Questions from May 2013
I had a recent puncture repaired by the AA who were very good.
They repaired the tyre with 'slime,' and gave me leaflets about, how even though this is a temporary repair, the tyre can still be repaired...
Do half hour stints on the motorway warrant disabling auto stop-start so as to avoid engine cut-out when hitting inevitable traffic lights immediately after exiting a motorway? You note in previous questions...
My key fob for my Citroen Saxo has a perished remote button. Can I get a new one or can I purchase the casing and replace the inside of mine into the new one? How much would this cost?
My car is making a whirring noise between 1st and 2nd gear, and I've been told I need the turbo replaced, which is going to cost me over £1000. I have only owned the car for 10 months and done 4000 miles...
I have a Vauxhall Zafira Easytronic automatic and had loss of power while driving, recently it started doing it more often and was taken into Vauxhall Aldershot, they have said it needs a near clutch and...
I am a tall person (6ft 2) who wants to buy a new small car. I drive around 8000 miles per year on motorways and in towns/cities.
Fuel economy, comfort, reliability and simplicity are the most important...
I am about to get rid of a 10-plate Smart car and I am used to getting between 45 to 50mpg. I have a budget of around £3000 for a second hand car and am looking for similar MPG?
I'd like something with...
The heater, sat nav, electric windows from drivers side, radio and heated rear window all stopped working at the same time.
I have found water in boot. Can you tell me what the problem might be? It's...
I bought a new Fiat Panda 4x4 about two months ago on four year finance. It has a "Darkwave Black" paint finish.
The problem is the durability of the paint finish, which is awful. The bonnet had a deep...
I am looking to buy a BMW 330D but it has 229,000 miles on the clock. The car has had all the services done by BMW, the last was done at the end of 2012 with an oil change.
The car has MOT for a year...
I have a Fiat 500 Diesel car, which is currently having white smoke coming from the exhaust. It is also over revving and the DPF warning light has come on a couple of times now. It is also asking for an...
Following your advice a couple of weeks ago I'm about to buy an Auris HSD Excel. It comes with 17" alloys and 225/45R17 tyres. I have read your previous warnings about low profile tyres so should I go...
My 2012 Corsa EcoFlex came without a spare wheel. Where can I get one? Vauxhall quotes over £300!
In April 2013 I bought a brand new 5 door Audi Sportback A3 from a local dealer. The ride seemed very firm but I did not pursue the problem because I expected the ride to loosen up as the car settled down....
My 206,000 mile BMW 530d needs to be replaced. How recent a 3 series can I buy while avoiding recent electronic bling like stop start and run flat tyres?
My current manual Jaguar S-Type Diesel with under 30k miles and Jaguar History is brilliant, with 40+ mpg over the 5000 miles a year I cover, mostly over long distances. I do use the rev range through...
I fancy a cabriolet or open roof and previously had a Peugeot 206cc. I do about 17,500 miles a year mainly on my own on motorways and A roads.
Is a Fiat 500c good for this type of driving or would I...
As my wife is only five feet in height and of slender build it is difficult to find a suitable, safe car to drive because she sits so close to the airbag. If the airbag was deployed it is likely to cause...
I currently drive an Alfa Romeo Giulietta (Cloverleaf) that is 2 years old. It's not very well built and I would like a car that is automatic (my wife finds them much easier to drive), good for a new family...
I am looking to buy a Ford Fiesta (on the continent) - I am choosing between the 1.0 Champions Edition 5 door (65 horse power) and the 1.0 EcoBoost Titanium 5 door (125 horsepower); the price difference...
The rear tyres on my Audi A4 Cabriolet are worn on inside rear only. They are 235/40/R18 FALKEN ZE912 95W XL, fittted 03/05/2012. What could be the cause?
My Honda FR-V has trouble turning over. I've taken it to a Honda garage and they plugged it in, but no error code came up.
When trying to start (after the glow plugs go out) it just keeps turning then...
I have a budget of £7000 but don't want to spend it all. I need a car to go to work and back (10 miles) and tow a 1475 weight caravan.
I have a 2010 Nissan Qashqai+2. Last August after a problem I took it to my local garage and they said that there was a problem with the flywheel base plate, which was very unusual and it would need replacing...
I purchased a used Audi 2.0TFSI, registered in 2006, 4 weeks ago. After two weeks it began to misfire with the engine warning light flashing for a few seconds before going off. My local garage confirmed...
I currently have a 58-reg Peugeot 107 but my father is increasingly needing to use his folding wheelchair. Dimensions folded are 29” (74 cm) high, 36” (92cm) back to front, so lying down in a boot that...
I am looking to change my beautiful 15 year old Audi A6 Quattro S Line. She runs beautifully, original engine, gearbox, clutch, almost no faults. But I need to do significant motorway distances on the...
I had my car - a Volkswagen Jetta 1.9TDI DPF - transported to St Helena and now it never exceeds 30mph. Following short trips the light on dash has come on. We have no sophisticated diagnostic tools so...
Most car makers offer xenon headlights as options for several hundred pounds. They do come with other gizmos e.g. turning, self levelling etc.. However one can now buy at reputable high street car part...
I currently drive a Nissan Micra which is OK for elderly parents with limited mobility to use as passengers but not ideal as the seats are a little low for easy entrance and exit. What would you suggest...
The engine malfunction light comes on every time I switch on the ignition in my Ford S-MAX. I have taken the car to a Ford dealership twice who have run diagnostics and can find no fault code?
They reset...
My Audi A4 Avant has nearly 150,000 on the clock and is going strong. What engine oil would you recommend? Presumably a fully synthetic product meeting VW 504:00 is appropriate, but which make do you...
We recently purchased a used Volkswagen Polo 1.4 (1999) with 180,000 km from a family that was the original owner. We have taken it to mechanics that confirm it is in very good condition.
However, they...
After leaving my MINI for a year or so while working away I came to try to start it today.
I changed the battery for a new one, checked the levels and so on.
She opened up no problem turned on and turned...
We use large rear facing isofix car seats for our child (soon to be two children. I doubt there will be a third!) until age 4 for safety reasons.
I am looking for a used medium sized MPV (Toyota Verso...
My nephew is struggling to keep his one-man business going, has asked me for help. A couple of weeks ago he was driving into his office car park past a car, which was parked on the hatched ‘no parking’...
On Monday 1 April 2013 my Ford Focus Titanium broke down and showed the message "Engine malfunction". The AA was unable to fix the problem and towed the car to the dealership from which I purchased it....
I have a 2002 Mercedes E320 diesel automatic estate. It has done 115,000 miles and I now use mainly Shell V-Power or other brand fuel, but I have been guilty of using supermarket diesel in the past. When...
We have a 20012 Hyundai ix35 1.6. In the past three days it has cut out three times whilst driving. We are worried about this because of the danger aspect. We have contacted Hyundai but they cannot see...
My problem is with a used Golf that I purchased a few months ago. This was bought from a local Volkswagen franchise from which I have bought a number of cars over the years. Previously, these had been...
We change cars around in our drive. This takes seconds rather than minutes. According to a recent article this is doing the petrol engines no good at all. This practice has to continue, but is there anything...
As an independent garage owner, I take issue with your warranties and servicing comments. To say “fiddle around and mess it up” implies the independent sector is made up of a breed of inferior technicians,...
Last month I acquired a cheap 12-year-old car from a small dealer with a fresh MoT certificate (with no advisories). The MoT history subsequently obtained from VOSA revealed that the car has a potentially...
I frequently holiday abroad and have used many car hire companies with varying degrees of satisfaction. However, a friend has told me of a used care dealership that hires out cars below the hire car market...
I am looking for a used Skoda Superb estate as our family car as I am 6-feet 3-inches and my teenage sons are 6-feet 5-inches and 6-feet 1-inch (and growing). We also have two Labradors to transport. The...
My Renault Scenic has started to intermittently display the warning message on the dash "Check Injection" with the service light. I've checked out the definition in my handbook and it says "serious engine...
Is any official record being kept of all the immigrants’ foreign cars at present on our roads? Are they too subject to MoT tests? One hopes the drivers have valid motor insurance, driving licence, road...
I have a 1994 Mercedes-Benz E300D, the last without any electronics. It's at 212,000 miles and still going quite well, but I have a problem when my local independent garage has to change a glow plug. They...
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