Questions from July 2013
What is your view on the high priced, 'special' car polishes currently available? Are they worth the extra money and is there one you particularly recommend, please?
We have a problem with what I consider to be excessive tyre noise inside our two cars. One is a two-year-old 1.4 TSI Golf running on Dunlop 205/55R16 SP Sport Fastresponse tyres. The other is a four-year-old...
As a lifelong Saab fan, I felt I had to own one when the news of their bankruptcy broke. I picked up a low mileage 2002 9-3 2.0HOT Aero from a Saab dealership, which I love; it is so easy on the eye and...
The power steering on my 30,000 mile 2006 Nissan Micra failed last November. I sent the unit to ECU Testing Ltd in Derbyshire to be repaired as they offered a lifetime warranty. The unit then failed again...
I would appreciate your recommendation of what car to get. I have between £6000-£8000 to spend on a car. I am 24 years old and do not have a no-claims bonus due to never having a car before. I am looking...
My sister wishes to buy a new Honda Jazz. Can you please suggest which is the best in the range, as there are so many models of Jazz? She fancies 1.4 EXL CVT for £17,200.
I have a 2002 Volkswagen Golf GT PD 130 that has now done 205,000 miles. I bought it two years ago from a family member who had owned it since new. It's been well cared for and I have every receipt. Its...
I sold my Golf once it was repaired and replaced it with Ford Focus 125 Ecoboost, which is really nice to drive. I see the real world MPG for this car does look a little disappointing but I'm soon going...
My father-in-law owns a 1998 Saab 9000 2-litre saloon. He has owned it from new and it has only done 30,000 miles. Over recent years the batteries in the keyfobs have consistently run out every six months...
My daughter is moving to a flat in London. She will have to park her car on the street where you are required to purchase a parking permit. Her car was bought new and registered in her hometown in North...
I wonder if you would be so kind as to give me some advice regarding my next car. I have been driving a BMW 530d since 2003 and using it to make very frequent long commutes to Scotland from Herts. It has...
I've just replaced my 2010 BMW 320i Touring with the identical but new 2013 model. I have a BMW supplied set of wheels/winter tyres for my old car but I cannot use these on the new model because the tyre...
Our daughter has a 58 plate belt cam Hyundai i30 2.0 diesel. Her local Hyundai dealer at her last service flatly refused to change the belt at 40K miles (made it clear they thought she didn't know what...
Mercedes-Benz is asking £500+ to replace a broken interior door handle. Apparently they don't make a specific part so you have to buy the whole interior door panelling!
Has anyone found an alternative?
I'm tempted to buy a Seat Leon 1.4 turbo, but I'm wondering if small engines whirling like Dervishes to produce what a 1.6 or 1.8 normally aspirated petrol engines would deliver without the least stress...
I need to replace the front tyres on my Mercedes-Benz A-class. Current tyres fitted all round are Pirelli 195/16 87T MO. Only fronts need replacing. What best tyre make you recommend for this car?
HI. I have been running a Mini Cooper SD Coupe (2102 with 2k to 7k miles) for the past 5 months. I have alternated the use of 6 fuels to see if any brand makes a difference to fuel consumption - it does!...
I am taking my 2004 E-Class to Verona via France and Switzerland. Can you give any advise on what the best breakdown cover would be? In the UK it is relatively easy to find non main dealer garages but...
I'm almost due to start looking for a new Motability car and could use some recommendations. I have a Peugeot 207 1.4 Diesel that does 55mpg combined and 63mpg on long motorway runs, but it's too small...
My father recently bought a used car from Evans Halshaw. His own car broke down and he needed a car urgently as my mother is in hospital 20 miles away and my father likes to visit daily.
His own car...
Hi Honest John,
I recently started a graduate level job after leaving university and I am looking to get a new (or used but within the last 5 years if possible) car to upgrade from my current Y-reg Vauxhall...
We currently have a Touran 2.0 diesel and an old Sharan 2.0 petrol.
The Sharan is due to be replaced, and I'd like to find a replacement that would be suitable for towing a horse box or caravan.
As we...
I want to buy an economical small car. Ideally, it will be second hand and offer good mpg, as I drive 66 miles every day. It will need to have good legroom and be able to carry three adults comfortably....
I have a 2006 BMW 3 Series with 61,000 miles on the clock and a full service history (not all by BMW). The car has been diagnosed with a snapped crankshaft and BMW have said they will look at it at my...
I have recently purchased a 2nd hand Golf GTI. It came with 6 months auto trust formula 2 warranty. I have been given the option of extending this to a 1 year warranty for £250. Is this worth considering?
The...
I am replacing my 14 year old Toyota Corolla due to the fact the car is becoming uneconomical to keep on the road. I'm looking for a used medium sized car that will be reliable, safe and large enough to...
I bought a 2010 Volkswagen Fox last week, privately.
I have since had a diagnostic test done by Volkswagen and the results show that cylinder three has excessive low compression resulting in £2000+ of...
I recently purchased a 2003 Audi A4 from a local garage. After driving the car for just a few days I noticed a clicking noise in first gear - I think it’s a chipped transmission tooth, which could be very...
I own a 2012 Ford Focus Titanium 1.6 PowerShift. The car has an intermittent noise that occurs from the front nearside wheel of the car. It is a scraping or grinding noise and happens at 40mph.
I have...
I own a 2008 Toyota Avensis that has covered 30,000 miles. On tick over I get a vibrating noise from the exhaust; if I touch tailpipe with my foot or increase revs a little bit it goes away. I have replaced...
My wife was recently involved in a road accident, which wasn’t her fault. The other party accepted liability at the scene and offered £800 to fix the car. However, after speaking to a mechanic, we found...
Would like advice on convertibles, I prefer big engines with plenty torque, hate revvy buzz boxes. The choices seem limited to 3.0 Z4, 3.5 SLK, 3.2 TT or 2.7/3.2 Boxter.
Boxter worries me regarding cost...
I have a 2006 Renault Trafic. It is starting to vibrate when I get up to 50mph. I had the wheels checked and they are OK.
The time has come to renew my insurance with Direct Line and their policy wording now states that they may use parts not manufactured by the car maker. As my car is less than 1 year old and under warranty...
Dear John, my friend, who doesn't have a computer, is a professional dog walker and business is good. He wonders if it's possible to buy, at auction or otherwise, an ex-police dog patrol van or similar,...
Every time I stop my car, a Mondeo 2.0 TDCI, the cooling fans are on and remain on for some minutes. This occurs even for short journeys. My dealer said this was normal but in other cars I have had the...
I recently had my car serviced and I asked the garage to fit a replacement tyre. When I picked the car up I was told that the tyres had been rotated and the new tyre fitted.
The next day the tyre warning...
My 2001 Honda Civic was recently checked by a friend and it was discovered that the air-con was no longer working. No reason was given.
Will it be worth getting the air-con fixed? Will there be problems...
Is it possible to change the speed limiter on my Mercedes-Benz B-Class? It’s currently limited to 74mph.
I have a chance to buy a high mileage (100,000 miles) 2011 Mercedes-Benz C220 Sport Estate from a cousin. I only need to pay off finance which is £8500, apparently.
It would be great as a replacement...
I have a 12-year Nissan Tino diesel MPV that I need to replace. Can you recommend an economical, safe and comfortable car?
I'm open to new or second hand, but it will need to commute about 95 miles every...
I bought an approved 2009 Volkswagen Golf estate 1.9 TDI DSG with only 190 miles on the clock. After a few days I was forced to return it because the cruise control stopped working and the dashboard was...
Is there likely to be much difference in reliability between an early Volkswagen Golf 2009/2010 1.2 TSI engine and the later 2011/2012 version?
I’ve brought a new Mercedes-Benz B-Class diesel. I have only driven it for a week and I have been getting an on and off burning smell under the bonnet, sometimes I can smell it via the air con. Occasionally...
A young driver recently hit the back of my Mazda MX-5. Not a lot of damage was done but the lady in question drove off without stopping. Fortunately I have a willing witness who wrote down her registration...
I have just bought a 2011 Mercedes C-class Blue Efficiency, with a petrol engine. Do I need to take special care before switching off the engine, because of the turbo?
Land Rover recalled my Defender 90 in February to replace the tube connecting the turbo - up to that time I had no problems. Since then the tube has blown off under relatively normal driving, which the...
My Citroen DS4 has 18-inch wheels and low profile 225/45 R18 tyres. I have done 3000-miles and the ride is poor. I am assuming that the large wheel and low profile tyres are to blame.
This leads me to...
I have a 2003 Honda Civic automatic that I want to change. I have difficulty using the automatic gearshifts, where you have to press a spring loaded 'latch' to move the shift into drive etc. Is there a...
You gave me some helpful advice about a Mazda MX-5 recently. I'm inclined to get one for about £5000. What can I do to make one more practical to use in English winter snow and ice?
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