Ask Honest John

The value of my car on my insurance policy is £550, would I get this much if it was written off?

My car is a 2003 Renault Clio 1.2. I bought it new from the original owner in 2012 with 60,000 miles and full main dealer service history. It now has 110,000 miles, a new MoT and has been serviced yearly...

Should I buy a car that missed a service?

I'm looking to buy a used Nissan X-Trail 1.6 dCi from a dealer. While going over the paperwork, I noticed that the first service for the car was only done at 18 months/21,000 miles. When I pointed this...

Why isn't my heater working?

The heater in my Renault Scenic has stopping working. I've checked the fuse, but it's working fine. Any suggestions?

The dashboard dials in my car keep going crazy - how do I stop these time travelling episodes?

My Renault Megane dashboard dials keep going haywire, like the DeLorean's dashboard in Back to the Future, about 20 minutes into a drive. They go back to normality after two or three minutes of the dials...

I put AdBlue in my diesel tank - why do manufacturers put the caps so close together?

I've accidentally put AdBlue in my diesel tank, which seems to be a really bad thing (possibly worse than petrol in a diesel car). Why do Renault put the filling caps so close together? It's a fundamental...

Could I buy a new car with a scrappage discount, then sell it on for a profit?

I'm about to get rid of my 18 year old Renault Clio. If I hadn’t coincidentally just been offered a much younger version for free, I would have looked at the scrappage schemes to replace it. However, do...

I need a work vehicle - what's available for £3500?

I bought a Suzuki Carry in November, but it got stolen 46 days later. I need something else before starting work again (I'm a decorator). I'm struggling to find anything that's petrol, without high mileage....

I'm looking for a used small car or van to tow my trailer - what do you suggest?

I'm looking for a used small car or van to tow my small trailer. I was thinking of Citroen Berlingo or Renault Kangoo. What do you think?

My car is showing a 'check exhaust emission' light - what should I do?

I have a 2008 Renault Koleos 2.0d. In the past two weeks I've done four journeys in excess of 50 miles at high speed (dual carriageway). A couple of days ago, a warning appeared saying "check exhaust emission"...

What happens to a leased battery if an electric car is written off?

We bought our 2015 Renault Zoe outright from a Renault dealer a couple of months ago, but we have to lease the batteries from Renault. I was having a discussion at a family meal about the car and was asked...