Questions from August 2010
Having been persuaded to fit a Honda reversing sensor kit to my 2005 Accord by local Honda I Guernsey, rather than buying from and having fitted by the dealer from where the car was bought, just over 2...
I am being constantly blinded in the last few weeks by new Skodas, Mercedes and Audis with unfocused, super bright LEDs presumably used as 'always on' daylight running lights. These are much brighter than...
You seem to be stressing the use of left foot braking whilst manoeuvring only, where I can see your point if you have to use
the accelerator. However, all my automatics over thirty years have engaged drive...
Can you advise me from where my garage may be able to order a spare part for my Fiat Bis 126 purchased 31st August l989, one owner, mileage 26,682? At the last MOT my previous garage gave me an Advisory...
We purchased a new Meriva Design in 2004 and have covered only 30,000 miles. As the steering failed, the main Vauxhall agent has stated we need a new steering column at the cost of £620. Vauxhall will...
I have just received a Notice of Intention to Prosecute from Essex Police. This states that I have exceeded a temporary limit of 50 miles an hour on a motorway road works section on the M25, which was...
I purchased my third Mercedes C Class in February, a 220 CDI Sport (I have never had any problems with any of the others). After 4 days practically every warning light on the dashboard lit up and it was...
I want to buy a low cost 4x4 for occasional use and have seen a low mileage Freelander TD4 with BMW diesel engine at what seems like a fair price. I decided to do some research as to what for example a...
I bought a 2007 BMW 335i reg 2007 12 days ago from a dealer as a trade sale from a dealer my company has dealings with. It was sold as seen, and out of its 3-year warranty. I took out a full BMW warranty...
I’m moving to Belgium and want to buy a car in this country before I go. You advised me of LHD dealers such as The Left Hand Drive Place at Daneshill, near Basingstoke, but the cars are still quite expensive...
I met a colleague at Rothwell Services on the A14 recently, as it was equi-distant travelling for both of us. We parked in McDonalds car
Park and had several coffees whilst we discussed a project. We...
You are mention runflat tyres to avoid the danger of changing a wheel on a dangerous road or motorway hard shoulder. But I have not heard you mention the product "Puncturesafe" that instantly repairs all...
Back in January this year I year I e-mailed for advice on the Skoda 1.2 TSI 105 engine in the Yeti SE as I was concerned about the power for a large car, having driven nothing smaller than a 1.9 engine...
I have a Kuga 2.0 Titanium diesel and it’d brand new. However my pride and joy has been in the garage for the last month because of engine malfunction. The AA believe it is particulate fuel filter issues,...
I've taken your advice and won't deal with a Swedish buyer for my car who wants to pay be bank transfer and have his agent pick the car up. However I am curious to know how the money would be taken back...
In 1971 I was working as a car salesman. It was a Saturday and I had just filled the tank of my demonstration car. I was in the countryside and I had to stop for a cow on the road. However I was on the...
Eight years ago I contacted you on behalf of my wife. She wanted a small, new, 5-door hatchback with aircon for under £10k. Your reply consisted of two words, fortunately these were "Toyota Yaris". We...
Today I received my car insurance renewal and was asked for a 25% increase in premium. This in spite of having nine years 'protected' no-claims discount. I have been driving since 1963 and have never had...
I use a Tom Tom Go 370 Navigator in conjunction with an RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver aerial also by Tom Tom. Recently I noticed, what looked like deep scratch marks on the dashboard of my car. It was only...
Yesterday I took delivery of a new BMW 320i convertible. However I am quite upset with the noticeable 'orange peel' (literally in this case, as the car is a shade of orange/red). Although I looked the...
My sister-in-law purchased a Hyundai i10 under the Scappage Scheme 12 months ago and is highly delighted with the car. During the recent hot spell she has been using the air conditioning but insists on...
I've just had a new steering rack installed, and then had to have the power steering sensor replaced. Now a warning light comes up on the dashboard and the steering is heavy at low speed and light at high...
Does the piston hit the valves if a cam belt snaps on a Lexus IS200 1999? If there is a small 6mm washer in the piston would it just rattle around or would it damage the engine?
My Ford Mondeo is a 2003 TDCi 130bhp Ghia. Since last week, as I apply acceleration to my car gently from 0 up till 85mph, it feels like it is losing power but it never cuts out fully. But, if I accelerate...
I am tempted to buy a '98 BMW 318i E46 manual from a dealer here in Singapore. I drove a E30 316i manual for few years about 15 years ago and like the 'BMW manual feel". How do you rate this car?
I have a Vauxhall Meriva 1.7CDTi. When I depress the clutch slightly I hear a small noise. Is that normal?
The engine auto light is on in my Peugeot 307. The display shows 'Anti-Pollution Fault'. Can you help?
I have an almost new Alfa Romeo 159 TI. I have no complaints with the car other than a battery problem. There are occasions when I have to attend conferences abroad, leaving the car in the open air car...
Help! can you please tell me where I can get a user manual for my 51-plate Citroen Xsara Picasso?
Can you tell me all about the 2001 Citroen Xsara Picasso 8v petrol?
My UK car insurer will insure me, while in Europe, for 90 days as standard plus another 90 for an extra premium. I wish to be in Europe (Spain, France & Portugal only) for 270 days. Can you suggest an...
My granddaughter has a 2007 Polo 1.4. Two days ago she started the car as usual and endeavoured to drive off. She released the handbrake and found that the car would not move (it seemed to be straining...
I have an eight-month-old Octavia hatchback 1.9TDI. At 68-70mph there is a noise that can only be described as like blowing across the top of a bottle, but quite loud. The dealer has said that it is 'wind...
I have recently taken delivery of a nearly-new, 4900-mile Fiesta 1.6TDCi Titanium. After only a few days, I noticed that two warning lights, the engine management and power steering lights, did not go...
Ford has given me an incredibly complicated template for dipped lights in Europe, but the accessory shop sells small (AA-approved, I think) plastic tear-shaped panels - nothing like the Ford offering....
I'm having a problem with my Nissan Primera 2-litre diesel estate. The engine management light came on, the car cut out and now won't start.
I currently run a five-year-old Peugeot 206 SW which has been fine, but I would like to consider changing to something of a similar size that would provide a better (softer) ride, as my wife and I are...
We have twin boys who will be 17 in September. Obviously they would like to learn to drive. However, insurance is likely to be a big issue. Would it be better to name them both as learner drivers on our...
We bought a 2006 SEAT Leon 2.0 TDi Stylance in January 2010. It's an excellent car, but there's a horrendous loud rumbling from the rear tyres. It's at it's worst at 50mph, so if you're say on the M4 in...
I would like to get a used Jaguar X-Type estate. I have £8000 and wondered which would be the best for my money. It would be used as a family car and would do less than 10,000 miles a year, mostly urban....
We have just purchased an S-reg Mitsubishi Shogun Challenger 3.0 6V and find that the fan is running constantly. We contacted the dealer we purchased it from who informs us that this is normal for this...
Can these accurately pick out one car in a line of cars? I was caught exceeding the speed limit when in a line of cars that had overtaken another vehicle on a straight stretch of road. The mobile unit...
My daughter is thinking of buying a 2004 Vauxhall Meriva 1.6 Life. Are they reliable?
I bought a 2005 Vauxhall Meriva in March this year. The car recently died on me, so I coasted off the road. The temperature looked ok. I saw steam or smoke coming from under the bonnet. I lifted it to...
I am looking to buy a new Mazda MX-5 Roadster Powershift. Some of the best deals I have found are through online car brokers. However, on checking these companies they register the car to a fleet to obtain...
My warranty company has now agreed to pay for a blown turbochrger but not the intercooler, which the garage says now has oil in it. My policy states that the intercooler is covered but the warranty company...
My dad's looking to buy a old 1998 Rover 200 1.6 auto. The seller isn't sure if it has the Honda engine or not. How can we find out?
My intercooler has been contaminated with oil and bits of turbo. I asked my warranty company whether, if a piece of the old turbo gets into the new turbo e.g from the intercooler, I would be covered in...
Our 1974 Volkswagen Beetle 1303S is struggling to pull away. When you accelerate it feels as though petrol is not getting through, as the car jerks and is very difficult to drive. Do you have any ideas...
I have read about problems with the "Teves ESP unit" on Volkswagen cars, in particular the Touran. How can I find out which model of unit I have on my 58-reg Touran?
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