Questions from June 2011
Hello, our Ford Focus 1.6 has recently died (broken cambelt), and urgently need a new car. Like the medium sized cars, and need plently of boot space. Have a budget of approx £7000. Happy to use petrol...
I have bought a Mitsubishi Shogun 4 Work, SWB, 3.2 DiD, 2005. So far it has been a great car, tows well, drives better than my Nissan pickup & has a boot to keep the dog safe.
I get 22 mpg and wonder...
I had a Freelander 2 internal gearbox failure at 55k. Car bought from main dealer as pre-owned vehicle and serviced at main dealer according to service interval. I was informed that I do not meet their...
On Friday 1st April I was driving along the road in my 2006 Audi A4 convertible with my three year old daughter.
All of a sudden I started to smell an intense smell of burning and smoke stared pouring...
Is the Captiva considered a 4x4? Some have told me yes and some no, now I am confused.
Bought a brand new Jag XF in March 2010, since April 2011 the car has been back to dealer three times for an intermittent electrical fault which causes absolutely everything to stop working. The first...
I have sold my motor bike and I am not replacing it. As a matter of courtesy I informed my insurance company, Hastings Direct, so they would not issue a renewal notice. To my surprise they want a cancellation...
I filled out the real life figures for my Honda Jazz 1.2 in April /May. My figures were included and gave my true readings. However the site has taken out my readings and the Jazz 1.2 readings today are...
My unoccupied car was hit in a car park. The third party filled his report accepting blame but advised me he was instructed not to admit liability.
My broker (Swinton) put me on to carcare who wanted...
My Saab 9-3 went in for a service two weeks ago and was diagnosed with a broken coil spring. To begin with I was delighted with Saabs response that they would cover 100% of the cost due to the age and...
As my car is now three years old does the £31 pm service care cost represent good value when compared to the likely service bills I will have to pay? I propose to keep the car for at least another 3/4...
I'm considering buying an old Land Rover Defender 90 to use on my small holding, occasional school runs with three kids and short trips to the beach with the dogs etc.
Is there anything I should be wary...
Bought the car new in December 2009. It has always only averaged 25mpg and several other road tests show the same. Have had a go at BMW but no joy. Have tried OFT to get this gross misrepresentation examined...
I recently went to Mercedes to try and trade in my 53 plate E320CDi Avantgarde against a 2008 ML edition 10. Both had average mileage. Parkers list my car at £6,300, but the dealer offered me £5,000. Parkers...
I have a Peugeot 306 2000 model. I drove for about a mile yesterday and the car overheated up to over 100 degrees. Water was leaking from the water tank due to the pressure. Once opened it spurted a load...
Our 2006 Renault Megane Sport has a chronic stalling problem, worse after filling with petrol. The garage seems unable to pinpoint the problem. It has done 11,500miles. Is this a known quirk or are we...
The clockspring in Crossfire 2005 with 25k miles failed setting off horn. Next day I took it into dealer and airbags deployed on mechanic`s face as he drove it into workshop prior to any intervention....
My Kuga has 18" rims. I would like to fit steel wheels with winter tyres for use between Nov and March each year.
Where can I get steel wheels and studs from (your links seem to give just alloys) and...
I was recently involved in a car accident. The other driver pulled out of a side road and hit my car which was on a main road turning right into the said side road.
The other driver is now lying and...
I've had this car for a few years but had a problem recently whereby it would suddenly feel like the brakes had been slammed on for an instant whilst driving.
It was diagnosed as due to faulty wiring...
Bought a new Tiguan in October 2010, current mileage 10,104 and I have just had a flywheel replacement under warranty.
I hope this will not ber a regular occurance! I am concerned. Is there anything...
Considering Mercedes CLC '08/'10 180 Kompressor petrol auto.
Daily drive is five miles, weekly some 30 mile trips, monthly an occasional 60+ miles.
Should I go for a diesel auto though? Don't like...
I Have a new Hyundai Santa Fe Premium on an 11-plate.
After 3,000 miles the oil warning light came on. Checking the dipstick it was out of oil.
I phoned the local Hyundai garage and they said to top it...
Just thought I'd let you know that when my mum took her 5 year old Mercedes A class for an MOT last month, it failed due to a broken front coil spring (no doubt helped by the recent proliferation of pot...
I am looking for a small medium size family car must seat 3 kids in back, economy not an issue due to limited mileage. Performance and style important, £20k budget for used 2 to 3 years. Lots of city use...
I have a 1998 Mondeo V6 Auto. 74,000mls. Clean car with full history.
I have owned it for four months and it has been absolutely faultless. However, whilst driving couple of days ago, without any warning...
I have a 58 plate Golf GT Sport 1.4 TSi and during the first 20,000 miles I did not need to add any engine oil between services.
Since then the engine is using about 1 litre of oil in every 4000 miles...
Which would you recommend the most out of Mazda 3, Skoda Octavia, and Kia Cee'd?
I have a 51 plate C240 Mercedes, with 73k miles on the clock.
It has had the front and rear shock absorbers replaced as well as the front bushes.
It has 17 inch wheels. Over normal road conditions...
My son is looking into the purchase of a campervan for recreation through the year. His mileage is likely to be fairly low. Having looked at a number of vans, the majority would appear to be powered by...
We are thinking of trading our Toyota Yaris diesel next year for the new Yaris Hybrid, which is coming soon. However, talking to our mechanic and the Toyota salesperson, we are advised that benefit from...
I’d like to make a general comment following your comments on compulsory ESP installation. I have driven many miles on snow in Scandinavia over 20 years and the worst incident I have encountered was I'm...
I have just taken delivery of a new Audi A3, which is excellent. However as a senior citizen with slight hearing difficulties I find that I cannot always hear the turn indicator beeper as well as I would...
Like many of your readers my car was logged as overstaying a 2-hour limit in a B&Q car park. The parking company were given my personal details by the DVLA in order to track me down. The company concerned...
I am looking to change my KIA Sorento, bought 15 months ago. I have now had to give up caravanning and am looking for a smaller car with high seating and have looked at the Skoda Yeti which I am very impressed...
I have a Volkswagen Passat CC GT that is just over a year old. For some time I have been aware of rusting on all four wheel hubs which, apart from being unsightly, gives me cause for concern over possible...
I read in your column today your advice on insuring teenage drivers. My granddaughter is approaching 17 and the problem of insurance raises its head. You say that a discount may be obtained if a seasoned...
Over the last couple of weeks my wife, who has a prestigious German car, has been contacted twice by our local dealer. He advised that because the car was five years old they were obliged by Health & Safety...
The item in the recent issue of the Telegraph on the DoT issuing an uncompromising formal warning to drivers to "get insured ahead of a new crackdown" has provided me with topical food-for-thought. My...
I was recently involved in a car crash. The resulting damage to my car has meant that it has been written off by my insurance company. The car is a Ford Racing Puma and was insured for £6,000. An independent...
My wife recently bought a low mileage used Volkswagen Golf automatic from Partingtons of Woking. We were very impressed with the pre-handover service received, with various items such as broken wing mirror...
I have just read your response to a reader concerning how to join a motorway. The reader wrote that drivers joining the motorway have no right of way but your reply says otherwise. You wrote: “The priority...
Our local paper recently detailed the treatment a crime victim had when his car was damaged by vandals which I hope will be of interest. It is a good example of what is wrong with this country - too soft...
This is a subject that really irks me. I spend a lot of time in the Canary Islands and mainland Spain. It is not an uncommon sight to see UK-registered vehicles being driven openly on Spanish roads. Some...
I am currently visiting the Bedworth area. I was here in January and was shocked by the state of the roads. The roundabout below junction three of the M6 had huge holes in the road surface, and they are...
I have not sold a car privately for about 15 years and would like to know the safest way to go about this. The BMW MINI dealer only offered £3,500 for my MINI Cooper as a trade-in, but suggested I may...
I had my 1993 Porsche 964 for sale and was contacted by an interested buyer, answered all questions asked honestly and he liked what he heard. We discussed money and he was happy to pay £13,000 after a...
I currently run a 2001 Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI Elegance saloon. The car has done just over 80,000 miles and is in excellent condition. During the past two winters, due to the snow, I have not been able...
Having, regrettably, had to sell my pristine XJS convertible through lack of winter garage space, I would be most grateful to know which "Eurocar" convertible available, at least three years old and no...
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