Ask Honest John

Most recently answered technical issues questions
A relative of mine has had the clutch fail on his Hyundai i20 after 8000 miles. He took the car back to the dealer, but a warranty claim was refused and he has been forced to pay £800 in repairs. Is this...
Can you tell me what was the original list price of the five-door 2010 Audi A3 Quattro 2.0 TDI?
I'm thinking of buying a new Volkswagen Passat, but remember older models suffering with an oil pump issue. Is this still the case?
I own a 1998 Ford Focus, but have noticed the cooling fan coming on when the engine has barely warmed up. Can you tell me if there's a problem?
I have just had my BMW 520d Touring serviced at 33,000 miles by a local dealer, preceded by a warranty check, which found a leaking exhaust manifold and a faulty EGR. When I took it away, I noticed that...
I’m being offered a 2012 Ford Mondeo Titanium X 2.2 TDCI with 16,400 miles on the clock for £16,841. Can you tell me if this has PowerShift and explain what it does?
My husband is thinking of buying a diesel Dacia Duster, but is hesitating because of the DPF - he is a mechanic so is aware of the problems they can cause. He’ll drive around eight miles a day and the...
My 2005 Ford Focus diesel suffered a clutch and flywheel failure at 70,000 miles and was repaired by a local dealer. Now, 21 months and 17,000 miles later it has failed again requiring identical repair....
My 2005 Lexus GS 430 has developed a fault after a recent 100,000 mile service at my local dealer. The auto ‘box oil was changed as part of the standard service, and whilst normal driving is fine, I've...
I have an on-going oil leak on my Citroen C3 diesel which despite numerous trips to the dealership has not been resolved. On my last visit I was informed that it was the oil pump that was faulty. As the...