Ask Honest John

Most recently answered maintenance and servicing questions
I am thinking of buying a Vauxhall Corsa wth the 1199cc engine. Are these belt driven or chain driven engines?
My car is a Mercedes-Benz C180 estate. It was first registered in 2010, but I bought it in 2014 as an approved used car from a main dealer. The car ran fine until recently when I took it to my local dealer...
My 65 reg Ford Fiesta EcoBoost has just had its first service at 11,000 miles. The invoice states that gas treatment and motor flush have been used at a cost of just over £20. Is there any real benefit...
We have a 2005 Ford Fiesta which we noticed one day had no coolant. I took it to the garage and they pressure tested it and diagnosed a cracked expansion tank, which was replaced. A few days later I found...
I have a 2002 Renault Megane 1.9 dCi. The car has around 83,000 miles and has been owned from new by a family friend. Over the past 10 or so years the car has had oil changes every 5000 miles. Should this...
The timing chain on my 2002 BMW 318i has begun to make a rattling noise. It has 146,000 miles on the clock and I rely on it for my daily travel. Should I replace the chain?
I am looking to buy a Vauxhall Corsa that is 10 years old. It has a full service history, two owners and only 27,000 on the clock. A friend has advised that I should avoid the car if it hasn't had a cam...
Could you tell me what I need to look out for on my Volvo XC60 when towing a 1500kg caravan? The car has the eight-speed automatic gearbox, will I need to fit a gearbox air cooler and change the gearbox...
I have a Mazda 3 which will be three years old in February and out of warranty. I would like to get the car serviced by an excellent local independent garage. Obviously this will mean not having a full...
I'm due to collect my new Ford with the EcoBoost petrol engine. Do new cars still have a running-in period? Is there anything to be careful of with this type of engine?