Trending topics in September 2010
Questions from September 2010
I wonder if you have had any comments about the double clutch automatic gearbox that Ford is fitting in place of the conventional epicyclic gearbox with torque converter. I recently bought a Ford Mondeo...
Further to your response to CS of N19 regarding a collision with a police car, you may like to know that - certainly for Metropolitan Police vehicles - most (if not all) are fitted with a data recorder....
About a week ago, I checked my tyres and decided that the fronts would last another 3 to 4 months before changing. The wear was fairly even, and a good amount of tread remained. Last Saturday, I decided...
I live in SW London and for the 2nd time in 18 months I have suffered an overnight theft (small, loose items only - sunglasses, parking change etc) from my 2003 BMW 320d saloon (parked on the street)....
I have just had the dreaded ESP light come up on my Ford Focus 2005 2.0TDCI. Fault code C1288. New part from Ford £1,300 plus VAT. Can get the abs unit reconditioned for £350? There are a few others online...
I've done the deal and bought a 2010 Mondeo Titanium 2.0TDCi Estate. It has come on 18" wheels with 235/40R18 tyres. Given your advice on tyre sizes previously I'm considering going down a size or two...
I parked my 2010 Octavia Scout at work this morning as usual at around 08-15. When I returned to it at 18-30 all four windows were fully open. I expected to find the interior ransacked but it was exactly...
I have become an unfortunate member of the now infamous ESP light staying on problem with my beloved Golf. My problem started mid August 2010. The ESP light lit on my dashboard and on the switch. No matter...
Another visit to the auto left foot braking issue. Last week I read that in a test it was proven that a driver using left foot braking brought the car to a standstill in a shorter distance than a right...
I have just retired and am spending a few months of the year in Spain, where we have a flat (near Barcelona). I would like to buy a car to leave there to be able to travel around more to explore the country.
What...
Just a word of warning for your readers about WeBuyAnyCar.com. Do not expect anywhere near the Internet valuation when you take your car to their buyers. We have a mint MINI Cooper S Convertible with every...
Thank you for raising the issue of ridiculous speed limits on Heavy Goods Vehicles in your recent column. I drive a 580hp Scania regularly on the M25. For some bizarre reason the speed limits on motorways...
What is the correct way to acknowledge the kindness of other drivers, for example if they stop to let you through? During daylight hours I have seen or heard the vehicle's horn, a raised hand, a finger...
I recently enquired about a BMW 635csi Highline for sale in Liverpool. I have been in contact with the seller about the car and have asked him any problems wrong with it. I first rang him last weekend...
I hope you can help me. I currently own a Nissan Micra, just under three years old, mileage 8,400 (I only use the car for short journeys). I have looked at a Toyota Yaris, Honda Jazz and a Ford Fiesta....
It amazes me when I read the number of letters you receive querying the use of the left foot on automatics. The surge caused by a fuelling problem you have talked about has happened to me twice. Once at...
I'm confused over two cars. Which is the better buy / value for money and economy? Golf Plus SE 1.4 TSI 122PS man 6-speed 5-door Cash or 0% finance £18,275. Golf Match TSI 122 PS 6-speed 5-door Cash £17,965...
I was driving home to Ewhurst in Surrey where I live, travelling along the A3, when I noticed a cop using a hairdryer type speed gun. I thought no more of it until I got a letter saying I was to be served...
Please tell me John, what’s the value of an RAC inspection? I ask you this because every car dealer I visit invites me to get an RAC inspection on the car I am looking at. Sorry, no reflection on your...
I write in connection with my son's recent claim on his own fully comp insurance policy (he is aged 34). Someone drove into the back of him. Liability was agreed, the car was repaired and his insurer gave...
Am I correct that pick-up trucks are generally more reliable than cars? My partner is Cambodian and when we visit the country, together with Thailand, you see pick-up trucks everywhere. They are used by...
My wife and I (both aged 80) drive a Volkswagen 1.9 Golf manual diesel. A short while ago I asked your advice about changing to an automatic and your advice was that we might have left it a bit late for...
I parked in a car park (run by Premier Parking Solutions) opposite
Didcot Station last week. I put five one-pound coins into their machine
which would cover me for a whole day's parking whilst at a meeting...
I have a 52 Mercedes C180 Kompressor, bought second hand, privately in May 2009. Six months later I was told (by Motoraid) all four wheel arches were rusted - the upshot of which was two new back arch...
I took delivery of a new Vauxhall Agila 1.2 automatic Design with air conditioning on 3 June 2010. On-the-road price with 1-years VED £12,985, and I paid an extra £199 for 'Supagard' treatment. After nearly...
I will definitely invest in some Autosocks and I have also noted your concerns about carrying bikes on a towbar. However, over the years I have already tried the alternatives of a flimsy carrier hooked...
In 1996, when the Driving Theory Test was first introduced, I was employed as chief invigilator at a central London Test centre which processed about 200 candidates per day and we had about 4 invigilators...
I am trying to decide between buying a BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo 530d or a BMW 5 Series Touring 530d. At the weekend, I need a car for trips to the tip and park with my labrador dog, wife and two teenage...
Bizarrely, I received a letter from an outfit calling itself "Service Claims" in which it stated that my car (it quoted the correct registration details) had been involed in an accident in May this year...
I just found your VW ABS report online. Having been to the local Skoda Dealership with my 3 year old Octavia, which has been serviced at that dealership since purchased in 2007, and has just run out of...
In October last year a car drove onto the near side of my Aston Martin from a side street while I was on a dual carriageway. The driver of the other car and the third party insurer admitted liability....
It is not only HGVs thart should be allowed to go at the same speed as other traffic on motorways. I know that you do not speak for the bus and coach industry, but I have long thought that restricting...
I have just had the unfortunate experience of being landed with an unexpected bill of £1,262 for a replacement catalytic converter at 72,000miles in my Ford Focus 1.6 diesel. On checking with some Ford...
I have a Skoda Octavia 1.6FSI Ambiente estate manual. How effective are winter tyres over summer/all-season tyres in snow (if possible, in terms of percentage roughly)? I want to buy an extra set of wheels...
Whilst recently on holiday on the Continent, I had cause to have the radiator replaced on my Mitsubishi Shogun SWB at a fully franchised Mitsubishi dealer in Germany. The total cost came to some £463,...
Another letter asking for your advice. I am an elderly lady, now the sole driver as my husband is not fit anymore. We have a 2005 2.0 litre diesel Skoda Octavia. We used to tow a caravan for which it was...
I recently attended a Speed Awareness Course (I had done 35mph in a 30 limit). Having checked the website I found that I would pay 50% more if I took it in South Wales rather than in Herefordshire. (£90...
To keep you posted about my issues with Warranty Direct, I had a telephone call from their claims manager last week and we were able to sort out the situation that had developed.
Importantly we were...
A correspondent recently wrote to you concerning the purchase of a used 2002 Mercedes S Class, both front wings of which began to bubble with rust in 2006, with the same problem occurring in 2008 on the...
I like smooth quiet automatic cars and only do about 6,000 miles a year. I am thinking of buying a 5 or 6-year old Toyota Prius with 100,000 miles on the clock to keep the purchase price down. What do...
During spells of hot weather, some front seat passengers trying to look cool (usually young females) put their up feet on the dashboard or even worse out of the window. In the event of a collision and...
We have had a problem with the steering column and ESP sensor of our 2008/58 Vauxhall Meriva 1.3CDTI. We bought the car brand new in February 2009. We first had this problem with the ESP light coming on...
Having driven a good workhorse for the last seven years, a Vauxhall Astra Estate, I am now in a position to buy a new car for the first time in my life, at age 73 years. I am looking for a stylish, reliable,...
Like you, for eight years I have been an avid Honda Jazz Fan. However, having recently bought the new model with the new I-shift I am in despair. It is a horrible drive and I should be grateful to have...
I've recently had two tyres ruined (sidewall damage ) and a Celica T-Sport rear spring broken. I can't pinpoint the exact event of each but I drive regularly along a badly pot-holed public road. I have...
So glad you are promoting left foot braking, it's been my method for decades. I have used a range of manual change and automatic cars, and I have no problems with using my left foot for the clutch in a...
I am now retired but I did spend most of my career dealing with motor litigation for an insurer, a large proportion of my time with cases in litigation conscious Liverpool and Manchester.
Your reader...
Having recently hired a Peugeot 207, I found the car OK except for a strange complication that I fail to understand. Sitting in the car after approximately 3-4 minutes, the central display showed 'economy...
My daughter recently bought a Peugeot 206 from a garage chain. She has had some problems in the six weeks she has had it even though the car had less than 40,000 miles on the clock and she has driven...
Please could you direct me to the location on your website where you have given advice to readers who have been involved in an accident, in which the damage to their vehicle is entirely responsibility...
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