Does flushing oil help to decontaminate an engine when the oil is changed?

Yesterday my 2002 Volkswagen Polo petrol model, which has covered 75,000 miles, had its annual service, including a full oil change. Today, the oil looks much the same as it did yesterday - dirty and dark....

My Peugeot's service bill is huge - is this reasonable?

I took my 2005 Peugeot 307 HDI XI to the Peugeot main garage this morning for a service and MoT. It has covered just 39,000 miles and was serviced by a local garage for the last two years. I have just...

Should front springs be replaced in pairs?

Earlier this year my Vauxhall Vectra Estate was found to have a broken front road spring. My local main agent advised me that it was customary for both engineering and safety reasons to replace the springs...

Is there still a market for small, basic, economical cars?

We bought our 1998 Fiat Panda 0.9-litre for 1400 Euros six years ago. It has now covered over 150,000km, and we have done 54,000km of those. It will comfortably cruise at 70 mph on a motorway. It is running...

When do I change the cam belt on my Signum?

What is the recommended interval to change the Cam belt on this Signum? Car is 5 years old and has done 80,000 miles. Just had service and MOT done and there was no mention of this work needing doing?

Belt or chain on my CR-V?

I too once had a BMW Isetta. Mine had four wheels but the back two were close together which made it very difficult to avoid the potholes in unsurfaced roads. I now own an 02 reg Honda CRV. Can you...

Changing the cam belt on a SEAT Ibiza?

Service book recommends inspection at 4yrs/60,000 miles then yearly inspections. No time limit for changing. Car does mainly short journeys, max 3000 miles per year. Concerned that no time limit for...

Do I need to keep this level of oil changes up?

We have a Corolla and a Jimny both bought new and now 8 years old. They do 6000 miles each p.a. I change the oil twice a year on both with Total 5w/30 fully synthetic oil. Am I wasting money doing these...

Why are my rear brake pads wearing so fast?

I've done just over 30k miles in my SEAT Exeo, but I am getting what I consider to be unusual brake pad wear. The front brake pads are 20 per cent worn, if that, yet the rears are more than 80 per cent...

Oil changes on current Jaguar's

Current XF's require you use Castrol Oil. This oil is only available from a Jaguar dealer. To change engine oil and filter costs £169.00. For the last 15 to 20 years have always used Mobil one. That includes...