Questions from July 2012
Can you advise me please? I am thinking of getting a bigger car and have my eye on a Skoda Octavia. If I go for a model with the 1.4 TSI 122 BHP engine will I have to let the turbo 'spool' down before...
I ate dinner at the Swan Hotel, Bedford on 19 December 2011. I arrived in darkness and left in darkness. The hotel charged me a £5 fee for the service of car parking (I have the invoice), thus a contract...
I am a happy owner of a Ford S-Max diesel. I have my servicing done by an independent Ford dealership (Perkins of Rayne). A month after my latest service I called in with a bulb blown in the tailgate....
I will be 70 this year and obtained my driving licence in New Zealand at the age of 15 (driving age is still 15 today). I hold a normal car licence at the moment but have also held an HGV and a bus licence...
I recently privately purchased a 2006 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 SE 80bhp. How can I independently check the CO2 rating? The V5 states 156 grams per kilometre, whereas the original supplying dealer to the first...
Other than advertising it and having all sorts of people on the doorstep, which I really do not wish to contemplate, what is the safest way to sell my 2005 Audi A3 Sportback quattro DSG with 47,472 miles...
I'm unclear if I should tell insurers that I have fitted winter tyres to my Skoda. The tyres are exactly the same size as the summer tyres and were supplied and fitted to new wheels by our local Skoda...
I would like advice on the following. I purchased a 2005 jaguar X-Type 2.0 diesel in April 2011 with a standard three month warranty. Almost immediately I had starting problems with the car. Over the next...
I wonder whether the 18-month-old Polo that needed new front discs and pads after 8500 miles really needed them? In my experience the worst people for try to sell me unnecessary things during a service...
My wife and I arrived back in Southampton from an extended cruise on 20 December 2011, having left Southampton on 14 November 2011). Earlier this week I received a fixed penalty notice, with photos, alleging...
I remain convinced that the Chinese owners of MG are sensibly playing their hand in gradually, and will be a significant force to be reckoned with much sooner than most expect. If nothing else, their low...
In your column today, you recommended, again, fitting winter tyres. However, Chris Knapman's article later in the Motoring section offered a different point of view. They cost money to fit, and to refit...
My two-year-old Jazz is booked in for its second service this week, and Johnson's Honda in Slough have recommended the engine should be flushed. The car has done 15,000 miles of mixed motoring. What do...
I noted your reply to JA, Peacehaven and was a bit concerned that your readers may not have understood your point. The Highway Code and the Road Traffic Act are quite clear and that is that passing on...
I was looking for the same thing as MH and was considering Audi, BMW and Mercedes, but I saw a nice Lexus IS 250 Multimedia going through unsold at BCA in November and took a closer look. So I decided...
I own a 2006 Mondeo 2.0 diesel estate, and so far am very pleased with its performance. I have done in excess of 200,000 miles with a lot of motorway usage and have, so far, only replaced the water pump,...
On 21 December 2010 my wife was shopping at a local retail outlet and unknowingly exceeded the allowed parking time by 32 minutes. She was Christmas shopping in the stores on site during this time with...
I suspect I cannot be alone in wondering at the state of car insurance companies? As an example, I quote my own extraordinary dealings with Toyota Insurance. I've owned over ten Toyota cars and have always...
Can you recommend a group 3 insurance car for young drivers other than 206 please?
I pulled up at Doncaster Airport when my satnav fell from my windscreen. I literally stopped long enough to refix it and now I've recd a Parking Charge Notice from Vehicle Control Systems Ltd with a charge...
I drive a Ford Focus 1.8, petrol, April 2004 registration.
Does this car have a chain-cam engine?
Which tyres do you recommend for a Forester? I had to have my wheels aligned after 8500 miles (my fault, said Subaru, as they would have checked before leaving the factory) So the wear on the outside will...
After a few months reading about whiplash fraud and after witnessing two accidents of cars I was following in the last 6 months and in the same period having had two near misses (not my fault), I have...
I'm looking to sell my Alfa Romeo 147 1.6 Lusso (2006, 3dr, 25,000) in the next couple of months and would appreciate your advice on whether its worth forking out on paint/body work repair? Although the...
My wife and I have recently had our first child, and as such now have significantly more stuff to lug around. We also need better access to the back of the car than our '03 plate Honda Civic Type R can...
How long should a rear door lock last with very little use on a 7 year old Lexus LS430? I believe it should be a lot longer than 7 years. Who can I get as an "expert witness" to state that in my claim...
A local dealer is offering new Suzuki Swft SZ3 5 door models at £9275. Does this seem like a good deal and what do you think of this car? Also is the boot large enough to carry a folded wheelchair, and...
I've seen a car that I’m interested in at a branch of Evans Halshaw. When I phoned to inquire about the car and the best deal they could offer, they replied that they price their cars competitively and...
My baby seat requires the seatbelt to go round it to hold it in place, but the seatbelts in both front and rear of my Ford KA isn't long enough to go round. Can a seatbelt extender be used? Is there a...
My much loved '98 MX5 was involved in a shunt from the rear in May. The driver admitted responsibility and his insurance company were very helpful and paid me the write off value for the car (which I...
I'd like to buy a new Land Rover Discovery - which model would you recommend and why. I've been baffling myself with data & loads of other facts! Hope you can help.
My timing chain has snapped on my BMW 118d. It has done 86k and recieved a full service just over a month ago, since the service it was involved in a collision from the rear which needed a new rear bumper....
I own around 15 cars which are a mixture of prewar, classic Mercedes, and modern cars. I have to deal with at least 3 seperate insurance company's to get cover. Is there any Insurers that would be able...
I have noted in your Yaris article that the manual gearbox suffers from a whine. Is this whine something that is to be accepted or is it best to repair? Do you know what causes the whine?
I have had several calls today purporting to be from a company called 'Accident Helpline'.
Their operative has informed me that I, or someone else at my address has been involved in an accident and may...
I currently own an 07 Discovery 3 with 55k on the clock, which I'm really pleased with. Recently there have been a few electronic gremlins with the gearbox and I'm worried I could be in for some big bills....
I'm getting mixed advice about my old paper license, to which 3 points were added in 2006 for a local GATSO trap. These points have long now expired, but it's been suggested that this is no longer a valid...
With the new regulations for passing an MoT - I have an 04 Pug 406 and the airbag warning light has always been on (a known fault on 406s) - will this result in a fail?
I am considering buying a folding caravan that weighs 1100kg but I am finding it difficult to find out whether my 2005 Honda Accord 2.0 Executive Automatic will be able to tow it safely. How can I find...
I brought a SEAT LEON nearly 3 years ago. In March my car had done 80,000 so the warranty had expired. I then had major problems with the car shaking - turned out the conrod was bent in the engine so had...
My son is selling his 08 plate Seat Leon Cupra. I remember seeing a specific site for selling Cupras mentioned some time ago. Failing that which is the best way to sell, you have also recommended other...
As you don't recommend small automated manuals, what small/medium automatics would you recommend please?
Now that it is a legal requirement in France to carry, at all times, a couple of self testing breathalyser kits in your vehicle, is it possible to carry, instead, one of the 'alcosense' re-usable breathalisers?...
I bought a new Focus hatchback 1.0 eco boost 125 last week, lured by the 55+ mpg advertised by Ford and enthusiastically endorsed and claimed by the salesman. I can't get more than 43mpg, and that's on...
I'm very tempted by the new Duster (I saw one in Renault Cardiff yesterday). I don't really do enough miles to warrant a diesel, but I would want the highest trim and diesel is the only engine available....
The 4 year old Audi A6 I bought in Sept 2010 ago was fitted with Barum Bravuris tyres, two of which were well worn. I was obliged to replace them just a few weeks later, and whilst Barum are perhaps not...
My Focus Ghia Tdci had been sat on the drive for the past two months while I was on military training. I have come back and started up my car after putting a new battery in and it started, but soon after...
A few months back I persuaded my wife that it was good practice and worthwhile to fill the Nissan X-Trail with higher quality diesel, as although it was more expensive it would be better for the car and...
I am ready to replace my VW Golf ('58 plate) which has done 32,000 miles. I've had no problems with it (it is in good condition - FSH etc) but fancy something a bit prettier.
I do around 9,000 miles...
I know there have been a lot of questions regarding parking charge notices issued by private parking companies. I overstayed in my local Asda by 25 mins over the free 3 hours.
Usually I park in Asda,...
.jpg)
