Trending topics in January 2010
Questions from January 2010
I own an 06 model Range Rover Sport that came on 20" Continental Summer tyres which are rubbish for anything other than road-driving! As I have horses and tow a trailer, and with last November/December...
What is the best way to calculate how much a second hand car will depreciate over a certain period of ownership? I ask as I have an Oct 06 Golf 2.0 TDi, which, after reading your review on their potential...
We're a retired couple who run two cars. My husband drives a Hyundai i30 and I have a MINI One. We've had both cars nearly 3 years. However, I think I've finally been convinced that we only need 1 car....
I am considering buying a 2008 Audi A4 2.7 TDI (190 PS) SE with CVT transmission. Does the CVT auto have the same problems as the DSG? Also is the car likely to have the problematic European suspension...
I read your advice about buying a personal registration to avoid cloning. I cannot understand how that will stop someone either stealing my number plate or using my number on a stolen car and me getting...
I hope that you will do your utmost to publicise the iniquitous proposal to disallow costs when a motorist successful contests a wrongful motoring conviction. Please encourage readers to sign the petition...
Could you please give me your opinion on the most successful means to slow down traffic on our road? We have no pavements, and when we have to walk up and down the road it is very dangerous, due to the...
I bought an 03 plate Porsche Boxster S from a specialist dealer in March 2008 and was charged £500 for GAP insurance as an 'extra', although no paperwork ever materialised to support this, despite numerous...
I bought a 1997 Ford Fiesta 1997 with 1 years MoT. The clutch broke 1 week later. I was then informed by my mechanic that this MoT is not right as there are numerous faults, including 2 broken springs...
Today I received my insurance renewal quote from the AA. Apparently my current insurer wants £295 to renew but the AA has found someone cheaper at £233. How kind of them. I will renew without delay. However,...
Two weeks ago, while driving my 1997 Citroen ZX, I was involved in a collision with a Land Rover Freelander. The other driver admitted liability to the police after losing control of his vehicle; which...
Thanks John, for the links you sent me about the Plymouth Prowler that I found very interesting. I think I will hang on to my £25,000 at the moment and treat it as rainy day money. We live in quite a wealthy...
We are told that there are several million vehicles on the road which are untaxed, uninsured, do not have a current MoT certificate and are probably being driven by an unlicensed driver. Yet every year,...
I had an accident in icy conditions almost 2 years ago on a freezing evening when I stopped at the scene of another accident where a car had overturned due to black ice. Then, a few seconds later, a third...
In 2010 I ordered a 2.0 petrol Nissan Qashqai Tekna CVT 2WD. This was to replace a car of the same specification as I had been very pleased with the first. Delivery was quoted at 14 weeks and I went to...
Is it reasonable to assume that a Honda i-shift is similar to the VW DSG system, which I have acquired on a new 1.4 Polo and have not found it easy to get used to, despite having driven a number of automatic...
There have been several letters in your column complaining about the Honda Jazz i-shift. I have owned two Jazz autos in the past and it was with some trepidation that I tried a test drive in a Jazz i-shift....
I am shortly to take delivery of a new VW Polo, and have decided against my better judgement to order flash red paintwork. The last car I had with red paint was a Peugeot some 20 years ago, but it suffered...
Sometime ago you recommended a portable steering wheel lock. What would be suitable for a Mercedes SLK200 kompressor that I have recently purchased?
Recently there have been press articles about the Organ Donation Register and the DVLA. Some months ago I had to apply for a new driving licence. This was attended to very promptly. However, late Nov I...
Who has priority at a motorway junction involving an entry slip road? I had long believed that the pecked or dashed line where an entry slip comes onto the nearside lane of a dual carriageway or motorway...
Can you help please? Last Tuesday my wife was involved in a motor accident. She had stopped, indicating right, intending to pass through a dual carriageway intersection when her car was rammed by a Mazda...
My elderly cousin wants to replace her battered 9-year-old Nissan Micra with an economical automatic for pottering about the town only. 2 doors ok, very much wants rear parking sensors but I guess they...
My wife found last year’s snow particularly challenging for her much-loved Honda Jazz CVT. She would appreciate your advice regarding a small automatic 4x4.
I have just bought a 2003 Jaguar XK8. I was told I would get a 12-month warranty with the car and when it was delivered by the salesman, I was asked to sign the warranty form that was then placed in a...
Last year I collected 12 penalty points that will remain with me for the next 3 years. I currently have an Audi A4 Cabriolet 3.0 with 100,000 miles, but prior to that a Jaguar XKR and a TVR Cerbera. I...
We will soon need to replace an 8year old 2 litre diesel Zafira Elegance after 120,000 satisfactory miles. Requirements are: estate type vehicle for ease of loading/dog transport. Reasonable power/handling/economy....
I wish to change my car and would appreciate your advice as to what I should buy. I would be prepared to spend up to £9,000. I currently drive a 54 plate Peugeot 206S, 1,360cc, 5 door with 32,000 miles...
We are both retired and in our sixties. My present car is a 2003 reg Toyota RAV-4 (3 door) with only 35,000 miles on the clock (less than 5,000 miles a year). I have always been delighted with the car...
I own a 2007 Citroen C4 Picasso with the 1.6HDi engine (about 110bhp I think) with the DPF. However it seems that it is essential for these engines to be run with C2 grade engine oil (low sulphur and ash...
My wife wants a cute second car to bomb around in. I on the other hand would like a classic. We have agreed (compromised) that a late 1960s Wolseley Hornet or Riley Elf would suit our weekend inner city...
What is the technical reason for suggesting that turbos are allowed to idle for a couple of minutes before switch-off, and does this apply only after a motorway-type drive? What effect does it have on...
What I want is a car that looks like a Honda CR-V - chunky with high seating - but is not 4x4. Is there such a thing? Also, I hear on the radio today that Carcraft is offering a £2,000 scrappage deal against...
As you may remember, Gowrings Mobility is now back in business and has some new products that fulfil specific needs of the disabled. The Gowrings Vauxhall Combo Tour is the best-value wheelchair-carrying...
I own a 2001 Honda Accord V-type 2.3L which is really a Rolls with another badge. However, the neatly fitted integral sat-nav system is now antiquated and needs new data. Honda very politely told me all...
I am looking to replace the 1-litre V Reg Corsa I have had since being a student with a good family car now that I am married with a son. I think the Corsa's small engine is the main reason my license...
Our second car is a 1998 CR-V and whilst it is currently reliable I am concerned that we may miss the opportunity to get £2,000 for it under the scrappage scheme if that scheme closes. My wife has taken...
In June Liverpool Volkswagen (Derby Road, Liverpool) carried out what it described as a '2nd variable service' on my 4-year-old VW Golf. I was charged nearly £300, which included the service charge (£156)...
If you had a 17 year old grand-daughter who lived out in the country (in Northumberland actually) and who had just passed her test and was hell-bent on buying a small used car with a budget of say £3,000...
I was hoping you could help me. I am looking to buy a new to 1-year old small car for myself and my partner after my Punto Active was hit, and will most likely be a write-off. I am looking at either a...
I want to buy a new or nearly new 4x4 estate/SUV. Not to go off road but to use on skiing trips and the like. I need a good sized boot for largish dog cage and luggage and have identified the KIA Sportage,...
My car insurance is due for renewal. I am currently with Norwich Union, which, of course, has just changed to Aviva. I have heard rumours that in the event of a claim, Aviva personnel are not the easiest...
I’m looking at a BMW 3 series convertible. List price with extras is £35k. What sort of discount should I aim to get?
Not only are speed cushions a menace to vehicles, they are a menace to pedestrians. Last week I looked left, looked right, stepped out and fell full length, having tripped over one of these ‘safety’ devices....
Could I have the benefit of your advice please? I have owned a Honda CR-V VTEC Sport since new and now, at just over 3 years old and 27,000 miles, it will shortly need a new set of tyres all round. The...
You may remember I wrote to you about starting and running problems with my recently purchased 2006/56 Focus 1.6 automatic. You recommended Shell V-Power petrol. I said I would let you know I got on and,...
Recently I was charged £55 by Grasmere Skoda of Macclesfield, a former Skoda dealer who sold me the car new, to rectify rear alloy road wheels that could not be removed at home because they were corroded...
In early September I visited Guy Salmon my local Land Rover dealer in Knutsford having read a good review of the new Discovery 4. There was a very nice example in the showroom and I requested literature...
I think the main benefit of average speed cameras is protection of construction workers. It is most unpleasant to be working at the side of the road with traffic roaring past at 70 or 80. However, for...
I draw your attention to an absolute scam involving parking tickets. Read www.flashpark.co.uk This shows you how to become a freelancer for a parking enforcement operation. It is trying to marry street...
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