Questions from May 2010
I have just returned from spending a week at my sister’s house in France. She lives just south of Cherbourg and I know for a fact that they experienced much the same winter as we did. In fact, when the...
I am looking to change my Land Rover Freelander diesel company car for a more tax-friendly 4x4. Budget around £12,000, with a requirement for a generous boot size to carry medical supplies. Suggestions...
I'm considering buying a 2008 Jaguar XF with 2.7-litre diesel engine. Mileage is 60,000 and I would like an opinion if this high mileage might give problems over the next say 30,000 miles. It has been...
My wife recently purchased a new VW Fox and intended to sell privately her 1999 Toyota Yaris. We had read your comments about selling, pitfalls and that the prices of second-hand vehicles was improving....
As a result of the death of my father I have to sell his car as part of his estate. It is an 09 registered Mitsubishi Colt CZ2 with metallic paint. Due to his illness it has only covered 753 miles since...
I had an Accord for 6 years and did 100,000 trouble free miles. I then bought a 2004/54 Civic 1.6 Executive auto. I have had it for 3 years and it has been trouble-free. It has now done 50,000 miles. I...
I was stationary in traffic when another driver scraped down side of my car causing over £2k of damage. His whole story was rubbish, littered with errors and obvious lies. Immediately after the accident...
During the recent snowy weather I observed that 4 wheel drive cars performed better than 2 well drive in fresh snow and slushy snow, but do they grip on the compacted snow and ice that occurs after a few...
I am lucky enough to be buying a used 2007 BMW 330d convertible auto. Do you know of any faults with this model or should I be looking at other engine sizes within the range. Are there any problems with...
Are you now a part of dumbdown.gov.uk? Flashed headlights CONFIRM what the behaviour of your vehicle indicates. In other words when you have slowed down and are leaving an obvious gap for a vehicle to...
I'm running a current model 1.4 Jazz (it's my 4th Jazz) bought new in January 2009, serviced by main dealer with 38k miles now on the clock. I noticed a rattling noise on start up when cold that reduced...
Much of my long distance driving is on the Continent necessitates fixing stick-on labels so that the lights conform. Can you tell me if any car model has a switch to change the lights from R to L hand...
My other half currently has a Cliosport 182, which she loves. However, we are thinking about moving house, to out in the sticks where there is every chance the snow will cause problems (it's bad enough...
Further to our recent exchange of e-mails regarding runaway cars, did you see the report on main TV channels last night showing a lady and her husband giving evidence to the USA Congressional Review Committee...
I have often read your opinion in different contexts that multiple short journeys is a 'car killer'. We are retired and very fortunate to live in West Cornwall - 3 miles from the National Trust at Trellissick...
I have now heard from the Ministry of Justice regarding the situation over motorists defence costs. I would summarize proposal 2009 No. 2720 as follows: A Court may make a Defendant's Cost Order on application...
With all the bad publicity that Toyota has received of late I cannot understand why Vauxhall have not been brought to task over the problem with the Meriva's power steering. My wife has experienced at...
I ‘m now thinking about a 60k mile 2007 Peugeot 407 2.2 GT HDi 170 SW Estate, FSH, from CarGiant for £7,999. Thoughts?
Are there any issues changing from runflats to standard tyres on a 2005 BMW 520d
Hertfordshire Highways is struggling to fill in pot-holes caused by the recent bad weather (and by poor maintenance over many years). Yet it is able to install a set of road humps in a neighbouring village...
My 320 Sport 177 diesel, a 2008 model with 16,500 miles on the clock, does between 47 and 54mpg. This is driving in a saintly fashion. The figures quoted by BMW are a myth and unachievable. Each 320 diesel...
I am considering buying a Chrysler 300C Tourer to tow a large caravan of 1,700kg. The car I have at the moment is a Volvo XC70 D5 and it has never put a foot wrong in 15k miles of towing: very stable and...
My Honda Jazz is specified to be serviced every 12,500 miles. After 5 years from new, there is only 13,600 on the clock, and my annual mileage is nowadays more like 1,250. The car is normally used between...
After locking my Bora the car unlocks itself and all the windows automatically open, with lots of switch clicking and hazards going on and off. This can happen as soon as I have left it or sometimes overnight...
You recently gave advice on refresher driver training to a reader who hadn’t driven for some time. I am in a similar position, and know another person who feels that it would be advisable to do likewise.
I...
I am looking at upgrading my car to an MPV. I am happy to consider all options however my budget will only allow me to buy a used car. I need to buy a 7-seater automatic preferably with a not to juicy...
I have a rather random question. I need to find out if a football could set off a speed camera? Any help would be great.
I'm looking for a big people carrier to cope with our big family – we have a 4th child on the way. Most of the 7-seater cars on the market seem to be fine if you only need the 3rd row of seats occasionally...
I had a Honda Civic hybrid loaner whilst my CR-V was being repaired at which time the road condition was snow covered. On 4 occasions as I braked on approach to junctions the car seemed to surge before...
I have a 2000 Jeep Cherokee (the worst car I've ever had) that I need to change before anything else goes wrong. I need a reasonably spacious car that can deal with daily 9km of rough track. I have been...
I have recently noticed that both my wife’s car and mine have been leaking oil, albeit just a few spots on the driveway. Upon looking, both appear to be coming from the sump plug area and I cannot see...
I have seen a pre- registered 59 plate Ford Kuga 2.0TDCI 2WD (34 miles on the clock) it has the convenience pack and appearance pack plus a Sony DAB radio. The franchised Ford dealer is asking £17,995....
The handbook of my 2005 VW Touran 2.0TDI DSG states that the cambelt should be changed every 80,000 miles. However my VW dealer is now advising me that VW has revised this to every 4 years of age, regardless...
When VAT was temporarily reduced to 15%, the Chancellor added 2% duty to fuel to offset the reduction in tax collected from motorists. Now that VAT has been increased to 17.5% again this hidden tax has...
I am very keen on Nissan Qashqais. However, having originally wanted to change away from 4x4 the recent snow has suggested otherwise. What is the most economical 4x4 (to run), preferably automatic and...
Recently, due to an accident I lost, temporarily I hope, the use of my legs. My daughter in law is taking driving lessons and is at the point where she would benefit from me accompanying her whilst she...
Recently, we found a nice Mitsubishi Colt Equippe 1.1 to buy. However, we just found the MoT history record online and it shows the latest mileage is over 55,000 on Jan 2010, but the figure on the odometer...
My 2009 Volvo C30 has just been recalled by my Volvo main dealer for a PowerShift gearbox change. Unfortunately, I could not get a clear explanation from them for the reason for the exchange and found...
I applied for a provisional driving licence online and I didn't provide my passport number. There was a page that came up that I was meant to print but I could not because I had no printer. I then logged...
As the renewal of my membership of a certain breakdown service is due shortly and I have had a notice with increased premium, I wonder where I can obtain an unbiased comparison of such service providers?...
I have just purchased a brand new Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec. The car is fitted with an audio unit and navigation system that is not illustrated in the owner's handbook supplied with the car. Where can I find...
I am currently in the process of changing my car as, having recently changed jobs, I will be using the train for everyday commuting. I will be changing my Mini One for a Citroen C1 VTR+ but I'm baffled...
Can I recommend Cedar Garage of Worthing? Very good independent garage, staffed with friendly, helpful guys who have years in the business. Highly recommended by many local people (including all taxi drivers...
I have a 2005 55-plate Audi A6 Avant 2.7 TDI S-Line with full leather, Hi-line MMI, 11 months MoT and FSH with 90,000 miles. I have today been to BMW Stafford to test drive a 54-plate 2004 BMW Z4 3.0 SE...
My wife is looking at downsizing from a Mercedes-Benz C250 TD. We have looked at various options and feel the Toyota Yaris is most suitable. We have always had diesel cars but the salesman is advising...
I will probably buy a new car in the autumn and I've seen one online company which may be of interest - New-car-discount.com. Have you heard of them, or have you had any feedback about them? Also do you...
How much difference does low mileage make to a car's price? Is there a rule of value added per 1000 miles under average mileage and if so, what is it?
I drive a 1997 R-plate Volkswagen Golf TDi GL with 195,000 miles on the clock. It's been a faithfully reliable beast over the last 10 years, but now I no longer need it and I'm wondering what my best option...
I traded in my Peugeot 207 SW for a Kia Venga 1 diesel, which is a nice car and I'm happy apart from one thing: there is a distinct diesel smell in the cabin. I took it back to the dealer and left it with...
Hi, I'm looking to buy a diesel Hyundai Elantra, but most cars advertised on Autotrader seem to be selling at 20-35 per cent above the suggested valuation at Whatcar.com and Parkers. Could this be because...
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