Ask Honest John

What do I do if someone leaves an abandoned car outside my house?

A 2002 Honda Stream has been left outside my house for weeks. It's full of junk and has an old 2015 tax disc on the dashboard. Who do I inform to get it taken away?

Can you suggest a small, economical car to replace our old diesel?

We feel that we need to sell our beloved Land Rover Freelander 2 because it's a diesel. We've started to look for a car which won't cost a fortune to own and run for the next three years. There's nothing...

What is the whining noise I hear when I brake?

I hear a random whine coming from the rear of my 2006 Honda CR-V about once every journey. It lasts about 10 minutes and then goes away. When brakes are applied, it starts and then comes back when released....

Can you recommend a car that can fit two child seats and an adult in the back?

I'm looking for a car that has three full size seats in the back. I need to be able to fit an adult in the middle rear seat, between two children's car seats. My budget is only small (not helpful I know)...

If you could buy any car, what would you choose?

I'm a field service engineer and I'm looking for a new car. If you could buy any car (estate, saloon or hatchback), what would you choose? It would have to be a diesel though.

Is driving without a wing mirror illegal?

The driver's side wing mirror on my daughter's Honda Jazz has been broken (she caught it on a post while reversing). She has it taped up and cannot see to the rear of the car in it. A replacement is £300+...

What's the best used car for under a £1000?

I'm looking for a used car and have £1000 to spend. I want something with a bit of power, motorways at weekends and city driving during week, any suggestions?

Do we need to change the gearbox oil on our two-year-old Jazz?

My wife's two-year-old Honda Jazz with 13,000 miles is due a service and the dealer recommends changing the gearbox oil at the cost of £75. Is this necessary? There are no problems with the manual gearbox....

When buying a used car, whats more important - mileage or number of previous owners?

We’re looking to buy a used Honda CR-V for around £7000. What’s more important, miles on the clock or number of previous owners?

Why don't diesel cars come with an option to manually regenerate the DPF?

I'm interested in understanding why a driver cannot request their car to kick off a regeneration manually, for example, when they get on the motorway for a long journey. I have a Honda CR-V 2.2 with a...