Ask Honest John

Most recently answered technical issues questions
I have a 2008 reg manual Ford Fiesta Titanium. I am very pleased with it. It's a great car. The car was supplied with low profile tyres. Pirelli P-ZERO Mero 205/40R17. I have had bad experiences of low...
Our 2005 Astra 1.8 Auto has just become a near write-off. The auto gearchange stopped working and when we took it to two Vauxhall garages both said that fluid had leaked from the radiator into the gearbox...
I own a VW Golf Mk5 SE 1.6 FSI 115PS registered 16/05/2006. The ESP OFF light came on along with the skidding car motif on the console and would not respond to the switch. Peter Cooper (Southampton) Ltd...
I am interested in the overfuelling problem about which you often comment. Can you please tell me if this affects diesel engines as well as petrol engines? It seems strange to me that with all the latest...
My 65,000 mile 1999S petrol Mercedes Benz E240 has excessive white creamy sludge on the inside of the oil filler cap, particularly during cold weather, without noticeable loss of coolant. Should I be worried?
Recently I took my 2005 Ford Focus 1.6 Ghia for its 40,000-mile service to my local Ford garage from which I bought it new. They could not remove the sparking plugs to change them because the plugs had...
In a recent response I think you said that a new run-flat tyre would be available from October which offered a softer ride than previous run-flats. I need to change all four tyres on my Skoda Octavia Scout...
I own a 2-year-old SAAB 9-3, 1.9TDI Sportwagon. The car has done 16,000 miles and is still under SAAB warranty. When I took the car for its 2nd year service I pointed out that the rear brake discs were...
I have been watching an increasing number of entries on your Mazda 3 technical forum with problems associated with the Dynamic Stability Control unit. As the repair of this problem, a replacement unit,...
Recently I purchased an Alfa 159 Lusso JTDM 1.9 SportWagon. Its lovely to drive in every respect, except after 600 miles (3 motorway journeys) all at normal speeds mostly 4-5 and 6th gear, the car only...