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• UK car prices v import prices. The facts. 21 Apr 2002 (Forum)
  Er, no, as more than 70% of new cars in the UK are not made here, the strong pound ought to make ALL cars on sale at UK garages cheaper, not more expensive. Is it because of our tax system? Er, no. Countries such as France and Germany have similar taxation on new cars as the UK but their prices are still way below the UK. Holland, where average tax on a new car is a massive 58% as opposed to our 17.5%, still have cheaper end car prices by some margin.
• Getting the gear 9 Jul 2001 (Forum)
  A couple of hours later it relented and, without any fuss, in it went. Last week, whilst facing a brick wall in France, it decided to do it again. A very helpful local mechanic showed me how to push down on a bit of cylindrically shaped metal under the bonnet whilst my wife pulled the gear stick in the general direction of reverse.
• Car breakdown woes 19 Oct 2006 (Forum)
  Car breakdown woes. Afternoon all. I had a nightmare in France. Below is my letter to the manufacturers of my beloved car, hopefully edited so DD can sleep at night. Lets just say I?d have expected said vehicle to be reliable! I?d be interested in any comments.
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  Could you publish my positive experiences with Warranty Direct? 30 Nov 2013 (Ask HJ)
  We have had Warranty Direct cover on our Citroen C6 for two years now. During that time we have had cause to make, I think, three claims, the latest after...
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  Why are independent garages able to work on modern cars when they lack the specialist experience? 28 Sep 2013 (Ask HJ)
  Your correspondent in ‘Drain on Resources’ appears to be too simplistic in his views on independent garages and his preference to franchised dealerships....
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  Why does ANPR make so many errors in vehicle number plate identification? 11 May 2013 (Ask HJ)
  I have noted, from time to time, that you have commented about the problems of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems and it seems that you...
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  Why are cyclists still using main roads? 30 Mar 2013 (Ask HJ)
  If you have any advice for a frustrated driver then I should be grateful to hear it. Whilst heading out and driving along a local urban stretch of A-road...
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  Is my Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion diesel likely to suffer DPF problems, and what could I replace it with? 25 Feb 2012 (Ask HJ)
  11 months ago I bought a new Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion diesel, which I am delighted with. However I am so worried about your comments about the risk of...
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  Why won't our insurance company provide a courtesy car whilst our Peugeot 407 is repaired? 11 Jul 2011 (Ask HJ)
  I had a fire in my Peugeot 407 which is now 13 months old. We bought it in February 2011 from the garage secondhand. We have a warranty that still has...
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  Tyrer blanks 13 Feb 2010 (Ask HJ)
  My wife and I set out on a trip from London to Lyon last Saturday (14 November) in our new BMW 320 Touring to have a birthday dinner with friends. Whilst...
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  Used car Czech 9 Jan 2010 (Ask HJ)
  I bought a 55 plate Skoda Octavia in March 2009, 52,000 miles, with a three-month warranty. On 12th September 2009 the hydraulic pipe between the clutch...
• Landrover Discover 5 HSE Luxury 3 years - Windscreen sealant failure - serious leak 4 Dec 2023 (Forum)
  However, I have a caravan, a horse trailer, 4 children and we have two holidays booked in Cornwall and France which we are relying on taking the Land Rover. One is in July and the other August. We cannot fit our holiday kit in the Tucson and there is still no date provided for our windscreen - not even an estimated one.
• SUV - Help on How many KM on a used car 13 May 2021 (Forum)
  I am giving strong consideration toward hybrid as my driving habits favor it, and the French Government is offering huge incentives to buying Green cars (Yes I live in France) So given this, what do you suggest?
• Jaguar X-Type 2.0d 2004 182k miles - Annual Trip Report 2 Sep 2018 (Forum)
  Limited use in Andorra, but climbs via mountain roads to ski stations (2500m +) in high temps.  Slower drive back up through France avoiding motorways. Dover to Newmarket via Dartford crossing etc. Horrendous, stop/start. Newmarket to Pembs via A14, M5, A465 etc. Not much traffic but many roadworks. 300 miles, took 4.75 hours.
• Jaguar X-Type 2.0d SE - Wheels and tyres 23 Jul 2018 (Forum)
  Over the summer will be doing 3,000+ miles with several trips to East Angular and one to Andorra. Mixed use, but in France will be many miles at 85mph cruising. Heart says get 16s done up, fit Cross Climates and hope for the best, i.e. car will do another 20k.  Head and wallet says get two new 17 (budget) tyres.
• Jaguar X-Type 2.0d - Breakdown/Recovery Insurance 6 Aug 2016 (Forum)
  The call centre diagnosed it well, sent out a mechanic with a van, and the problem was fixed quickly. 2. April 2016, after a 1200 mile trip to France and back, overheating at the western end of the M4. Waterpump failure, recovered 60 miles. Interesting chat with driver who told me that if this had happened during working hours the breakdown insurance would probably have paid for repair/replacement at their depot - cheaper tha the recovery.
• Citroen Xantia - vibration in a Xantia 20 May 2015 (Forum)
  It also needs about £250 - £300 spending on it for the MOT. Got it from a local nloke who moved to South of France, dorve it there then realised it was not going to work with a RHD in a LHD country and drove it back 3 months later to pick up a french reg car in the UK. Question 1 Appears to be a rare beast now so am wondering what to do with it.
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  Ford Mondeo emiting a burning smell 16 Jul 2014 (Ask HJ)
  Six months ago, I bought a 2009 Ford Mondeo 2.0 diesel estate from a main dealership. It has been great so far - it had 45,000 and now has 57,000 - was...
• Continental Jottings 19 Mar 2009 (Forum)
  I have just been to France/Belgium/Holland/Germany by car and have the following up to date comments and info. 1. Check in for the Tunnel at Folkestone was a doddle, 2 minutes. 2. Security outbound was a 100% check of all vehicles for explosive residues.
• Citroen C4 Picasso 5-st (2007 - ) - Seduced by Picasso 23 Nov 2008 (Forum)
  What could I get to take my one small piece of luggage and all the myriad bags containing my wifes shoes and makeup for our long leisured hols abroad, mainly France? I was seduced by the C4 Picasso. It has all the kit necessary for comfortable motorway cruising for weeks at a time, looks funky. I rather liked the EGS system, coupled with the 2.0L Hdi engine.