Cars with side hinged rear doors

We have an ageing Yaris Verso with a side hinged rear door and a Cee'd SW which we keep catching the hatch on our low roofed garage. We think another side hinger could be the answer but can only think...

Flat spot at around 2000rpm in X-Trail

Recently bought X-trail and it has a certain degree of what I can only describe as hesitancy or very slight judder/cough and splutter, always round about 2000rpm, mostly in 2nd gear. It doesn't happen...

Qashqai - belt or chain cam?

I am trying to find out if the Qashqai 1.6 petrol vehicle has a cam chain or belt. I am looking for a 57/08 model. Would you recommend looking for a vehicle with a cam chain rather than belt? Is there...

Peugeot 309 GTI v Nissan Note

Since I gave up my company car and got a job minutes from home by bicycle I don't cover many miles during the week but do occaisional longer trips some weekends. Having noted your reccomendation of the...

How can you disable speed camera alerts in a Nissan Note?

I understand that the French Authorities have banned the use of speed camera detectors and can impose fines up to £1250. I have recently become the owner of a Nissan Note with its fitted Nissan Connect...

Do the KIA Sportage or Nissan Qashai have any particular problems?

I am about to change my car. I can spend in the region of £20,000 plus whatever I can get for my 2004 Mondeo Ghia X 2.0TDCI with 46,000 miles. I tow a small caravan occasionally and my current annual mileage...

Speedo and satnav show different speeds - which is more accurate?

My Garmin nüvi 1300T satnav consistently shows 4mph less than the speedometer reading on my Qashqai 1.6 Acenta manual, checked on a level road. For example, at 30mph on the speedo the satnav reads 26mph....

Which small, economical car for a first-time driver?

I am thinking of buying a car for our grandson who is just starting his first job after graduating. I could manage £5000 but might be able to make it more, possibly double for the right vehicle. Obviously...

Stop/start issues with a Micra

I own a Nissan Micra with Pure Drive function. When the ignition is switched on, the dashboard 'auto' LED is continuously blinking. Furthermore, when I stop in traffic the stop-start system sometimes...

Is it time to say goodbye to our 100,000-mile-old Ford Focus?

We currently run a 2003 Ford Focus TDI which we have been reasonably happy with, some comfort issues apart. It has 108,000 miles on the clock and a few dents and scratches which we have not had fixed....