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Honest John Ask Honest John » February 2013
Trending topics in February 2013
4x4s automatics buying diesels dpf fuel economy insurance legal advice legal and consumer advice motorways new cars owning reliability repairs small cars suvs technical issues used cars warranties wheels and tyres
Questions from February 2013
How often should DPF regeneration occur? I bought a new Vauxhall Corsa in November 2012, 2 days after having the car and only driving about 10miles the DPF light came on. Most of my journeys are short,...
My daughters boyfriend has had his car written off by the insurance company, it is a 53 plate Fiat Punto. It only has side passenger side damage to the rear. He has settled with their offer and has decided...
I have a Nissan Pathfinder 2.5 TDI, first registered in March 2006. Does it have a dual mass flywheel and DPF?
I'm looking to purchase new vehicle and was curious about the new Honda Civic 1.6 diesel - in the Honda dealership I was told that even though I only do a majority of short journeys and a maximum of 10,000...
I have lost my BMW 118d car keys - what is the cheapest reliable source for replacements?
I bought a Citroen C3 Picasso Exclusive 1.4 Petrol 59 reg, which your review tempted me to buy. It has 20,000 trouble free miles on the clock and has been very good. I am now thinking of trading it in...
My wife wants to change her Volkswagen Fox for something a little less staid. She likes the Mini Cooper (I think would suit her), the Volkswagen Polo (sticking to her fondness for Volkswagen), but also...
You've pulled your recommendation of the X-Trail but most [if not all] the reliability issues seem to effect the diesel models. Would you still recommend the 2.0L petrol [albeit underpowered]?
We agreed to buy a Golf as a Volkswagen approved used car and when we inspected the car it had just arrived and had some scratches and minor dents which we were assured would be rectified before delivery. We...
Is the Ford C-Max a good car and which one of them is the best?
I have had a Corolla semi-auto for eight months. It suddenly lost power and failed to select gears. First repaired at a gearbox specialist workshop, having a gearbox, acutator and 2 ECU cards replaced,...
I bought a car from an individual that trades Clios from his home and works as a mobile mechanic. He sold me the car for £595 - a bargain. I asked him about all areas of the car he advised me it had...
I drive a 1.4 TSI petrol Golf Plus, which is three years old. I like the highish driving position and I need a petrol engine (6000 miles a year). I don't like noisy tyres or too much wind noise. What...
My Peugeot 406 is struggling to tow my one ton folding camper. Not enough power and it doesn't feel very stable. Garage also told me the DMF is on its last legs, the handbrake is rubbish and generally...
Just bought an Ford Focus Ecoboost 1.0 from dealer. Told them I didn't drive many miles except in July/August so asked if I should buy this or diesel 1.6 and they advised me on the 1.0 as the diesel has...
I LOVE my 2009 BMW 318 saloon but it just isn't practical so sadly has to go. The seats don't even fold down! We use my partners Kia Picanto as the practical car! I want to replace it with something...
My wife wants to downsize to downsize from our trusty family V70 and also improve fuel consumption. She needs plenty of leg room in the back with two growing teenage sons. Most journeys are short local...
Which tyres would reccomend for best wear and grip for the Mercedes S-Class 350?
My current car is due it's MOT and I do not intend to put it through due to the cost this would entail and also the mileage. I know of someone who may want to buy it but I am unsure as to the correct procedure...
When I decelerate or down-shift when approaching lights or turning a corner, the car surges. I've been told by the service department at a Nissan garage that this is normal. Is it?
My wife has a 2009 SEAT Leon FR Petrol. There is an intermittant fault in that when the ignition is turned off and the key removed the engine will continue to run. As this is the DSG verision it can't...
Having recently started a family, we are in need of a load lugger. We've compared A4/A6 Avants, 5 series Touring and a C-Class estate, and have decided that the A6 ticks the most boxes, with the cavernous...
Having forgot and left the headlights and sidelights on my Hyundai i10 - I went back to the car (after about an hour!) to find the lights had turned themselves off automatically. Is this normal practice...
What are your thoughts on buying a new but preregistered car to get a discount?
I start a new job this summer which will see me doing up to 30000 miles on business. My new employer isn't providing a car, but will pay me a mileage allowance. The mileage is beyond what I want to put...
On your recommendation, we've just bought a Yaris diesel. Many people seem to have filled their car with petrol by mistake. Although we've had diesels in the past and can't imagine doing it, many people...
Why does my handbrake come right up sometimes until I give the footbrake a pump, when it reverts to the normal five notches?
I have an extended warranty with Renault covering my 2008 Espace. Recently the engine has destroyed a con rod and big end shells resulting in the wreckage of the entire unit due to metal particles throughout...
Can insurance company send a cheque, and take back my hire car before a settlement has been reached? When am I required to return the car by Law?
I have bought a set of winter tyres fitted to new steel wheels from 'mytyres'. However I am getting conflicting advice on whether I need new wheel bolts as well. The car comes fitted with alloy wheels...
Why have manufacturers moved away from the traditonal ignition key in favour of start/stop buttons?
I have had to replace both the rear calipers on my Hyundai i20 before the car was 2 years old. I live too far from the dealer to see if their warranty would cover it so paid out £400 for this. Does anyone...
What in particular should be serviced more or less on cars which just do long distance motorway commutes? The brakes used a lot less than in town driving but surely high speeds over long distances affects...
My daughter has a large family. She is looking to buy a seven seat people carrier and has £10,000 to spend. She would like a vehicle that is reliable and economical to run and would be grateful for your...
Inchcape Crawley Audi have offered me exterior and interior protection on my new Audi for £459 (their own brand). Is it worth taking this?
I can afford (by part exchanging my MX5) a Porche Boxster 2.7 Tiptronic S, but I'm worrying bout reliability and if there are any known, common, expensive problems with it.
The new car I am considering is a Ford B-Max. This is much the same footprint as my current Fiesta, and should still fit inside my garage length and width-wise but is significantly taller. I calculate...
Three years ago I purchased a Nissan Note Accenta 1.6 Automatic with 16" wheels and although only having done 12,000 miles have been very pleased with the car which you were recommending regularly. Only...
One low beam bulb has gone on my Mondeo. Replacement choice is boundless so which bulb to choose? HJ says not to buy Xenon but that still leaves normal, 100%, 120%, blue etc choices. Some come as singles,...
I nave a 59 plate Volkswagen Tiguan R Line TDI with 255/40 ZR 19 Y tyres which give me a very hard ride. I will need new tyres soon so want to get new wheels and tyres to improve the ride quality - can...
I have recently bought a second hand Mercedes-Benz E270. Within a day of having it a fault code started to show on the display. I immediately notified the dealer and dropped it off two days later and...
I need to buy a motorway cruiser to travel around 40k miles a year as economically and comfortably as possible. I'm thinking of travelling at mainly in the outside lane, and spending around £10k to minimise...
Why have they discontinued the 1.4-litre 500C lounge, as an thinking of this model instead of the Abarth?
The rear doors on my Alfa Romeo 147 will not shut and not catch. They will not enagage - the doors just flap open. It has had an electrical issue recently, could that be linked?
Please advise the best Mercedes-Benz CLK soft top to buy? Also is the BMW 3 hard top better please?
Having recently retired I am looking to replace my company car which was the latest model Mercedes C250 diesel sport auto which I was more than satisfied with. Mindful that I will now be driving only around...
I am advised by my Volkswagen dealer that the rear tyres on my Passat Estate are scalloped on the inner edge. This is apparently a know problem with the car which Volkswagen seems not to acknowledge and...
A while ago my wife's Ford Focus 1.8TDCI 2004 started having the battery light come on when restarting. It happened a few times over a period of months. Now it is coming on every time when starting from...
Could you tell me which wires to connect to a battery in order to run the window up and down on a Rover 825. It was easy on my earlier car because there were only 2 wires going to the motor, but the 825...
What do you recommend the most - Honda, Nissan, Vauxhall?
 

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