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Honest John Ask Honest John » December 2011
Trending topics in December 2011
automatics buying diesel particulate filter diesels driving estates faults large cars legal issues new cars owning reliability selling small cars technical issues used cars used cars wheels and tyres winter winter tyres
Questions from December 2011
I recently bought a Ford Fiesta 1.4TDCi from Evans Halshaw in Burnley. I agreed to pay for and collect it a week later so that it could be ready. When I came to collect the car I was told there was trim...
I own a 2008 Mercedes-Benz ML500. I tried to get a set of alloys plus winter tyres in November 2010 from a Mercedes dealer but they could not supply, and the same seems to be happening this year. Last...
The heater in my Vauxhall Corsa only produces cold air and I don't understand why this is.
I have a noisy air conditioning pump on my BMW 3 Series. An independent garage advises that a new pump is necessary, but not urgent. If I leave it the noise will simply increase. Quoted £753.49 for new...
A salesman at a BMW dealership quoted me over the phone a trade-in price for my 2008 year 325d SE coupe after taking the registration number and details of the car. When I got to the dealership to do the...
My wife's 1995 Suzuki Vitara automatic diesel is playing her up. When she puts it in drive it'll auto change to 1st & 2nd gears ok, but then it'll stay in 2nd gear and won't change up to 3rd / 4th. Then,...
Do all early Corsa D diesel models have dpf filters? If not which ones dont have them?
I have a problem with my 53 reg Vauxhall Vectra petrol. My heater has stopped blowing warm air into the cabin. I have had my thermostat replaced and still no warm air in the cabin. Also my temp gauge...
I'm looking for an economical and inexpensive to run estate car for the family. Maximum budget is £7500. Preferably diesel but not a deal-breaker. Priorities are economy, safety and servicing costs. I...
Is there any tricks of the trade when cleaning the interior of a smokers car and trying to illiminate the aroma of nicotine? Thanks.
I have £10K (or less) to spend and I want a comfortable estate to do around 10,000 miles per year. Should I be looking at a higher mileage BMW 520D, or low mile Mondeo 2.0TDCI or Volvo V70 2.0D?
Please help my husband and I decide on a used estate. We keep going back and forth. We are looking for an estate car for around £9000. Hubbie is a car snob so won't consider a Ford or a Skoda - so we're...
Just been advised by my insurer that my car has been declared a write off. Insurer is asking for the V5C and MOT etc. to be sent to them. The vehicle has a cherished plate attached - can you advise on...
What taxes do you have to pay when purchasing a new car in the UK?
Following the press coverage of the importance of winter tyres I have researched the options for my BMW 520d efficiency dynamics (F10 2010). BMW offer wheels and tyres starting at £1800. Kwik fit offer...
I purchased a Fiesta from a used car dealer 7 weeks ago - last week the car started cutting out on me and, cutting a long story short, the car needs a new coil pack, throttle body, replaced washers jets...
I am a cash buyer for new Jazz Hybrid. How much discount should I look for?
I am thinking of buying something silly, fun and unusual. I have looked at: Maserati 3200 2001, Aston Martin DB7 3.2 2004, Jaguar XK8. Any other ideas?
During a recent safety recall, when changing a bar between the clutch pedal and master cylinder a substantial spillage of brake fluid (and later leakage due to not re-assembling properly) soaked into...
The cam belt has broken at 99,000, and repairs are likely to cost us more than £2000. For normal use, the handbook recommends changing at 100,000 miles. Otherwise it is "severe" at 50,000. We have owned...
The high level LED brake light on my 54 plate vRS Octavia Estate ceased to function recently. My local garage, who have serviced the car since I acquired it in 2007, couldn't access it and referred the...
Have Michelin Primacy 215/50/R17 95W fitted - what winter tyres would you recommend - would you also recommend new alloys?
The garage has advised that the DMF is faulty and needs replacing, both of us thought that only diesels had the DMF fitted. Is this something that normally goes wrong on petrol cars?
My sister has just bought a second hand MX5 from a main Mazda dealer (about 1 week ago). She has discovered that the bonnet and windscreen have small pock marks that are really only discoverable by touch...
I've just got my car back from having an MOT and my heating has noticeably deteriorated, prior to the MOT it was working perfectly. On the heating dial, I used to have it one click in the red and it...
I currently own an 07 Volvo S40 2L Diesel. It has done 37000 and I am averaging only 9000 miles pa, which I know is too low for a diesel car. Next service will be 50,000 miles and it will start getting...
I am looking to buy a Dodge Avenger 2008. Found one for £6000 which I'm quite pleased with. Just got 2 Questions if any one can help. 1. Are Dodge parts generally expensive? I am a bit clueless to the...
My ABS light comes on after about five minutes, plus my main stop light comes on at least once a week - what could be the cause?
I have driven a company car, Peugeot 206, for a number of years but now need to buy my own. I want a reliable, very economical car with room for a Golden Retriever ideally in the boot. My budget is £5K....
My wife recently tried to resolve a problem on an invoice received from our electricity supplier. After wading through the various phone options she got through to an advisor who told her that as my name...
Your "Expert Advice" column in the Saturday Telegraph(03 Dec 11) suggests to RT that he should consider Skoda 1.4 TSI, or even 1.2 TSI engines in place of his aging 2.0 TDI, stating they "have chain driven...
My Renault Clio is still under warranty and needs new brake pads. Would having the work done somewhere other than a franchised Renault dealer invalidate the warranty?
My 3 year old Freelander has developed an oil seal leak and the dealer wants £1200 to repair it! Would you: Have the repair, talk to Land Rover, or find a replacement before the leak gets too serious?...
Pease can you tell me if there is a site where I can discover the correct pressures for my Hyundai ix35 4WD. As recommended by your good self, I bought a spare set of steel wheels (17 inch instead of...
Premium tyres size 235/40/18Y cost about £180 per wheel for my Mondeo. Budget tyres same specification cost about £70 per wheel. What am I getting for spending an extre £400 for premium tyres?
Comment is made on the advantage of winter tyres over standard tyres. I have a Honda CR-V fitted with M & S ( mud and snow). How do these fit in the equation?
Today I parked on an open air NCP town centre carpark in Bolton. The only ticket machine was proving difficult both for me and other customers. It would not register or return my cash. I wanted to park...
Do you have any information about the TyrePal tyre pressure monitoring system which was advertised in the Daily Telegraph motoring section on December 3? Do they work? Is it worth it?
I'm considering a Fabia with the TSI 1.2 105 ps engine and wondered if this fairly new design with its high pressure injectors and turbo is likely to have the same sort of problems afflicting modern diesel...
I currently run an Audi A4 2.0 TDi 140 S-Line Avant 2007 with 45,000 miles which has been trouble free, other than a surprising thirst for oil. After reading many of your recent articles where you suggest...
I just bought a Vauxhall Vectra 1.9 CDTi 150 bhp. When I'm driving it's not picking up speed, but if I turn the engine off and back on again it will pick up speed. Once I reach a junction it will lose...
My old boss (73), has retired to a French village. He wants to change his dying 11yr old Renault Megane Scenic RTE 1.9 DCi. Replacement must be big (he is 6ft 3ins 17 stone!) and reliable (no public...
I came across the term 'diesel particulate filter' and associated problems for the first time reading your excellent column in the DT, and wonder if one of these is fitted to my camper van, which is based...
Having been a motorcycle rider exclusively for 10 years, I now need to buy a car to get to and from work. I have a £4500 budget and while I am not overly concerned about model/age/make, the car must be...
My car is temporarily parked outside. Mould is forming on the inside of the black fabric hood - how do I safely remove this while avoiding bleach marks?
If I leave the car for approx five days the battery normally is flat and the car will not start. With the current technology and consequent drain on the battery is this to be expected? I do lock it when...
I want to buy a second hand MPV (under £10000), what would you recommend?
Service light is coming on, seat belt pretensioner and air bags are mentioned as possible faults.
When I pull away from stationary in 1st then in to 2nd (worse when cold) there is a harsh metallic noise coming from the nearside of the car. There are noticeable vibrations coming up through the clutch...
I have owned my four-year-old Berlingo Multispace 1.6hdi (old shape) from new and always had it serviced on time by Citroen. It has covered 50K miles, mainly long distance journeys, without any faults...
 

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