Trending topics in January 2010
Questions from January 2010
I am considering trading in my Autotrail Cheyenne motorhome and unused car (2004 Mercedes C270 Estate) and going back to towing a caravan with a new towcar. I don't actually do that many miles per annum...
For the last three years or so I have been running a Peugeot 407 and have been very pleased with it. It recently developed a fault with a dash display warning that ABS and ESP were disabled. As it was...
I bought a 55 plate Skoda Octavia in March 2009, 52,000 miles, with a three-month warranty. On 12th September 2009 the hydraulic pipe between the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder failed. As I...
Can you advise which of the official fuel consumption figures most nearly corresponds to what an average driver in mixed driving can expect to see?
Do you give help/advice on possible mechanical/electrical car problems anywhere on your website?
I am looking at a Mercedes 280E. It is 2006/56 and owned by a friend at my golf club. He says he has been offered £17k by Jaguar in exchange for an XKR. I have yet to drive it but I was very concerned...
We are retired and own two cars: a Jan 99 BMW 318iSE and a Feb 07 Jazz. We keep the BMW for three or four 1,000mile round trips to visit relatives down south. It has covered 70,000 miles and because of...
I have just retired after spending all my working life in and around the motor trade. We have a problem with which I hope you can offer some help which you probably have never been asked before. I am an...
I took my car my 2005 VW Passat 2.0TDI 140 Sport to the local VW dealer due to an oil pressure loss/emergency warning light appearing, combined with a loss of braking servo assistance. Oil was correct...
Further to the email in Saturday 7th January Telegraph Motoring, I have a plastic clip on the right hand side of my 9-year-old Citroen C5 that I use to hold parking tickets. When I got the car I asked...
I would welcome your advice on which 4x4 to choose. I intend to purchase new and keep the car for 10 years during which time I estimate I will drive 150,000 miles. I want a diesel engine and automatic...
Last year I bought a new Suzuki Swift and the accompanying literature recommended that if I had an accident I contact Suzuki, rather than my insurance company. Suzuki would then do everything (recover...
Having driven quite often in South Africa, I realise the value of being able legally to overtake on either side on 3 or more lane roads. It makes lane hogging pointless and means much better use of road...
I have checked on your website as to whether you have covered the topic of dealing with potholes as well as snow and ice with a 4x4. People seem mainly concerned with ice and snow. I want to ask if a 4x4...
I am enquiring on behalf of my elderly parents (aged 87 and 79) who currently run a 1 owner pristine BMW 320 SE (petrol) with leather, metallic paint and folding mirrors. Registered in June 2007 the car...
My son is looking to renew his car insurance. He will be 18 in February. He passed his test 6 months ago, and got his car when he was 17, so now has 1 year no claims. He also took his Pass Plus test, but...
I purchased a car from a BMW dealer. Problems occurred and the car needed invasive work that was covered under warranty. However, we discovered that the engine had been changed one month before purchase...
After many years of driving I have on odd occasions stalled my car by getting my left foot on the brake as well as the clutch, which could be dangerous. My friends are telling me I should change to an...
My son and daughter in law need a second car and have a budget of £4,000 to spend. The car will be used mainly for local runs but will undertake occasional longer runs to see family, etc. It needs to accommodate...
The Mrs and I are looking to buy a new car and we went to look at the new Lexus models. The salesman was very nice and informative and we got chatting, when a guy in trainers and tracksuit and dripping...
I recently bought a car from a car dealer some distance from home. Before leaving the car lot I pointed out that the coolant level was way below the minimum line but the dealer assured me that topping...
With the ever-increasing price of fuel I am more than ever aware that Honda sold me a new Jazz without a locking petrol cap.
With regard to KC's letter, the most charitable thing I can say about motor insurers practices towards drivers is that they are ignorant of the nature of risk and how it arises. I have written several...
Why don't they make sure that all the batteries, in every electric car, are the same and all easily removable and replaceable (maybe in a large sliding tray underneath.) Motorway service stations and garages...
I am having trouble with my 2006 VW Golf TDI and wondered if you might have any thoughts. I am not technologically literate, but I understand that the engine has a turbo so that when you press the accelerator...
I own a 2002/52 Jaguar XJ8 and for the past 12-18 months have had a recurring problem with juddering when braking at speed in excess of 30mph. I replaced the disk with non-Jag parts and the problem recurred...
I’m looking for some pointers towards a new car. I’m about to purchase a mid-sized caravan and want to trade in the wife’s 04 Golf 2.0 TDI for a 4x4. We will only be towing 3-4 times a year so the car...
I am considering spending a fair bit more than I usually would on a nearly new car with the intention of keeping it for maybe 7 - 10 years. What concerns me is the possibility that within that time scale...
During March of this year following a fairly sudden halt to the traffic in the outside lane of the M25, my Jaguar XJR, whilst stationary, was shunted from behind by another previously stationary car that...
I bought a Mercedes ML 270CDI earlier this year protected by a 6 month ‘Warranty Wise’ warranty. I made a claim in August that has been rejected and they also say "we hold no contract directly with you...
I have two questions about my 2004 Volvo V70 D5 with 22,000 miles. For the last few years there has been a rattle when the clutch is dipped down. The rattle stops when it’s up. It rattles some days more...
Surely it is possible in these days of Big Brother to tax vehicles, not on engine size, but on their individual mileages done per annum? We are pensioners requiring separate transportation, living in a...
My friends in County Durham are hoping to move down to Buckinghamshire, where they will no longer need the 4WD of their Nissan X-Trail, which is not economical to run, either. The husband is a tall man...
You have been fairly relaxed about ‘space saver’ emergency wheels. I am very surprised they are legal. I have been idly thinking about my next main car. Given the poor state of the lanes in the West Country...
I have a 2006 Vectra 150SRI. It is garaged each night, but some mornings I open the garage to find the car's front windows are down. My dealer has suggested any fault must be human error, i.e. the electric...
A friend of mine has a Golf Plus, just over 3 years old. Original owner, full VW service history, 42k miles. A braking system warning light came on. He was going to go non-franchise until I told him about...
On 15 August you published a letter from "DW" about registering his car in Ibiza. We too have brought our car over (to Mallorca) and I would very much like to know whether your correspondent resolved the...
I have just been saddened by the sight of an elderly victim of the car scrappage scheme. At a local car breakers, an early Humber Sceptre in superb condition has been stripped for banger racing. This was...
I recently purchased an 11,000 mile 2007/57 Mercedes CL63 AMG from a private seller. After taking it to the main dealer for a service and reporting a judder under braking, I was told that due to pitting...
What do you recommend for a lady passenger (wife) who gets carsick? Her husband (a friend) has Jetta Sport and feels Sports Suspension best for her. I thought height of 4x4 (Tiguan or XC60) or the hydractive...
I parked my BMW in the car park in Shoreham By Sea last night. There were no lights in the car park. On my return I was clamped. I endeavoured to reverse, I got out to see I had been clamped. I went to...
What would be a dealer's comeback if someone sold him a car that has missed a service and needed a reconditioned engine to be fitted at two and a half years old? If the car was serviced just before the...
We propose to buy a second hand car for our 23-year-old son after he has passed his test in the next couple of months. He lives in Leeds LS4 2HG and will park the car outside his house. Budget is £1,500...
My present car is a Lexus LS430, which is more than 3 years old and has completed 29,500 miles in a faultless manner. I am considering changing it for a new MB S Class (latest facelift). Now that they...
I have an 8-year-old MB 220CDI estate that has developed bubbling paintwork and underlying rust on the rear pillar by the tailgate opening. My local MB dealer sent a request to MB UK that they consider...
I want to take you up on a response you gave to a reader. Just as with motorbikes it has been shown repeatedly that there are fewer fatalities when cars have lights on, this is of particular benefit to...
Has anybody calculated the money benefit of the over 60s bus pass because people whose eyesight and/or reaction time is failing are driving less and having fewer accidents. Some people suggest that the...
You might recall I asked for ideas for a friend with Toyota to dispose of. He bought a Rover 3500 V8 SD1: a life-long ambition realised. He is going over it meticulously inch-by-inch, but has found a gear...
In January 2009, I bought a nearly new car from Polar Ford, main dealer in Huddersfield. Its previous owner was Hertz. I thought it was a rental car, but I have just found out it has grommets under the...
I have had a second vehicle stolen in Derbyshire and whilst I was in the process of sending an email to the police requesting them not to use their contract vehicle recovery scheme, a knock came at the...
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