Questions from January 2014
In late November 2013, I purchased a BMW 320d Touring from a small dealer. The car was registered in ‘08 and had been a lease car which had completed 96000 miles. It had a full service record – with...
My Daughter has just changed jobs & will now be driving 40 miles each way to work & home on mainly motorway.
She currently has a Suzuki Ignis, which she is unhappy with for this journey & has set her...
I purchased a Citroen C1 a few months ago and recently discovered that the inside of the windows get very wet and even icy in cold weather. There are also signs of small bits of mould on the plastic and...
I bought my wife a 2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK for £8500. She says that at 65,000 miles it's not worth it and she won't get the value when she sells. Our last car lasted 17 years and I say that modern cars,...
I am in the process of choosing a company car and am attracted by the low Benefit in Kind rates for the Peugeot 508 RX4 and Citroen DS5 hybrids, both of which are within budget. I will drive 12,000 miles...
I've ordered a new BMW 320 xDrive and the dealer has recommended a paint protection product called AGlaze for £399. The product comes with a five year paint guarantee, what is your opinion?
Following the expiry of the manufacturer’s warranty on 2009 Volvo V70 2.0D R Design I bought an extended 3 year warranty from an independent company. I have had a warranty previously with my Saab 9-5 and...
I bought a 2011 Berlingo Multispace diesel with 98,000 on the clock recently. I put a deposit down on the understanding that the clutch would be fixed as it had a rumble on it.
They fixed the clutch,...
A colleague's 2009 petrol Ford Fiesta refuses to start on cold mornings. The battery is fine as lights and radio work OK, but it just won't start. However, once it's going and warmed up it'll run fine....
My wife wants a car with a boot that will open with a wave of her foot. Which companies, besides Ford, offer this feature?
My wife's car was hit by another vehicle reversing out of a parking bay. The impact was on the front wing and driver’s door. Our insurers had the repairs carried out and claimed the costs from the third...
I am looking to replace my 2.2 Automatic Vauxhall Omega estate with something of a similar-ish size boot, while still being an auto and petrol, as my commute to work is only about four miles so makes a...
My son in-law put 1/4 of a tank of unleaded petrol in his Fiat diesel van before realising he had made an error and then filled up with the correct diesel fuel.
He has driven the van since and has two...
I went to see a motor home (being sold by a private seller) and agreed a price of £7500. I left a deposit of £500 and received a signed receipt and said I’d collect the motor home once the 12 Months MoT...
We currently own a Vauxhall Zafira SR1 and a Peugeot 308 1.6 Hdi Sport. Our 18 year old son who is going to university in the autumn had just passed his test and we would like him to drive the family car....
I have a 2004 Audi TT in excellent condition with 55,000 miles on the clock. I currently do 4000 miles per year. In view of low mileage, is it worth keeping or replacing with a used TT or opting for contract...
Please can you clarify if it is legal to carry a child in the front of a four seater car in a forward facing child seat if you are unable (due to car's age) to de-activate the air bag?
I am unable to...
I regularly work in Salford, Manchester and leave my car in a public car park which has three hours free or £5 per day. I always pay full £5 and display the ticket. Recently, they sent me two tickets for...
The back doors on my 1999 Volkswagen Bora will not unlock, although the front ones open fine. Could it be a fuse?
I've just bought a Fiat Abarth 500 (July 2013) which has no spare wheel. It's on 195/45/R16s and I've been given a new Ford Ka spacesaver S135/80/B14.
The difference in overall diameter seems to be about...
I need a new SUV 4x4 to tow a 1500kg caravan. I don’t need seven seats, but may need to drive through shallow water occasionally. What do you recommend?
I bought a Ford Focus new in 2003 intending to keep it for a long time. Now 10 years on I am wondering if safety and crash protection has moved on enough to warrant buying a new car. I have two children...
I need to change my car and have a choice between a 2010 Honda Civic 2.2 I-ctdi se (95,400 miles) or a 2009 BMW 318d with 114,300 miles.
I understand that the Honda doesn't have DPF, what is quite good,...
The engine in my 2003 Honda Civic is making a squealing noise when idling. I know it is a chain cam but I have traced it to the only obvious belt in the engine bay (or rather two of the wheels it runs...
I want to buy a new SUV, but only cover short distances and the new DPF diesels aren’t suitable. What do you recommend?
I want to buy a new set of tyres for my car, but can’t decide between winter, summer or rain tyres. What do you think?
Inspired by recent press advertisements e.g."The New Volvo XC60 D4 with AWD", do you have any views on the merits of leasing as opposed to buying outright as a private car user? I have always bought (new...
I have a 2006 Volkswagen Touareg 2.5d SE manual with 140,000 miles, which I have owned from new. I am now looking for a replacement that will be capable on and off road and able to tow a horse box.
I...
I want to buy a new SUV. Can you tell me which is the best for running costs and reliability?
Now that I have retired, I want to buy a fun convertible to keep a long time and hopefully see me out. I will only do about five thousand miles per year, but need a automatic with good all round reliability....
I would like to arrange short term (two weeks) insurance on my car for my son when he visits from Canada. He has lived in Canada for the last 16 years but still holds a full UK driving licence
Insurance...
My 2004 Mazda 3 1.6 HDI with 121,000 miles has been great apart from the nightmare engine. A new crankshaft sensor, new turbo and associated parts and recently the turbo boost solenoid have all been fitted....
I am wanting to sell my CAT D listed 2011 Audi TT Quattro S Line Diesel with 26,000 miles on the clock. What sort of value should the car have and where would I be best trying to sell it?
I bought a 2009 Lexus RX400 from a dealer and took delivery on the understanding that they would subsequently make good the stolen spare tyre and bracket. They admitted liability verbally, but I am now...
My Nissan Micra is currently in the garage and has been diagnosed with a stretched timing chain. I have replaced both the crankshaft and camshaft sensors twice previously but now the car is finally giving...
Do you think the likes of the Suzuki Swift 1.2 which claims to do 57mpg, makes diesels less appealing if doing 15-18 thousand miles a year?
I am about to take delivery of a new Volkswagen Golf Estate. You say not to polish a new car, but what is the difference between waxing and polishing? Surely if you apply wax you must polish it off?
I urgently need to buy a small car. I need four or five doors, great safety and great mpg and either a five or seven year warranty. Price hopefully below or around £10,000. Can you help?
I recently bought a Jaguar S-Type on an internet auction site from a trader with no reserve. The car looked good in the pictures, but only had a few months left on its MoT.
Unfortunately I didn’t take...
I am 25 and I have recently (six months ago) passed my test. I am looking to purchase a used car and my budget is £2000-£4000. The car I learned to drive in was a Volkswagen Golf Mk V and I have had a...
We have begun to experience some strange, intermittent episodes of reluctance to move up the gears whilst accelerating in our 2010 Subaru Forester XS automatic (bought new and approaching its dealer 48,000...
We wish to buy a car and have found that the Volvo V70 D5 suits us well for holidays with dogs, kayaks, luggage etc on long trips to Scotland with no lack of performance whatever it has in it. We are aware...
I am looking to buy a set of winter tyres for my Mercedes C-Class 220 CDI Estate (W204). I currently run on 225/45 R17. Should I retain same size/profile or reduce to 205/55 R16?
The Continental TS850...
Every few weeks my Peugeot 407 diesel splutters just as though it is starved of fuel, but when I push the engine for a few miles the problem disappears. Any ideas?
I’ve just got yet another puncture on my 2005 Nissan Micra. The RAC came out and put the space saver wheel on for me so I can still drive around, and wrote down the “code” for the tyre so I would know...
I need some advice on buying a new second hand car. We are a family of six, with two adults and four children under the age of 10. We have looked at the Ford Galaxy, Seat Alhambra and Renault Grand Scenic,...
I need to buy a new, large van. I will be covering long distances (25,000 miles PA) and am self-employed, so reliability is a must. What do you recommend for £20 – £25,000?
I bought a 2005 Ssangyong Rexton with 143,000 miles on the clock from a dealer two weeks ago. When I bought the car the seller told me that there was an intermittent engine light problem, but he said he...
I am having some issues with my Peugeot 106. If I lift the throttle when the lights are on my battery light comes on. What’s going on?
I've recently had the clutch replaced on my 2002 Ford fiesta and the radio code printed in my manual isn't working. Can you help me find a radio code?
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