Questions from July 2013
My garage has a 7-foot entrance which cannot be widened. I have driven Saabs since 1970 and my 9-3 will squeeze in. I am looking for a reasonably-sized but narrower vehicle and feel a higher one would...
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 have been trying to resolve an insurance claim for uninsured losses via a policy with the XXX. Under the terms of the policy they were to recover my losses after a major road accident, involving myself...
What is your opinion of a Nissan Juke 1.6 DIG-T Acenta 5-door Sport pack, year 2010, for £11,749? This is for my daughter who travels about 20 miles each day to work on rural roads and occasionally down...
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....
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...
Following last week’s Mercedes-Benz A-Class rust email and your reply I am now determined to press my claim with Mercedes again. Motor Codes has been unhelpful. I wish to get an expert opinion on my car's...
JB of Alton, the independent garage owner, is quite wrong in his comments. I can prove my point easily and confirm that what you wrote is right. We have local independent garages who serve the local community...
You recommended to PC that the best estate for a 6-foot 3-inch family with dogs is the Ford Mondeo estate. I would like to also suggest the Peugeot 308 SW, which as a family of 6-foot 5s, we find has plenty...
In November 2012 I purchased a brand new Suzuki Splash 1.2 Automatic. I intend taking it to France later this year but could find no guidance in the handbook about adapting the headlights for driving on...
I recently purchased a Ford C-Max and was amazed to find that it now seems the norm to supply a "pot of glue and a pump" instead of a get-you-home spare wheel. With a jack and a spare wheel the majority...
Is there a less van-like vehicle that will compare with the Peugeot Partner Combi for load carrying?
My wife has a 2003 2.0-litre diesel Peugeot Partner Combi, which has been an excellent multi-purpose workhorse especially as an incredible load-carrier, mainly due to its internal height and huge capacity...
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...
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?
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?
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;...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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 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...
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...
After the injector seal replacement work on my 50K Fiesta 1.4 TDci, the car lacks power.
When idle everything seems OK, no problem with starting either but when I hit the throttle hard to overtake almost...
We went to get our air con recharged today but got told that there was a problem with the compressor it wasn't kicking in? Could this be something as simple as a fuse or is it going to cost us serious...
I have a SEAT Ibiza 56 reg. Can it be possible for a faulty fuse box and retainer to cause a fault with a radiator cooling fan motor and vice versa? If so, should a proper diagnostic test show up the fault...
Is T-Cut suitable for scratch treatment to bodywork previously treated with Supaguard paint protection?
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