Questions from July 2012
My wife has owned a 2007 Mercedes-Benz A170 from new. The automatic gearbox has failed after 27,500 miles and the Mercedes dealer has said a complete new gearbox is required (first quote £5000, subsequently...
The majority of drivers through my village exceed the 30mph speed limit, some by a big margin. Occasionally the police position a temporary radar speed trap that has no real impact on the problem but most...
My wife has been offered the chance of buying a new, basic, Volkswagen Up from a main dealer for about £7000. Is this good? Are there any known drawbacks with the Up?
My wife's Mercedes-Benz was recently broken into while parked in our drive and quite a lot of damage was done to the steering column and an attempt to hotwire it obviously failed. Upon inspection by the...
I drive 2008 KIA cee'd automatic which I've had since new. Last year, when attempting to reverse into a parking space, I put the car in reverse and without my touching the accelerator, the car shot backwards...
I have a one-year-old Skoda Fabia that has done 650 miles and is now due for a one-year service. The garage has told me that I do not need get this done until advised by an indicator on the dashboard but...
I have been following correspondence about parking charges and limitations outside motorway service stations and how this restricts people spending time and money there. We have a local restaurant and...
Thank you for your excellent advice about selling a cheap car. I placed one or two cards in newsagents' windows and already I have several people firmly interested. I have never sold privately before and...
I would like to share an experience with you about drinking and driving. As you well know, some of us have been known to have had brushes with the authorities on our way home from the odd social session...
My wife would like a MINI Cooper S and I've been told that some were supercharged and others turbocharged. Which, in your opinion, is the better option? We will have about £7000 to spend.
I know you are very pleased with your Fiat 500 and I'm thinking of buying one secondhand. Which model would you recommend and what would you recommend as an alternative?
I am always dismayed at the level of corrupt collusion various ministries have allowed over the last 10 years to quite dishonestly force monies from otherwise perfectly law abiding motorists. It's of little...
I'm about to purchase a new Toyota RAV4. The local dealer is quoting £25,245 for a cash sale whereas an online company (www.broadspeed.com) has quoted me £22,781 for exactly the same specification car,...
I've heard that there's currently a recall on A6 2.0 TDI injectors. I have an October 2006 Audi A4 2.0, does this recall apply to me?
Like so many car owners I have experienced increasing difficulty achieving the EU fuel efficiency of the various cars that I have owned. I suspect that this is primarily because, as one would expect, the...
In 2006 my son got side-swiped by a left-hand drive Polish lorry. Whilst overtaking in a long slow queue on a motorway, he was clipped on the rear of his car by the lorry which pulled out, signalling as...
I am still very fond of my Rover 75 after 105,000 miles. I looked to the MG6 as a replacement but it is not available as an automatic. What would you recommend? I would prefer petrol and front wheel drive.
My much-loved Omega 2.5 has finally gone to the knacker’s yard. In the hope of getting a car as quiet and gentle on the suspension for our third world roads I am considering a 2007/57 Mercedes-Benz C180...
In your column on Saturday, under "Left right, left right" you covered the topic of undertaking on multi-lane roads. I recall this being discussed some time ago in the press and reference was made to a...
Would appreciate some comment and guidance as to how best to spend up to £15,000 on a second-hand 'luxury' saloon. I only travel around 6000 miles annually, mostly short journeys with occasional 200 -...
Once my 2007 Mazda 3 was out of warranty I switched my servicing to a local and more convenient lower cost multi-franchise garage. Looking into parts costs I was amazed at the difference in price between...
My 2007 Nissan X-Trail Adventura failed its first MoT on a broken wire to the high level stop light in the tailgate. It then failed its second MoT on the same problem. Now the rear wiper has failed. It's...
I have been insured with Aviva for a number of years and both my wife and I have six years' protected NCD. Despite having no claims in recent years, the renewal premium has risen to £574 which is an increase...
My wife drives a 2005 Vauxhall Vectra 1.9 diesel and has done less than 26,000 miles. Should we have the timing belt changed at the next service?
Also, I noticed you saying not to buy four-year-old or...
I recently challenged a parking fine by writing to the enforcement company offering £10 to cover the fee, plus admin. This was returned with a letter that did not seem relevant to my circumstances so I...
I recently needed to replace all four tyres on my motorhome, so I researched the web and found what looked like a good price on the Event Tyres site. As they had received an Honest John award, I felt confident...
With reference to ‘Brass banned’ in last week’s column. Many thanks to GH and yourself for recommending Timpsons to replace lost keys. Honda would have charged £220 to replace mine, whilst Timpsons provided...
Because of a back and hip complaint I am looking for a car with a higher seating level, e.g. a crossover or 4x4. The BMW X1 series appeals to me but I am wondering how much higher off the ground it is...
At a recent brake pad change the BMW dealer did a safety check and reported a broken rear spring, and recommended a new pair at a cost of £233.80. My E83 X3 had covered 53,300 miles. Can this failure be...
I would like to buy an estate car, as its flat load bed will be very useful. I fancied an SUV but, with the price of fuel, cannot justify the cost as the vast majority of time it's just me in the vehicle....
I have a 2005 (55 reg) 1.6LX Ford Focus Mk2. I intend carrying out a full 3 year service this weekend. I have a service kit that I bought from a Ford dealership on eBay. It comes with all the usual parts...
hi I have a Citroen Xantia 2003 which seems has a rear suspension problem. the problem is when I start the car the rear suspension suddenly starts to sink more than normal and after some moments it gets...
I want to buy a new mid range hatchback and wish to know which would be the best to buy when comparing cost, equipment, mpg, CO2 emissions, insurance, VED, length of warranty etc. One with a spare wheel...
Looking for 4x4 for under £4000. Live in the countryside and the road to my house is steep and unsurfaced for 0.5 mile and there's often snow in winter.
I recently aquired insurance through Motorcycle direct. I was asked to send my driving licence in for validation. On doing so the insurance company are now refusing to insure the bike as the address on...
I am considering an Audi Q5 that has done 74k miles. Should I have concerns about any specific potential problems, eg engine, drive train, suspension links or electrics etc?
Under normal circumstances...
There are 3 holes in the top of the rear bumper. The middle one definitely acts as a drain hole. On my car, the driver's side one is pretty much filled with black plastic but water can drain out. On the...
Three years ago I had a minor accident, basically rolled back slowly over a speed hump in a private gym car park. Did not see driver behind, extremely close and on my blind spot. No damage to my car...
I have a 03 Fiesta with 195/45/R16 low profile tyres. The front wheels are distorted and the tyres loose air. I have bought 4 replacement alloys and want to fit normal same size tyres. Can I fit new normal...
You often tell people to let the engine run for a short time after stopping in order to let the turbo cool down. What is the efect of the automatic stop-start technology on engines with turbos, or is...
I have a Ford Galaxy, 2007, 57 reg. It has recently had the clutch replaced and Dual Mass Fly wheel under warranty. However, when starting from cold and putting in 1st gear it always seems to stall unless...
I am switching from having a company car to car allowance.
I do 12,000 miles per year. For personal reasons I like to drive cars from the Volkswagen stable.
So my question is should I go for The 1.6...
I have been insured with IAM Surety for the last few years, but I would like to add my girlfirend to my insurance policy, which is up for renewal, to be able to drive my car. She is from the Netherlands...
My 16 month old (from new) 17k miles Astra J 1.4 Turbo has started consuming coolant. The first time the warning "check coolant" came on I filled the header tank exactly to the max line, but it was all...
Nearly another year on for our 52 reg Yaris D4D. Is your mother's soldiering on? I always have a shortlist of replacement cars but it is more complicated now that my husband is retired and we share the...
My father has a 2004 plate Espace 1.9 diesel on which the turbo has apparently failed (or is failing) - there is a lull at approx 1900-2000rpm almost as if the engine is missing. Mileage is approx 134k...
I currently own a 2008/08 320cdi CLK Avantgarde and would like to upgrade to an E-class Coupe. I keep my cars for 2 years and cover 12k pa most town and some motorway.
I like the power of the v6 diesel...
I am having problem starting,it sounds like dull click as though battery low, then second attempt starts ok. In last 2 days it has got worse, sometimes taking several attempts.Fitted brand new battery...
I was on private land for a public event. My car got stuck in mud. A marshall for the event towed us out of the mud by attaching the towing eye to the rear of the car and he then used his Land Rover. He...
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