Questions from May 2012
My eccentric brother has bought an old customised MGB GT with something called Sebring Tuning. He claims it was a bargain because it just needed to have the clutch fixed. But (ha ha) he can't work out...
I'm in the market to change my Citroen C4 1.6 HDI EGS. I have had a test drive in the Jazz 1.4 ES CVT, and am quite impressed, although it doesn't have the performance of the Citroen. But I think I could...
The insurance renewal on our car coincides with the road tax, which surely can't be unique. Although the DVLA website encourages early renewal and the online checker confirms that the car is insured, it...
We are about to change our Mazda 5 for something smaller. My wife really likes the sliding doors, which make it easier to get kids in and out and they don't knock other cars when parked. Apart from the...
For a long time I have suspected that some drivers are using cruise control or are saving fuel when I see them slowly passing a foreign lorry. Surely one should accelerate and clear the danger zone quickly....
I currently drive a 4-seater 2.0-litre diesel Passat CC but, due to retirement and enhanced grandchild minding together with reduced mileage, I need to have a 5-seater petrol vehicle. At present I am considering...
I was today due to collect a 2010 Volkswagen Touran SE with 6000 miles on the clock from a Volkswagen dealership in Twickenham. The dealer sourced the Touran for us and gave us a price of £14,195, to which...
I think the runflat tyres on my 525i are superb. This is my third 525 fitted with Bridgestone Potenzas (50mm profile on a 17-inch wheels). They are very grippy, even when pushed hard, forgiving over speed...
My 2011 Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI Elegance is great in all respects apart from one. The ride is painfully hard so I would like to change the tyres which are Bridgestone Turanza ER300 205/55 R16 91Vs. Do you...
There are a couple of errors in your reply about transferring a reg from a crashed car. Firstly, you wrote, "You cannot transfer a plate from a write-off". It is possible to transfer a plate off a write-off....
My pensioner parents had an issue over an offending vehicle in the Greater Manchester area that was using a cloned copy of their green Honda Accord registration plate. They live in Gloucestershire. I filled...
My daughter was driving her 70,000 mile 1999 Ford Fiesta 1.4L petrol at very slow speed whilst parking, when the front offside suspension coil spring suddenly snapped without warning. The breakdown recovery...
Can you please remind me of the website for reporting serious problems with road surfaces?
At 82 I'm looking to replace my 2003 Honda Civic 1.6 Executive automatic for a larger comfortable car such as a Mercedes-Benz E300 or Lexus with low mileage and cost of £8000 - £12,000. My annual local...
We currently run a 2003 Ford Focus TDI which we have been reasonably happy with, some comfort issues apart. It has 108,000 miles on the clock and a few dents and scratches which we have not had fixed....
We both recently retired and no longer need our two cars. We are considering buying a 28,000 mile 2008 Ford Kuga 2.0 Zetec TDCI, as 4WD would be useful, from a Ford main dealer in Gainsborough, advertised...
We currently have a 2009 Ford Focus Zetec 1.6 automatic. We find this car very underpowered and have been looking to change to a Volkswagen Golf. The sales people are trying to get us interested in a Golf...
My wife is looking to replace her 40,000 mile 2001 Ford Ka. She believes the Citroen C1, Peugeot 107 or Toyota Aygo might fit the bill. Also she wants to look at the new Ford Ka. Bearing in mind the negligible...
A few weeks ago, I read in your column something that confused, and worried me, as I had just changed my car insurance supplier. I always understood that you were in favour of shopping around for the cheapest...
I have an 8000 mile 2011 Skoda diesel Octavia estate but now no longer do the miles needed to avoid DPF problems. I need a car (not necessarily an estate, but I wouldn't mind another) to cope with golf...
How about this for a cheeky insurance renewal rate? I have been insuring with a leading insurance company for many years. I received a renewal notice for £594.45 for my Mercedes. A quick call to LV resulted...
I have a Astra 1.4 petrol. The car started but shut down after 2-3 seconds. The ignition module, throttle body and pedal have been replaced.
There are no codes stored (code reader used Autel MS409)....
I've just bought a new Ford Focus. Good car, but as I live in a remote area where roads are tricky, I opted for a full-size spare wheel (steel) as a replacement for the standard mini-wheel (at a price,...
I travel mainly on country roads the Pirellis fitted to my X-Type are noisy and I feel every bump. They are great on motorways but I don't use these often.
Is there a quieter option? I would like Michelin...
What would you recommend as a replacement following a faithful Corsa 1.4 auto (R reg)? It needs 5 doors, reasonable boot space, flexible driver's seat to accommodate a fairly short driver, should be fun...
In Feb 2011 I bought what I thought was a pre-owned Mercedes C350 Estate CDI BlueEfficiency model. I emphasise BlueEfficiency because after owning the car for a year I renewed the tax and thought that...
I have just picked up my HDI Citroen C3 Picasso from its two year service (25,000 miles) and on checking the oil level the oil is black.
On lifting the filler cap the oil at the top of the engine is...
My X-Type broke down on motorway. The glow plug light on the dash started to flash, the engine management light came on and the car cut out. It had to be towed home.
The OBDII codes read p0251, p0251+...
The aircon on my Alfa 156 is not working. The drive belt and pulley revolve OK but operating the switch does not engage the compressor clutch.
The centre nut revolves OK with a spanner. If a check...
I currently enjoy driving my Honda Accord iCDTI on my 40 mile round trip commute over a mixture of roads. I like the build quality, reliability, refinement and effortless torque. However, I realise that...
Is the new shape Toyota Yaris a 'proper' automatic rather than an automated manual?
We have problems getting out of our (very hilly) road in snow. We would like to buy a small/medium sized car which is 2 wheel drive and can be switched to four wheel drive when needed, rather than a permanent...
I was wondering if you could shed some light on a problem I have with my Fiesta. First a little history. It's an 08 plate TDCi Zetec S. I brought it just over three months ago from a Ford Main Dealer and...
I'm due to get new Motability car in August. I chose a Citroen C3 Picasso or a Vauxhall Meriva - both auto - both disel. You have rated both quite highly.
I'm disabled (no wheel-chair) with access limitations....
I keep reading that the Saab 9-5 is based on the Vauxhall Vectra, but given the size of the car, surely it is based on the Vauxhall Omega?
I'm looking to change my 2009 Suzuki Swift Sport for something more robust, slightly larger, with fewer rattles and a more composed and forgiving ride quality.
I have been looking at the Audi A3 1.9tdi,...
I want to buy a used car for use as a workhorse for my gardening business and small amount of towing a small caravan.
I have looked at your reviews and come up with Toyota RAV4,Honda CR-V or Nissan X...
My 2008 VW Passat had a heater motor replaced by previous owner 2 years ago and now this has failed and VW say it is not covered under warranty, even though its just 2 years old.
I believe this should...
I am looking to buy a car that can also be used as an occasional 7 seater. I like the Toyota Verso or the VW Touran. My budget is about £8,500, what would you recommend?
How extensive is Nissan's goodwill on X-trail design faults (e.g. Turbo fails DPS etc.) for Cared4 Dealer stock who's service history can't be proved to be entirely within the Nissan network?
The multi-function light illuminates now and again on my Focus auto. The auto box behaves erratically. If I switch the engine off then on, all is ok. The car has done 35000 miles.
My new Fiesta doesn't handle well on highways above about 80kph, it tends to go off line and I have to make constant steering corrections, as if its been blown around by the wind.
The garage told me...
For medical reasons I am not allowed to drive my 2006 A6 2.7 quattro for 6 months. I would like it to be taken for a run every 3 weeks (?) by my daughter or local garage man (on red plates?) to keep it...
I am looking to buy a brand new BMW 3 series convertible. In terms of reliability and cost of ownership should I go for diesel or petrol. 15000 miles p.a. over a 4/5 year period. Reliability is more...
They have done two costly warranty repairs which they found when they have done main services at 12500 and 25000 miles.
My car is Peugeot 3008 Automatic Diesel Sports model 1.6 litre. My question is...
Peugeot 806 ignition won't turn off without brake pedal being depressed, then comes on again on its own when the door is opened - even without keys in.
Hyundai state that the suspension of the ix20 has been specially tuned for the UK's poor road surfaces.
Does this also apply to it's cheaper clone the Kia Venga?
I am weighing up whether to buy a 2nd hand (upto 2 year old) Golf 140 GT TDi (maybe Bluemotion Tech) or a new i30 1.6D 126hp Bluedrive (through Drive the deal, so both a similar price).
I do 20k miles...
I need to change the rear wiper blade on a 56 plate ford mondeo. Which way should the retaining clip on the wiper blade be pushed? Is it in towards the wiper arm, away from it or down towards the blade...
I am going to have a car through work so to some extent the purchase cost is not a consideration. More important is economy and tax. However I drive about 20,000 miles per year and 70% is on motorways.
I'm...
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