Ask Honest John

Most recently answered good garages questions
Last Monday my 2007 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 TDI with only 35,000 miles on the clock blew up on the motorway. I phoned the AA and was towed off promptly and taken to a local garage, Caffyns of Folkestone. A...
I read with interest the letter from ‘MH’ with regard to older luxury cars being value for money. I purchased a 53 plate S-Type Jaguar, 4.2 V8 model for just less than £7000 about two years ago from ‘CarGiant’...
My independent Mercedes-Benz servicing garage tells me that the Sensotronic Brake Control unit on my 2004 E320CDI (90,000 miles) needs replacement at a cost of £900 or more. I've read on various MB forums...
My wife and I are now driving our eighth Proton car. What this has brought us over those years is a very good reward for our loyalty to the same dealer, Reg Thompson Cars of Keighley, West Yorks. Small...
I would like to nominate C Latham Motors of 85 Hospital Street, Nantwich 01270 625666 as being the ideal local garage that really has the interests of its customers at heart. Their service is everything...
I had a long standing airbag warning light fault in my 12-year-old Mercedes-Benz E Class and took the advice you gave to another reader, to contact www.airbagman.co.uk. They were remarkably efficient with...
You kindly printed my letter where I asked if you could recommend someone to restore my Triumph Stag and I thought I’d let you know the outcome. You forwarded an e-mail from another correspondent who recommended...
My 10-year-old, 30,000 miles, serviced by Mercedes-Benz A-Class suffered the dreaded ECU fault warning light. The Mercedes-Benz garage informed me a repair would cost £1700 if it was the gearbox or £6000...
Following your answer about garages replacing aircon compressors when all that was needed was a new clutch, mine failed a week ago. I took the car, a 10-year-old Passat, to our local independent garage...
Further to your remark about cut-price MoTs, I have taken our two elderly cars to PK Motors in Tunbridge Wells for the past 13 years. They give a 25 per cent discount to existing customers and have never,...