dealer in response to a reverse auction that I placed with autoebid.com. The offer states that the car will be trade registered and that I will appear on the log book...
I have owned a 1997 Nissan Micra 1.0 5-door for nine years and 92,000 miles. As a part-exchange it is worth pennies. I am wanting to use the scrappage scheme. From the test drives undertaken I really...
Last Friday my wife purchased a 9 months old Audi TT automatic with 4,500 miles on the clock from a main Audi dealer in Liverpool. Yesterday, Sunday morning, only two days later, having travelled less...
You have been very helpful in the past and I wondered whether you could recommend a four-seater convertible. My Touran which replaced a Japanese import Pajero had been very costly with something constantly...
Had a warning light come up on my BMW 1-Series, relating to Suspension Stability Control. The diagnostic states "brake hydraulic malfunction" DTC at a cost of £1,200 for the part + £500 labour. That means...
The internet is awash with complaints across the world that appear to relate to the combination of 19" wheels and low profile runflat tyres. I have never in the last 27 years of my driving experience ever...
They are just starting roadworks on the A27 near Havant and Emsworth. There have been about two weeks preparation on putting up average speed cameras. The works are due to finish in December, the distance...
Re OG's letter in this week's motoring I think you express the same misunderstanding many people do. OG still receives the protected no claims discount he pays for, but the premium to which the discount...
Just a thought but the problem with "sticking" retractable hoods such as the one on my wife's Peugeot 206CC can be caused by opening or closing it on a slope. Dealers don't always think to ask the location...
My daughter is a single mother with five children ranging from 17 to 3 years old. As her youngest is not yet able to walk, she is entitled to a
Motability car. She needs a seven-seater with adequate boot...
Does wrong fuelling, in this case putting petrol in a diesel, result in permanent damage to the engine if it is driven until it breaks down? The car is a Toyota Previa 2005 diesel.
I have just been on the BMW website. There they have a new BMW 3 series 320d ED. From the news article it seems to be a very good car at BMW prices. Do you have any pre-launch details of this car?
I drive a 1991 Saab 900 Carlsson, which I have had virtually from new. It is now approaching 150,000 miles and I am becoming worried because so far almost nothing has gone wrong. Apart from minor welding...
I am trying to assist an elderly lady friend to purchase a new car that will be used solely for short journeys i.e. shopping trips. I would appreciate your help. Her requirements are: A 5-door super mini...
Just who are the jobsworths who operate the overhead motorway signs and how many accidents do they cause with their unnecessary messages? On recent trips up and down the M1 we were constantly informed...
I am thinking of buying a Jaguar XF but do not want to pay Jaguar dealer servicing prices. Can you recommend any independent Jaguar service centres around the Wigan/north west area?
I quote from the IAM handbook - "Advanced Driving - the essential guide" in which and I quote, from page 46: "As a rule, left foot braking is best avoided, it is a tricky technique that's best left to...
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