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• Is Big Brother watching your cars every move? 3 Feb 2020 (Forum)
  I assume that in Europe GDPR applies so owners need to agree. However, you sign a variety of forms when collecting a new car and how many of us bother to read through every line of the small print on the back? Also if you say no will you be threatened with dire consequences for your car and possibly invalidate parts of the warranty?
• VW Golf GT 1.4 tsi DSG Mark 6 2009 - When is a car deemed legally "unfit for purpose"? 16 Mar 2013 (Forum)
  The selling dealer Benfield Motors Newcastle refused to acknowledge the issue and patronised my wife saying she wasn't used to driving such a powerful car. Her previous car was a Porsche Cayenne 4.8S! We took the vehicle to VW Pulman in Durham and eventually, after numerous investigations, VW approved the installation of a new DSG.
• VW Golf - Bought from a dealer and have a problem or two 27 Sep 2012 (Forum)
  My old car was part-ex for about 50% of the cost of the new one, 50% paid in cash. First issue was that the car was losing/using coolant. He replaced the radiator and all is well now on that front, though obviously it's taken a while to make sure it's still not leaking.
• Main Dealer Going Bust Costs Me? 26 Oct 2006 (Forum)
  Just under 2 years ago, I purchased a used Honda Civic from a main dealer, the car being then only about 6 months old and is now still under warranty. Because the car was for my wife to ferry children about, I asked the dealer if he was sure that the car hadn't had any accidents, which he assured me it hadn't.
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  What are my rights if I bought a used van with an undisclosed worn clutch? 24 Jan 2017 (Ask HJ)
  I bought an SWB van from the dealer on 19 January 2017. It had a full service history, 123,000 miles and I paid £2400 with VAT. I drove home and left...
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  Buying a reliable used family saloon 16 Oct 2011 (Ask HJ)
  I'm helping a friend replace her car, she's a mum with two primary-school-aged children, doing average mileage, but mainly short local distances (1 to...
• Mazda CX-5 - New purchase advice 12 Jul 2022 (Forum)
  We'll be financing this purchase and would like something pretty reliable considering the monthly payments. It's also worth noting that the car we'd found and liked only had 3 months warranty.  Thanks
• KIA Cee'd - KIA Ceed Product Improvement Notice 21 Oct 2019 (Forum)
  After all this time I was curious as to what could possibly be ‘improved’ after nearly 10 years!   The dealer said that the notice related to underbody rust, and the car was booked in. When I collected it I was told that it didn’t have the affected part from the Czech Republic (the part on mine is apparently from the US though it wasn't explained what exact part), but they had done an anti-rust treatment.
• ROVER 75 1800 PETROL - HELP...ROVER 75 ENGINE NOT AS ADVERTISED 23 Nov 2015 (Forum)
  Hi, my treasured Rover 75 blew her CH gasket and literally frazzled her engine so I thought I might as well get another from a scrapyard. Found one allegedly from a 35,000 mile car...to be supplied with NEW CH gasket, pressure tested, new water pump and belts, 2 month warranty. Bought it and had it shipped to Bulgaria where I live. Got it put in and having checked liquids every day was shocked to find increasing amounts of clag in the header tank.
• Audi A5 2.0 TFSi 2011 - Audi A5 Oil Comsumption 5 Jun 2015 (Forum)
  Dear Honest John, I believe I am being given the runaround by my Audi dealer. My 2011 A5 is burning excessive amounts of oil. Right now, it's using around 1 litre per 1500 miles and getting slowly worse. I have been into the dealer twice for warranty repairs. The first time they adjusted an "oil separation valve" and this appeared to have fixed the problem - at least, according to the results of an oil consumption test they performed.
• ford fiesta econetic 1.6 diesel - taking ford dealer to court over low mpg 26 Feb 2014 (Forum)
  I am now getting under 40 mpg on what is an urban cycle route which is way way  below the government figures,  the Honest John average (85% of claimed,) and also 20% less than I used to achieve on the same route with all 3 previous fiesta diesels (which all had emission levels over that claimed for this model). It has been in for inspection under warranty twice and as there are no fault codes reported, the dealer and Ford will do nothing about it.
• Ford Mondeo II (1996 - 2000) - Thinking of selling, what's it worth? 21 May 2009 (Forum)
  I'm aware that it's only a 9 year old Mondeo but in all honesty, I don't think there will be many better ones in daily use outside of a museum. I was thinking of just banging an ad on Ebay but really don't fancy taking the chance of it selling for peanuts as I couldn't afford to replace it with a new car unless I get a set amount!
• Volkswagen Golf IV (1998 - 2004) - 2002 170ps - variable intake manifold 11 Jan 2009 (Forum)
  After several visits to the garage the cause of the engine rattle was finally tracked down to a faulty device that was supposed to alter the position of the inlet manifold depending on rpm. This was duly replaced and the car now drives better than it ever did before and the mpg has improved by up to 10%. Does anyone know whether the faulty inlet manifold could have been the cause of the original lambda probe failures and whether any latent engine damage (which will probably show up just after the 3 year warranty expires!)
• American import 22 May 2008 (Forum)
  c) duties - this will be a business vehicle - so VAT will hopefully be reclaimable. What about the duty - is it 10% for a pick up, like a car ? d) Will leaving it there for 6 months lead to any savings ? e) Vehicle ( Ford ) carries a warranty till 2008 - I am giving up on it , but is there a way of claiming in the event of failures / breakdowns ?
• Diesel options 31 Jan 2006 (Forum)
  Afternoon all! My Current car is a 54 regd Golf 1.4 FSI, but due to an an increase in my annual mileage (for various reasons non work related) im thinking about swapping it for something diesel powered. My initial idea was just to swap it for a diesel golf, and as such i test drove an 04 Black 3dr 1.9 TDI at the weekend whilst mine was in having a door seal replaced under warranty.
• Subaru Legacy Report 26 Oct 2003 (Forum)
  I have prepared a report on my Legacy as follows. The servicing and spare parts cost includes everything I have spent since I collected the car from the dealer. This includes bulbs, mats, punctures and one new tyre. I have it serviced every 5000 miles. The present value, (my estimate £7000) has been subtracted from the initial cost. Mostly used in the Peak District (lots of hills), and suburban trips.
• Renault Scenic '05 - rear brake squeal 29 Aug 2005 (Forum)
  Their suggestion was to take it to a car wash and use a pressure washer on the back of the wheel for 2-3 minutes per wheel. They also told me that they couldn't clean the pads under warranty because it's a "non-service" item and Autolease won't pay for it.
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  Why is my Kia over-revving on gear change? 16 Jun 2025 (Ask HJ)
  I have a 2017 Kia Sportage with 65k on the clock and FKSH. Very early on the purchase I reported that on changing down to 3rd gear as indicated by the...
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  Engine failure - can we claim against the dealer? 16 Apr 2014 (Ask HJ)
  My son has a 2007 Ford Focus with 36,000 miles on the clock. A few months ago the oil light came on and oil leaked everywhere. The car was towed to a Ford...
• Mazda 6 2.2d Sport Nav 2016 - What to do? P2118 & DPF Malfunction 5 Jul 2024 (Forum)
  There is not a chance that we will go to a Mazda dealer as we just don't trust them. (When it was 2 weeks outside the 3-year warranty, with 58k miles on the clock, Mazda wouldn't do anything when we had a broken oil chain which caused severe damage resulting in us having to have a new bottom end, cam shaft, turbo charger, flywheel and the dpf removed from the car and professionally cleaned at high temperature).