GREAT ESPECTATIONS

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...

Honourable member

For your information, below is the reply that I got from my MP Ann Coffey regarding clause 56 of the Protection of Freedoms Bill that allows parking enforcement firms to pursue registered keepers of cars...

7-year switch

My BMW 318 is over 7 years old. The annual Tax is now over £200 and the annual insurance is quite steep, due to my age. The car has never let me down and is very comfortable to handle. But I feel the time...

Store car

I have recently purchased a 15 year old 1996 P Jaguar XJ Executive from an elderly gent who has decided to hang up his driving gloves. The car has full service history and is in excellent condition (a...

Three into Two

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...

Doctor rates

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...

Wint some, lose some

We live in rural Devon and, after the last two winters and based on your advice, I am looking to get a set of winter wheels and tyres. Both my wife and I drive diesel automatics; she has a rear wheel...

Taken to the cleaners

Could you please expand on your apparently disparaging reference to supermarket petrol as a contributory cause of lambda sensor failure?

Manguler gearbox

In your reply to WS on 8/10, you warn of the need to be careful with automated manual gearboxes but do not specify the problems. I intend to replace my 2010 Astra auto with a Yaris auto/manual next year,...

Left in no doubt

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...

Way to go

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...

Preaching to the convertible

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...

Burger off

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...

Coming home

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...

Christmas cracker

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...

Not entyrely

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...

Juddernought

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...

Back to the Landy

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...

Fuels unto themselves

In your column on Saturday, October 8th you made mention of supermarket petrol. What is wrong with it? And is diesel affected as well?

Don’t get out enough

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...

Wheeler deals

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...

Perish, the thought

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...

Retention fee

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...

Cape FIAT

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...

Buyers mark it (down)

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...

Buzzing/Crackling sound when hitting 2000rpm

Over the last day or so, I have noticed a buzzing/crackling type sound (appears to be from the dash area) when accelerating at around 2000rpm. It seems to go away when I accelerate through it or take my...

Golf EPS problems

Having recently paid a deposit on a 2005 Golf Plus, we noticed on the test drive that the ESP warning light was on, showing the skidding car on the dash. The trade seller has said that he will fix this...

Modern gear ratios

Why are the intermediate gear ratios in modern cars set so high? Many cars with 6 speed gear boxes have the same peak speed in 4th, 5th, and 6th. Why not set 3rd, and 4th a little lower to aid overtaking...

What type of cam drive does the Golf have?

Do the new petrol Golfs have chain cam engines?

Petrol or diesel?

I am thinking of getting another car for the family (5 Door with decent power and boot space) but unsure which to go for Petrol or Diesel? My work would be return journey of 16 miles a day (Non motorway) But...

Used luxury automatic

I have a budget of around 17,000 to buy a quality used car that will last a good while. I want an auto and plenty of space. I do a fair bit of mileage so economical and comfortable.

Returning a problem car

Long suffering with an Audi I've bought. The dealer has said the car is repaired and being picked up tomorrow. He wants me to go and pick it up. This is a 150 miles away 300 mile round trip. I've checked...

Clearing a DPF

I have been told that if I do several short trips in a 4x4 with a dpf i can un block it by engaging low in theauto box and then driving flat out up a steep hill for about one mile. Could this be true and...

Nissan Note fuel capacity

I recently bought a 58 reg Nissan Note Tekna with 7100 miles on it. I would like to know the capacity of the fuel tank and also when the fuel indicator lamp comes on how much fuel(in litres) is left in...

Cheap automatic

Please can you tell me what is the cheapest but most reliable small automatic available at the moment - i live in Borehamwood - so any pointers on which garage would also be great.

Mercedes-Benz warranties

Buying a low mileage diesel E280 Mercedes from a franchised dealer in 2010, I took out a two year warranty from Mercedes Benz UK. I later found that there are 28 categories of items on the car excluded...

Winter Tyres for Golf TDI

I currently have a 2004 VW Golf 2.0 GTTDi 140 with 225/45/R17 wheels, these are hopeless in the winter and especially caught out in the snow. I have purchased a spare set of 15'' steel rims with a view...

When does a 'fully refundable' deposit become non-refundable?

I enquired about a car I had seen online. The dealer was some distance away and I could not visit for a test drive for 2 or 3 days and was told that a 'fully refundable' deposit would secure the car until...

Crankshaft bolt dropped out 5 months after buying used VW

I bought a 2007 VW Golf GT TSI in March11 (48k miles) from an independent dealership. I am now faced with a large repair bill (new cylinder head) after a bolt dropped out of the crankshaft in Sept 11...

What large car?

My 2000 seven-seat E-class has finally reached the end of the road as the suspension needs serious work (probably as a result of speed bumps that blight our part on London). I need a replacement and have...

Mitsubish Outlander 2.2 diesel JURO SST - chain or belt cam?

I know the Mitsubishi Outlander has several diesel versions. I refer to the 2.2 PSA diesel with SST automatic as in the JURO model. Is this engine belt or chain cam?

Lock stock

Some weeks ago you recommended a company to contact re replacement remote car keys, could you again give me that information again for a friend?

Problem unfolding

I have a Skoda Yeti 2.0 TDI 140bhp 4x4 DSG (which is a diesel automatic). It the 2010 model and is a 2011 reg. I absolutely love this car. It does everything it says it should and I get fantastic fuel...

Premier legal

Some time ago I saw an email about taking out legal cover independently of one’s car insurer. I cut it out and kept it but now can't find it. Can you tell me what it was?

Luber alles

I just read NS’s email regarding the extortionate cost VW charged for engine oil. I suffered similarly with Audi a few years ago, being charged for 18 1/2 litre bottles. This year Audi wanted to charge...

No vagging doubts

Anyone in the West Midlands/ Wolverhampton area with a VW, Skoda, Audi or SEAT needing reasonably priced, friendly and helpful service should try VW Rescue at Wombourne. A family company that is always...

Bucklers hard

I own a Ford Fiesta Zetec Climate 1.2 first registered in November 2008. Last week I took it in to the dealer I bought it from for its third annual service. The service department rang me to say that all...

Vauxhall Curser

Three years ago we bought a Vauxhall Corsa Design 1400 automatic. We like the car but we are not happy with the fuel consumption. The manual says it should do 330 miles on a full tank but our car only...

Where there’s a well there’s a way

I have a 2005 Mondeo Titanium X 2.2 TDCi, bought two years ago to tow a caravan. This has four 255/40ZR18 low profile tyres on alloy wheels. These tyres hammer noisily over rough surfaces, tramp sideways...

Rulebook Britannia

Your readers might be interested in how VOSA checks up on the performance of MoT testers. They sit in a car nearby and log into the MoT testing station computer. A Vauxhall Vectra had been passed and was...