Questions from May 2012
I have a 2002 Ford Fiesta 1.4 Tdci - I was driving along and all of a sudden I had power loss and a warning light on the instrument cluster, reading E.A.C Fail.
The car would not drive over 30mph, and...
Having read your review and now road tested a petrol 1.4 Venga I am considering buying a 10 or 11 plate model particularly as I will get a 5 year warranty for nothing. It was comfortable and we liked the...
I have a SEAT Ibiza 1.2TSI DSG which I bought new in March for this year and has now completed 1,000 miles.
Fuel consumption is hovering around the 30mpg mark (and not improving with milage) which I...
My wife's car (1999 Ford Galaxy 1.9 TDi) needs to be replaced with something which can legally tow a horse box, pony and horse at 2100 kg. We would want to stay as close to the 40 mpg the Galaxy is currently...
What small car up to 1.4 litre would you recommend? I have about £8000 to spend.
I thought about an Audi A3 1.4 TFSI or a SEAT Ibiza 1.4 Sport Coupe but you have said there are reliability issues with...
BMW 520D 3 yrs 10 mths old 45,000 miles and new turbo. BMW paid for part and I paid labour costs £450. Been a BMW/Mini owner from over 20 years from same garage:1) is this about fair 2) no warnings given...
I am handing back my BMW Z4 company car and opting out of the scheme. I have decided that the CLK convertible meets my brief (2004 model onwards) and for £7K - £8K there are some good examples. Simple...
I have an old Triumph Herald which has been laid up by my garage since the end of 1997. Prior to that it was used on the road and was taxed. The car has not been declared as SORN since then.
I have carried...
I have Nissan Almera 1.5 W 5 door and I pay about £25 per week to run - I do travel a lot.
What kind of automatic diesel can I buy? I dont want pay more for fuel , maybe want pay less.
I can spend around...
I have just taken delivery of a brand new diesel Peugeot 508 SW. It arrived with the towing eye cover missing.
This was pointed out to them by me and a replacement was sourced and fitted within 5 hours....
Had a loss of drive at start up in my 1.6 TDCI C-MAX, travelled 6 miles at high revs with 'transmission malfunction' light, then failed to make a hill.
RAC turned up and fault had disappeared. Ford dealer...
I have twice posted my real world fuel consumption figures to your site and on both occassions thay have subsequently disappeared. Why is this happening?
I have around £8000 to spend on a used car. I have seen an Audi A3 57 plate with 35000 on the clock for £8250 or i can get an 09 plate SEAT Iiza with 20,000 on the clock for £7500. The SEAT is from a main...
About 6 months ago I opened the passenger door of my son's car and it tapped the van parked next to it. It only made a tiny dink but the man said he'd have to talk to his company to see if they were going...
I've recently bought a petrol second hand 59 reg Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec, replacing a 52 reg 1.6 Focus LX.
When cruising at 70mph in 5th gear the engine sits at just over 3000 revs and feels like its straining,...
Water is getting into the passenger footwell of my 406, seems to come from behind dash. It drips down side of dash and into footwell. Doesn't happen every time it rains though! Any ideas as to where the...
I bought an Audi A4 on 02/11/2011 from Midlands Motors in Birmingham.
There was a 2 year external warranty offered.
Approx 1 month & 400 miles ago the ABS & the Traction Control lights came on. I rang...
I have a MINI Cooper S with Dunlop SP Sport 01 tyres (run flat) on. I had the o/s/r changed for new as I had a puncture. The n/s/r is part worn with around 3-4mm left on it, whilst the 2 fronts have...
I parked in Asda to do my weekly shop, the car park is managed by Town & City parking.
I paid £1 to park for 1 hour. I only shopped in Asda and didn't leave the site but was 18 minutes late in returning...
I am thinking of buying a Saab - anything from 2002-09. Is it a risk with Saab in receivership? Should I buy from an approved Saab dealer or should I go private and buy a warranty?
Hi. I am going to buy an automatic Honda Jazz and I have been advised to avoid i-shift.
Could you please tell me whether "2008-9 Honda Jazz i-dsi (se) 5-dr (cvt-7)" is i-shift?
Your answer will be an...
I have a 2010 Seat Ibiza diesel, the 1.4 S A/C model, I bought this while i was at university and i was commuting aprox 40 miles a day to go to uni.
However, times have changed, I am now unfortunately...
I would appreciate your assistance with the following matter:
I purchased a Saab 9-5 Estate 2.3 Aero manual (2005 05 - 1 owner and 105k miles with full Saab service history) from a dealer on 22nd April...
My 306 keeps running out of coolant and a warning light keeps coming on, but my car temperature stays the same.
I wonder if Honda UK is in good health? I seldom if ever see any Honda advertising and our nearest Honda agents seem polite and very efficient, but somewhat subdued. We have a Jazz 1.4 ES I-shift via the...
You gave the correct explanation to PW of Leicester regarding the price of diesel. To expand on it, the fraction of the barrel that the diesel comes from has nothing to do with the price. As you wrote,...
Following a minor road accident in November 2010 I began receiving calls from third party claims firms, notifying me that the insurers of the person responsible had put aside funds for any injuries sustained...
I was recently caught on camera doing 38mph in a 30mph limit area. The police authority offered me a speed awareness course at £90 with zero points or a £60 fine with three points on my licence. I chose...
I currently own a 2002 diesel, and do a lot of journeys of only two miles and a few journeys of nearly 1000 miles. I assumed I could not buy a new diesel due to DPF problems until I read of a Renault engine...
We have had three Honda Jazzes and have no complaints about comfort, reliability, versatility, economy etc. However, the market has changed and relative to its current competitors, the Jazz is now an expensive...
Further to the recent correspondence about Emission Zone stickers required in Germany, the easiest way to obtain one of these is to apply on-line at https://www.berlin.de/labo/kfz/dienstleistungen/feinstaubplakette.shop.en.php...
This is probably a trade secret, but is there a website that has figures for the number of cars registered in the UK by model? I did find one that gave them by manufacturer, but now can't. I guess to access...
The Esso campaign: “Let Esso treat you to a night out at the movies” is anything but free, claiming this treat ticket is only online and you cannot opt out of the consent to “processing of my personal...
Are there any problems I should look out for on a Jaguar XF 4.2-litre V8? The asking price is £22,000. It looks like new and your road test makes me salivate. I want to buy but I need to check I am not...
I have owned a Smart car for 10 years and am considering replacing it. The new car has to fit into a short parking space. Do I have to consider electric vehicles or are there 'short' petrol cars available?
My wife has driven Corsas for 20 years but its time to look for a new model. I am trying to persuade her to go for the Meriva instead as we have grandchildren, and I think the Meriva is not only slightly...
My BMW 116i SE is now five years old and I am looking to replace it. Before I look at another BMW 1 Series, which I have no complaints of, is there something else to consider? I do about 8000 miles a year...
My son bought a 2010 Vauxhall Corsa VXR from a franchised dealer and we would be grateful for your advice on which grade unleaded to use and when to change the timing belt. Vauxhall says 10 years or 100,000...
I recently had an intermediate service of my four-year-old 15,000 mile Honda Jazz. The workshop said that as it was so low mileage, an intermediate was appropriate. It was suggested at my next service...
My 81-year-old sister-in-law has a 1994 Mercedes-Benz E280 4-speed auto that she has owned for 13 years and of which she is very fond. She would like to carry on using the car because it is comfortable,...
I have just purchased an immaculate 1992 BMW E36 320i coupe with documented 45,000 miles. As a precaution I am going to change all fluids, water pump and thermostat. Also I have tried to remove the wheels...
I am writing for your advice as I don't know where to turn, or how to start. My father passed away leaving quite a few old cars in a shed. They include two SAAB 96s, one Morris Minor Traveller, one Austin...
I would like to arrange test drives in the Focus Zetec 1.6 Powershift and the new Honda Civic 1.8 Automatic. I would appreciate your opinion on both types of transmission and your advice on how long a...
My wife currently runs a 2004 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Twist. Her annual mileage is about 3000 - 4000 made up of fairly short journeys of up to 20 miles. She is always complaining about the fuel economy (currently...
I have owned a Rover 75 Connoisseur CDTI since new in 2004. It has been (and still is) a superb car with which I have experienced no troubles at whatsoever. It returns 45mpg plus and its only drawback...
The subject of Accident Management Companies often crops up in your column. I consider that car owners can do much to put these parasites out of business by insisting that their accident-damaged cars be...
One point you have missed in your recent replies about insurers is the 'preferred repairer'. What happened to the old method of providing three independent quotes for the repair to the insurer? Surely...
In negotiating with a national main franchised dealer on a used car part-exchange deal in early January, we stalled briefly when I considered the trade-in value of my old car was £500 short of the mark....
About six weeks ago I took delivery of a new X3 2.0i diesel after a wait of over seven months. It's my first BMW. I thought you might be interested in a short report.
1) According to the dashboard readout,...
I am hiring a car through Ryanair in May for 10 days for driving in Spain and France. There is a large excess payable should one be involved with a claim. Rather than take out super cover, which is very...
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