Trending topics in January 2010
Questions from January 2010
My wife wants a cute second car to bomb around in. I on the other hand would like a classic. We have agreed (compromised) that a late 1960s Wolseley Hornet or Riley Elf would suit our weekend inner city...
What is the technical reason for suggesting that turbos are allowed to idle for a couple of minutes before switch-off, and does this apply only after a motorway-type drive? What effect does it have on...
In June Liverpool Volkswagen (Derby Road, Liverpool) carried out what it described as a '2nd variable service' on my 4-year-old VW Golf. I was charged nearly £300, which included the service charge (£156)...
If you had a 17 year old grand-daughter who lived out in the country (in Northumberland actually) and who had just passed her test and was hell-bent on buying a small used car with a budget of say £3,000...
I was hoping you could help me. I am looking to buy a new to 1-year old small car for myself and my partner after my Punto Active was hit, and will most likely be a write-off. I am looking at either a...
I want to buy a new or nearly new 4x4 estate/SUV. Not to go off road but to use on skiing trips and the like. I need a good sized boot for largish dog cage and luggage and have identified the KIA Sportage,...
My car insurance is due for renewal. I am currently with Norwich Union, which, of course, has just changed to Aviva. I have heard rumours that in the event of a claim, Aviva personnel are not the easiest...
I’m looking at a BMW 3 series convertible. List price with extras is £35k. What sort of discount should I aim to get?
Not only are speed cushions a menace to vehicles, they are a menace to pedestrians. Last week I looked left, looked right, stepped out and fell full length, having tripped over one of these ‘safety’ devices....
Could I have the benefit of your advice please? I have owned a Honda CR-V VTEC Sport since new and now, at just over 3 years old and 27,000 miles, it will shortly need a new set of tyres all round. The...
In early September I visited Guy Salmon my local Land Rover dealer in Knutsford having read a good review of the new Discovery 4. There was a very nice example in the showroom and I requested literature...
Today I received my insurance renewal quote from the AA. Apparently my current insurer wants £295 to renew but the AA has found someone cheaper at £233. How kind of them. I will renew without delay. However,...
I draw your attention to an absolute scam involving parking tickets. Read www.flashpark.co.uk This shows you how to become a freelancer for a parking enforcement operation. It is trying to marry street...
Thanks John, for the links you sent me about the Plymouth Prowler that I found very interesting. I think I will hang on to my £25,000 at the moment and treat it as rainy day money. We live in quite a wealthy...
We are told that there are several million vehicles on the road which are untaxed, uninsured, do not have a current MoT certificate and are probably being driven by an unlicensed driver. Yet every year,...
I had an accident in icy conditions almost 2 years ago on a freezing evening when I stopped at the scene of another accident where a car had overturned due to black ice. Then, a few seconds later, a third...
In 2010 I ordered a 2.0 petrol Nissan Qashqai Tekna CVT 2WD. This was to replace a car of the same specification as I had been very pleased with the first. Delivery was quoted at 14 weeks and I went to...
Is it reasonable to assume that a Honda i-shift is similar to the VW DSG system, which I have acquired on a new 1.4 Polo and have not found it easy to get used to, despite having driven a number of automatic...
There have been several letters in your column complaining about the Honda Jazz i-shift. I have owned two Jazz autos in the past and it was with some trepidation that I tried a test drive in a Jazz i-shift....
I am shortly to take delivery of a new VW Polo, and have decided against my better judgement to order flash red paintwork. The last car I had with red paint was a Peugeot some 20 years ago, but it suffered...
Sometime ago you recommended a portable steering wheel lock. What would be suitable for a Mercedes SLK200 kompressor that I have recently purchased?
With regard to KC's letter, the most charitable thing I can say about motor insurers practices towards drivers is that they are ignorant of the nature of risk and how it arises. I have written several...
Why don't they make sure that all the batteries, in every electric car, are the same and all easily removable and replaceable (maybe in a large sliding tray underneath.) Motorway service stations and garages...
Last year I collected 12 penalty points that will remain with me for the next 3 years. I currently have an Audi A4 Cabriolet 3.0 with 100,000 miles, but prior to that a Jaguar XKR and a TVR Cerbera. I...
We are both retired and in our sixties. My present car is a 2003 reg Toyota RAV-4 (3 door) with only 35,000 miles on the clock (less than 5,000 miles a year). I have always been delighted with the car...
I have two questions about my 2004 Volvo V70 D5 with 22,000 miles. For the last few years there has been a rattle when the clutch is dipped down. The rattle stops when it’s up. It rattles some days more...
Surely it is possible in these days of Big Brother to tax vehicles, not on engine size, but on their individual mileages done per annum? We are pensioners requiring separate transportation, living in a...
My friends in County Durham are hoping to move down to Buckinghamshire, where they will no longer need the 4WD of their Nissan X-Trail, which is not economical to run, either. The husband is a tall man...
You have been fairly relaxed about ‘space saver’ emergency wheels. I am very surprised they are legal. I have been idly thinking about my next main car. Given the poor state of the lanes in the West Country...
My present car is a Lexus LS430, which is more than 3 years old and has completed 29,500 miles in a faultless manner. I am considering changing it for a new MB S Class (latest facelift). Now that they...
I want to take you up on a response you gave to a reader. Just as with motorbikes it has been shown repeatedly that there are fewer fatalities when cars have lights on, this is of particular benefit to...
On 15 August you published a letter from "DW" about registering his car in Ibiza. We too have brought our car over (to Mallorca) and I would very much like to know whether your correspondent resolved the...
I have just been saddened by the sight of an elderly victim of the car scrappage scheme. At a local car breakers, an early Humber Sceptre in superb condition has been stripped for banger racing. This was...
I own a 2002/52 Jaguar XJ8 and for the past 12-18 months have had a recurring problem with juddering when braking at speed in excess of 30mph. I replaced the disk with non-Jag parts and the problem recurred...
My daughter is replacing a SEAT Alhambra from which she had several years reliable service but latterly a lot of trouble. She is thinking of replacing it with either a Ford Galaxy diesel or a VW Sharan...
Has anybody calculated the money benefit of the over 60s bus pass because people whose eyesight and/or reaction time is failing are driving less and having fewer accidents. Some people suggest that the...
You might recall I asked for ideas for a friend with Toyota to dispose of. He bought a Rover 3500 V8 SD1: a life-long ambition realised. He is going over it meticulously inch-by-inch, but has found a gear...
I’m looking for some pointers towards a new car. I’m about to purchase a mid-sized caravan and want to trade in the wife’s 04 Golf 2.0 TDI for a 4x4. We will only be towing 3-4 times a year so the car...
I am considering spending a fair bit more than I usually would on a nearly new car with the intention of keeping it for maybe 7 - 10 years. What concerns me is the possibility that within that time scale...
During March of this year following a fairly sudden halt to the traffic in the outside lane of the M25, my Jaguar XJR, whilst stationary, was shunted from behind by another previously stationary car that...
As a FIAT 500 owner you, and maybe other readers and potential purchasers of this iconic little car, might be interested in the following. On 7th August this year my husband placed an order for a FIAT...
I am looking to scrap my 11-year-old Golf V5 2.3 automatic under the government scrappage scheme. I would like to replace it with a new automatic car of similar size and power. Budget £17k-£22k including...
My wife and I are in dispute about the relative merits of automatics and manuals. My view, from my advanced years, a lifetime in the industry (with Ford) and as a car user for half a century and over 100...
You kindly advised me on the purchase of a Mercedes SLK 200 and its acquisition has, inevitably, brought a desire to go off for long drives, which previously my husband and I have generally not done. We...
As a taxi operator my vehicle does a high mileage and the Mondeo Mk 2 diesel that I have at present has done nearly 200,000 miles without serious fault. However it is now due for replacement and I am concerned...
In October you mentioned in reply to DK of Stratford that the 2010 model year FIAT 500 would come with improved suspension. I have a 500 on order from a main dealer, due for delivery in October, but now...
I have an 8-year-old MB 220CDI estate that has developed bubbling paintwork and underlying rust on the rear pillar by the tailgate opening. My local MB dealer sent a request to MB UK that they consider...
In January 2009, I bought a nearly new car from Polar Ford, main dealer in Huddersfield. Its previous owner was Hertz. I thought it was a rental car, but I have just found out it has grommets under the...
I bought a Mercedes ML 270CDI earlier this year protected by a 6 month ‘Warranty Wise’ warranty. I made a claim in August that has been rejected and they also say "we hold no contract directly with you...
I have a 2006 Vectra 150SRI. It is garaged each night, but some mornings I open the garage to find the car's front windows are down. My dealer has suggested any fault must be human error, i.e. the electric...
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