Questions from October 2011
Three years ago I exported a 2-year-old Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin to Spain. I paid Spanish duty etc and registered it on Spanish plates. I have used it myself in Spain since then.
I am now considering bringing...
My car was nearly empty. I put about 13L of unleaded-petrol in my 2008 VW Golf TDI 1.9. I was told if I filled the car up with diesel it would be fine. It seems ok when I'm driving, but when trying to...
I recently had an accident, unfortunately the road was greasy and spun out on a bend, taking out a bt phone line pole in the process.
My car I have been told more than likely will be written off! Do...
I've recently purchased a Renault Megane convertible for my wife and in one week it's been at the mechanics more often then not! Had 2 out of the 4 spark plug sensors replaced and also have a problem with...
Due to an expanding family it is time to get a larger car, preferably 7 seater. The current 0% finance offer from Toyota seems attractive on the Verso range and the car looks very attractive in the 2.0D...
The plastic back to the side mirror (near side + colour of jean blue) on a 06 plate Ford Focus needs replacing. I am willing to bet that a main dealer will charge extortionately for this bit of plastic...
My Audi A5 is 6-months old and has done 6,000 miles. On recent 150 mile run I had black soot in my exhausts and an oil usage of half litre /600 miles. I am told by Audi this is normal!! How can this be...
How can I find original list prices of Audi RS2 and 911 3.2 (1986) as i want to compare + or - of having as a company car.
Bought a 2007 Freelander 2, diesel, manual with 57,000 on clock from Evans Halshaw, Sheffield on July 12 2011. I live 250 miles from dealer near Poole, Dorset!
Everything seemed fine at first. Car now...
A friend and her husband have just been followed home and told they had driven into the back of this persons car whilst in town and that they had 100s of witnesses.
They are claiming whiplash but there...
Randomly a warning light appears on the dash. It's the orange one that means a bulb has gone. It's usually the drivers side indicator. If you keep the indicator on for a minute, constantly it fixes itself...
I am thinking of selling my 2007/57 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe. It has done around 14,000 miles and am wondering what is the best and easiest way to sell it, and to whom?
In the week that Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, announced plans to raise the speed limit on motorways to 80mph, I received a Police summons for 80mph on the M4 at. For this offence, I may be...
As I've recently moved to the Yorkshire Dales I'm interested in purchasing some winter tyres for my Mazda 6 2.0 TS. It's currently shod with 205/55 R16 Pirelli P6000s. Please could you suggest some suitable...
I took your advice and went for Mondeo 2006 2.0 Zetec Diesel 130. I’ve owned it for four and a half years and have covered 70k trouble free miles. I have a query on a warning light, GLOW PLUG INDICATOR...
I just bought a 2011, 2 litre diesel Toyota Verso to use for journeys of approximately 50 miles round trip and needing a low loading area for my parents mobility scooter. I use my wife's petrol Yaris for...
My parents, both 89, want to replace their 56 plate Honda Jazz that they have never enjoyed driving (nor me). The brakes are over assisted and the throttle seems to have a lag on it. They want a new, ...
As a retired former senior executive in the car industry, the most refreshing aspect of your column is the even-handed way you dispense advice on customer and manufacturer complaint resolution. Since retiring...
I should be grateful for your advice in purchasing a new/nearly new car. I own a 3-door 54 plate RAV4 with 90,000 on the clock. My partner suffers with Osteo-arthritis with a particular problem at the...
I will shortly be changing my Motability car from a Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 VTR+ diesel, and would appreciate your advice. It needs to be roomy, preferably diesel, manual, and have: Cruise control,...
FIAT has withdrawn the Panda 4x4. Are they due to replace it soon? If not, are there any small 4x4's you could recommend? I spend all winter in the Alps in the present Panda is fantastic in snow.
My Morris Minor 1000 celebrated its 50th birthday at the beginning of September by passing it's MoT. I have used it regularly for the last 40 years and it continues its daily jaunts to the shops. Now a...
We have ordered, but have yet to take delivery a new KIA Picanto. I note it comes with a tyre inflation kit rather than a spare wheel. I'm a little concerned as we may do several long journeys. Do you...
I have just returned a Mazda at the end of a 3-year PCP with 75,000 miles against a contracted 90,000 miles. The dealer principal signed the car off as “no issues”, but due to his circling of a '3' against...
My son was at traffic lights in Hertfordshire when a van ploughed into the back of his car. At the first inspection it was considered to a write off. However, the insurance company ordered a further inspection...
You mentioned in your column last week that the insurer of a motor vehicle should be made aware of any change, however small, that is made to a car as it may affect the validity of the policy held. Does...
Please could you recommend a firm to refurbish the 16in alloy wheels (one of them badly "kerbed") on my 07 Audi A3 TDI? Preferably in Oxfordshire or a neighbouring county and ideally which would collect...
I have a Focus 1.6 diesel that has just had its 3rd major service at a Ford main dealer at 33,000 miles. The paperwork indicates that a DPF service is “urgently required” at an additional cost of £150....
My 2005 V/W Golf Plus has been serviced fully by my local VAG garage and was in for service + MOT 3 weeks ago, however last week the ESP light came on and diagnostics showed the ABS failure. I was quoted...
For your information, below is the reply that I got from my MP Ann Coffey regarding clause 56 of the Protection of Freedoms Bill that allows parking enforcement firms to pursue registered keepers of cars...
My BMW 318 is over 7 years old. The annual Tax is now over £200 and the annual insurance is quite steep, due to my age. The car has never let me down and is very comfortable to handle. But I feel the time...
I have recently purchased a 15 year old 1996 P Jaguar XJ Executive from an elderly gent who has decided to hang up his driving gloves. The car has full service history and is in excellent condition (a...
We have been a three-car, but two-driver, family for years now, but age is creeping in and the hassle of taxing, MoTing, insuring and servicing three cars every year is too much. Also, two of the cars...
I have recently finished studying my doctorate. I currently have a 2002 Citroen Saxo Furio 1.4 and feel that I have out grown this car. I'm looking to spend around £4,500 plus part-exchange value of the...
We live in rural Devon and, after the last two winters and based on your advice, I am looking to get a set of winter wheels and tyres. Both my wife and I drive diesel automatics; she has a rear wheel...
Could you please expand on your apparently disparaging reference to supermarket petrol as a contributory cause of lambda sensor failure?
In your reply to WS on 8/10, you warn of the need to be careful with automated manual gearboxes but do not specify the problems. I intend to replace my 2010 Astra auto with a Yaris auto/manual next year,...
The rule I have always used when driving in the left hand lane of a motorway is No 167 of my Highway Code otherwise it would mean braking when nothing is in front of me if lanes to the right of me slow...
My car was written off in no fault claim and I was given £2,000 by my insurance company (LV) to which I can add £3,000 - £4,000. That won’t buy a new car so I have decided to go for a used Audi A3. My...
About 3 years ago I took your advice and chose the FIAT 500 1.4 Sport as my lease car. I have been very pleased with it. The lease is now nearly up and I have to decide which car to get for the next 3...
I live in a quiet residential road. 3 weeks ago a neighbour parked a burger bar caravan in the road outside his house. It is dilapidated, unroadworthy and unsightly. He speaks little English but when asked...
We are returning to the UK after thirty years in Canada. We are both getting on in years and we like automatic transmission. We have about ten thousand pounds to spend. If possible we would like to buy...
I see that cracked 19"alloy wheels have been causing problems for BMW owners for some time. My car recently failed its first MOT due to three cracked wheels. Two were within BMW's limit and one not. No...
I was looking round a nearly-new-used-car showroom yesterday and could only find one car with a pair of tyres on the same axle that matched. These were ‘Sunny’, made in China. By “matching”, I mean that...
I am not often given justification to offer thanks for the standard of service in today's profit driven society however I wanted to record my thanks to both Honda UK and to my local dealer Cloverleaf Honda...
I have just bought a Land Rover SVX soft top from Stratstones in Stourbridge with full service history (I traded in a Lotus Elise). Taking the word of the salesman I did not check the paperwork until getting...
In your column on Saturday, October 8th you made mention of supermarket petrol. What is wrong with it? And is diesel affected as well?
We live in a small village and for the last two winters have struggled to get out. I am now thinking of replacing my BMW 1 Series, with an AWD car. I would like to purchase the X3, but the wait is close...
I drive a 2008 BMW 116ES, 1,596cc. Annual mileage: 4,000miles. Last winter I had a bad experience when I went into a very bad spin on black ice and snow. I managed not to hit anything, but I had to abandon...
I was recently on a Classic Car Tour in Italy in my 2005 Morgan Roadster. While there, the rubber hose from the fuel filler cap to the fuel tank split open and allowed petrol to cascade onto a very hot...
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