Questions from December 2012
What is the most appropriate car for a 17/18 yr old girl, hoping to go university next year. Test already passed and likely to really need a car. Parents and/or grandparents have to stump up. Many people...
I have a classic Range Rover that I have owned for 20 years. About 10 years ago I had it converted to LPG and it has served me well. However an incident occurred yesterday which has left me concerned....
I always find V-Power fuel to be really good on engine of all the fuels that I have used over the years. Does this mean using supermarket fuels result in less mpg due to higher RPM, more carbon deposits,...
Last winter, I cleaned out my shed and found some old half-used bottles of windscreen washer fluid. I tipped them all into my washer bottle. The resultant cocktail blocked all my pipes and it cost me £125...
I need to look for a replacement for our 1996 Peugeot 405 GLXD Turbo estate which we have had since 1999, not because there is anything wrong with it but because the weight and power are both well short...
While not knowledgeable enough to question your answer to GR of Maidstone regarding his problem with an abandoned Transit in her road, I seem to recall in my past police days (ex-Kent 1962-1992) the offence,...
With reference to the email "Chewed Lore", I have stored my car in Florida over the past ten summers and to keep the rodents out of it I hang a supermarket plastic bag of mothballs in the engine compartment....
I was interested to read of a Volkswagen Golf automatic suddenly accelerating. I have an automatic Skoda Octavia and it is virtually impossible to reverse smoothly at low speed, particularly when reversing...
I am currently running a petrol-engined Vauxhall Astra 1.6 16V Club purchased new on 30-6-2001. This has been serviced by an independent garage every 6 months and apart from normal wear and tear to tyres,...
I have a 2011 Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel S which came with bling 20" wheels and low profile tyres. Ideally, I would like to replace these with winter tyres fitted to a more appropriate wheel size. What would...
Sadly, my much-loved Ford Puma is about to meet its demise. Can you recommend a replacement that will have the same driving experience and oomph of the Puma without extending my finances too much?
I...
Please suggest winter tyres suitable for a 2009 Ford Fiesta Titanium currently sporting 16inch alloys with 195/45, low profile tyres.
I propose to fit 14inch or 15inch steel rims with either 175/65 or...
My Opel Astra 1.8 leaks oil and I want to know how much oil does it takes. I'm in South Africa.
What way should the timing belt guide fit on the crank shaft pully on a Toyota Carina E 1995?
The saucer facing in the way or out the way?
What is the recommended driving technique for safely negotiating deeper standing water on roads? Splash or trickle? Most drivers seem to prefer splash but trickle seems more sensible to me.
Does the BMW 1 Series (2009 2 litre petrol) have a dual mass flywheel? Present mileage 8550. If it does then when should I expect trouble? Genuine low mileage car, carefully driven.
I'm homing in on MPV for family (two adults and three growing kids) and have discounted Grand C-Max and Mazda5 in favour of S-Max on basis of needing the extra room.
I need your advice on engines please:...
My local dealer reports that my brake pads are 70% worn and advises all round replacement. The car was registered in March 2010 and has done 49,000 miles. Do you consider that I can safely continue driving...
Can I get some advice on some MoT advisories on my Ford Ka - how much will they cost and do they desperately need doing?
001 front brake disc worn
002 nearside front suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated,...
While driving my temperature gauge rises to 90 degrees pretty quickly. Is this normal or is there a problem with the car?
Maybe someone had posted this before, but I am desperately in need for a solution to this problem. I have Chevrolet Lacetti 1.6 2004 model.
The engine keeps going off while in motion. This has happened...
I have a £500 deposit on one of the very last MK6 Golf GTDs. I wanted to collect it in January 2013 and also asked the dealer for it to be registered then, so it would be a 2013/62 instead of a 2012/62....
I have a 2009 Ford Focus and the audio unit won't turn on. It recently had a flat battery and since then it won't turn on. I have put a new battery on and checked the fuses and none are blown?
I was involved in an accident shortly before my insurance runs out. My current insurance has told me when my insurance runs out the courtesy car will be taken away unless my new insurance covers it. I...
My son owns a 2005 diesel Mazda 6. We paid £1000 for a clutch and flywheel repair 6 months ago and now the engine has seized up and he is talking about paying another £1000 for a new engine as 'what else...
Can you let me know what are considered to be fair storage rates for a vehicle that has been damaged in an accident? I have received a bill for an accident 3 years ago for £150 recovery costs (I drove...
We are looking to replace our 53 plate Vauxhall Meriva (which we have been very pleased with) with a used Vauxhall Astra - only one or two years old. We do about 10,000 to 12,000 miles a year. We are...
I have a Hyundai ix20 the ISG stop/start doesn't work. I have told by Hyundai that I don't do enough miles, they said I should have been told that when I bought the car in OCT 2011. There is nothing in...
I'm tempted by the Volvo C30 2.0D Powershift accepting that every few years I might have a big-ish bill with the DPF. Are the engine and transmission reasonably trouble-free otherwise?
Alternatively is...
My son ran into a pot-hole in Leeds and damaged the suspension on his car, which will cost about £500 in repair costs. The symptoms manifested themselves immediately after the incident and the damage is...
Start stop has stopped working at all over past few weeks. Conditions for operating have been met e.g outside temp and battery fully charged manually. Is this potentially related to the diesel particulate...
I'm looking to buy a small family car to keep the next seven years. In the past I've always bought 'nearly' new at 6-18 months old.
What would you recommend? I average 12k miles a year mostly on town,...
I have a snapped timing chain on a 1.3 multijet engine and I have heard that these engines are "safe" and as such this should not have caused internal damage. Please can anyone confirm this for me before...
I bought the car in September and I have had to have the brakes replaced. The garage replaced this at its cost four weeks after purchase as I got VOSA involved.
The car seemed fine until now. It keeps...
I am currently an owner of the mark 1 Toyota Yaris 1.3 (5 speed manual) but it has now done huge mileage (147k) and I want to replace with the Honda Jazz CVT (2008), last of the old shape.
Just wanted...
What penalty or problems will there be if a car for which it is recommended that synthetic or semi-synthetic oil is used is given 'normal' oil on an oil change?
After a journey the cooling fans on my Honda Civic stayed on for a while for first time ever. They went off after 5 mins. When I started the car today the fans came on and stayed on even though the car...
I have a Honda CR-V and I would like to fit pneumatic seat covers to help combat the firm suspension.
Locating them in the UK is a problem, Alibaba show them on the internet but the seller wants to sell...
Sorry to bother you at Christmas (and hope you had a good one) HJ but in a moment of festive stupidity started putting unleaded in my tank. 3.5 litres before I noticed and stopped and then fully filled...
This particular car is fitted with 16 inch wheels rather than the standard 17 inch. I seem to remember you once saying that smaller wheels/ tyres give a softer ride. Is this true in general, as I find...
I have a Ford Mondeo 2.0-litre Titanium manual. Does it have a chain drive or a replaceable cam belt?
We have a Volkswagen Touran 2007 SE TDI 105 1.9. Had it for 10 months bought second hand from a useless garage and had nothing but bother with it.
It broke down on Christmas Eve and we had to be towed...
I am buying something to replace my ageing Volvo.
I was looking at the Hyundai i30 or Skoda Rapid when it occurred to me that I might be better off going upmarket and used in a similar price range.
The...
I have been using Autotrader for 20 + years.
As a small independent retailer I prefer to use my website and advertise each vehicle individually (It is also more cost effective!).
Auto trader have a club...
As I put my Vectra into reverse the parking sensors immediately start beeping constantly, as if telling me I am near a obstacle without any obstacles behind me. I put it back in to neutral and it stops....
I have a Rover 25 2001 model. Sometimes when I try to start the engine it wont turn over, as if the starter is jammed. It starts with a bump then it starts normally for a bit, then it will go wrong again.
Do you have to go to court or get banned from driving completely if your insurance holder (Bell, safe drivers scheme with black box fitted) cancel your insurance policy for going over 100mph? Or do they...
Our Honda Jazz is 6 years old - a year ago the locks started getting 'sticky'. Now all the locks have failed - including the steering column - replaced at a cost of £576! And one of the keys is bent and...
I have just discovered that my new B-Max is leaking rain water very badly in the offside boot area. A protective sheet that I had on the floor of the boot was found to be soaking wet. The car is now...
I used to drive a Mitsubishi Carisma, now I drive a Volvo V40. I will change in 2013 and I want a smaller car. Must think of driving comfort.
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