Questions from July 2013
My wife's leased Volvo S40 D4 automatic is coming up for renewal and the lease company have offered to sell it to us at a good price, which is £4000 less than any similar example I can find.
However,...
I own a 2004 Citroen 2.2-litre C8 HDI, which I bought from my local franchised dealer in 2005. The car recently broke down on the motorway and the dealer told me it had suffered a cam belt failure, which...
We are looking for a new and reliable off-roader and have been told the Kia Sportage is a good option. What do you think?
I have a vehicle that I do not use, but want to tax and sell. What are the insurance requirements for a vehicle that you never drive, but want to tax? Can I insure it for one day, just to be able to tax...
I’m looking for a modest sized car with four/five seats. The seats must be high, where you can see the front of the bonnet and not have to guess its length.
I currently have a Skoda Roomster, an alternative...
I have a 2010 BMW 320D, purchased from new and only serviced at the same garage. The car has covered 61,000 miles and is one month out of warranty. Recently the clutch failed on a busy roundabout and the...
We recently purchased a 2009 Honda Accord Tourer, with 62,500 miles and dealer warranty. After three weeks, the DPF light came on and the dealership sent the car to a Honda garage. After some tests the...
I Have 2013 Ford Focus Zetec S fitted with 18-inch alloys, inflation kit and no spare wheel. I am looking to buy a spare, but Ford doesn't supply 18-inch alloys. Is it legal to use a 17-inch option instead?...
I have a Mazda MX5 that I can no longer drive due to bad knees and hip. Can you recommend a good alternative, with easy access?
Our 1999 2.3-litre petrol Ford Galaxy is suffering from an intermittent lean fuel mixture and cuts out on a fairly regular basis. The dealer wants us to scrap the car, saying it is too expensive to repair,...
I had the gear linkage changed on my 2004 Renault Scenic recently and have now lost all gears. Do you have any idea what could be wrong?
I have recently bought a 2004 Vauxhall Signum petrol, with 72,000 miles on the clock. Do you know of any issues with this car? It is consuming a litre of oil for every 70 miles it covers.
I bought a four year old Toyota Avensis from a main dealer in April. It has just had its MoT ,which it passed, however they noticed that two holes on the underside, which are normally filled with a rubber...
If I fit 16-inch wheels and 205/55 R 16 summer tyres to my 2010 Octavia VRS, in your opinion would I get a more comfortable ride than on the 18-inch wheels and 225/40 R18 tyres fitted as standard?
I am...
I recently sold a car on eBay. The buyer (prospective at the time) asked me to send him a copy of the log book (V5C) so that he could ascertain the legality of my ownership. I felt uneasy although I am...
The nearside front tyre on my Audi A4 is wearing on both the inner and outer edges, while the driver side shows no such wear. I check all four tyre pressures every fortnight and don’t believe it is due...
The windows on my Mercedes-Benz C-Class have ceased to open or close with the key fob. The driver’s side heated mirror also switch on every time I start up the car. Is this an ECU issue or general malaise...
The handbrake on my daughter’s Volkswagen Polo has started to stick. The car is only 18 months old and the local dealer has said it’s caused by a build-up of brake dust in the handbrake system. The dealer...
The lock has stopped working on my Citroen Picasso; it is jammed in the locked position, which means I cannot open the boot. I can source a new lock, but have no idea how to replace it. Any ideas?
I have a 2008 Ford Fusion. A year ago I had the pressure tested on the air conditioning and had the unit regassed as it was not blowing cool air. This fixed the problem for a while, but the fault gradually...
The hot weather is triggering the alarm on my 2009 Ford Mondeo TDCi 140 Estate. It goes off at 10pm and 4am, everything else with the car is fine, and the problem has only started with the heat wave. Do...
I’m having a lot of issues with my 2003 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 TDI. The car loses power at speed and the glow plug warning light flashes on and off. However, if I turn the engine on and off, the problem clears....
My Honda Jazz has covered less than 7000 miles and has suffering from handbrake problems. Last week the car ran down our driveway and hit the garage, damaging the front bumper. The dealer checked the car...
After a four month wait, I am picking up my new Ford Tourneo Custom (limited) next week. The only problem is that no insurance company actually knows it exists, even Ford insurance won't cover it! What...
We recently bought a 2005 Hyundai Getz as a first car for my daughter. However, the car has started to develop a fault and shakes violently under light acceleration. The only way to overcome this is to...
My daughter is looking for a new/nearly-new car for her drive to work. Her budget is £9000 and it must be suitable for winter conditions as she drives through the Berwyn Mountains (Wales), which have narrow,...
A friend of mine is looking for a replacement for his Land Rover Defender. The car must be dog friendly and comfortable. He lives in Jersey, so it must also be suitable for short trips.
Ideally, he wants...
On 15th May I bought a 2002 Vauxhall Vectra from a car dealer. On 3rd July the vehicle broke down - the engine went into limp home mode - and I needed to be rescued. The recovery firm said the issue was...
I’m having trouble choosing a new car; I need room for a child with enough boot space for lots of luggage. I would like something rugged and sporty, as I do short journeys midweek, with a 600 mile round...
I need a good set of tyres for my 2010 Volvo XC90. The original set lasted 30,000-miles, but my second set of Pirellis only lasted 18,000-miles.
I do a little off road driving, mainly on fields to park...
Thank you for recommending the Mondeo 1.6 EcoBoost. Your review advises "1.6 EcoBoosts need idling from hot before switching off otherwise oil in the turbo bearing and oil feed to the bearing can carbonise....
I was on holiday last week and after my late return flight into Gatwick I discovered that my 2012 Volvo C70 was plastered across the bonnet and drivers door with thick greasy dirty bird droppings. What...
Two days after buying a new Mercedes-Benz A180 in 2010, messages came up on the dash saying "ESP & runflat indicator not operative". The Mercedes garage said the brake light switch was faulty and replaced...
I drive a 2003 Lexus 430SC. Recently I had a flat tyre and the local tyre garage found that the tyre valve was leaking. The only people who sell a direct replacement are Lexus, who want £189. Replacement...
My grandson will be 18 next March and I would like to be involved in the purchase of a good secondhand vehicle to help him out in his Uni years. He said he would quite like a Ford Ka which has, I understand...
We have a Kia Rio 1 CRDi, which we bought new in March 2010, and have had no problems at all with it and really like the car. We have now done about 15,000 miles and do not really want to change it. Our...
I love my 2007 Mondeo Titanium X estate for leg room, comfort, performance and space and it only has 48,000 on the clock, but the A/C has never been much good, is chronically leaking, and now needs a new...
I would like to recommend Premier Autocentres, Blackfen, near Sidcup, Kent as worthy of your good garage guide. Recently my car was towed to the garage where it was diagnosed as needing a new distributor....
My wife and I want to buy a car for our son to celebrate his 21st birthday. He is 6-feet 5-inches tall and currently drives a 12-year-old Fiesta. Our budget is about £6500, which means the possibilities...
On 12 February 2011 whilst working as a driving instructor I was involved in a minor no-fault incident. When I say minor, the pupil who was driving took his test and passed in the car two days later. Examiners...
I write to advise extreme caution with regard to the purchase of AA warranties. I am 83 years of age (a retired school teacher) and I have had a number of BMWs in the past. I have had my 2005 320d SE from...
Two weeks ago I bought a 2012 Mazda 1.6D 115 Sport, an ex-dealer demonstrator from Mazda dealer. It is fitted with Bose stereo and salesman advised it had the 6CD autochanger. We were happy with this as...
Last Wednesday night at approximately 10.30pm, my Range Rover Vogue (purchased new in December 2011) caught fire due to an electrical fault. It had been parked up since 5.30pm. Not only was the car destroyed,...
I own a Volvo S40 2-litre diesel, which is eight years old. My wife and I are both in our seventies and I think that it is now time to replace the car, as our average annual mileage is only 5000 and we...
I have owned a Peugeot 407 HDI 140 SW for four years and I thoroughly enjoy the car. Servicing has always been done by the excellent local Peugeot agent. I took it in today for 50,000 interim service;...
I test drove a Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost 100 yesterday and I have fallen in love with it. What is the best spec level to buy that will hold a good value in years to come? I drove a Zetec but was wondering...
Last year I was ‘invited’ to attend a Speed Awareness course and happily accepted on the basis that it would avoid me being penalised in the future for incurring the penalty points that I would otherwise...
During July 2012, my 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLS 350, purchased new from a UK dealer, went in to a Mercedes workshop to check why an engine warning light was on. It transpired that some of the timing mechanism...
I need an automatic car that is high up with plenty of legroom and boot space. I tried a Nissan Qashqai 1.6 but didn’t like the CVT. I want petrol as I only do about 1000 miles a year. I need something...
I'm looking to buy a used Honda Civic (2006-onwards), Toyota Auris, Hyundai i30 or KIA cee’d within the next few months. My budget is £5000-£6000. I'd be looking to keep the car until the end of its lifetime,...
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