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Honest John Ask Honest John » August 2015
Trending topics in August 2015
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Questions from August 2015
My 25 year old daughter needs a small car to get to and from work as a teacher. She lives in Kings Lynn - would leasing be a good idea and would it cover insurance and would they help her if the car went...
I have just had my under slung spare wheel stolen from my 2015 Discovery 4 and I am in the process of trying to replace the wheel and cradle system. Initially I was being asked for £1200 to do this but...
I'm planning on running my Avensis with all season or winter tyres and I have found on a reputable online tyre supplier. Are there any downsides to running all weather tyres throughout the entire year?...
I am looking to purchase a vehicle that is suitable for my mother's needs i.e a high seating position for easy access and a low load height and preferably a flat loading area to enable an electric buggy...
My CR-V is a good car but i think the tyres , (225/70) R15 are too small. This sounds stupid but is there any way to get new tyres and bigger alloys as these tyres look small on such a big 4WD vehicle?
I bought an ex-demo from dealership with about 50 miles on the clock. At 3000 miles the clutch needed replacing due to "complete burn out". DMF and slave cylinder also replaced, DMF damaged due to heat,...
The windscreen washer jets on my BMW 3 Series only put water onto lower part of windscreen (until last week they worked perfectly but have gradually failed to put water to the top of the screen). The rear...
I purchased a BMW X3 2007 (59,508 miles) from a BMW dealership in March 2013. The Turbo and Particulate filter failed at 68,424 miles. At 90,000 miles I returned the car to BMW again with Turbo, Particulate...
I am emigrating to Australia and need to buy a car when I get there. I'm really close to signing a contract on a Nissan X-Trail. A family member just advised me to stay away from Nissan and I then looked...
I have a BMW 320d with 132k miles and have just been told that the timing chain will need replacement. It will cost €1500. If I get it done and change the oil every 10k am I likely to get another 130k...
Can you recommend reasonably priced diagnostic equipment that will work for fault codes and resetting fault lights, specifically ABS?
Is there a fault with my car? I find I have to almost push my foot through the floor to get full throttle and it makes the car very tiring to drive. If I do 30 miles on mixed dual carriageways with loads...
I'm due to retire soon and looking for a car that has good build quality, reliability and very low cabin noise. I have £12-15k to spend and the Lexus IS 250 and Audi A4 2.0 are top of the list. Annual...
My daughter has a 2007 Renault Clio with a persistent n/s front indicator fault. The car has been back to the local Renault dealer four times and each time the car returns, apparently fixed, but it is...
The power steering failed on my 2013 Polo BlueGT for the first time in December 2014. The dealer changed the pump with integrated control unit and all seemed well. July 2015 the system failed again, but...
I have been wondering for some time how residual values are set? Obviously there are used car price guides (for the consumer and the trade) but who establishes the prices in the first place, and how? I'm...
I am being quoted over £2000 for repairs to my Fiat 500 which is less than 4 years old, has full service history and done only 35,000 miles. I believe the larger items are known faults rather than wear...
I fitted mud flaps to my Panda and I'm wondering if they're worth it. Fiat normally only allow rear guards, which are fine since they screw into the plastic bumper, the fronts are from the (2008-) Ford...
I will be retiring in about 12 months time when I will lose my company car and I am thinking about ordering a Macan S. I doubt I will do more than 10k per annum but I do envisage at least one long trip...
I am contemplating changing from a 7 year period of owning Passats (present 55 plate 2.0 TDI SE) to a Ford Mondeo. What 58 - 59 plate models would you recommend as an alternative and what features would...
I have a Honda CR-V EX with HID lamps. With these lights I do not need to make an adjustment when driving in Europe. My friend has Subaru Forester XT in which we will be driving to Italy next month. He...
Our Volkswagen Golf is eight years old and the headlight plastic covers have got very cloudy and unclear. I think it might be oxidisation on the surface. What is the best stuff to use to get them clear...
I'm thinking of buying SEAT Exeo ST 2.0 TSI 2010 67K miles. I a see practical sporty estate that should have several more years reliable service - assuming its been well looked after (full service history...
My Alfa Mito is five years old but only done 15000 miles. I have been quoted £284 by Auto world to replace the cambelt- the kit includes waterpump and jockey pulley. Do I need to replace the belt now or...
First of all would like to thank you and your website for its considerable useful info and I am an avid follower of the website and find it very informative especially the Ask Honest John section. Thank...
My Ford Kuga recently had a serious issue with the power steering failing suddenly while parking. Ford advised it was a ECU fault and that there was no evidence on what would have caused the issue, To...
I own a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV new March 30th 2015. The battery life is fading, and has reduced from 32 to less than 20 miles in 4 months. Is this a common problem? Should Mitsubishi replace the batteries?...
The local Peugeot dealer has written to my elderly mother-in-law, recommending replacing the timing belt on her seven year old 1.4 petrol 207 which they have serviced from new. The current mileage is around...
Pools of water are collectiong behind the driver's seat of my car after it has been parked during heavy rain. It seems to be coming from under the dashboard as sometimes there is water on the front mats....
I own a Mercedes E350 Coupe which is now nearly 5 years old. The sat nav needs updating, but Mercedes want a small fortune, also the internet available so called updates, are iffy at best. I wish to buy...
Last week a warning light came on telling me that there was "Water in Fuel Filter" and the car went into limp mode. I asked my local garage to fit a new filter and he has just reported that there was no...
My mother-in-law needs a reliable 7 seater to cart the kids around in. She has just had to scrap her 1993 Pajero and is in the market for a replacement. She will need to take the kids plus enough luggage...
My wife wants to downsize my car a Skoda Superb. What car would you recommend that is £14000-£15000 and has a reasonable cabin size and boot?
Electric cars are slowly gaining acceptance, but is there a simple method of comparing range and performance? Looking at each model in turn is very tedious. I drive a Vauxhall Ampera which consistently...
I've replaced the HCV on my puma as it was only blowing out hot air. It worked fine once I'd finished (ran for around 5-10 mins, aircon working fine too). Drove it this morning and had the same problem....
I'm considering buying an Audi 80 Cabriolet as a daily driver to replace my current W123. I have read HJ review and there isn't a huge list of troubles listed. I'm not a great lover of depreciation, turbos...
When the engine is not under load (idling or coasting to a stop) my Pathfnder sometimes cuts out, or very nearly cuts out. When this happens it will not idle properly and needs to be turned off and restarted....
Do you know of any companies that make electric minibuses? The company I work for is looking to "go green" and I can't seem to find much out there.
I'm looking to buy a second hand 4x4 as I'm going to be starting a self build project soon. My primary requirement is for traditional 4x4 capabilities, handle off road terrain, mud, etc carrying a good...
Having been a loyal Nissan customer for 14 years, I recently bought a new Micra, but driving it gave me a really bad neck and back after just a couple of days of driving just short distances. I am now...
I have just been quoted, by my local Honda dealer, in excess of £800 to replace a started motor on my wife's Honda Civic 1.7 CDTi. This seems extortionate as the average price on Amazon etc is about £80...
I have a four year old Volkswagen people carrier bought brand new and serviced by Volkswagen. Recently it has been losing power and the dealer is charging £1000 to decide whether the engine needs replacing....
My new vehicle was due to be delivered late July. Delivery has been delayed and will now be mid August. Should I wait to register from 1st September or accept it on arrival? Is there a down side to accepting...
I have owned my Rover 75 diesel automatic from new in 2005 and must start thinking about its replacement. This will need to be 4 door, diesel or petrol with gear or chain camshaft drive and conventional...
An engine management fault comes up with exhaust cam fault. The car has always been serviced by Mercedes. Is there a general problem with magnetic sensors on this V6 engine?
My Ford C-MAX petrol 57 plate runs well but keeps stalling when idling. It restarts okay. The Ford garage is unable to find a problem and nothing shows on diagnostics. Any advice?
My 1998 Fiesta Zetec only has 33k miles but has started dying while driving. It randomly starts and then doesn't start, so can't be trusted. I recently replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter and air filter....
I used the voice command to 'Go Home' in my Lexus RX 450h and 20 minutes later got a message to say there were traffic issues on the selected route and would I like to change route. I selected 'NO' and...
What tyres should I buy for a Nissan Qashqai Acenta?
My 2011 Leon 1.2 TSI Ecomotive needs a new engine. The chain was loose and has apparently done the damage. SEAT has offered 60 per cent of full cost to fix which still leaves me to pay £900. I really believe...
 

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