Questions from July 2013
I have just bought a 10-year old luxurious car (Jaguar XJ8) in very good condition (60,000 on the clock). We have become aware of the smell of stale cigarette smoke. Can you recommend a way of getting...
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...
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;...
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...
I have a 1996 Jaguar XJ6 Executive with only 35,000 miles on the clock with a full service history. It is kept in a garage and not used in the wet. There are many on the market at very low prices but with...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
The time has come to replace my lovely Ford Cougar. We have identified a nice 2010 Toyota Prius at a main dealer, but they won't give me much for my Ford. Are there any other ways to get more for the Cougar?
Having read a great deal on your site regarding the cost of keeping diesels on the road, I'm seeking to switch to a petrol car with a budget of around £5000.
Preferably a mid-size hatch or compact estate;...
My 2003 Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 is showing a P1607 fault code, any idea what’s wrong?
I need to buy a new car that’s reliable and cheap to run. I’ve narrowed down my search to the Hyundai i20 1.25 manual and the Seat Ibiza Reference 1.4 manual, which would you choose?
I bought an Audi A8 with a fresh MoT recently, but the bakes seized up on the way home. I called the guy I bought the car from and he fobbed me off with “sold as seen”. I contacted the MoT station and...
The engine on my 2003 Rover 75 suffers misfires when I accelerate. The engine management light also flashes and the revs drop. What’s wrong with my car?
We're interested in a new Kia Sportage KX-2 automatic and intend to keep the car for seven years, but can't decide between the diesel 2.0 and petrol 2.0 engines. We do roughly 6500 miles per year - mostly...
We recently bought a 2012 Ford Galaxy. We have driven it four times and had an engine malfunction warning come up three times. We have only had the car a month, but it has spent the last two weeks at the...
I ran out of diesel recently in my Ford Mondeo. I added more fuel, but the car keeps spluttering to a halt. I’ve put injection cleaner in and changed the fuel filter, but I am still getting problems.
The...
I purchased an Audi A3 Quattro TDI recently for £6000. It has covered 80,000-miles and was bought from a dealer.
Within hours of buying the car, it developed a major problem and was sticking in 1st and...
I have been told by a dealer that air condition systems loose 10 per cent of their gas every year, is this correct?
I parked in a city centre car park. There were few spaces, but I eventually found one next to a cara that was not well parked and encroached on two spaces. I was a little anxious and took a picture of...
I have heard a lot of good points about using performance fuel, but I assume it is only really an advantage if using it with a performance car, is this right or would a lot of normal cars benefit from...
My Mazda 2 has just been written off following an accident and I need to buy a replacement. Ideally, I would like something bigger and more practical, with some performance and a petrol engine.
I have...
My 2008 Subaru Forester has corrosion issues, but the dealer I bought the car from refuses to accept any liability. The dealer says the rust is due to untreated stone chips, which I refute.
I bought the...
I have seen a Fiat 500 1.3 Lounge Diesel on an 09 plate for £6k. It looks to be in good condition and from a dealer but I'm not sure is 60,000 miles is OK for a four year old diesel car?
My sister is looking to buy her next car. She has always wanted a BMW 116 auto but I'm suggesting she considers a Ford Fiesta Titanium auto based on cost, age and standard kits. Which is a better buy for...
I had a minor accident in May this year when a guy hit my car in the rear bumper while I was waiting at traffic light. There was minor scratch, but I reported the incident to my insurance company.
When...
We currently own a Toyota Yaris SR 1.33 but the ground clearance is insufficient to cope with our steepish driveway, therefore we would like to replace this with another small or medium size vehicle (either...
My mother has a 1st March 2007 Peugoet 307 SW with Pirelli P7 tyes on 16" alloys. it has now done 26,500 miles - I can see very minor cracks on the side walls of the tyres.
I would like to know if I should...
We're looking for a replacement for a 2004 1.2 Skoda Fabia. The car will do approximately 40 miles a day, 70% of which is on dual carriageway which may be sufficient to make a diesel a more economical...
Two weeks ago I purchased a 4.5 year old Audi A4 quattro from an independent dealer. I have now discovered the front off-side wing has been replaced, drivers door been removed, bonnet re-positioned, bonnet,...
I'm trying to solve a conundrum which I doubt that there is a solution to. The front passenger door of my partner's Lantra (1998) cannot be opened from either inside or outside.
The lock itself seems...
I need to reluctantly change my 60 plate manual Hyundai ix35 to an automatic. My budget is £15,000 plus the part-ex value on the Hyundai. What do you recommend in a similar SUV?
At 70 mph in lane 2 the bonnet of my Saab 9-3 Sportwagon (1.8 Biopower, 64000 miles, excellent condition) flew open, causing damage to the bonnet, both wings and roof. Estimate for repair is £2500 exc...
My neighbour's son recently bought, at reduced cost, an Audi A5 3.0 TDI with faulty EGR and DPF.
He claims he can have the DPF removed after the EGR is replaced, and having had the engine remapped it...
In the course of a month, I ride a motorbike, drive a car, a transit van and a motorhome.
Do you know of any roadside recovery/breakdown organisation that would cover all these vehicles?
I am replacing my BMW 325d and am looking at:
Merc E350 Diesel Coupe (approved used up to two years)
Current BMW 330d (approved used up to 1 year)
New IS250 Lexus (new order)
New Golf GTi (manual not...
Several companies advertise products that modify diesel cars to disable the EGR valve. This is acheived either by means of a software update or a blanking plate. In the case of the latter, I believe there...
I bought a 1.4 petrol CVT-7 Jazz in 2006. It has been a great car for my purposes, and apart from brake replacements there have been no problems to date. It gets an annual oil change and biannual transmission...
I had 'drumming' tyres with my Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI about three or four years ago. It seems that the rear tyres wear in a 'scalloped' pattern and that causes the noise - not unlike a failing wheel bearing....
I am looking to spend up to £15,000 on a used car. I am undecided between a Ford Mondeo 2.0 Zetec and a Peugeot 508 2.0 estate or a Hyundai i40 1.7 CRDi estate.
Can you offer any advice to which of these...
Two sets of parents at the local swimming club rave about the flexibility and reliability of their Honda FR-Vs, and both bought new ones when they stopped importing them in 2009. They particularly like...
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