Questions from August 2012
I wish to change my tyres for a deeper profile.
It currently has 215/45 R17W and I wish to improve the comfort and protect the rims better from kerb damage.
Can I fit a deeper profile such as 50 or 55?
Will...
For some years we have driven Honda CRV and Toyota Rav4s. We would now like a more luxurious vehicle and have considered BMW X3 and Audi Q5. Have you any recommendations please?
I am going to France with my son who will be driving his own car. He is inclined to dismiss the legal requirements regarding items of kit to carry. Would you enlighten him please for my peace of mind.
My son and daughter in law are posted to Addis Ababa and need a reliable 4x4 that is good off road. They have been advised that unleaded petrol is hard to find away from the capital, they have also been...
When I took my VW Golf for its service today I was asked if I wanted to have the tyres filled with nitrogen at a cost of £5.99 for four. The alleged benefits were 1. Safer motoring (better road holding...
Hi, The all terrain pack has mud/snow tyres on steel wheels for all year round driving. The dealer says handling, ride, noise, fuel consumption and wear are all unaffected. Do you think its a good safety...
We wonder if we should downsize from our 54 reg Avensis diesel to a 1.4 Jazz to carry our golf clubs & electric trollies.
Does our Avensis have the dreaded dual mass fly wheel & troublesome particulate...
I have a VRS 2011 coming upto 12 mnths old. I was told it's two years before first service - manual says 12mnths or 12000 miles -I've only done 2500. What's right?
You talked up the old 2.0 Type-S in an answer today, and I see from a recent response you seem to like the old 2200 Type S as well. Are these still available (golf clubs and trolley space essential) and...
My son works in building trade. He currently runs a K reg Freelander. It has to go it is so unreliable, costs a fortune to keep on the road.
He needs a reliable workhorse to carry tools and equipment...
I had an accident in my Vivaro 58 reg - only wing damage. The air-bag went off, it was replaced and repaired but now won't start. Fuel is getting to the fuel-rail, but not at high pressure. There's no...
We are a retired couple looking to buy a new small car.
I gather small diesels are not a good idea for our motoring profile and thus we will probably go with a hybrid.
The two that fit the bill are the...
I have bought some Simoniz brake dust repellant alloy wheel cleaner 2-in-1 formula. It is a spray. A friend has advised against using it as he says it will ruin the brake pads. Is he right? I have thought...
My 2005 Mondeo diesel is being passed to my son very soon. I was going to replace it with another year old car but my mileage has reduced. I was about to buy a 12 mth old petrol such as Focus, Octavia...
The gear stick on my 2004 Seat Leon no longer springs back to the neutral setting when pushed/pulled out of gear; it has lost all elasticity so that you have to fully guide it into a gear.
So, going...
I perhaps foolishly bought a new VW Jetta 2.0TDi about 9 months ago. I have not covered as high a mileage as I anticipated and the Hancook Ventus Prime2 205/55/R16 tyres still have plenty of tread.
However,...
I have an issue with my 2003 X Type Jaguar which is starting to drive me nuts!
I have always been pleased with the X Type, my second, and my first diesel car. About 12 months ago the garage needed to...
We are considering buying a used Peugeot 4007 2.2 HDi 156 SE 5dr - 74,500 miles, 07 plate, full Peugeot service history, local car. Recently serviced, has a few extras - parking sensors and leather, and...
The ignition key has the usual buttons to open and lock the car, also a key to go in the ignition. The key locks and unlocks the car as usual, but when I try to put the key in the ignition lock, it refuses...
The gear shift is stuck in park on my Jaguar XJ and won't release to find any other gears. An audible tone rings out when I try to engage another position. Can you help please?
During the one super-freezing weekend we had in February where the temperature reached -10C my Mazda6 Sport (09, diesel 2.0) consistently cut-out and wouldn't go above 2000rpm or 40mph.
I spoke to my...
Bought an 09 plate car from a large supermarket, 7 days later had the car cleaned and noticed marks in the paint on the wing and bonnet - spoke to the dealer who's basiclly said go away
I recently enquired about the new Mercedes C-Class Coupe and after much deliberation decided to opt for a petrol model as I do not do the mileage to warrant a diesel variant. My wife drives a maximum...
My daughter, who has been driving for about 4 months, has had an accident. She has ran into the back of another vehicle. The police were involved and she had made every attempt to stop, however the car...
I have Ford Transit and use it to transport personal possesions to France. It is 3280 Kg GVW and was fully loaded on our last trip. On the return journey on Sunday if I went over 70 mph the water temperature...
As two 80 year olds we need a car that is easy to get into and out. We have a 1.6 C Max 2004 diesel auto with 30K but it is perhaps entering a more expensive period.
If we were to change - apart from...
I have recently bought an Audi A6 Avant SE Quattro 3.0L diesel 09 plate. I have recently sold a Jaguar XJ8 and wanted as quiet and smooth a ride as possible. The choice of Audi SE Quattros was limited.
The...
Hello - I am thinking of buying an ex-motability 09 Citroen C3 picasso. It has done 15,000 miles - but has had new tyres fitted. I have seen a visual health check for the vehicle completed at 9500 miles...
The turbo on my Focus TDCI failed and had to be replaced at a cost of £700. The mileage is 42,000. Why do turbos fail when an engine will make 200,000 miles? I have been advised that the cause is most...
My local Porsche dealer rang me to offer a free tyre inspection on my seven-year-old 997. They collected and delivered the car for what is an approximate 12-mile round trip. No mileage was noted at collection...
I understand that motorists have been apprehended recently for flashing their light to warn oncoming drivers of a radar camera. Some years ago Mr Charles Glendinning was taken to the High Court by the...
I paid £9 at Oxford station ticket office for a car parking ticket and the receipt was timed at 9.25am. I travelled to London by train and, on my return, found that I had a Civil Parking Notice from APCOA...
I have a 2006 Aston Martin DB9 with Bridgestone tyres which were developed for this car and, until recently, were the only ones available in the correct sizes (front 235/40 ZR19, rear 275/35 ZR19). Michelin...
Where can I buy a breathalyser approved for use in France?
I've just had a call from the Official Porsche Centre which is servicing my 2006 997 Carrera S. They tell me that the nipples on the brake calipers are corroded to the extent that they cannot remove them...
I am about to purchase a new Mercedes E220 ‘Executive SE’ saloon. I have read varying reports on supermarket diesel fuel and I am reluctant to fill up at my local supermarket. As an alternative, would...
I was very interested to read that SA from Chard has also had problems with golf clubs in small cars. I have had a Honda Civic Type S (old shape) for nearly five years now. When I bought it secondhand...
I ordered a Land Rover Discovery 4 HSE from my local dealer on 31 March, specified a number of options and was told to expect delivery in early June. In early June I was informed that the vehicle had arrived...
This may by now be old news but just in case. In May 2007 I was down to one remaining key for my year 2000 Yaris Verso. You ran various articles about ways to obtain duplicates but none I could find at...
Today I received a parking charge from Parking Eye. The date of the 'offence' was 19 May 2012 but the car was a loan car that I had borrowed from Stoneacre Ford on 11 May 2012 for one day only. I can only...
I too got a notification from Parking Eye, the usual £90 or £45 if paid in 15 days. I did some research and found that the best advice is to ignore the second and third letters. The third one is quite...
My wife and I wish to purchase a hard top convertible. We presently own a five-year-old BMW 3 Series with 38,000 on the clock. We think the Volkswagen Eos looks promising, but do you have any advice or...
My wife has decided it is time she would like to trade in her 2003 Toyota Yaris 1.0. After much deliberation we looked at a Fiat 500, which she likes the styling and shape of very much. The build quality...
I have read all the very high praise lavished on the new Ford three cylinder engine. In your opinion would the new Focus 1.0 125ps be a suitable car for me to travel 550 miles each week, mainly on motorways?...
A couple of years ago I was working for a contractor serving Tesco. I turned up at a branch, parked, went to the security office and signed in with my name, car registration and employer details, did a...
I have just bought a Toyota RAV-4. It has no spare tyre, just a can of goo to inject. However, after inspecting the bay under the floor where the goo and pump are stored, it seems that it measures up large...
I am 73. I have been driving since I was 17 and in those years I have had many cars. However, I've never sold a car on the open market. When I had a new car the old one was either traded in or given back...
I bought a new Skoda Octavia Estate 2.0TDI CR 18 months ago. I'm very happy except that for the last 6000 miles or so there has been a steady increase in road noise from the rear tyres. I had the tyres...
I have two problems with my 2006 MINI convertible. Firstly, it has developed white mould spots on the inside of the roof over the winter. The fabric on the outside is also quite faded and there is some...
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