Questions from December 2012
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...
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...
We have a 3-year old Audi Q5 that has done 55,000 miles. The tyres on it are 285/30 ZR 22, for which we can’t seem to get hold of replacements. Will other tyres fit?
When we input the car registration...
One of your readers letters extolled the virtue of running older cars. Like you, I remember when I was young and had little money. I ran old cars and can’t forget the grief they gave me. Never again.
I...
On the BBC2 programme 'How Safe Are Britain's Roads' they did a piece on an Automated Braking System that stopped/slowed the car when another vehicle or pedestrian was in front of it. I have tried to find...
We have a Honda Jazz Hatchback 1.4 i-VTEC EX, purchased September 2011, when 18 months old. During the first 6 months we had to have the battery replaced twice. Last week whilst waiting for my wife to...
Having spent much of my life immersed in most matters car related including working on the body shop floor and restoring classics, I have an axe to grind with those who consider bringing back the scrappage...
I took my 2008 Vectra to a Vauxhall dealer (Downside Motors, Chilcompton, Radstock near Bath) for its annual service and MOT on 31/10/12. I have used this dealer once before but wouldn’t say that I had...
My sister-in-law is coming to live in the UK next year from Australia and wants to bring her 4-year-old, low mileage Volvo V70 with her. We can sort out shipping, but believe that she may have to pay some...
I recently saw your advice to a Honda Jazz owner saying contact Honda Happiness Accident Assistance rather than his insurer in the event of an accident. On the same basis, in the event of an accident in...
For a dozen or so years I have had a ‘Trafficmaster’ device on my dashboard that indicated when motorways and other major roads ahead were congested. It operated via sensors and transmitters on bridges...
I last wrote to you 8 years ago when I was looking to buy an automatic to commute into central Manchester. I didn’t want to sell my Audi TT Roadster and you recommended a Toyota Corolla, which has been...
As your readers seldom seem to send good news about Volkswagen, I thought you might be interested in my experience. I bought a new Passat Estate in 2004 and was disappointed to recently discover corrosion...
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?
My son is about to turn 17 and I am looking to buy a small car for him. I don’t want to spend more that £1,000 and I need a car that is: Safe; Cheap as possible to insure; Simple to repair (I want him...
You recommended placing least-worn tyres on the rear wheels, contrary to my belief over many years driving. This was confirmed by a few other motorists of similar vintage. Could you please clear this matter...
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 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...
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...
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...
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.
We are currently looking for a new car for my wife, she currently has a Nissan Note 1.5 dCi which she is very happy with but she does 24k a year and the the mileage is getting rather high now.
We are...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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