Questions from August 2012
Am I required to declare a speeding conviction when I renew my car insurance when I accepted the "Drive Awareness" course incurring no points?
Why does my central locking open by itself and at the same time electric windows also go down by themselves? This happens when car is locked and no one is near the car or keys
This is on a mk4 Golf 1400.
We have a 2005 Nissan X-Trail DCi Sport which has done 90,000 miles (we've had it since it was under a year old). After having a new turbo and intercooler under warranty after 2 years, it has been very...
I have recently purchased these two cars, both turbo diesel.
As a first time user of diesel cars, have heard that before switching off the engine one has to keep it running for a couple of minutes. Is...
My elderly Honda Accord has just passed its MOT, and I think now is the time to get rid, hoping that the 12 month MOT will help resale value!
I am currently looking for a smaller car, that hopefully is...
My wife is due to have our baby in October and we need a small automatic hatch which is reliable and around £6,000. Four door and space for baby things.
Can you suggest one please?
I bought a 2005 Vauxhall Corsa with 11000 milles from a car supermarket at full price back in early 2008 in ignorance of its previous history. Four weeks ago I was waiting at some traffic lights only to...
We want to buy a 3-4 yr old diesel auto and have narrowed the choice down to a Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCI Ghia or Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI PD Elegance with 12-month manufacturer's warranty.
In either case we...
I am 17 and doing my lessons, aimed to pass around christmas time. When I pass will I be able to be added to my mums insurance in order to drive the car?
I own a 2010 Mercedes C350 CDI with AMG wheels which are coroding under warranty from the centre out. But Mercedes only offer the option of replacing 3 of the wheels if I pay for one at £700 each because...
I have leaky hydraulics on my hood which I need deal with fairly quickly as I have bought a repacement car. Timing is everything they say! Local SAAB dealer has inspected and told me the part required...
I recently test drove a SAAB 9-3 Vector Sport 1.9 TTID and was very impressed with the power - 180 bhp from a diesel car with only £30.00 road tax.
I am just after your advice on whether you would advise...
I have had my car for about 8 weeks. It became obvious on a trip to France that the steering wheel vibrates heavily if you attempt to brake when travelling on Autoroutes. I reported it to my dealer (Gateway...
My Vectra has been a great workhorse but now when accelerating hard the power fails at around 3000 revs. I have been advised it could be the air mass indicator that has failed. Could this be so?
Currently own a zafira which I'm looking to replace, My work is parcel delivery (carry anything from packages to heavy parcels upto 17kg and 1.50cm in length, so need plenty of space but also being economical....
Recently hired a Peugeot 107. It was almost undriveable in sunlight owing to total dashboard reflection. This is a serious design flaw and very dangerous. It was worse than somebofy shining their headlights...
Is it true that the 1.6 HDi 90 engine on the Citroen C3 has an option for a DPF? If so would I be right in assuming you would recommend the one without one?
I have just got a BMW 318i SE 2009. It has runflat tyres and I am finding the suspension very uncomfortable. Can you recommend any tyres that would give a softer ride?
I'm seeking a comfortable mid-sized car and am considering a used BMW 3 series. Many reports say they can cause/aggravate low back problems due to thier offset pedals. What are offset pedals and how...
I am looking at buying the new Porsche Boxster to use for touring in Europe and to some out of the way areas. As there is no spare or space saver, only a can of foam, I am concerned about being stranded...
I have owned a Micra and a Yaris. I have 3 children who are now too big for a Yaris. I want a car that has 3 individual seats in the back. And that a driver used to small cars can drive. Ideally 3...
Buying a 2-3 year old hatchback, budget max £8K, any advice? I have been looking at Astras -1.4-1.6 ranging from £6-8k.
Would like something that looks stylish (bearing in mind I'm 22), seen the different...
Keyfobrepair.co.uk (Crescent Radio Ltd, Palmers Green) offer a key fob repair service, refurbishing & replacing faulty switches, failing batteries, etc for £16.50. Have you heard reports on them from...
I have a June 2010 C Max, manual, 2.0L Duratorq-TDCi (136PS) - DW10, old model, with DMF and am pretty certain a DPF. The car has done 34k and I usually do around 16K per year including towing a caravan...
We need to replace our 2003 Renault Grand Espace with a 7 seat family car for two adults and four children. Our annual mileage is about 6000 and we do quite a lot of short journies, so a petrol engine...
We currently run two cars and would like to replace one or both in the next couple of months.
My husband drives an 03 plate Toyota Corolla vvti 1.6 and commutes about 50 miles per day - half on pretty...
When I ordered my car I am sure the higher powered 170bhp engine was described as having a chain, whereas the lower powered standard 140bhp had a cambelt. I am advised that at the next service my car will...
I'm look for a large family car, my current selection includes:
Mazda 6 1.8 TS,
Mondeo IV 1.6 Ecoboost Zetec or
Toyota Avensis TR 1.8 v-matic estate (don't like the saloon!).
1 year old or less are...
I just retired, I used to drive 300 miles a week. My now 14 year old Audi A3T never any problems until February when it had a new clutch kit fitted.
Recently the clutch seems loose and appeared to stick...
Car has 225x40x18 wheels on it, not the original size - so what pressures should I now put in?
Last Saturday's Telegraph column discussed problems with the operation of electric handbrakes. The 1978 Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations (regulation 13, para. 2 (b) (i)) say that the parking...
I am looking to change cars and hope you can help. Specifically, the car needs to be an automatic with a large boot but not an estate. A large saloon or hatchback would probably fit the bill as might an...
Over the past couple of months both ignition keys for my Peuguet 308 (58) intermittently fail to lock & unlock the car. The dealerships says I need a £130+ diagnostics check to find out what the problem...
I am looking for a full 5 seater, 3 good seats at rear, will be doing trips 10-12 hours. Also should have 4 wheel drive, as will be driving on snow.
I am looking to buy a larger 4X4 so that I can tow two horses and also use the car as a family run around.
We currently have a Grand Vitara and V70 and while both are comfortable they both lack the towing...
I am looking to buy a new car and the model I am interested in has keyless entry. My friend has warned me against this and says that he read a recent article in a national newspaper highlighting an increasing...
Last year the DVLA registered me as the new keeper of a 1936 Alvis. The car was at the time registered on SORN which was due to expire nearly a year later. I contacted the DVLA's Enforcement Centre where...
My daughter needs a car to ferry her four young children to school and to travel to see us in the school holidays. I have been offered a 2.5-litre Mazda Bongo B2500 diesel automatic for £2995. It has 92,000...
I currently have a 2006 Clio Expression 1.2 16v and I want a new five-door car with air conditioning. I do around 10,000 miles per year, mostly locally, with one round trip per week of 100 miles and a...
I have just purchased a set of Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme tyres for use on a Kia Sportage. This was the first time I have come across the new EU tyre labels and I was not surprised to see that, for a...
I received my quote from Churchill Insurance for my 56 plate Fiesta Ghia at £230.02, rang them to include my recent (6/9/2012) SP30 in a revised quote and they came back to me with a figure of £339.20....
I have been asked to help a lady in her early eighties with a change of car. She is a very competent but cautious driver who currently drives a 1997 Rover 100 1.1i. She is a very petite five foot tall...
I recently ordered a car manufactured in the Eurozone and then realised that the Euro has devalued against the pound by approximately 20 per cent over the last year. My question is who gets the benefit...
A couple of weeks ago the council of Harrow had a consultation regarding building speed humps on our road. We made a petition against their proposals which now has signatories from 72 households out of...
Many drivers now are fixing cameras in their cars to record their journeys. Are the insurance companies and courts accepting film from these cameras as evidence? Can you recommend one for less than £200?
I have a 1.8-litre 2003 BMW 316ti Compact automatic that has covered 96,000 miles. In the last year and a half it has started to using oil. It is not burning oil, and there is no blue smoke coming from...
Further to TP's wallet pains I too have found that I need to remove my wallet from my back pocket for long journeys to avoid back pains. I am intrigued by your response to back pocket wallet carrying....
I would like to get into the car trade. Is it realistic to aim to sell 10 cars per month? I would aim for bargain cars under £1500. Would you also please confirm realistic margins, i.e. could I buy them...
I am currently running a Honda Jazz 1.4 i-VTEC ES which I find cheap to run and perfectly adequate for daily runs. However, my wife has a back problem and she finds the Jazz uncomfortable. We are considering...
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