Can you recommend a replacement for my parents' Audi A4 which offers easier access?

My parents, who are in their 70s, are looking for a new car (they have had an Audi A4 for 16 years and they are very happy with it). The problem is that my mum can't get in or out easily due to arthritic...

My diesel Astra suffered engine failure during an MoT - should the testing centre cover the repair cost?

I hope you can advise me on problems with an MoT test I have had on my Astra 1.7d Merit (mileage 118,000) recently. The test was carried out and I was given a failure notice on emissions, plus a couple...

I emailed the Minister for Transport, Philip Hammond, regarding car parking enforcement companies, and attach the transcript of my email.

I thought it was time to launch a direct crusade against the car park vultures. I've sent the attached in an email to Philip Hammond, the Minister for Transport. When I realised that the DVLA are (presumably)...

Waiting list on an Audi A3

I am considering buying an Audi A3 low mileage instead of my ususal BMW. I went to the main dealer in Cardiff who was not very helpful, had no brochures for the A3 and told me to "go home and apply for...

Advice on a tow car - Yeti or CR-V?

I have a leased A4 Avant 9 - my 4th - that is going back at end of Aug 2011. I will not be doing the high mileage, 30,000 per year in the future as I will be semi retired - probably around 10,000 per...

Driving in Europe

I have recently returned from a business trip in Germany. I am interested in your viewpoint on French/Belgian/German drivers who are in the habit of speeding up behind a car in front forcing drivers to...

Should service have picked up on worn tyres?

I bought a second-hand Peugeot 308 16000 miles. Front tyres are worn on outside. Had two services, should this have been noticed?

MoT paperwork missing

The dealer only supplied me with a MoT certificate, with the advisory sheet missing. Am I allowed to ask for it or should I seek legal advice?

A new car for our retirement

My wife and I are both near retirement and we also want to retire our trusty, but now rusty, 10-year-old Merc 'C' Class saloon - as we find it's getting harder to get into easily! I like the look of...

Diesel or petrol Zafira?

I am thinking of replacing my Zafira (I have 1.8 design petrol). Most secondhand 2009/2010 Zafiras available either seem to be 1.6 petrol or 1.9 diesel. I do about 10,000 miles per year. However...

TIming belt or chain on a Civic?

I've just bought a Honda Civic diesel 2.2-litre 57-plate ES model. Is this car timing belt or chain and has it got a DPF?

Buying a new or nearly new small car - what would you recommend?

My daughter is a single parent with a four-year-old child and very happy with her 04 plate, manual, petrol, Jazz, but wants to change it for a new or nearly new five-door vehicle which is cheap to run...

i20 specification changes

I notice from your review of the Hyundai i20 that there appears to be a version of this car coming out in April with ISG and a different diesel engine. I have asked my local Hyundai dealer about this,...

Which hybrid? Jazz or Auris?

Which is the best hybrid for a 60 year old car fan? I'm 6feet 3ins and a Jazz owner for seven years.

Selling a high mileage Seat Exeo

I need to sell a 09 Seat Exeo SE Tdi 143 saloon (a very good car, by the way) - I'm getting a company car as replacement. Has done 64k miles - FSH, good condition. Have looked on a autotrader, and all...

Jaguar XF ride quality

I bought a Jan 2009 2.7D Premium Luxury XF with 19 inch wheels 4 months ago. The car is fabulous but the ride quality over the poorly maintained roads here in Buckinghamshire is terrible. I traded-in a...

Why is our Land Rover Freelander 2 returning just 32mpg?

We purchased a brand new Freelander 2 MY2011 TD4 manual three months ago. Against a claimed combined fuel consumption figure of 45.2mpg, we are getting an average of 32.1mpg. We live in the country and...

Have you seen the loophole in the draft clamping legislation relating to the installation of barriers?

There is a massive potential loophole written into the draft legislation against clamping. It states that clamping on private land will still be legal where, in order to enter that land, the vehicle has...

What is the catch with these discounted FIAT 500s?

I have been offered a base model FIAT 500 TwinAir Pop from FIAT Direct in Middlesex at £9,400. The car was registered on 30/01/11, with delivery mileage. I am told you cannot buy this car new with any...

Thanks for recommending Sure-Sell to sell my father-in-law's Hyundai i20.

Thanks for your advice about selling my father-in-law’s car when he had to give up driving. It was a Hyundai i20 Comfort 1.4 automatic, red with 1,600 miles on the clock, nine months old. The local Hyundai...

Did you know that the average driver has clocked up £338 in parking fines by the age of 35?

Incredibly, it has been revealed that British motorists are paying a shocking £991 million in parking enforcement penalties each year. By the age of 35 drivers will have clocked up on average £338 in parking...

Thanks to Fawdington Mini for their help in replacing an electrical unit on my wife's MINI Cooper.

Two weeks ago the Dynamic Stability Control Unit failed on my wife's 5-year-old MINI Cooper (with 45,000 miles on the clock). I was quoted £937.22 for the replacement part by the staff member at Fawdington...

Should I buy a new car or a good year-old model?

I'm retired, and my mileage annually is approx. 5,000. Do I purchase a new car (keen on a Focus or Astra) with usual discounts, or select a good year-old model? I have looked at Motorpoint as a dealer,...

What is causing a condensation problem in my 2001 SEAT Leon?

I am trying to sell a SEAT Leon 1.6S Petrol 2001Y with 68,000 miles on the clock. However, it seems to have a condensation problem, especially in the cold weather - the windscreen is running with water...

Why are tyres wearing prematurely on two of my Volkswagen Polos?

Further to the recent letter from HP in Reading, I have had similar experience with two Polos in the last few years. Both were new company cars that prematurely munched a set of front tyres in less than...

Why has my insurance premium increased following a non-fault claim?

My wife had an accident and wrote off her own car, and two others. One of the other cars was mine. She had protected NCD (75 per cent). I claimed for my damage against her. Despite her NCD remaining at...

Are Mazda 3s known for being susceptible for battery drain whilst parked for a few weeks?

Illness and zero degree weather meant that I did not start my 2009 Mazda 3 for three weeks. When I tried to start the vehicle the battery was flat. The dealer told me it was the extreme cold and they had...

Did these classic car dealers criticise my E-Type Jaguar in order to increase their mark-up?

In this, the 50th anniversary year of the E-Type Jaguar, I invited two directors of a Classic Car dealership to view my 3.8 Roadster. On the phone I had described this beautiful car accurately and we agreed...

Can you recommend a small, economical automatic car for use as a runabout?

I'm 63, semi-retired and seek a used ‘runabout’, the criteria being an automatic (a must) with the lowest possible road tax and insurance costs, and excellent economy. Depreciation and ‘street cred’ are...

Why is our BMW X5 wearing through tyres so fast?

Our BMW X5 3.0sd SE, bought new in September 2008 on a HP agreement, wore its rear tyres through to the metal within four months. BMW accepted there was a fault with the alignment from the factory and...

Why does my Volvo dealer suggest that my car's timing belt doesn't need changing until 10 years or 100,000 miles?

I was interested in your comment to NB of Fleet that the Volvo engine in his 2.5T Mondeo could suffer timing belt problems. I have a 5-year-old Volvo with the 2.4i 5-cylinder engine and recently expressed...

Is this car parking enforcement company really likely to take me to court over a parking charge notice?

In December I overstayed my welcome in a TK Maxx multi-storey car park. The free parking limit is four hours - I was there for 4 and a half hours. Following advice I have often seen in your column, I sent...

My Mercedes-Benz CLK280 is in a higher VED category than I thought because of the wheel size - can I change this?

I recently bought a 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK280 cabriolet, 7G auto in SE spec, from a main dealer. All of the public online info had told me this car was 222g/km. Shock horror to discover that my actual...

Is there an alternative to my automatic to my Toyota Yaris which is less jerky when pulling away?

My Yaris TR with the new-type combined automatic is now three years old and paid for. I find this type of automatic very jerky in first gear and very poor at pulling away at junctions and traffic lights...

Can you explain how a diesel particulate filter works?

Can you give us any information on where I can find a proper explanation of the function and potential limitations of a diesel particulate filter?

I bought a used MINI Cooper with a number of faults - is the dealer responsible for fixing them?

I bought a second-hand MINI Cooper in December from a Mercedes-Benz dealer. It has a 3-month warranty, which expires at the end of next week. Due to the extended service periods on the MINI, it was not...

Should I be wary about buying an ex-rental MkVI Volkswagen Golf?

I am looking to purchase a Mk VI Volkswagen Golf 1.6TDi S. A franchised Volkswagen dealer in Bridgwater has a couple of examples at £11,980, which are one year old with 15,000 on the clock. They are some...

Did you know that Ford's cost for leasing and P11D tax for company drivers are based on list price?

The recent article on Ford's pricing policy might also have advised that for company car drivers, their costs for leasing and P11D tax are based on the list price - a disincentive for choosing a Ford,...

Thanks for recommending McGard to replace my son's Volvo V70's locking wheel nut.

Our son recently lost the locking wheel nut for his Volvo V70 estate car, an event that must happen quite often. After numerous enquiries to the local Volvo dealer, who were not at all helpful, and tyre...

How exactly does a hybrid car work and how is the electric battery charged?

My questions are: 1) How exactly does a hybrid car work? 2) How is the electric part recharged and how far would the average car travel on one charge? 3) Would the driver in reality use the petrol part...

Is water ingress in the Volkswagen Passat a known problem?

I own a 2004 Volkswagen Passat Highline. Recently water has been ingressing the car and "ponding" in the passenger footwell behind the driver and occasionally in the driver footwell. My usual garage (not...

Could you recommend a car with easy access, a large boot and a long guarantee?

My 77-year-old mother is looking to replace her 10-year-old Audi A3 with a slightly smaller car. She only does about 4,000 miles per year, and has all but given up motorway driving. She wants boot space...

Could you recommend a comfortable motorhome or camper van for £5,000?

Now that my wife and I are retired, we are mulling over buying a campervan or motorhome. We think it would give us the freedom to decide to go away at short notice reasonably cheaply. We would only need...

Why can't drivers obey the basic commands of the original Highway Code?

The very first sentence of the very first Highway Code of 1930 reads - "Always be careful and considerate towards others." The paragraph goes on "As a responsible citizen you have a duty to the community...

Why do you recommend disabling the ESP when driving in snow and ice?

I have just read with interest your reply to JG, Fleet, regarding the switching off of ESP in snow and ice. I own a rear-wheel drive Lexus IS 250 automatic, not the best combination for snow. Whilst the...

Why aren't drivers taught how to drive properly on motorways?

The reason the public have problems driving on motorways, and which lane to use, is because motorway driving is never taught. Whatever lane a motorist is using, drivers should stagger their positions in...

How can I renew my road tax online when my insurance expires on the same date?

For the last two years I have tried without success to renew my road tax online. The problem is that my insurance runs out on the same date as the licence. On both occasions I had renewed the insurance...

Why are insurance repairs to my son's SUV taking so long?

My son recently acquired a new SUV; this was after a long delayed wait. Sadly, after two months' ownership, it was damaged while road parked. The driver responsible admitted responsibility and an insurance...

Which van should I buy?

I'm about to set up on my own as a joiner and am looking for a suitable van. Do you have any thoughts on the Renault Trafic as opposed to the Vivaro, Transit, Ducato etc? I like the Trafic, but I keep...

Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Auto

Is it better to keep this for years in wraps or sell it now? It has only done 27,000 miles and is in nearly mint condition.