Questions from November 2010
I have recently seen an article from a company in Devon that supplies and fits Hydrogen Cells. They claim that it will increase mpg by about 25 - 40% and have various testimonials backing this up. To good...
LH front indicator not working, bulb ok, replaced relay (hazard), rear indicator ok side indicator ok. Strangely when it came back from garage repair it worked for a while until I dropped down off a kerb....
Have just bought a 54 Micra 1.2 manual 46,000 on clock, but finding that the travel on the brake is so short that it is affecting my driving enjoyment, as I have to slow down long before any junction to...
I bought a brand new Polo last year with factory fitted roof bars. The roof bars leak in torrential rain, the dealership is looking into this and have taken 12 months so far, VW are involved but not much...
I recently took my 2002 Citroen C5 HDI to my local mechanic to put a seal on for me, he rang me a few hours later and told me the car was done. As I went to drive the car away the car began to scrape along...
I have a 52 yaris and the front discs are quite rusty and need changing. Is there a disc that is more tolerant to getting wet? I use the car quite infrequently and it is fitted with alloy wheels which...
I have a 'Y' Reg Renault Clio and about a week ago it started not firing up first time in a morning. I turn the ignition and I get the red 'oil can' light and then sometimes the red 'stop water tap' sign....
My Peugeot 405 td estate 1996 has suddenly developed a problem with o/s rear wheel locking/seizing and cannot drive forward or back. Handbrake lever is off. Any ideas on problem would be appreciated.
Please can you tell me what is now acceptable for use of front lights? I am sure I have heard that the E.U. have over-ruled the highway code on this. I don't have DRL's on my 08 Panda 100 so if I consider...
Is there website where you can see service advice sent to Honda dealers to diagnose/rectify faults on Honda Jazz, e.g, electric window faults?
You recommend winter tyres rather than 4wd. At the beginning of last winter I had some snow tyres fitted to my Honda Accord 2.2cdti. They were excellent and in fact managed to get me where 4wd struggled...
My elderly father has recently given up motoring and I needed to get advice on what his car was worth. It was a "53" Micra which had only done 12k, but had quite a bit of superficial body damage which...
I run a 2001 Ford Mondeo estate Ghia X, 2.0 petrol manual. I bought it in 2002 on the Ford Direct scheme. It has now done 85,000 miles and has been a fantastic car. I have it serviced annually at a Ford...
I've owned a fairly high spec 2006 BMW 535 ‘M’ Sport for some 18 months and one of the important extras I sought was the satellite navigation system. I had a simple Garmin system in my previous car. It...
I recently sought advice about the BMW 5 and Audi A6 3.0 diesel estate cars. Being a police officer able to drive BMW 5 Series, I know how good they are to drive and how safe they are should you have a...
I have used Shell and BP petrol and diesel fuels for their higher detergent and lubricity respectively. Other than more power, what advantages do V Power/Ultimate offer to justify the higher price, compared...
We need to replace our elderly 3-door Golf that we use for local journeys. Ideally we would like something nippy to cope with the country lanes and steep hills, will happily park (and drive away from)...
I went to Ireland recently with my car. I travelled Stenna Line from Holyhead to Dublin. When I was there some years ago there was a toll on the M50 and one paid at the tollbooth. This year, although all...
I often read your positive comments about the Mercedes-Benz C200CDI Classic SE base model, and your thoughts that this is a solid car probably good for 1,000,000 miles. I am also aware that it is not advisable...
After your recommendations, my wife bought a Hyundai 1.4 Comfort just a year ago. It goes well. It's not as economical as the 1.2, of course, but we have had no problems. I have just received a letter...
Thank you for your advice re the Volkswagen Jetta ABS/ESP Unit. Armed with your reply to the query, I confronted Volkswagen Customer Care. The outcome was that the charge was reduced from £1,228.98 to...
In an attempt to save money, my wife, two small children and I are about to leave London and move to a rural location where the country lanes will not be gritted during winter. I will continue to work...
My son has had a 1998 Renault Megane from new, now 12 years old and 90,000 miles on clock. It keeps cutting out when driven. It starts again, but then cuts out again making it dangerous to drive. Renault...
I'm 86 years old, have been driving for 70 years and became an Advanced Motorist in 1977. I have all my faculties and my only insurance claim was three years ago, for an accident when I was driven into...
I currently drive a 2004 BMW 530D that I bought almost two years ago for £11,500. A new arrival in the family necessitates increasing size of the car. I don't like MPVs and am considering the Volvo XC90...
Thank you for your reply to my email re purchase of an automatic Audi A3. You say there are other models that are better value for money, so could you name these as I wish to consider all options before...
Skoda Octavia vRS diesel: a good car, I believe. Big boot, fastish and good economy. Which makes better sense? A 2007 with 75,000 on the clock for about nine grand (inc sat nav), or a 2008 with 20,000...
I am very pleased with my Citroen C4 HDI ESG Auto and am considering the new C4, but I note that the Renault Scenic and Megane have a new EDC Auto gearbox. Would one of these be a better option?
After experiencing weeks of frustration trying to buy a new car locally, I reluctantly concluded that some car salesmen at various dealers and marques simply do not want to sell cars. Unreturned phone...
If buying trade for say £2,500, is the garage legally obliged to provide a warranty for the car and what is the normal period that can be expected at this price?
I thought you would be interested to hear of a couple of things affecting my Audi A3s. I have a 2.0T FSI Quattro owned from new, serviced within the Audi franchise for the first three years and thereafter...
Thanks to your advice, after a recent crash, I have had a quote from an independent garage which was quite a lot cheaper than the quote from the insurer's recommended repairers, and the insurance company...
Sorry to keep e-mailing you with this, but I'm still receiving threatening letters from CP Plus regarding my parking fine. This one is informing me that the fine is now £120 and there is legal action pending,...
I ordered a TT Roadster in April this year. I was advised that the model was about to receive a "facelift" but I assured that I could take delivery in September. This suited me perfectly as I was not in...
My husband has just bought a Peugeot Partner Combi quicksilver 5 door estate 2002. We have been trying to get his insurance company to change from his old car to this new one but they are claiming they...
Do you know of any problems with auto transmission on Golfs?
My husband (who is now 71) has always lusted after a Volvo so when I was left some money three years ago we pushed the boat out and bought a new top of the range C30 turbo diesel complete with leather...
Got a new Scirocco 2.0 TSI - bought August '09 ('09) plate as an ex-demo from a VW dealer I've used for many years - must've bought 6 or 7 VW's from them. The Scirocco has been regularly serviced and looked...
Could you point me in right direction for another car? I am 72 and now do about 9000 miles a year. About 3500 is for going to France and the rest is local. I would like something that fulfills the following:...
Got a nice 160mile trip back home in a recovery truck after what the guy suggested is a faulty turbo on my Xsara Picasso HDI (110 I think) - loads of blue smoke from exhaust and no oil left thereby. Thing...
Going skiing in a Range Rover Sport and need to take chains or socks - which are better and how many wheels is it best to put them on?
My A4 has covered 56000 miles from new, former company car doing about 16k per annum, now as 2nd owner I only do about 7k per annum. First reg. Sept 2006 petrol 2 ltr automatic. Car has always been seviced...
I have a 54 reg VW Passat (bought new) that has done 60,000 miles. In the last month selection of 2nd gear (either up or down) has been greeted with a fairly loud 'crunch' and associated difficulty in...
Whilst travelling on the Kenton Road, Harrow on 13 August 2010, we had to turn into a junction to turn around dipping into the bus lane for a couple of metres. This involved no stopping or any inconvenience...
Further to our discussion about the FIAT 500 TwinAir, ‘Autocar’ only got 37mpg out of the car on its first drive of the Lounge and 35.7 mpg on the full Autocar test, which is far worse than you get in...
I would like to add some comments to recent emails regarding the Mercedes-Benz W124 estate. My 16-year-old E-Class diesel estate was stolen in October 2006 and recovered via a tracking device. There was...
I own two Honda cars which, at 18 years old, are now coming to the end of their economic lives. So I now need a new or secondhand car to replace one of them - probably the Legend. The other is a 1.6i Civic....
I need a new economical hatchback, but with plenty of luggage space and top of the range spec. I am looking at the Hyundai i30, Suzuki Swift, Renault Modus or Seat Ibiza and would be grateful for your...
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