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...
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...
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...
You have run several e-mails from readers who have been persecuted because their parking tickets dropped from the tops of their dashboards. My Skoda has a plastic clip on the drivers windscreen which is...
I have a Ford Fiesta 1.3 1998 Encore. My rear wheel bearing has gone on the left-hand side, so I've gone to remove it but there is a casing over the nut for the hub so I'm not able to. Does anyone know...
I have been told I may have a sticky air doser on my 1.9 diesel Citroen Berlingo. What is an air doser and is it expensive to repair?
If I disconnect the speedo on my 54-reg Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.4, will I lose the mileage? The dash has lost everything apart from the clock, indicators and oil light.
My Citroen C5 HDI has a loss of power. I have had it checked and been told it is showing up as a turbo solenoid fault. Where is the turbo solenoid and what, if any, are the likely rectifications?
I'm getting erroneous low oil pressure warnings in my P-reg Volkswagen Polo and the rev counter and speedo are not working. Also a beep is sounding occasionally. Oil contents ok, all lights seem to be...
Anybody else suffer flat spots at low revs in the Ford Focus 1.8 TDCI or find it easy to stall at low revs in first and second gear?
A 2005 Volkswagen Golf with 90,000 miles has no record of the timing belt being changed. Should it be done and should the work be done at an authorised dealer?
Can I change my 2004 Peugeot 206's self-adjusting clutch cable to a manual adjustment?
I'm looking to buy a five-year-old Porsche Boxster from an independent motor trader. Would you recommend the vehicle be checked by an approved Porsche mechanic or have an AA inspection?
Could you tell me please how to set up the pump timing on a 2.8 Mitsubishi Shogun turbodiesel? I put a new pump seal in today and I got the timing wrong.
I have recently purchased a motorhome. I am not going to achieve a high annual mileage (max 5-6000) nor take it out for camping purposes that often (up to six occasions per annum). Clearly that is not...
I have just bought a 2004 Kia Picanto 1.1LX and it has only covered 12,000 miles. Now I am wondering if the car should have its second cam belt yet?
One of the motorcycles I own was caught on a Gatso fixed speed camera. I got the first letter on 15 September 2010, asking if it was me or who it was. The alleged offence was on 23 July 2010. What should...
I took delivery of a new Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TDi 170 S Line on 1 September. This is my third A3 and in all I have been very happy with the model. When ordering the new car I decided to go for several...
What is the best car between the Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series E60? I want my car to be spacious, reliable and as comfortable as possible, and it has to be automatic and preferably the...
I am changing my nice but very-expensive-to-run Saab 9-3 for a Panda Diesel. I've not owned or driven a diesel car before. I believe the Fiats are OK, but what should I look out for and do to keep it in...
I notice that you have mentioned the need for new diesel vehicles to do a yearly minimum mileage when fitted with a particulate filter. The other week you quoted "15,000 miles per year'". No one mentioned...
The Nissan literature gives the overall width of the Note as 1690 mm but makes no reference to wing mirrors extended or folded. My garage is extremely narrow and I am anxious to ascertain the width of...
The display in my 2001 Audi A6 TDI 2.5-litre's dash is not clear at all. When I first got the car four days ago I couldn't make out anything at all. It did clear slightly, but now it has gone funny again....
What are the rear seat width measurements for a 51-reg Mercedes-Benz E320 CDi Avantgarde automatic (estate)? I would like to know if it's possible to fit three child seats across the rear (two forward-facing,...
I have ordered a Skoda 1.6 Octavia Elegance via an online dealer. The local Skoda dealer really slags the online dealer off, saying that I will not get a correctly-built new model etc. The supplier has...
We have a MINI Cooper S 07-plate with 35,000 miles that we love, but feel it can be expensive to run. Our local BMW MINI dealer has told us we can save money by swapping now, with various savings on the...
I own a 2001 TDDI Ford Mondeo. Driving in very heavy rain, I approached traffic lights which changed to red and I hit the brakes. The car stopped as normal but the pedal went down further than normal....
My Toyota Auris has done 21,000 miles. The front tyres are at 2mm and the rears at 4mm. Should the new tyres go on the front or the back?
My wife ordered a brand new Honda CR-V for delivery on 1 September, but it arrived at the dealer several days late and, as we had not sold her old one, we were not too concerned. We would like to take...
I've been told by the garage from where I'm about to buy a 1999 Land Rover Freelander 1.8EXI that it has had a conversion kit fitted to stop the head gasket problems associated with them. Is this correct?...
I can't find a gasket for the EGR valve next to the exhaust manifold on my 2000 Volvo V70. Would you know of a supplier that could assist me with this part?
I hear a rumour that the new Honda Jazz will be available with the CVT transmission used in the earlier car. Do you have any intelligence on this?
I own a Jaguar 2.0 diesel Classic 04 reg with 90,000 on the clock. Recently the engine has started to splutter, as if the idling speed kicks in as you increase acceleration (up to 50 mph). It seems as...
My 1998 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 CL loses power in the wet. Any ideas why this might be? It started happening after driving through a particularly deep puddle in the road. Then, once again, following a down...
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