Why is Gap Insurance so expensive?

I have just purchased an Audi A4 Allroad and was pressurised into considering Gap Insurance. Thanks to your warnings, I declined. The exact same product, for which the dealer wanted £550, was just £139...

Is there a known fault with the Volkswagen 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine?

I have heard that there is a known fault in the Volkswagen 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine, which I have in my 2008 Skoda Octavia, which causes it to cut out. Do you know about this and why there has not...

Are pattern parts worth the saving?

Once my 2007 Mazda 3 was out of warranty I switched my servicing to a local and more convenient lower cost multi-franchise garage. Looking into parts costs I was amazed at the difference in price between...

Why are two dealers charging different prices for the same used car?

Searching on the official website I found two used Volkswagen Sharans within my budget of £20,000. One was at the local dealership, the other was in another dealership approximately 30 miles away. I visited...

Trouble buying a second hand car off eBay

Bought via a classified ad on Ebay, underneath the seller's name was the 'Motors' icon, which when you roll over it confirms that the seller is a motor dealer. The classified ad invited 'best offers'...

Audi A3 - almost too good to be true?

I have been investigating an Audi A3 1.8 TFSI (2008) that's been selling for a little below market value (according to Whatcar's free valuations). I have done a vehicle check on it using autotrader's service...

Why did this franchised Mercedes-Benz dealer try to oversell a routine repair job on my

I read with delight your colleague's article on spare tyres and their likely demise. I recently suffered a puncture in my 13-year-old 2-seater Mercedes-Benz drophead. A young decorator working nearby very...

Dealer attempted to raise the price of our new Touran after signing contract - what should I do?

I was today due to collect a 2010 Volkswagen Touran SE with 6000 miles on the clock from a Volkswagen dealership in Twickenham. The dealer sourced the Touran for us and gave us a price of £14,195, to which...

How can we get good trade-in prices for our cars which match our local dealership's?

For thirty years my wife and I have bought and driven Honda cars. Throughout this period we must have bought 25 new cars from the same salesman at the same dealership. They serviced the cars and the trade-in...

Why has the motor trade changed from mechanics to men in white coats?

I have attached an advert for a motor mechanic in the early 1960s that shows how the motor trade has changed to white coats and computers.