November 2021
I don't drive a hybrid at the moment but I intend to get a hybrid as my next car.
I find one of the most baffling part of driving a hybrid is to interpret the HSI (Hybrid System Indicator) gauge. This example is from Toyota but all hybrids have similar HSI.... Read more
I'm contemplating selling my Mercedes W124 estate. I'd not realised until this morning the 406 estate was available with the V6 engine. Does anyone have experience of driving either an auto or manual? Interested to know if the V6 suits the car's handling etc. Read more
Actually I wouldn't have one even if they were VED free.
Looking at a Mazda 6 estate around 2013 2014 diesel. Most have done around 90-110k for around £7000-£8000, Not too bothered about manual or auto but what should I be looking out for on these? Not interested in the petrol version
Thanks Read more
Right well the general consensus is a no then! I realise any car can have issues from 120k super car to a £2000 banger. However l, I will continue my search!Wise and yes any car no matter how well made or robust the design can go wrong but when shopping used and on a limited budget it’s wise to limit that risk as much as possible by keeping things as simple as possible. I would stick with petrol unless you’re looking at cars under 5yrs/50k old but if you absolutely must have a diesel estate at this money I’d point you to the Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi (manual) the Honda Accord 2.2 DTEC or the pre-facelift Toyota Avensis 2.0 D4D. These all can still go expensively wrong but they’re all equally capable of big miles if looked after. Just don’t expect not to be stung with the occasional big bill. All three have engines that've proven themselves but that in itself means that most are taken by the taxi trade or used as mega mile workhorses so finding one with sensible miles up is a challenge. The Avensis with the 1.8 VVT petrol is very decent on fuel and mechanically bombproof but it does lack torque meaning a quick flick of the wrist and a fair bit of revs are required for overtaking.
Silly me. got a low account balance warning and noticed one of my old cars had crossed, so went and deleted from my account. The £2 i've lost isn't worth the hassle..
Lesson learned. all deleted now. Read more
No tag for the Humber Bridge - it's all number plate recognition....
My elderly father purchased a 67 plate VW Golf earlier this year. We are now having to sell it due to his failing health.
We had the car MOT’d and discovered that the last MOT mileage is nearly 14000 miles more than the current Odometer reading. The ECU mileage is more than the mileage on last year’s MOT so that points to the Odometer being wrong.
The car was purchased from a VW main dealer and the bill of sale indicates a mileage lower than the current Odometer reading. I thought modern cars could not be clocked? I believe that the dealers should have verified the mileage at the time of sale, I have asked for official VW Service records but the dealer is proving a bit elusive.
Where do we stand and what remedies are available to us? Read more
As a previous mot tester, the mileage recorded on the test certificate is the one displayed on the Speedo. Is it possible that the odometer on the car had been set to Kms , if that is possible on this model ?
Many VW models can easily be switched between miles and km by the press of a button on the display menu.
Hi i have recenty bought a 2012 Citroen C1, the advert said that it has a height adjustable seat but all i can find are handles which change the angle of the seat. Can anyone help with this or advise where you adjust the seat height? Thanks Read more
The seats from the the 2nd generation C1/108/Aygo can be retro-fitted into the first generation C1/107/Aygo - some 2nd generation seats are height adjustable.
Viewing a second hand car, salesman wants me to ring ahead of time Tu let them know I'm on my way. I've always been told to view cars from cold as temperature can hide a multitude of sins. Is that advice still relevant? Tia Read more
If it starts ok without a lot of cranking it's a good indication of it's mechanical condition.
.... and that of the battery !
After his usual summer break, HJ did not reappear in his Saturday Telegraph column, and the Telegraph motoring section now seems to have been taken over by someone else.
I've notice on the HJ website that all the questions now seem to be being answered by other people and never HJ himself.
His picture with his famous little hat seems to have disappeared from the website, and previous archived answers that he actually answered just have a logo in place of his picture.
Where is he? Read more
It's not all bad ... at least we have stopped being harangued about the "supposed" merits of left-foot braking!
My back and hips are complaining loudly abot the seating position in the stonic, which is otherwise faultless, although not as softly sprung as the Sportage.
... Read more
Decision made.
Korando Ventura 1..5 petrol 6 speed in white....
With COP26 going on the Daily Mail has put together a survey of all the car manufacturers outlining their future commitments to achieving Zero emissions and their current EV models
It will not copy so you have to go looking for it on todays web page.... Read more
Whereas cobalt is used to remove sulphur from crude oil. 500grams is used every 80,000 gallons of petrol produced, if the sulphur isn’t removed we get acid rain.
There are several, perhaps many, different grades of crude oil - the level of sulphur varies and not all grades are used for petrol refining.
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Most of the time the Jazz doesn't faff around either. It was just on this one occasion where I kept my foot flat on the floor, going up hill for about a mile (which is something I don't normally do).