Questions from August 2010
Driving down the M1 in our new Toyota Prius, my wife in the passenger seat asked what she should do if I dropped dead at the wheel. I can assure you that I have no intention or likelihood of doing so;...
Can you help? I have about £1500 to spend on a second car for work. I do about 50 miles a day and I was originally looking out for either a Nissan Almera or a 1.25 Ford Fiesta, something reliable and fun....
Could you tell me if the water pump on a 1998 Ford Escort Finesse 1.6 is cam belt-driven? I am no mechanic, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have got a Toyota Camry VVT automatic 2004 that tends to have a misfire. I have changed the plugs and tested the coil packs and found the number two piston to be the reason for that. Is the problem electrical...
The handling on my 59-plate Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 is really solid on the sports low profile tyres and wheels. Can I fit the standard SLK wheels and tyres? Any snags or warranty issues, and will it make...
My car crashed into a barrier in Scotland. The barrier is bent and the car is a complete write-off. I want to cancel my insurance as it is only third party, but who is liable for the barrier damage?
I am about to trade in my old Ford Focus for a year-old Focus. I've just noticed an item on the quote listed as "Documentation and Taxation" with a value of £74.73 plus VAT. I don't recall this being...
I have jut obtained a quote for repairing the clutch in my V-reg Volkswagen 1.4 Polo. It had a clutch repair six months ago, but for the last 10-15 days the car is not very smooth. The garage said that...
I have a Land Rover Freelander with 18-inch rims. In order to fit winter tyres, can I put on 16-inch or 17-inch rims on, or not because of the brakes etc?
We had a problem with a knocking sound on our 2005 Toyota Avensis. We extended the warranty in September 2009, and had the car serviced and MOTd under their terms. We were shocked to hear that we would...
My Renault Megane Dynamique has done 28,000 miles and one rear wheel bearing has had to be replaced, as the other does now. Is this normal?
I recall reading about vibrations from the driveshaft on the CVT automatic Honda Jazz. Is this a problem that Honda is aware of?
My 2001 Honda Civic SE automatic has been diagnosed as needing a new low pressure pipe and/or condenser. £500 is the quote for whole job. The Honda official agent has said he can do just the pipe for £160,...
I wonder if you have looked at the Auto Bild 100,000km tests? They ran a Golf and an Astra to 200,000km and the results make me wonder if manufacturer's oil change intervals are perfectly adequate after...
I have been looking at buying a Hyundai i30 estate - the premium version. The target price on another website is £15,164 and the list price is £17,150. However, Hyundai have the 'trade-in, trade-up' deal...
We have a four-year-old Volkswagen Golf MkV 1.6 FSI petrol. I'm told today by my local non-franchised Volkswagen specialist that the rattling that developed two days ago is the inside of the catalytic...
I am about to change my car and would welcome some advice. I can spend £3500 tops. The car has to be automatic, have five doors, be a hatchback because of the dogs, and no larger than 1.4-litre. The bigger...
My wife has a Merecedes-Benz A-Class bought just over a year ago from one of the car supermarkets. It still has outstanding warranty on it and runs well. It is low mileage, but has been used daily by ourselves....
I've seen and test driven a Volkswagen Polo 1.4S 52 with 48,000 miles. It's up for £3495, has a full service history, one owner and is HPI clear. Is £3300 reasonable? I've also seen a Volkswagen Polo 1.4SW...
The button on the handbrake in my 2003 BMW 325Ci is stuck pushed in, and as such I can no longer get it to grab when I pull it up. Is there a way I can fix this myself?
Which is the cheapest country in Europe to buy a left-hand drive car from?
I have a 2006 Skoda Fabia 1.9TDI PD. After driving for about 10 minutes the ESP light comes on and stays on. Once you stop and turn the ignition off, the light goes off but comes back on after another...
I'm looking for an interesting car to buy for six months as I'm looking to come back to the UK to work for six months next year. My requirements are fairly relaxed; a good fun four-seater car which can...
My son-in-law has purchased, two months ago, a 2005 Vauxhall Astra CDTI (1.7-litre turbo diesel). The car is a saloon hatchback with only 31,000 miles on the clock. My son-in-law uses the car daily, but...
I am looking for a car with three Isofix fittings to take three child seats on the second row. I would rather not have a very large car like a Galaxy. I have looked at the Citroen C4 Picasso but the semi-automatic...
Do you know what the equivalent spring rates are for the Citroen Xantia front suspension? Is there any way I can alter the pounds per inch rate of these units?
I have a 1996 Peugeot 106. The immobiliser has locked itself. The red and green light are on together and the dashboard lights are on too, but it wont start. Is there a way to override this?
I thought you might like to comment on the way the 2007 Lexus IS250 cruise control operates when resuming from a speed below that saved in the system. Rather than accelerating steadily (cruising?) back...
Do automatic transmissions have or need dual mass flywheels? How do I know if a car has one?
I use a Tom Tom Go 370 Navigator in conjunction with an RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver aerial also by Tom Tom. Recently I noticed, what looked like deep scratch marks on the dashboard of my car. It was only...
My wife has a 2006 Nissan Micra 1.6 Sport, so it's just 6 months or so out of its 3-year warranty. The other day when she started it up the brake warning and the ABS warning lights and the ESP off warning...
Could you please help? I have to decide on the best model of executive type car for very high mileage all year round use, and it must be German. Use includes 4am early morning starts and late return from...
I am being constantly blinded in the last few weeks by new Skodas, Mercedes and Audis with unfocused, super bright LEDs presumably used as 'always on' daylight running lights. These are much brighter than...
You seem to be stressing the use of left foot braking whilst manoeuvring only, where I can see your point if you have to use
the accelerator. However, all my automatics over thirty years have engaged drive...
I have just completed a 3,000-mile trip around Europe, and travelling quite fast on the autobahn the TPMS warned of a puncture. It was Saturday afternoon and no garages open, so I took it easy for the...
Yesterday I took delivery of a new BMW 320i convertible. However I am quite upset with the noticeable 'orange peel' (literally in this case, as the car is a shade of orange/red). Although I looked the...
Having been persuaded to fit a Honda reversing sensor kit to my 2005 Accord by local Honda I Guernsey, rather than buying from and having fitted by the dealer from where the car was bought, just over 2...
We purchased a new Meriva Design in 2004 and have covered only 30,000 miles. As the steering failed, the main Vauxhall agent has stated we need a new steering column at the cost of £620. Vauxhall will...
I have just received a Notice of Intention to Prosecute from Essex Police. This states that I have exceeded a temporary limit of 50 miles an hour on a motorway road works section on the M25, which was...
I purchased my third Mercedes C Class in February, a 220 CDI Sport (I have never had any problems with any of the others). After 4 days practically every warning light on the dashboard lit up and it was...
I want to buy a low cost 4x4 for occasional use and have seen a low mileage Freelander TD4 with BMW diesel engine at what seems like a fair price. I decided to do some research as to what for example a...
I bought a 2007 BMW 335i reg 2007 12 days ago from a dealer as a trade sale from a dealer my company has dealings with. It was sold as seen, and out of its 3-year warranty. I took out a full BMW warranty...
Today I received my car insurance renewal and was asked for a 25% increase in premium. This in spite of having nine years 'protected' no-claims discount. I have been driving since 1963 and have never had...
I've just had my 54 plate D22 Nissan Navara written off by another driver. I'm hoping I can get maybe £7000 from the insurance and now find myself with an issue. Do I spent the £7000 on another similar...
I am looking to spend up to £15,000 on a secondhand car for my wife, who only will do 4000 miles per year so I'm looking at one or two year-old car. I would like either front wheel drive or 4X4, as we're...
How much am I looking at paying for a new clutch on a 2002 Ford Mondeo?
It’s decision time. I am about to retire soon on a reasonable pension.
I want to buy a high quality car to last me 15 years or more. My neighbour runs the first Lexus model ever brought out in this country....
Can you advise me from where my garage may be able to order a spare part for my Fiat Bis 126 purchased 31st August l989, one owner, mileage 26,682? At the last MOT my previous garage gave me an Advisory...
I’m moving to Belgium and want to buy a car in this country before I go. You advised me of LHD dealers such as The Left Hand Drive Place at Daneshill, near Basingstoke, but the cars are still quite expensive...
I met a colleague at Rothwell Services on the A14 recently, as it was equi-distant travelling for both of us. We parked in McDonalds car
Park and had several coffees whilst we discussed a project. We...
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