Questions from January 2013
I purchased a second hand 57 plate Citroen C4 Picasso on 18th September 2012 from Arnold Clark, Last night it caught fire whilst driving and its now just a metal shell. Is this not a sale of goods problem...
My new 2004 Mondeo Estate (2Ltr Petrol) was supplied fitted with Continental Premium Contact 205/55/16 tyres. These lasted on the front for an acceptable 21000 miles with the rears following on a few K...
I have a 2007 BMW 3 Series. I have a problem with the driver's door. When the weather is cold, the door will open with the key fob but will not latch closed. I have to engage the central locking to keep...
I am looking at a Sept 11 ,61 plate Citroen C3 1,6 automatic exclusive at £8995 from main dealer. Are you happy with this automatic? Test drive was good.
However I hired by chance a Hyundai 130 1.4 manual...
My Wife has owned a Honda Jazz from new since 2004. It has behaved impeccably apart from a CVT transmission judder which occurred after 3 years in service and was cured in warranty by a change of gearbox...
I was stopped today and found out that my licence was revoked in 2004 when police checked. Iwas given on spot fine 60 quid and 3 points.... ok fair enough. My car was impounded on a sat so can't get it...
I own an automatic transmission Renault Kangoo (petrol). I have done over 100K miles in less than six years. Never had major problems with it - fingers crossed - and I've changed the timing belt at 70k...
I will be buying my 17 year old son his first car, and some of the small insurable cars just don't look safe - and he is 6ft tall. My budget is around £3500 and am thinking perhaps a 1.2-litre Volkswagen...
Nissan Columbia, Jeep Cherokee or Hyundai Santa Fe: which should I choose? All seem to have reliability issues. I really like the drive, where my bad back is concerned, of my 2001 X-Trail, but it is falling...
When cold, the central locking only unlocks drivers side. Unlocks when driving, when it's warmed up.
I am considering buying a new Mk 7 Volkswagen Golf from a car broker, what protection have I got as the purchaser in law and by other means that my money will go to the car supplier and the car will arrive...
Replacement car for my Jazz. £5k ideal spend. Would go to £7k. Jazz has parking sensors and arm rest. Ideally want fitted to next car but DIY is acceptable if car is right. Looking at Skoda Fabia VRS diesel,...
I would like to swap my 205 45 16 winter tyres from my Fabia VRS to another car. Any ideas which cars are suitable for a swap?
I would like to know what the standard tyre sizes are that where fitted to a Volkswagen Golf 1.6FSI 2006 (55 plate) - 225/40/18 on there?
I have read your articles for many years and have taken particular note of your advice regarding using diesel engined cars for regular short runs - as im afraid I do. I do take my car, a Jaguar 2.2 automatic,...
The heater on my X-Reg Vauxhall Vectra blows out cold air, I have changed the thermostat and bled and flushed the coolant system.
We purchased a new VW Caddy Maxi 1.6 TD great vehicle,but we have a safety concern and that is between tick over and 1500rpm (when turbo kicks in) the is a very noticeable lack of power. This is really...
I had a 3.2 Touareg converted to LPG about six months ago. Cardiff Autogas did a great job of lifting the rear floor so that the tank was covered and installing the controller in the cabin, really quite...
After an ebay hour spent looking at these online, I was wondering whether they would be affordable as a first car? My brother will be learning to drive soon, and these seem stylish and relatively dependable....
I run a Vauxhall Corsa diesel 1.3 Club, 58 plate, 43,000 miles on the clock, regularly serviced. It is a driving school car. Recently, in the middle of the day, the engine suddenly faded and cut out...
Picked up a 320d SE 2007 (07) yesterday, anyway today it's started causing me problems, obviously I've phoned up the garage, they've given me a car whilst they get it in the garage on Monday. I'm just...
A leading insurance company has now decided to count attendance as a speeding conviction for motor policy purposes, typically raising premiums by about 8 per cent over a period of five years. I have found...
I have gone bonkers and bought a Peugeot iOn 3 weeks ago for £16,000. For what we do, some 700 miles a year on the small island of Jersey, it makes some sense. And we are rather impressed.
RC is wrong (‘Dreaded Wheat’ 7-11-12). Tractors are regulated. The law is a tractor showing a nil tax disc may be used on the public road for agricultural use with no limit to the distance. Transgressors...
My 2004 Audi A4 Avant Multitronic automatic diesel, 80,000 miles, has recently started to shudder quite badly when moving off in the first couple of gears on automatic, and this also happens quite badly...
There is a discrepancy between the miles per gallon achieved as indicated on my Honda's display and the figure I get by carefully checking miles on the odometer divided by the declared amount of fuel delivered,...
It seems that fog is a 'blind spot' to perhaps most drivers. Last night we drove for miles in thick fog, from London along the A303. Basically there was no allowance being made by a majority of drivers...
Some time ago you gave the name of a small firm in London that repairs/replaces car keys. Sorry, but I've lost the details - is it possible to let me have the details please?
I drive a Toyota Auris Hybrid, but there seems to be no literature on driving hybrids. The local trunk road has a long steep hill down to a major roundabout and traffic can move one car length, or three...
Last July I purchased a pre-registered Mercedes-Benz A180 CDI. On the whole it's a good car, but I feel it has fault. On full lock, the N/S front wheel skips and knocks and, as a 77-year old ex-motor trader,...
At the end of this October my wife and I drove to Stockholm to visit our daughter. I panicked about possible bad weather conditions a couple of days before we set off, so had two new tyres fitted to the...
Next summer I intend to trade in my three-year-old SEAT Altea XL Sport for a new or nearly new car. The car needs to able to tow a 1100kg caravan, be economical, and capable of 45 miles per gallon solo....
I recently purchased a new Audi A6 Avant to replace an A4 convertible now that we have a new addition to the family. I am a big fan of the Audi range and I am broadly pleased with the car: the 2.0 TDi...
My wife and I are both retired and live near Oxford. Once a week we drive to Suffolk, a round trip of some 300 miles, which contributes to a joint annual mileage of around 30,000 miles. We have two 60...
A few weeks ago you recommended ‘Event Tyres’ to one of your readers. I too needed two, possibly four replacement tyres and decided to take your advice, Event Tyres were very efficient, notifying me exactly...
I am thinking of getting a Hyundai 1.6-litre petrol car with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. I assume that this will not be a torque convertor gearbox, but can you please tell me what type it is and how it...
Have you had chance to test the new, fourth generation Honda CR-V yet and if so what are your thoughts on it?
Your readers have often asked about testing older drivers. Devon County Council runs a scheme where for a small fee (£30 or so) a driving examiner/instructor takes you out in your own car for an hour to...
I thought you might be interested to know of a FREE scheme run by Flintshire County Council but covering the whole of North Wales. A qualified Driving Instructor comes to your Home has a chat about the...
Your readers might be interested to know that Lancashire County Council offers a free driving course for older people. I am sixty eight years old and I did the course last week. You drive for an hour and...
Could you advise what justification a used car company has for keeping a deposit, please? This money (£500) was paid by me at their request to take a BMW 5 Series off sale for four days as I could not...
My Freelander 2 was shunted in mid-September. The other car was a write-off but there was hardly any visible damage to mine. However, the absorbent cones behind the bumper and the bumper itself have had...
I have driven my MG ZR for the past eight years and have enjoyed it but would like to pass it on to my grandsons. Can you give me some advice on a suitable replacement? Must be reliable with a decent size...
I have a 1991 Volkswagen Scirocco GTll. At present I am filling my tank with Sainsbury's Super Unleaded and adding a Millers VSPe Power Plus fuel additive. I believe my car was converted before I bought...
It might be time to remind your readers that during the winter months it is a good idea to keep their fuel tanks topped up to the brim for the following reasons. Changes in temperature will suck in and...
I shall reach 70 next July 2013 and therefore will need to renew my licence. My present paper licence has many categories, most of which I do not use, but I am keen to continue using the small trailer...
I recently changed job, meaning that the mileage I cover will increase significantly. As I see it, I have three options. I could LPG-convert my 2007 Astra TwinTop 1.8 litre Design, which is at 19,500 miles...
Petrol engined golf buggies switch off when the footbrake is applied and automatically restart when the accelerator is pressed. Has this technology been used on cars?
Can you advise how I deal with a Parking Charge Notice from the owners of the B&Q Car Park in Crawley, West Sussex? Our car was parked there on 3 October 2012 and the PCN was received on 19 November. Although...
I served in Germany, in the army, where winter tyres are the law in the winter. However, if you lived in hilly areas that were snow covered you used studded tyres or snow chains. A lot of British drivers...
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