Car damaged by trees - what next?

My daughter, who passed her test 6 months ago, has this morning had a collision with a tree branch which fell directly into her path immediately in front of the vehicle, resulting in substantial damage...

Timing chain failure on BMW X3

We brought a 2007 BMW X3 from a second hand car dealer, but 10 weeks later the timing chain failed. The garage where we brought the car have said they are going to replace the engine, but what guarantees...

How long should a new car's air con last?

We bought a brand new Jazz two years ago and it has been serviced twice by Honda. I think the air con has stopped blowing cold. I know the gas can leak over time but surely it should last longer than this...

Used car has faulty CD player - what are my legal rights?

I purchased a 2004 Honda Accord yesterday and on the way home noticed CD player and clock didn’t work. I called the seller and they told me to disconnect the battery to fix the problem. However, this hasn’t...

Should I buy a carl with 104k miles on the clock?

I have seen a 2008 Ford Focus estate 1.6 TDCi with 104,000 miles on the clock for £3995. Would you recommend buying this caR?

Best petrol for economy and performance?

What is the best petrol for economy and performance for my Audi Q3 2.0 TFSI Quattro? Is it Shell, BP, Texaco or Esso? Should I buy a "super" petrol e.g. Shell V-Power or other suppliers equivalents?

Is my car beyond repair?

My 2005 Mazda 5 packed up last Friday, with big shuddering and smoke coming out of the engine. I called the AA and I’ve been told it is most likely the head gasket and the engine is beyond repair. If the...

Which small automatic car?

I am very interested in purchasing a Ford Ka, Vauxhall Adam or Fiat Panda, but would like to know if they are available with an automatic gearbox? And whether you know of any other small automatics that...

Garage will remove particulate filter to fix the warning light - is that legal?

I purchased a 2006 VW Golf from a second hand dealer approximately 1 month ago. Recently the engine management and particulate filter warning lights came on along with a fault on the seatbelt warning...

My car was hit when parked, what should I do?

My car was parked on a single yellow line on a main road in London, when I came back to my car a couple of hours later I found the driver's side of my car had scratch and dents. There was a note left on...

Key fob is not working, rear doors locked, indicators not working and no rear wiper. HELP!

Key fob has stopped working, change of battery no different,rear doors are locked and cannot be opened at all,a lso indicators and rear wiper have stopped. Any ideas?

Vicar needs a new car. Short wife likes higher seating position. 250 miles a week. Skoda yeti or...?

Our 02 Reg Scenic needs replacing after years of hassle free driving over 100k miles. My wife likes the higher seating position (she's 5'2") and a glass roof. I need it for a 25 mile each way commute and...

SEAT Toledo 1.2TSi for under £13k. Is this a bargain?

I am seeing ads for SEAT Toledo 1.2TSi 105 SE with sat nav for less than £13,000. This is less than for similar but less well specified SEAT Ibiza 1.4 models and seems almost too good to be true. I need...

Searching for new economical automatic compact MPV

We are a family of 2 adults and 2 teenagers searching for a compact MPV. Prefer petrol automatic as we only do around 8000 miles a year. Thought about Peugeot 5008 but prefer Japanese reliability, but...

Best small or family car?

I need to buy a used car. My choice is: 1) Used, up to five year old small car with five doors, reliable, economical, budget: £5500 2) Used, up to five years old family car, five doors, reliable, economical...

Brake discs worn after just 8500 miles

My 2007 Toyota Auris was requested to go back to the dealer following its first service as they wanted to check the brake disc due to possible corrosion. Three hours later I received a call to say they...

Are run flat tyres worth the expense?

I am looking to replace my 2004 Ford Mondeo with a new estate car. I have looked at Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series amongst others. A problem with the BMW is that they only come with run flat tyres. I fear...

Buying a new car with light steering - recommendations?

I have been diagnosed with cubit tunnel syndrome and will need a car with very light steering because of reduced grip in my right hand). Is rear or four-wheel drive car advisable to take load off the...

Should I replace a repaired tyre?

I have recently bought a 2005 Porsche Boxster S and a recent inspection has shown the front offside tyre has had a plug repair in the middle of the tyre and part of the plug is proud of the tread. I...

Annoying rattle/squeak - can you help?

Our 2007 Nissan Note SVE Auto Petrol has suddenly developed the most annoying rattle/squeak coming from the passenger dash area, (passenger airbag area). Nissan cannot find any fault but to take it apart...

Which Mazda 3 should I buy?

I'm looking for a new small or medium petrol automatic with 4/5 doors. I do about 10,000 miles per year, mostly made up by a daily 40 mile round trip commute, two thirds of which is motorway. I like...

What should I replace my Mondeo with?

I will be changing my five year old 50,000 mile Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDI this year and have looked around extensively. However, having test driven a Mazda 6, Hyundai i4, Jaguar XJ (nearly-new) and BMW 3 Series...

Can you recommend an economical family car?

I am having to sell my BMW 3 Series convertible as am expecting a baby and it is proving too expensive to run and a bit impractical. Please can you recommend a car that is economical to run without feeling...

What's the legal definition of a new car?

We have just purchased a new Vauxhall Meriva. Prior to purchasing it we asked about it being the new facelift model (since Oct 2013) rather than the pre-facelift model (2010 to 2013). We were told that...

Does the Corsa VXR have Bluetooth as standard?

My son-in-law has just bought a used 2011 Vauxhall Corsa VXR from a dealer. Should it be fitted with Bluetooth?

Steering pipe failure on recently bought car - can we claim against the dealer?

My mother recently purchased a 2002 Toyota Corola Verso for £2490 due to it only having done 47,000 miles. The car is spotless and drives beautifully but as soon as we got it back we noticed a leak underneath-...

Flaky paint on a Toyota Auris - what are my rights?

Thirteen months ago I bought a Toyota Auris. I paid extra to have body moulding protective door strips added to the car and for them to be colour matched (sprayed) to the car. However, nine months later,...

Cooling fan coming on all the time - is this normal?

The cooling fan on my diesel Ford Fiesta comes on and impacts performance quite regularly - is this normal for a 2012 car?

Buying a used car for £12k - Seat Leon or Hyundai i30?

I have a budget of about £12k and am torn between buying a used Seat Leon 1.6 TDI SE and the Hyundai i30 1.6CRDI. I would use it to travel about 20,000 miles a year so must have a diesel. What do you suggest?

Why is my diesel Zafira blowing smoke?

I own a 2005 Vauxhall Zafira with a turbodiesel engine. However, the car has only covered 52,000 miles, yet it blows loads of smoke when it is idle. Any ideas what the fault could be?