Trending topics in April 2010
Questions from April 2010
I recently attended a DAS and found it to be quite a pleasant and informative experience. I was expecting three hours of being harangued by police officers. Instead there were two very pleasant driving...
I have tried a Vauxhall Agila to replace my 1995 Rover 114GSI. OK. Next a Suzuki Splash, which I have read is better. But if I look over £10k-£13k, is there anything else small, firm ride, manual and reliable...
I am appalled by some of the tales of dodgy behaviour by dealers. Here's one to add to the list. In February 2009 I bought a used 05 VW Passat 2-litre petrol Saloon with 30,000 on the clock. So far so...
We purchased a used Peugeot fleet car 16 months ago. It is a 2007 Peugeot 307 SE SW 1.6 petrol. It was first serviced by the dealer in October 2009. Until then it had performed perfectly. However, following...
For the second time in six months I have suffered a puncture in a runflat tyre on my BMW 1 Series. I have been driving for 46 years and prior to 2009 my puncture count was a mere 4. I have two questions:...
Last week I went to Tesco for a newspaper. As it was only a paper I went for I parked in a disabled parking space and ran in, I was only a few minutes And when I got back I had received a parking ticket...
In the 1980's, having spent 3 years working in Saudi Arabia, I treated myself to a Golf GTI Mk II and held on to it for 12 years. A super car. Now, somewhat older, I still have adrenaline in my veins and...
I feel very strongly that you should be more careful about the frequent advice you give your readers to use the Small Claims track of the County Court, because the fact of the matter is that this justice...
In the few months from new, my new car has been in the garage for over 2 months, of that we have been left with a small courtesy car, and some periods of having 'no car' for periods whilst the vehicle...
I am looking to change my Golf in the not too distant future and am looking for a mid sized diesel auto 4 x 4. I have studied your web site and driven the new Kia Sorento, which was very impressive. However,...
Can you let me know if one can legally go through a temporary red light at a road works that is failing to change to green and there is no oncoming traffic?
If your garage returned your car after servicing, by special truck, and damaged it, what would you do? The car: a Bentley. The damage: Scraped the entire front wing and part of the driver's door. First...
Is there an alcohol test meter you would recommend, please? I seem to remember there was one described in your column only a few weeks ago. What was that one, please, and is it the one you would recommend...
I currently run a BMW 3 series, now 8 years old. Both my wife and I are in our 70's and find it increasingly difficult to get into our car because of the sill. We are contemplating a change of and are...
I have a Volvo 2004 Volvo V70 estate D5 diesel bought pre-registered from a Volvo dealer in early 2005 with 10 miles on the clock. Always serviced on time by the same dealer. The cambelt tensioner has...
I have valid VW Road Side Assist and VW Extended warranty for my 8-year-old VW Passat and the car is parked outside on my driveway. Unfortunately my Alarm system suddenly took on a life of its own and...
I would be grateful for your advice on the following matter. I have noted that on occasion you have highlighted the problems and associated remedial costs caused by failure of diesel particulate filters....
Just out of interest to Motorhome owners it is worth noting that whilst the main recovery agencies are happy to take your money most of them will not recover Motorhome over 6 metres long (which most are)...
Regarding your report about a driver being stuck in France with a Skoda Octavia that had a clutch release hose fail, apart from the follow up with the UK dealer, as reported it is the experience that damns...
My 4 year-old Fiat Punto with 14k miles on the clock was recently put through the MOT test and failed. I was contacted by the garage (Arnold Clarke, Newcastle under Lyme) and advised that it required new...
I am thinking of buying a 2nd hand Toyota Prius but almost all the driving I do is on the motoway - usually between London and Wales. I have been driving an old SAAB 900 automatic, which I need to get...
I know you have spoken out about clutch/dual mass flywheels before but the problem is very widespread. How can something be done about it? Is it fair that customers are still having to fork out for mechanical...
Last August 09 I sold my car to a main dealer. They took the Logbook, MOT, etc. and they signed the V5 slip along with me and I sent this to the Royal Mail. In November I had a letter from the DVLA saying...
I am 79 years old and currently own a 2000W Nissan Micra Celebration and a 2002 X-Type Jaguar 3 litre automatic with £1,000 outstanding finance. Don't ask how I finished up with these two cars - it's a...
Last summer whilst I was parked at our local hospital, the car in front reversed into me as he was about to leave. We exchanged details and I had my car checked the following day but other than a small...
My May 06 Octavia 2.0 TDI has just been diagnosed with the failure of the ABS unit [G201 fault code]. I note your recent comments about VW covering the cost of replacing the pump, but from other comments...
I'm sure you are aware that, with the increasing automation of many car functions, many modern cars have an Automatic option for their lights such that the sidelights and headlights come on and turn off...
I wonder if you can help me with Volvo? I have a 2002/52 V70D5 registered. I am the first owner. Mileage is 77,526. It has been driven carefully and the MPG average over the whole 77K miles is 51+. The...
Emma Wall (Your Money, January 30th) attributes rising motor premiums to fraudulent claims and uninsured drivers. I suggest that the third reason is the increasing involvement of accident management companies....
When my husband died I was left with his 10-year-old SLK Kompressor and my own Abarth. An ideal combination. Unfortunately a recent illness has made it impossible for me to drive anything other than an...
Last July, just before my car insurance came up for renewal, I was side-swiped on a dual carriageway by a motorist trying to pull out to overtake parked cars without looking. There were no witnesses. The...
I have just replaced my 156,000 mile 1994 Volvo 850 auto estate with an almost identical 1998 V70. This is the 4th consecutive Volvo estate I've owned since 1975 - all second-hand. I've followed your advice...
I am looking to buy a used car in the next few months. In the long term when I come to sell the car, will it be of greater value if I wait until March to buy it and it will be one-year plate older? Also,...
Following advice from you the other day I'm looking to get a 2nd hand Ford Mondeo Estate. I've narrowed the choice to two 2.0 TDCi versions - they're both at the same price. One is '05 reg, 48k miles,...
I have a Yaris Semi Automatic and hate the lurching effect. I had decided to buy the new Jazz and now discover from the article in last week's Motoring that they are adopting the same semi auto. So now...
I have a 2000 Corsa 1.7D GLS that doesn't look too tidy and with a high mileage but which has been very well maintained, with FSH and serviced every 5,000 miles. Everything works, it still drives like...
Here is an excellent example of how VOSA as a governmental organisation can, and does help, motorists:
Dear A.R.,
Thank you for your note to VOSA's webmaster unit, which has been passed to this branch...
We have just bought a Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, which we're very pleased with. We allowed my granddaughter to sit in the front passenger seat. She is now tall enough not to need a booster set. A friend...
Not sure if you know much about www.webuyanycar.com , but I thought I'd pass on my experiences. My girlfriend got a quote from them for her old Punto. Slightly less than market value but we went anyway...
My Nissan Terrano is 8 years old this year and has done 58,000 miles. I am a golfer and we live in a remote spot 700 feet above sea level so a 4wd has been very useful over the years. The vehicle has been...
While in the local depot having new tyres fitted I spent the waiting time looking at the discarded tyres in their disposal cage. It was quite illuminating to see just how many had severe damage to their...
It was clear to me that when speed humps started to be installed on our roads, that nobody thought about snowploughs. The avenue on which I live has full width speed humps along its length, and during...
What's going to happen to the millions of analogue car radios in the U.K. when we go digital? Is there a digi.box ?
Your recent cover story about the Honda Jazz makes interesting reading, but I should like to add a few points. I bought a new 1.4i DSI SE CVT-7 at the end of 2008, which was one of the last cars imported...
At junctions and roundabouts and when moving off from the kerb, many drivers are careless and fail to signal. At best this is irritating, and at worst it could be dangerous. In my view this has got worse...
My son skidded his 2004 Renault Megane on the ice and hit a stone wall causing damage to the nearside front panel, headlight, bumper etc., enough to claim on the insurance together with the wall. We have...
I saw the letter on 23rd Jan from a 2006 RAV-4 owner needing disc replacements. For your files you may wish to note that my 2006 RAV 4 (diesel 2.2) suffered the same problem at just over 3 years and 26,000...
I purchased my Nissan Note Acenta 1.6 just two years ago and have used it for 16,700 virtually trouble free miles. Its recent annual service has revealed tyre tread depths of 3mm rear and 4mm front and...
I am a lady driver and am hoping to buy a new car within the next few months. I have looked at the Mazda2, VW Polo and the new Fiesta. I have a low mileage. I am mindful of CO2 emissions and ideally...
Elsewhere on 
