Questions from August 2010
My Ford Puma 1.7 1999 V reg has been misfiring lately. Over the last few days it cuts out when I brake and misfires at low revs. When idling I have to keep revving to stop it cutting out. The car seems...
I bought a 2002 Volkswagen Golf automatic in June 2006 for £6500. Milage was only 16,000. I used it for the last four years and added 20,000 miles on it, so it has 35,000 miles now. During the last few...
My brother has bought a brand new Audi TT and it is using oil - Audi say this is normal. We have a 142,000-mile Volvo V70 diesel and it never uses oil. I believe it indicates a problem with the Audi -...
I recently bought a Ford Focus Powershift diesel and the garage quoted Ford figures of 47-62mpg. It only ever reaches 40mpg. If I had been told this initially I would never have bought it. I feel I have...
My 1998 Chrysler Grand Voyager LE automatic seems to be stuck in a low gear, and won't change up. I was advised to get a new heavy-duty battery, as the original one went flat and wouldn't hold a charge....
I've been looking at the Volkswagen Golf TDi 105PS Bluemotion, but was told today by a fellow Volkswagen fan that I need to beware of their tendency to clog up the diesel particulate filter every 6-800...
I've got a Rover 416 1.6 twin cam. Recently my tappets have got noisy and I was told by the garage that it has self-adjusting tappets. What can I do about this?
Do ANPR cameras automatically pick up drivers with just provisional licence, even thought the car has an MoT, insurance and tax?
I have a 2007 Volkswagen California camper with 27,000 miles on the clock which went out of warranty on 22 July. An air conditioning hose has split which is going to cost around £700 to replace, because...
I am thinking of purchasing a new motor prior to my retirement. At present I use an old Rover 416 automatic and having been looking at a Kia Cee'd and Skoda Fabia. Both would probably suit my wife and...
I have a 51 reg Saab 9-3 SE TiD with half-leather trim, I have owned it for the last seven years. I have kept it much longer than planned but it keeps going very happily. My daughter says it has an odour...
I had an unfortunate incident yesterday in my work's car park. My car wouldn't start so I had to push it back to get the start leads to the engine. When I was getting pushed back my brakes didn't work...
My 2004 Ford Fiesta 04 Flame 1.4's battery has died, so I tried to jump-start the car and a red padlock light started flashing and the car wouldn't start. I've been told its something to do with the immobiliser...
I just went through an amber light in a 40mph zone. I didn't see a flash but I was wondering if you could give me some advice. I'm worrying because I've got six points already.
I am planning to buy a two-year-old car to replace my 1996 diesel Ford Mondeo. I am looking at either a BMW 320 diesel or a Ford Mondeo Titanium diesel. It would seem that for the same price I will get...
I am travelling to Spain by car and I understand that it is obligatory to carry a spare wheel. I have runflat tyres and also carry a tyre inflator. Are these sufficient? My car does not have a housing...
I've recently changed my 2001 Peugeot 306's water pump but the coolant doesn't seem to circulate. I've even removed the thermostat. One of the radiator pipes is very hot and the other is cold. I've checked...
I have a Peugeot 207 SW with just 30,000 miles on the clock. It is still within its three-year warranty and at 29,000 miles the clutch went. Peugeot would not repair this under warranty and the new clutch...
I have a 2000 Volvo S80, mileage 112,000. The ABS light has come on and my main dealer says the part will need replacing at an overall cost of roughly £1200. I am hoping that servicing or repair is possible...
My 1999 Ford Fiesta 1.25 Zetec has started to overheat once in a while. Every now and then the temperature gauge flicks into the red. The warning light doesn't come on and, once pulled over, it'll slowly...
Any ideas on getting rid of a rotten egg smell from my Volkswagen Passat's windscreen washer system?
I live in the US so I feel a bit stuck to do anything, but my mother in the UK had a 2004 Skoda she had bought new, and it had only 12,000 miles. She is 86 and does not drive much. A couple of months ago...
I have a Nissan Micra 2001 1.3 SE. The keys came with with a small pen-like thing - I dont know what this is for?
I got pulled over by police last year, and I came back on the check as licence revoked. The Kent officer then took my car and my driving licence. However, at the time I had fully comp insurance and the...
I bought a 55-plate Ford Focus with 51,000 miles on the clock back in February 2009 for £6500. It has now developed an engine fault that my local Ford dealership tell me will cost either £400 plus VAT...
My 2.2 Honda CR-V CDI is five and a half years old and has done 87,000 miles. It has developed an alarming judder at around 60mph which disappears at about 65mph. I thought it might be wheel balance, so...
I have a Grand Cherokee jeep in grey, which I bought new last September. Unfortunately, a man in a white van has hit my vehicle and it now needs a new wing mirror on the driver's side. I took it to my...
The electronic dashboard in my 2004 Renault Espace went faulty on a motorway, leaving the car incapable of being driven with no speedo or fuel gauge. A similar issue arose with Renault Scenics in 2008-2009....
My 1998 Renault Megane Cabriolet has had intermittent starting problems for a while now. The car seems to be fine but won't start. Battery appears fine. I thought it may be the immobiliser, as a few on...
I have been looking at your website following the breakdown of my 05-plate Vauxhall. Can you tell me how people went about getting Vauxhall to pay for the repairs? I am having no luck with them as they...
My Y-reg 1.8 Vauxhall Vectra Estate has started spasmodically flat-spotting for a few seconds at a time. It then picks up again and it may not happen again for several days or weeks. It appears to happen...
My wife and I are looking to get a 'runaround' which is suitable for transporting our new granddaughter and my wife's elderly mother. We think it needs to have five doors and we've eliminated the Yaris,...
I have a 2007 Nissan Pathfinder and the warranty expired last month. I have had it for 18 months and the clutch has gone. I asked Nissan customer services and they told me to take it to my local Nissan...
Does the latest Volkswagen 1.2 three-cylinder diesel use a timing belt or chain? I am considering a new or nearly new car, but try to avoid timing belts.
I bought a new Nissan Note 1.5 diesel in March. Soon afterwards, I moved house with work and now it only has a three-mile trip each day. At weekends I ensure it gets a round trip of at least 40 miles in...
My sister has stopped driving due to arthritis, but I feel that she could drive a small automatic. I know that you rate the Hyundai i10, but it seems to have increased in price quite a lot. As I am thinking...
A holed condenser caused gas loss in my Honda FR-V in late May. It was replaced in early June (£475) but operating pressure was too high (24 atm and rising, normal 10-14). Communications between my local...
I am traveling from Folkestone to Bristol on Friday morning. The route requires going on the M25 clockwise from junction 5 (M20) to junction 15 (M4). Can anyone advise me of the likely travel time this...
My father is interested in changing his 2002 Mercedes-Benz S320 CDI (owned since new) to a pre-reg 2010 3.0-litre TDI Phaeton with 25 miles on the clock. It has £5000 of options and is priced at less than...
My daughter's Hyundai i10 (purchased pre-registered new in January 2009) has, after some considerable to-ing and fro-ing, had the EMC changed. Around September 2009, it was 'juddering' and the warning...
I need a car that will take my children to school, take me to work, drive up a muddy (especially awful in winter) track to take hay to my horses, and pull a trailer with two horses in it. I don't want...
When re-registering an ex-Motability car, does the new owner have to go in person to the DVLA office or can someone other than the dealer do it for them?
We would like to replace our 2002 Renault Megane Fidji (1.6 petrol) with a similar car as my wife likes the height of the front seats. We would like a car with lower VED if possible. Have you any suggestions...
I have a MINI Convertible on a 54 plate with just under 33,000 miles on the clock. I have had the car about 18 months. The gearbox was replaced after a few months of my purchase, due to a manufacturer...
My car is a 2003 diesel Toyota Corolla Verso with 31,000 miles. The handbook recommends changing the belt at 60,000 miles. My Toyota garage suggests it should be at six years, i.e last year, but age is...
How reliable are the Citroen Picassos? Also, how much is a S-reg 1998 Peugeot 406 worth?
A driver l know has lost an eye due to cancer. He was an HGV driver for 17 years. After losing his eye, he had his HGV taken from him. He asked the DVLA if he could still drive a 7.5-tonne vehicle and...
At the end of August, my wife will be leaving her current job and when she does so she will be handing back her company vehicle which has been leased by her employer. The vehicle is available for purchase...
I currently run a 52-plate Volvo S60 2.0L petrol with 110,000 miles on the clock and with its MOT due. It's been a good runner and I picked it up five years ago. Now I'm getting itchy feet and contemplating...
My mother's 2004 Subaru Impreza 2.0 GX was serviced on 7 May 2010 this year. On 19 July 2010 we broke down on the motorway, which resulted in a bill for £1825.34. The garage found that the head gasket...
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