Questions from July 2012
I live in the country and drive a Fabia VRS 2011 shod with 205/40/16s. The roads are terrible. Apart from frequent punctures (potholes), the ride is very harsh. Would I benefit from changing to 16in or...
The windscreen of my Alfa 159 has cracked and needs replacing. I'm covered on my insurance (LV) and just pay the excess. Does this affect my protected NCD? I claimed for a minor accident 9 years ago (had...
Our 12 year old Grand Espace needs replacing after 215,000 miles. We have to seat three 6' sons in the back so leg room and comfortable proper adult sized seats are essential (the fights over who has...
The engine occassionally has what I can only describe as a 'hickup' at about 1500 RPM - feels slightly like a misfire on the injectors, but as it only happens at those revs - could it the fault be with...
How can you tell if the engine is a BMW or a Rover one in a Rover 75?
I bought a new 520d Touring in March this year, with an Oyster (light beige) interior trim. The dashboard is a light shade of brown.
In Sunlight it reflects very badly into the screen, when it rains...
I have owned a SEAT Altea XL from new. It was serviced and, when necessary, MOT tested by the supplying dealer (Perrys, Aylesbury) each April for four years.
In April this year it was serviced and MOT...
I would like to know if it is feasable to fit a different size tyre to my 2010 Skoda Octavia VRS (petrol) as the current tyre size (225/40 R18 92Y) is uncomfortable and noisy on roads other than motorway...
I want a cheap and nasty way to chip my Skoada Octavia, as I am lacking in power to tow my caravan over the hills in France and Europe.
Not bothered is I need to splice wires and just add a resistor!
My Grand Cherokee suffered major mechanical failure last week while on motorway. oil leak in Diff lead to rear axel damage. It is a dealer bought and serviced car. It has done 30,000 miles and is a Jan...
When I start the car in the morning. There's a grinding noise from maybe the fan? I switch the car off, then start it again and the noise disappears, and doesn't occur at all on any start up for the rest...
Doing less than 6,000 miles per year I will be heeding your advice and moving back to petrol power when next changing car (also confirmed by the turbo being coked-up twice in last two years in my SAAB...
Can you please short list 3 to 5 cars that would in your opinion fit the following - new or used, 1.6 Ltr engine or less, easy to live with but interesting to drive, economical and reliable
In Jan I bought a Used Audi which I sourced through the Audi website as it claimed that all vehicles have a service history check and will have a clean completely transparent record.
I have no complaints...
I was hit from behind yesterday whilst stationary on the motorway, and it looks like my car will be a write off, thing is I have around £12,000 still owing on the car but the car is only worth £3500.
I...
Dealer says purchasing car now rather than waiting for plate change in September will have no effect on re-sale value - True or False?
I have a Kia Carens on an 06 plate, and very good it is.
It has an intermittent and very odd starting problem, where it starts fine but will not rev.
Once started if I leave it idling at say 1,000RPM...
I read your review of the Seat Leon cupra and after a test drive agreed with every word you said, has been a fantastically fun car to drive and i have been very happy it. However as a 2003 the maintenance...
I bought a 54 plate Fiat Multipla Mk 2 from a dealer in May. It has FSH yet it keeps going wrong.
The dealer replaced a front strut then (very reluctantly) replaced the EGR valve after it broke down.
Now...
I have short-listed two entirely different cars to buy as used, BMW 3 series compact (2001, 85000miles at £2200 ) and Nissan Almera (2004, 45000 miles at £2450).
I am very confused to choose, I like BMW...
I have a clio 1.2Tce, in this type of engine (with turbo and compression ratio 9.8:1) can i get better mileage and performance using RON 98?
Thinking about buying a new car but I am undecided between the Ford Mondeo 2.2 TD X Sport and a Lexus IS F Sport TDI.
Which is the better car, value for money, reliability etc.?
I am thinking of buying a 2000 Mitsubishi Shogun on a private sale, it is in good condition with 86k and service history. The current MoT has an advisory due to all four tyres beginning to wear on the...
I was driving on the motorway at about 70mph when there was a loud clunk, the car lost power down to below 50mph and revs increased. This has happenened twice but the car is ok at low speed around town....
When driving my 206CC the radio cuts out, everything on board flashes up, it says I have no petrol, revs go down, and can't tell what speed I'm going. Doesn't do it all the time.
We are looking at buying a 58-Plate Freelander 2 GS, one owner with full service history. It has 94k on the clock - is this too high? Are there any questions we should be asking the dealer? The price is...
I like the Seat Ibiza. I have found a 2006 reg, 1.9TDI Sport for under £3k, but it has 106,000 miles on the clock. Is this something to worry about or is this quite a good deal? How long do SEATs normally...
I currently own two cars - an 07 reg Ford S-Max Titanium and a 53-reg Citroen C3. Both have relatively low mileage but their book value will not reflect that. I am relocating to the US for work reasons...
I am planning to change my Mondeo Diesel for the Focus 1.6 petrol 180 bhp. It seems to come with large wheels. I'm no more of a fan than you of large wheels and low profile tyres. Can this car be ordered...
I currently run a 2001 Volkswagen Golf 1.4 for personal and business use. I've calculated that in the past 12 months I've covered 12,000 miles but my expenses for running the car inc. petrol, tax, servicing...
On starting ignition there is a whine - started very recently and has just got worse. It dies away very quickly the car drives and steers OK, but the engine is noisier than my previous 1275 Micra which...
My daughter has started work as a physiotherapist in an NHS hospital. She is provided a parking space, but part of the agreement is that she has to agree to maintain her car to a required standard including...
With all the confusion around company car tax could you clarify the tax allowance for emergency services lease cars for those of us who respond to incidents. As a fire officer I respond in a lease car...
I have a Vauxhall Vectra 2.2 petrol 02 plate, I bought the car about two weeks ago and when I bought the car the owner did point out the noise. He said he didnt know what it was.
When I start the car...
I have owned a 56 plate Audi for 10 months. Unfortunately a lady crashed into the car when stationery (on the 6th June 2012) and this resulted in car requiring repairs to the front passenger side bumper...
Jaguar will never recreate an icon similar to its E Type whilst it continues to make the front inlet grilles on its latest models look as though they are made of chromium-plated chicken wire.
The BPA provided information to the Ministry of Justice last year that its members actually take between 36,000 and 90,000 people to civil court each year. They did this for the 'Impact Assessment' on...
After selling my BMW 5-Series I'm thinking of returning to a Golf-sized car and was thinking about a 1.6TDI Match Mk6, however I'm wary about buying a diesel. We only did about 8000 miles per year in the...
I drive 2008 KIA cee'd automatic which I've had since new. Last year, when attempting to reverse into a parking space, I put the car in reverse and without my touching the accelerator, the car shot backwards...
I have a one-year-old Skoda Fabia that has done 650 miles and is now due for a one-year service. The garage has told me that I do not need get this done until advised by an indicator on the dashboard but...
I have been following correspondence about parking charges and limitations outside motorway service stations and how this restricts people spending time and money there. We have a local restaurant and...
Thank you for your excellent advice about selling a cheap car. I placed one or two cards in newsagents' windows and already I have several people firmly interested. I have never sold privately before and...
Would appreciate some comment and guidance as to how best to spend up to £15,000 on a second-hand 'luxury' saloon. I only travel around 6000 miles annually, mostly short journeys with occasional 200 -...
Once my 2007 Mazda 3 was out of warranty I switched my servicing to a local and more convenient lower cost multi-franchise garage. Looking into parts costs I was amazed at the difference in price between...
My 2007 Nissan X-Trail Adventura failed its first MoT on a broken wire to the high level stop light in the tailgate. It then failed its second MoT on the same problem. Now the rear wiper has failed. It's...
My wife drives a 2005 Vauxhall Vectra 1.9 diesel and has done less than 26,000 miles. Should we have the timing belt changed at the next service?
Also, I noticed you saying not to buy four-year-old or...
I recently challenged a parking fine by writing to the enforcement company offering £10 to cover the fee, plus admin. This was returned with a letter that did not seem relevant to my circumstances so I...
I recently needed to replace all four tyres on my motorhome, so I researched the web and found what looked like a good price on the Event Tyres site. As they had received an Honest John award, I felt confident...
Has a 2007 Mercedes-Benz A-Class A150 Elegance SE automatic got a timing chain or timing belt and, if a belt, when is the recommended interval for changing?
The strange thing is about satnavs warning of speed camera locations is that a French gendarme only has the right to investigate your GPS if you give permission, so I suggest a firm but polite Non. The...
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