Trending topics in December 2013
Questions from December 2013
I read your FAQs about credit hire vehicles but would appreciate further advice. My son's motorbike was knocked over whilst it was parked. The car driver has admitted liability and there is one witness....
I have driven a Saab 9-5 Vector Estate 2.3t from new since 2002. I love the car and have put off changing it because I cannot replace it with another. What do I replace it with? Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi?...
My partner is currently suffering with lower back pain and finds our 2006 Peugeot 207 particularly uncomfortable. When we travelled back from Mallorca recently, she had no problems with the transfer coach...
My wife and I have recently moved house and need to consider whether or not to exchange our MX-5 for a small 4x4. We now live on an unadopted road and will be well within the snow line if future winters...
I conscientiously try to stick to the speed limits, but this seems to annoy many drivers who harass me by tailgaiting and making obscene gestures. Can you tell me where I can get one of these licences...
I drive a 2002 Volkswagen Golf TDi PD. It's quite an old car, but it suits me. I have done 257,000 miles and its still on the original clutch. Would this be a record?
We own a 2005 Volkswagen Golf TDI 130 estate with 67,000 miles and a 2005 Fiesta Style Climate with 45,000 miles, both with full dealer service history in silver, in excellent condition. Now in retirement,...
We are about to change cars and would like a good-looking coupe four-seater with comfort and a bit of luxury, petrol engine and manual gearbox. I am 80 and my wife is 70 and nowadays the majority of our...
I have a 1983 Saab 99. Not having used the car for a month, I was driving to my mother's with lower oil pressure than usual at 40psi when the engine suddenly cut out descending a gentle incline. There...
My Mini had only done 48,000 miles when it developed a cracked cylinder head. BMW/Mini wanted £1200 to do an initial diagnosis and considerable charges would have been incurred on top of that if I would...
I have received a parking ticket from my local supermarket. The ticket states that I was taking up two spaces by being over the lines into another bay. When I queried it and they told me why it had been...
I have happily run a Dutch-built Volvo V40 for 13 years and, although it is still performing well, I feel like a change. My problem is that my garage door is 83 inches wide (the car 74 inches) and I find...
I've been reading up about the Civic 2.2iCTDI on your website. It looks good, but the 1.8 iVTEC also looks good. I'm just wondering which one's going to end up costing the most to run with circa 20,000...
My wife qualifies for a car under the Motability Scheme and her last two cars have been Volkswagen Golfs, presently a 1.4 TSI which has just about all the bells and whistles you could wish for. She now...
We bought a BMW F25 X3 X-Drive 2.0D SE 8-speed automatic 21 months ago. The total price including extras and a spare set of alloy wheels with cold weather tyres was £41,000. We recently asked the BMW dealer...
We recently had to scrap our second car, a 1996 Golf GTI that had fully foldable back seats, making it ideal for its later life of short journeys to and from the station, allotment and tip. I would love...
I've received a parking penalty after parking in a pub car park when we had Sunday lunch there on 15 September. I was en route to hospital to be induced (I was 12 days over my due date). Preoccupied by...
I'm about to change our XC90. Do you have any better recommendations that match the cargo space of the XC90 with front and middle only seats up? Another issue is I've tended to stay away from metallic...
I own a 2004 Mercedes-Benz E220 CDi Classic. It has 130,000 miles on the clock. Just a couple of weeks ago, a warning appeared on the dash: ‘Service Brake! Visit Workshop'. I visited my regular Mercedes-Benz...
I have owned a Skoda Superb 1.8 TSI DSG Estate since new in 2010, with some 20,000 miles on the clock. Why hasn't Skoda UK recalled my car as has been done elsewhere in the world? http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/audi-follows-volkswagen-recall-20130612-2o3o5.html...
I have three cars: a 2008 Chrysler 300C estate with a Webasto electric roof, unique stitched Nappa heated leather, fantastic Classic FM and Radio 3 Boston audio upgrade and Parrot, tinted glass, 57,000...
In late May I decided to purchase a used Vauxhall Tigra from a Vauxhall dealership. I took receipt of it on 1 June. During the purchase discussions my wife and I were told on several occasions that the...
I have a 2008 KIA Sorento XS with 47,000 on the clock. I am looking to change, but have found that KIA cannot provide me with a new KX2 demonstrator to test drive. I am also somewhat wary of buying a Sorento...
We are a retired couple doing only about 6000 miles a year, but we love the look of the Range Rover Evoque. Which one should we choose? It would be a manual by preference with five doors but we don't really...
Information on your website for the Jaguar XK 1996-2006 model states that there is "no easy means of checking 5-speed auto box oil level or refilling it”.
Jaguar says 'sealed for life', but no oil changes...
I am a single female and wish to buy a used, small four door car with possible all-wheel drive option. I cover about 10,000 miles per year, but want something reliable, with low running costs and lots...
The power steering pump (PSP) has failed on my wife's 2004 MINI. I understand that this is a common problem and my local dealer has refused to offer any goodwill payment as the work was carried out by...
I have just purchased a Ford Fiesta and as you are probably aware you don't get a spare wheel. The tyres on it now are 195/50 R16 and was wondering what size spare I should buy?
Is it ok to fit non run flat tyres to my 2009 BMW? I want to fit four winter tyres.
My 2008 Volkswagen Golf has a chain cam, which the dealer says will last the lifetime of the 1.6 engine. Is this true?
My friend has a 2004 Nissan Micra, but the driver’s door locks itself. It has now got so bad that she has to climb over the passenger’s seat to get in and out. She has tried to use the remote button on...
I used my Mazda 6 for a journey back from the continent and during the trip one disk pad wore out. There is now a deposit of steel powder on the alloy wheel which I can't remove. Can you suggest how?
Seen a three year old Volkswagen Golf with low mileage. Can you tell me what I need to do to check it hasn’t been in an accident?
My 2008 Ford Mondeo is making a humming noise at the back. The frequency of the noise increases with speed. Tyres are Goodyear 215/55 R16s. Is this road noise or something more serious?
I am looking for a comfortable car with good fuel economy for my 80-mile commute on motorway. I have £12,000 to spend; what do you recommend?
My Ford focus has just developed an intermittent fault with the ABS/ESP warning lights. The symbols illuminated continuously whilst driving, even though there’s no reason for them to come on.
The car...
The driver door on my 1995 Peugeot 306 does not lock under central locking. I can lock it manually, but when locking the rest of the car from the passenger door the central locking enables and immediately...
Can you tell me what are the tags for on the rear seats of a 2006 Vauxhall Astra?
With all the trouble that is being reported with diesel waxing up this year - what diesel do you recommend?
Rather than the 'gunk' kit for punctures I would much prefer a steel spare or space saver wheel. I own a 2008 Ford Fiesta with 195/45/R16s. What are the size options for steel rims?
My 2005 Ford Mondeo is starting to judder under acceleration in 4th and 5th gear. It is also making a screeching noise; any idea what’s going wrong?
I have £8000 to spend on a used car and have been toying with a 2005 Volkswagen Touareg, with 92,000 miles on the clock. However, my friends say this will be a bad idea as the running and repair costs...
Our 2006 Honda Civic 1.8i has started to judder when pulling away at normal revs. It happens at 1500rpm (six miles per hour) but is not noticeable at higher revs. Does this indicate the clutch needs replacing...
I'm looking to buy an automatic MPV, but am undecided on what used car to buy. The choice is between the Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 1.4i turbo or the Ford Grand C-Max Powershift. As I do not do many miles...
When accelerating to overtake, the engine of my Jaguar X-Type 2.0 diesel cuts out without warning. The power steering dies and the engine stalls, forcing me onto the hard shoulder to restart the car. The...
I want to buy a small car for my daughter. I have a budget of £4000 and she’ll need it for rural and city driving. I’m considering the Honda Jazz, but can you recommend anything else?
I have sourced a spare set of 18-inch alloys for my Hyundai iX35 (did consider 17s, but found them hard to source). I now need to sort out the winter tyres - size is 225/55/18/98H - for which there are...
I’ve found a used car I really like, but it still has outstanding finance. Should I buy it or walk away?
Can you offer any advice on dealing with traffic fines in Italy?
I own a 2009 Ford Focus and I understand that you recommend 16-inch wheels for a more comfortable ride. I am an elderly driver and am not bothered about the looks, so want to replace my 17-inch wheels....
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