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• LEADED PETROL: I have an older car designed to run on four-star leaded petrol. What should I be using now?  (FAQs)
  Many cars with aluminium cylinder heads have been fitted with hard exhaust valve seat inserts made of chrome steel rather than cast iron. The oil companies have agreed that all UK Lead Replacement Petrol (LRP) will contain potassium instead of lead, now dosed at 10 to 12 mg per litre (which may still not be enough to properly protect the exhaust valve seats). If your car has a compression ratio of 9:1 or higher, you may find it both cheaper and safer to run your car on premium unleaded (always the same brand), octane-boosted with exactly the correct quantity of either Castrol Valvemaster Plus (phosphorus-based, from Halfords) or Millers VSP Plus or Carplan Nitrox 4-Lead (both manganese-based – the favoured additive in Canada).
• JUMP STARTING: What is the correct way to jump start a car? (FAQs)
  Any protection from ill effects is actually down to the poor connection that the crock clip jump leads may provide it’s a simple as that. Don’t think that the manufacturers of vehicles or jump leads take this into consideration, they don’t, as some crock leads will provide good connections and some will provide poor connections.
• DUAL MASS FLYWHEELS: What are they and why are they so much trouble?  (FAQs)
  Van specialists weld together the two parts of the flywheels of Transit vans to prevent separation trouble, but this leads to very rough running. Here is a Scotia Inspections engineer's report on a failed Dual Mass Flywheel in a Peugeot 407 diesel: The dual mass fly wheel was still in situ.
• RUNNING IN A DIESEL: What's the best way to run-in a diesel engine? (FAQs)
  However, this does not always work and the extra fuel can instead find its way into the engine sump, contaminating the lube oil and sometimes leading to such a rise in sump oil level that the engine can start to run uncontrollably on its sump oil and will self-destruct. Peugeot/Citroen/Ford diesel engines don't need to get quite as hot as diesels in other makes because they use an additive to help regenerate the DPF.
• ELECTRIC CARS: Is an EV right for me? (FAQs)
  The Elettrica is also exempt from annual VED The car combines Italian styling and design, Japanese engineering and British electronics. Available in lead-battery and lithium-battery versions, the cars offer an ergonomically-designed interior and a striking 'double-bow' exterior design in red, white, yellow, black and silver. For pictures link to www.futurevehicles.co.uk Lithium batteries have a much longer life than lead/acid batteries, are lighter, and do not represent an environmental hazard on disposal.
• DIESEL v PETROL: Which is better for me?   (FAQs)
  The problems tend to start after about 3 - 4 years old but can start earlier: Dual mass flywheel failures on manuals leading to failures of drive, often incorrectly prescribed as clutch failure when in fact it is the dual mass flywheel that has failed: £800 - £1,500. Turbo and intercooler failures: £1,000 - 1,500.
• MISFUELLING A CAR: What should you do if you accidentally put the wrong fuel in your car?  (FAQs)
  The diesel can make its way into the oil sump and raise the oil level while thinning it out. This can lead to a lack of lubrication for the engine – much like actually running out of oil. Diesel Cars: Petrol is corrosive in a diesel fuel system, attacking the rubber hoses and seals and the plastic fuel tank itself.
• GARAGE SERVICING: How can I find a reputable garage  to service or repair my car? (FAQs)
  But whatever you do when applying this blag, make sure the car has no genuine major fault which would lead it to fail the test. Punters will almost always be so relieved that their car has got through its MOT, they won't mind paying for £50 to £100 worth of repairs to get it through the test. But if the car needs major work, you won't get away with a package of minor add-ons.
• AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS: What are the different types?  (FAQs)
  Torque converter automatic The traditional type employing a torque converter that abosrbs engine power leading to increased fuel consumption and CO2 output. Can be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 ratio, the more ratios the more efficient it will be. May have manual override for which different manufaxcturers have different brand names, for example 'Tiptronic', 'Geartronic', 'Autotronic'.
• AIR-CONDITIONING: How do I know if my air conditioning needs servicing? (FAQs)
  The two main causes of failure are lack of gas (via leaks at the system seals) and component breakdown. Low refrigerant means low lubricant, which is contained in the refrigerant, and this can lead to seals drying out, thus losing even more refrigerant and leading to failure of the compressor. Properly repairing a failed system is a four-figure job. Older systems used CFC emitting R12 gas.
• SPEEDING DEFENCES 1. Is inadequate posting of a speed limit a valid defence to a speeding NIP? (FAQs)
  The likely impact of these radical changes is that motorists appearing on their first appearance will struggle to be granted an adjournment of their case by the court in order to seek legal advice. This is likely to lead to two potential problems: 1. Motorists will feel pressured into entering guilty pleas at the first hearing without the benefit of legal advice that may give light to a defence; or 2.
• DPFs: What are they and why do they go wrong? (FAQs)
  However, this does not always work, particularly if the car has done a high proportion of short runs from cold starts and instead of burning off the particulate the extra fuel can instead find its way into the engine sump, contaminating the lube oil and sometimes leading to such a rise in sump oil level that the engine can start to run uncontrollably on its sump oil and will self-destruct. The alternative 'active' cycle is an additional injector that injects either diesel fuel or an additive directly into a burner in the particulate filter.
• HIRING A CAR: Where can I hire a car in the UK and abroad? (FAQs)
  More at www.streetcar.co.uk   ANOTHER CAR RENT-BY-THE-HOUR CLUB   Zipcar says it has more than 180,000 members and 5,500 vehicles in major metropolitan areas and university campuses, including Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC, Vancouver, Toronto and London, England. As a leading urban lifestyle brand, Zipcar provides a convenient and cost effective transportation alternative for individuals, businesses and universities in 50 cities throughout North America and the United Kingdom.
• SMART REPAIRS: Who repairs minor damage to my car, its trim and wheels? (FAQs)
  On modern cars with bonded windscreens this is better than having the entire screen replaced because removing the old one can damage the car body leading to leaks and rust. (Autoglass and Auto Windscreens and many others offer a similar service.) ALLOY WHEEL REPAIRS : www.thewheelspecialist.co.uk (Franchises nationally) www.smartwise.com (Franchises nationally) www.wickedwheels.co.uk (0870 3003 224) comes to your car to fix the wheels www.lap-tab.co.uk www.jagwheeltrims.co.uk Replacement Jaguar chrome wheel trims to fit the S Type, early XKR and the XK/XKR series London and South East www.a1alloys.co.uk The Old Forge, Chantry Lane, Bromley BR2 9QL, tel 020 8464 3971.
• PARKING FINES. What are my rights regarding parking penalties for parking in private carparks? (FAQs)
  Barrie Segal of AppealNow.com is now recommending motorists to appeal to POPLA. The reason is that the Lead Adjudicator of POPLA has now published a key case in which it was decided that the parking company must demonstrate that the amounts they are demanding are genuine pre-estimates of their loss.
• CREDIT HIRE: What is it and how can it affect me if I am involved in a crash? (FAQs)
  As the Second Defendant had by an oversight failed to adduce evidence of basic hire rates, it was accepted that the Recorder should assess damages by reference to the full commercial credit hire rates actually paid. This decision was taken to appeal. Appeal Giving the leading judgment of the Court of Appeal, Lord Justice Underhill held that the Claimant was debarred from arguing impecuniosity out of time: "An averment by a claimant that he had to hire a replacement car for as long as he did because he did not have the money to buy one is a claim of impecuniosity just as much as a claim that he had to pay credit hire rates because he did not have the money to hire on the ordinary market…" The burden of proof was on the Claimant to prove that credit hire expenditure was reasonably incurred: "There is no doubt a grey area about how much needs to be pleaded and proved to establish reasonableness before the evidential burden shifts to the defendant to show that the expenditure was unreasonable.
• CONSUMER RIGHTS: How do I reject a vehicle or get compensation for problems with a car? (FAQs)
  TV and video rentals o Dry cleaning, hairdressers, beauty treatments and physical well-being The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform helps UK business succeed in an increasingly competitive world. It promotes business growth and a strong enterprise economy, leads the better regulation agenda and champions free and fair markets. It is the shareholder in a number of Government-owned assets and it works to secure, clean and competitively priced energy supplies.