Questions from August 2010
I have a Peugeot 407 HDI. A warning signal comes up saying I need to top up my emissions particle filter fluid. Can anyone tell me if I can do this myself and, if so, where it is located?
Good morning.I am having great problems getting a quote for a replacement clutch for my 1999 Ford Galaxy TDI manual. Six garages that i have contacted are being vague or have not got back to me. I understand...
I want a perky Volkswagen Golf to drive that is fairly economical. I intend to keep the car, so am thinking about a diesel engine. I do quite a high mileage, about 13,000 per year. There are quite a lot...
Last week I agreed to purchase a used Ford S-Max from a national Ford dealer. The deal was negotiated and a price agreed. The car I was purchasing was not viewed as it was at another branch of the dealer....
I have recently bought a 2004 Jaguar XK8 from a Jaguar specialist for £15,000. Having driven it for two weeks I have noticed a severe "snatch" between first and second gear (which appears worse if I accelerate...
Over the past 30 years or so I have been in the habit of coasting down long hills in neutral with the engine idling. Can coasting do any damage? I find it suits my relaxed style of driving and as I recall...
I'm probably not going to get any sympathy, but being a builder I drive a van. I don't have explain what happens when you traverse four speed humps with a van full of tools and materials. Unpleasant is...
We have a 2009 Ford Fiesta Titanium auto on 15 x 6 alloy wheels. with 195/50 Hancook tyres. This wretched car, which could be so nice, gives no pleasure to driver or passenger because of the incessant...
I am currently driving a 2002 Skoda Fabia 1.4 and have decided to give the car to my daughter. Prior to handover I thought it would be prudent to have a full service so booked it in to my local Skoda dealer....
I base my forthcoming comments to you on past media reports, about the London congestion tax. Kulveer Ranger, the mayor’s spokesman on transport matters, has almost admitted that the scrapping of the congestion...
I have purchased a Toyota LandCruiser LC 3.0 diesel automatic for towing our caravan. It was registered in November 2008. I am getting quite reasonable fuel economy given the large engine and vehicle (23-24mpg...
My wife has a Honda Jazz. She likes the boot space, 4 doors and length but would prefer something that is a little quicker with those criteria. Can you recommend anything?
Some weeks ago I wrote to four nearby Volkswagen dealers enclosing a specification for an automatic VW Golf Estate 1.4SE TSI and inviting them to respond with their best price and estimated delivery time....
Whether or not Car manufacturers are supplying runflat tyres now, they are still issuing spare wheel equipment that cannot entirely fulfil its function. How are they getting away with this? I have reported...
My battery went dead as I left my lights on. I was successful in jump-starting the car but now my in-car stereo is totally dead and there's a flashing red light on the stereo, which I guess is the alarm/immobiliser....
I've got a 51-reg Vauxhall Corsa SXI. If it's parked on a hill the handbrake goes up eight clicks before it will even begin to hold the car. I know they're meant to self-adjust and only go up three clicks....
I have found the Volkswagen biodiesel statement online dated 3 March 2010. In that it states the Octavia 1 (1u) is approved on B100 RME biodiesel up to production week 26 of 2006. I am considering buying...
I have a brake fluid warning light in my Peugeot 306 but the brakes feel fine. What's wrong with it?
I have a warning light on my 1996 Peugeot 306 diesel turbo. I know that the warning light indicates a low brake fluid level. When I first found the problem about a month ago, I just filled it up and then...
I read one of your letters sometime ago mentioning the latest generation of runflat tyres. Can you direct me to the latest information as I cant find it on your website? I have a BMW 530i.
Can anybody tell me what seals I need for the air conditioning system on my Focus? I took it to a local garage for a top up and was told that seals were leaking. I looked on the web and can't find any...
Having owned Peugeot diesels for the past 18 years, I am both amazed and disappointed with the noise levels of my wife's recently purchased 2010 brand new Fiesta 1.4TDCI. At tickover, and when moving through...
I am thinking of buying a 2004 Renault Megane 1.5 DCI Dynamique 100bhp, but I am being given mixed reports about this model. Can you advise me on any common problems with this car?
I am considering buying the diesel 4x4 Skoda Yeti but can't decide between the 110 and 140 versions. Other than power, is one better than the other? The price quoted on the HJ site via Autofinders is very...
I have a Renault Clio 172 which has been stood for two and a half years. Before it was parked up it had the head rebuilt and the cam belt done. it only has 42,000 miles and it's a 52 plate. What sort of...
My car misfires after fitting a crankshaft sensor. Do I need to have the computer reset?
My steering has got a bit heavy, and I can also can hear a rubbing/squeaking noise inside the car from the steering wheel/column. Now I can sometimes hear a slight click whilst turning the steering wheel.
I am thinking of changing my 2008 Skoda diesel estate (32,000 miles) for a nearly-new Mercedes-Benz C220 Blue Efficiency manual 6-speed SE Estate. Have you any views on the C220 (reliability etc)? Where...
I have a 2009 Suzuki Swift 1.5-litre which is jolty when driving slowly in traffic. Is this the drive train resistance, is it a fault with the design or is it a problem with my clutch? My dealer told me...
I purchased a vehicle from a dealer and the tax is up for renewal. I received no reminder from the DVLA of this and contacted them to find out why. It turns out that I am not the registered keeper of the...
I have just received a letter from a car parking enforcement company, telling me that a car with my plate had overstayed at a Sainsbury's car park (no fine this time). This was in Stoke-on-Trent on 19...
I currently own a Volkswagen Polo GTI. I have been having a few problems with it over the years and have decided its time to upgrade, as I do a lot of miles, and it's not the most economical of cars. I...
I bought my Peugeot 307 HDI 2-litre diesel just over a year ago and have had nothing but problems with it since I got it. The dealer turned out to be unreliable but as my car is financed he gets away with...
My Peugeot 106's battery went dead so I gave it a jump start from another car and it started straight away. I put a new battery on it, but it had run out of diesel and after putting some in it now won't...
This afternoon my X-reg 1.4-litre Mazda 323 died. The engine starts but will not run, it's as if the ignition is being switched off. I'm guessing there is a very special piece of technology that keeps...
I have a 2004 Renault Espace, and a warning light with an orange outline and a horizontal orange zigzag line comes on now and again. It also seems to lose power. I took it to my local dealer and they reckon...
My R-reg Peugeot 106 diesel started playing up. On Tuesday I did about five miles in the car. I got home and switched the engine off, then realised I'd forgotten something so tried to start it back up....
I'm looking to buy a BMW 318TI 1999 automatic. Could you give me any info on these?
The intermittent front wipers on my 2007 Volkswagen Golf do not work. They are activated by a rain sensor. I have been to my local Volkswagen dealer three times and they claim that they work fine, pouring...
I own a Mercedes-Benz SL320 M-reg, built in 1994. Since I bought the car three years ago the cruise control has never worked. This didn't bother me and I hadn't any spare cash to repair it at the time....
My Skoda Superb II Elegance is a magnificent car, fully justifying its name. But tyre wear is heavier than on the Superb I by about 60 per cent. My local dealer tells me that Skoda will not supply a new...
I bought my car less than six months ago and was told there was no problem with it. They even serviced it for me prior to me taking it away. I believe that the fault was already there and I have just made...
I'm looking to replace both a 54-plate 2.0-litre automatic petrol Ford Mondeo and a 2007 1.4-litre manual Fiesta with a newer Mondeo, which will cover 8000 to 10,000 miles a year. I've noticed that you...
I purchased my Mercedes-Benz C270 estate on 1 September 2004 new from a Mercedes-Benz dealer. The instrument panel needs replacement due to an electronic fault in the panel (cause unknown!), at a cost...
I have been looking for a classic Mercedes-Benz and have come across a beautiful Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC. Trouble is, an HPI check shows that it was written off, but was not a total loss. It seems someone...
Yesterday I drove over 200 miles to trade in my nine-year-old 125,000-mile 1.9DTi Scenic for a three-year-old Mazda 2 1.4D with 18,000 miles on the clock at a large franchised dealer, and the new car had...
My wife and I drive a 2003 Rover 175. Recently we have lost the spare key. Our Rover dealer has quoted £265 for a replacement, which may take 3-4 weeks and involve two journeys to the nearest Rover agents,...
I received a letter from a car park enforcement company on 24/08/10, the letter itself issued on 19/08/10 and the date referred to is the 12/08/10. It says that I didn't pay for the car park, which I did...
I would like to enquire about the reliability of the Lexus GS300 2001 model. What is the average fuel consumption? Is there anything in particular I should be looking out for?
I'm looking for a reconditioned head for a Mercedes-Benz E320cdi. Its a 2001 3226cc. Please can you help?
I would like an old convertible as a semi-second car. Four seats would be useful - dogs, luggage, the occasional teenager etc. Budget up to £4000-ish. I have narrowed the choice down to a Saab or an Audi...
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