Questions from June 2011
From time to time on my travels here in Kent, Surrey and Sussex I have seen a tree surgeon who has a Lamborghini four-wheel-drive. It’s an ugly brute of a car. The Lamborghini is signwritten and the guy...
I was interested to read that you are currently running a Mazda 5 1.6 diesel. I sold my 5-year-old 63,000 mile Mazda 5 1.9d Sport prior to going on a long trip to New Zealand and am now looking to replace...
We are thinking of trading our Toyota Yaris diesel next year for the new Yaris Hybrid, which is coming soon. However, talking to our mechanic and the Toyota salesperson, we are advised that benefit from...
I’d like to make a general comment following your comments on compulsory ESP installation. I have driven many miles on snow in Scandinavia over 20 years and the worst incident I have encountered was I'm...
I have a Mercedes-Benz E280CDI, which I bought new in November 2005 and which has patches of corrosion on all four of the alloy wheels. My local dealer has sent photographs of the corrosion to Mercedes-Benz...
Like many of your readers my car was logged as overstaying a 2-hour limit in a B&Q car park. The parking company were given my personal details by the DVLA in order to track me down. The company concerned...
I am looking to change my KIA Sorento, bought 15 months ago. I have now had to give up caravanning and am looking for a smaller car with high seating and have looked at the Skoda Yeti which I am very impressed...
Some time ago you recommended a source for car breakdown cover. At the time I was able to locate the appropriate website but, as my current RAC cover had some time to go, I filed away the information in...
I have a Volkswagen Passat diesel with DSG gearbox. I believe that you have suggested that there is less likelihood of damage to a DMF with an automatic gearbox. Does this apply also to a DSG? You have...
I am currently visiting the Bedworth area. I was here in January and was shocked by the state of the roads. The roundabout below junction three of the M6 had huge holes in the road surface, and they are...
I have not sold a car privately for about 15 years and would like to know the safest way to go about this. The BMW MINI dealer only offered £3,500 for my MINI Cooper as a trade-in, but suggested I may...
I had my 1993 Porsche 964 for sale and was contacted by an interested buyer, answered all questions asked honestly and he liked what he heard. We discussed money and he was happy to pay £13,000 after a...
I currently run a 2001 Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI Elegance saloon. The car has done just over 80,000 miles and is in excellent condition. During the past two winters, due to the snow, I have not been able...
Do you know whether a "service bulletin" regarding suspension geometry has been sent to Skoda dealers? I have owned a new Skoda Octavia 1.4 TSI Estate auto for a year and the road noise is really bad....
I've had a VW Polo 05-reg for 2yrs. I'm lucky if I get 25mpg urban and 32mpg maximum on a decent run at 60mph. It's always been same.
I live on the Isle of Man and I wanted a new Focus RS. No one had one here so I found one in England.
I came to an agreement on a deal over the phone with a main Ford dealer and payed for it, trading...
Is it safe to pay the full amount for a new car before having seen it & before delivery (as asked by www.discount-new-cars.com) - they want the monies cleared and in their bank account before delivery...
I recently bought a Mini Cooper S (R53 2005) and had some work done on the brakes.
On inspection the technician queried whether the car is a cut and shut as he saw what looked like a weld on the underside...
If I buy a 2wd drive petrol version of a crossover e.g. Skoda Yeti & Nisan Quashai, will the residual value hold up as well as the 4wd diesel?
We are taking my wife's 6 year old VW Beetle cabriolet touring through France this summer.
From your experience, which company gives the best breakdown cover - just in case?
Should I get the optional Dynamic Handling Package for the C-Class Estate? I'm in the process of buying the latest model - working in NZ but will be back home in the UK for delivery.
I recently bought a Golf TDI auto second hand from a dealer.
I had continuous problems with it breaking down, so I looked into the history of the car and found it had been written off in an accident,...
My girlfriend’s car was recently hit up the rear, whilst stopped at lights by a closely following car.
Her insurers Quinn direct are having difficulty defending her as she is only third party fire &...
I'm looking for a Mondeo Estate. I currently only do 3000k per year, I have approx £15,000 to spend and would like a top spec, with road tax, insurance, etc. Would you go for petrol or diesel, manual or...
I have a 2006 Volvo XC70 D5 SE with the safety package which included the built in phone and the Volvo "on call" system.
The car was in fabulous condition and had only about 29,000 miles on the clock,...
Shortly going to change my 2007 SLK 200 with 29,000 miles, I'm too old for the low driving position, getting thigh ache.
Will have a budget of £20,000 including trade in so should be able to get 2007...
Recently the speedo has been dropping to zero for a while. Occasionally it jerks and then restarts again later.
The vehicle as been owned from new but is now a second car mostly in good working order,...
I have a CR-V 2.2 i-DTEC EX March 2010. From new, creaking at all speeds and road surfaces was apparent which became worse as the weather became hotter.
It was tolerated for 5 months but became unbearable...
I drive a SAAB 9-5 Aerodeck 04-Reg and I am fed up with the tight squeeze in and out of my garage. I would like to buy a smaller car with all or more of the comfort and gadgets that the SAAB has.
I agreed to buy a Fabia 2 from a main dealer in September 2008. The agreement said that the vehicle was first registered on 2nd August 2008. In fact the car was registered in February 2008 and is now out...
Last November (2010) a car skidded into the back of me on a wet road. The driver admitted responsibility and we exchange insurance details. My son who was in the car with me witnessed the whole thing.
The...
I would like to know where I stand legally with a manufacturing issue outside warranty.
The 2005 Swift had issues with a certain batch of rear axles which had a rear toe angle about +3 degrees more than...
Please explain why Mazda 6 2.2L diesels do not have the same DPF problems as the Mazda 6 2.0L diesel (where the sump can fill up with diesel oil)?
My grandson has recently bought a 2005 Vauxhall diesel van - ex post office. He was told it had a cam chain, not cam belt. Is this true?
I recently purchased a used car from a trader, the advert stated that the car only had one owner, however when I got my V5 I realised that it had 3 previous owners. I would never have purchased the car...
Do you know of any forthcoming changes to VAG diesels, such as chain cam and/or less problematic DPF?
Are DMFs used on automatics/DSGs by VAG or Hyundai? Will VAG be introducing the more efficient 7-speed...
You say on your review section about the Kia Sorento that 'by January 2011 the fuel tank delamination problem was becoming more widespread. KIA will pay for the replacement tank fitted at a KIA dealer,...
I have a quandry. I live 1 mile down a rutted farm track. I commute 250 (motorway) miles to work each week but the 10 miles at each end of the journey are on rough windy country lanes.
I have long legs...
I am interested in buying a new BMW 3 Series Touring and have heard rumours that a new model is to be introduced later this year.
My local BMW dealer says not, but I'm reluctant to commit and find out...
Our Jag has low profile tyres (225/40 ZR18 (92Y) Pirellis) on alloys. We have had all sorts of problems, tyre splits/rips/puntures on bad road surfaces, plus a very hard/firm ride.
I would like to change...
I am looking to change my car in the next month or so.
I have one child of 2yrs and looking to add another to the brood. I currently have a BMW 320d Saloon, but I find the boot space is restrictive in...
Would you please advise which is the most economical 7-seater in terms of fuel consumption, insurance and running cost?
Would you recommend Qashqai+2? I need one with an inbuilt sat-nav, air-con and...
My 2004 Saab 9-5 estate has started displaying the engine warning light intermittently (illuminated but not flashing) it has had a recent annual service and been plugged in twice for engine diagnostics...
I have a Skoda Yeti 2.0 Diesel with DSG. 5,000 miles a year, 40% of my journeys less than 5miles. Would a fuel additive reduce the chance of clogging and, if so, how often should I use it?
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