Questions from October 2011
I have a Mercedes B-180 CDI automatic, which I bought new in January 2009. It is my third Mercedes and was chosen over a saloon because of its compactness and flexibility that were convenient when transporting...
Last year I bought a set of steel wheels for my Mercedes C-Class for some winter tyres. Bridgend Mercedes Benz made sure I have the correct size bolts and I bought some wheel trims too. This year I want...
I recently moved to Chiang Mai in Thailand from Kenya and Ethiopia where I drove a RAV-4 that was ideal for my needs and the prevailing conditions. In Thailand, I am torn between a second-hand RAV-4 and...
I have looked at the British Parking Association website and examined the appeal. As far as I can see the process is simply decorative, designed to show BPA’s 'caring' side, which we all know it does not...
A friend and her husband have just been followed home and told they had driven into the back of this persons car whilst in town and that they had 100s of witnesses.
They are claiming whiplash but there...
Due to an expanding family it is time to get a larger car, preferably 7 seater. The current 0% finance offer from Toyota seems attractive on the Verso range and the car looks very attractive in the 2.0D...
The plastic back to the side mirror (near side + colour of jean blue) on a 06 plate Ford Focus needs replacing. I am willing to bet that a main dealer will charge extortionately for this bit of plastic...
My Audi A5 is 6-months old and has done 6,000 miles. On recent 150 mile run I had black soot in my exhausts and an oil usage of half litre /600 miles. I am told by Audi this is normal!! How can this be...
How can I find original list prices of Audi RS2 and 911 3.2 (1986) as i want to compare + or - of having as a company car.
Bought a 2007 Freelander 2, diesel, manual with 57,000 on clock from Evans Halshaw, Sheffield on July 12 2011. I live 250 miles from dealer near Poole, Dorset!
Everything seemed fine at first. Car now...
Randomly a warning light appears on the dash. It's the orange one that means a bulb has gone. It's usually the drivers side indicator. If you keep the indicator on for a minute, constantly it fixes itself...
I am thinking of selling my 2007/57 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe. It has done around 14,000 miles and am wondering what is the best and easiest way to sell it, and to whom?
In the week that Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, announced plans to raise the speed limit on motorways to 80mph, I received a Police summons for 80mph on the M4 at. For this offence, I may be...
As I've recently moved to the Yorkshire Dales I'm interested in purchasing some winter tyres for my Mazda 6 2.0 TS. It's currently shod with 205/55 R16 Pirelli P6000s. Please could you suggest some suitable...
I took your advice and went for Mondeo 2006 2.0 Zetec Diesel 130. I’ve owned it for four and a half years and have covered 70k trouble free miles. I have a query on a warning light, GLOW PLUG INDICATOR...
My son was at traffic lights in Hertfordshire when a van ploughed into the back of his car. At the first inspection it was considered to a write off. However, the insurance company ordered a further inspection...
I have a Focus 1.6 diesel that has just had its 3rd major service at a Ford main dealer at 33,000 miles. The paperwork indicates that a DPF service is “urgently required” at an additional cost of £150....
We have been a three-car, but two-driver, family for years now, but age is creeping in and the hassle of taxing, MoTing, insuring and servicing three cars every year is too much. Also, two of the cars...
I have recently finished studying my doctorate. I currently have a 2002 Citroen Saxo Furio 1.4 and feel that I have out grown this car. I'm looking to spend around £4,500 plus part-exchange value of the...
Could you please expand on your apparently disparaging reference to supermarket petrol as a contributory cause of lambda sensor failure?
The rule I have always used when driving in the left hand lane of a motorway is No 167 of my Highway Code otherwise it would mean braking when nothing is in front of me if lanes to the right of me slow...
My car was written off in no fault claim and I was given £2,000 by my insurance company (LV) to which I can add £3,000 - £4,000. That won’t buy a new car so I have decided to go for a used Audi A3. My...
About 3 years ago I took your advice and chose the FIAT 500 1.4 Sport as my lease car. I have been very pleased with it. The lease is now nearly up and I have to decide which car to get for the next 3...
I live in a quiet residential road. 3 weeks ago a neighbour parked a burger bar caravan in the road outside his house. It is dilapidated, unroadworthy and unsightly. He speaks little English but when asked...
I have just bought a Land Rover SVX soft top from Stratstones in Stourbridge with full service history (I traded in a Lotus Elise). Taking the word of the salesman I did not check the paperwork until getting...
We live in a small village and for the last two winters have struggled to get out. I am now thinking of replacing my BMW 1 Series, with an AWD car. I would like to purchase the X3, but the wait is close...
I drive a 2008 BMW 116ES, 1,596cc. Annual mileage: 4,000miles. Last winter I had a bad experience when I went into a very bad spin on black ice and snow. I managed not to hit anything, but I had to abandon...
I was recently on a Classic Car Tour in Italy in my 2005 Morgan Roadster. While there, the rubber hose from the fuel filler cap to the fuel tank split open and allowed petrol to cascade onto a very hot...
I bought a nearly new car from a franchised dealer about 18 months ago. This past week I have received a letter from Retaina regarding the ISR window etched number. The letter states that the number is...
We've seen a 60 plate FIAT 500 1.2s at Motorpoint for £8,600, but they have no TwinAirs yet. A new TwinAir from FIAT will cost £12,700, but is it worth waiting to see if Motorpoint will get any? We're...
We sometimes need to sell our vehicles quickly and easily and do not want the hassle of bargaining with sales or public. I know you tell your readers of the auction route but I recently relented and went...
I have owned a 53 plate Toyota Yaris D4D for six years which hasn't caused me an ounce of bother. It has 92000 miles on the clock. Recently I've had an annoying issue with the engine idling. When you first...
My car is 07 registration. I purchased it from a garage in 2009. The car had been traded in.
While it was still in warranty I had it in a Peugeot garage on numerous occasions as it wasn't running smoothly...
I just bought a 2011, 2 litre diesel Toyota Verso to use for journeys of approximately 50 miles round trip and needing a low loading area for my parents mobility scooter. I use my wife's petrol Yaris for...
My parents, both 89, want to replace their 56 plate Honda Jazz that they have never enjoyed driving (nor me). The brakes are over assisted and the throttle seems to have a lag on it. They want a new, ...
As a retired former senior executive in the car industry, the most refreshing aspect of your column is the even-handed way you dispense advice on customer and manufacturer complaint resolution. Since retiring...
I should be grateful for your advice in purchasing a new/nearly new car. I own a 3-door 54 plate RAV4 with 90,000 on the clock. My partner suffers with Osteo-arthritis with a particular problem at the...
I will shortly be changing my Motability car from a Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 VTR+ diesel, and would appreciate your advice. It needs to be roomy, preferably diesel, manual, and have: Cruise control,...
FIAT has withdrawn the Panda 4x4. Are they due to replace it soon? If not, are there any small 4x4's you could recommend? I spend all winter in the Alps in the present Panda is fantastic in snow.
My Morris Minor 1000 celebrated its 50th birthday at the beginning of September by passing it's MoT. I have used it regularly for the last 40 years and it continues its daily jaunts to the shops. Now a...
We have ordered, but have yet to take delivery a new KIA Picanto. I note it comes with a tyre inflation kit rather than a spare wheel. I'm a little concerned as we may do several long journeys. Do you...
I have just returned a Mazda at the end of a 3-year PCP with 75,000 miles against a contracted 90,000 miles. The dealer principal signed the car off as “no issues”, but due to his circling of a '3' against...
You mentioned in your column last week that the insurer of a motor vehicle should be made aware of any change, however small, that is made to a car as it may affect the validity of the policy held. Does...
Please could you recommend a firm to refurbish the 16in alloy wheels (one of them badly "kerbed") on my 07 Audi A3 TDI? Preferably in Oxfordshire or a neighbouring county and ideally which would collect...
My 2005 V/W Golf Plus has been serviced fully by my local VAG garage and was in for service + MOT 3 weeks ago, however last week the ESP light came on and diagnostics showed the ABS failure. I was quoted...
We are returning to the UK after thirty years in Canada. We are both getting on in years and we like automatic transmission. We have about ten thousand pounds to spend. If possible we would like to buy...
I see that cracked 19"alloy wheels have been causing problems for BMW owners for some time. My car recently failed its first MOT due to three cracked wheels. Two were within BMW's limit and one not. No...
I was looking round a nearly-new-used-car showroom yesterday and could only find one car with a pair of tyres on the same axle that matched. These were ‘Sunny’, made in China. By “matching”, I mean that...
I am not often given justification to offer thanks for the standard of service in today's profit driven society however I wanted to record my thanks to both Honda UK and to my local dealer Cloverleaf Honda...
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