Trending topics in February 2011
Questions from February 2011
After reading your column we purchased a FIAT Panda for our two daughters to learn to drive. We have owned it for four years and it has proved an excellent choice. Our older daughter is now 21 and is due...
On 5 February, I left my car for one week at Apcoa Parking, Gatwick Airport. On return, I found that the offside indicator light and wing had been knocked, leaving a dent and no light cover. I immediately...
In September last year we had a 40,000-mile service on our Chevrolet Tacuma. The Chevrolet garage we bought it from and always go to advised me to get the cam belt replaced, which I agreed to. On 1 January...
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...
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...
I bought a second-hand Peugeot 308 16000 miles. Front tyres are worn on outside. Had two services, should this have been noticed?
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...
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?
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?
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 is the best hybrid for a 60 year old car fan? I'm 6feet 3ins and a Jazz owner for seven years.
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...
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...
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 give us any information on where I can find a proper explanation of the function and potential limitations of a diesel particulate filter?
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
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