A recommendation for Event Tyres.

A few weeks ago you recommended ‘Event Tyres’ to one of your readers. I too needed two, possibly four replacement tyres and decided to take your advice, Event Tyres were very efficient, notifying me exactly...

What automatic gearboxes do Hyundai use?

I am thinking of getting a Hyundai 1.6-litre petrol car with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. I assume that this will not be a torque convertor gearbox, but can you please tell me what type it is and how it...

Have you tested the new Honda CR-V yet?

Have you had chance to test the new, fourth generation Honda CR-V yet and if so what are your thoughts on it?

Did you know that Devon County Council runs an assessment for older drivers?

Your readers have often asked about testing older drivers. Devon County Council runs a scheme where for a small fee (£30 or so) a driving examiner/instructor takes you out in your own car for an hour to...

Did you know that Flintshire County Council runs a free training scheme?

I thought you might be interested to know of a FREE scheme run by Flintshire County Council but covering the whole of North Wales. A qualified Driving Instructor comes to your Home has a chat about the...

Lancashire County Council now does free driving courses for older drivers.

Your readers might be interested to know that Lancashire County Council offers a free driving course for older people. I am sixty eight years old and I did the course last week. You drive for an hour and...

My deposit was not returned after I bought another car - is this legitimate?

Could you advise what justification a used car company has for keeping a deposit, please? This money (£500) was paid by me at their request to take a BMW 5 Series off sale for four days as I could not...

Running up rental costs whilst waiting for a part for my Freelander 2 - should I be driving the loan car?

My Freelander 2 was shunted in mid-September. The other car was a write-off but there was hardly any visible damage to mine. However, the absorbent cones behind the bumper and the bumper itself have had...

Which manual car with a large boot to replace my MG ZR?

I have driven my MG ZR for the past eight years and have enjoyed it but would like to pass it on to my grandsons. Can you give me some advice on a suitable replacement? Must be reliable with a decent size...

Can I run my 1991 Scirocco on super unleaded and fuel additives?

I have a 1991 Volkswagen Scirocco GTll. At present I am filling my tank with Sainsbury's Super Unleaded and adding a Millers VSPe Power Plus fuel additive. I believe my car was converted before I bought...

Readers should keep their fuel tanks filled during winter.

It might be time to remind your readers that during the winter months it is a good idea to keep their fuel tanks topped up to the brim for the following reasons. Changes in temperature will suck in and...

How do I renew my driving licence and ensure I keep my trailer entitlement?

I shall reach 70 next July 2013 and therefore will need to renew my licence. My present paper licence has many categories, most of which I do not use, but I am keen to continue using the small trailer...

Should I convert my 2007 Vauxhall Astra to LPG or sell it?

I recently changed job, meaning that the mileage I cover will increase significantly. As I see it, I have three options. I could LPG-convert my 2007 Astra TwinTop 1.8 litre Design, which is at 19,500 miles...

Has automatic engine cut-off technology, as used on golf buggies, been used on cars?

Petrol engined golf buggies switch off when the footbrake is applied and automatically restart when the accelerator is pressed. Has this technology been used on cars?

Can I contest a parking charge notice for overstaying whilst shopping?

Can you advise how I deal with a Parking Charge Notice from the owners of the B&Q Car Park in Crawley, West Sussex? Our car was parked there on 3 October 2012 and the PCN was received on 19 November. Although...

Do British drivers need educating about using winter tyres properly?

I served in Germany, in the army, where winter tyres are the law in the winter. However, if you lived in hilly areas that were snow covered you used studded tyres or snow chains. A lot of British drivers...

Which SUV for offroad use?

My V70 Volvo Estate 2WD with the 2.4-litre diesel engine has been very good for comfort, speed when required and carrying my golf gear. I now require 4WD as I attend regular point-to-point race meetings,...

Recommendation for Aviva who helped me with an insurance fraud problem.

I was driving my wife's Mercedes when I was accused of damaging another car (an old BMW parked next to ours) in the car park. I denied causing the damage and demonstrated that the heinous damage could...

My son is being wrongly prosecuted for using a mobile phone whilst driving - can he contest this?

My son has been accused of holding and using his mobile, whist driving. This, he emphatically denies, pointing out to the three constables that his van is equipped with hands-free via Bluetooth. Despite...

Who can repair an ABS fault on my Volkswagen Touran cheaply?

I have a 2007 Volkswagen Touran and it has done about 75,000 miles. Last Monday when I started my car in the morning the ESP sign came up on the dash and it is there permanently. I went to independent...

Car documents still show registered keeper as previous keeper - how can I change this?

Four years ago I bought a 2-month-old pre-registered Mazda 3 with seven miles on the clock from a main dealer. Obviously, it had never been driven much. I paid for the car and have the receipt. Still,...

Should I buy a classic Nissan Figaro or a Fiat 500?

I have a company car that my 22-year-old daughter can drive, but not after April 2013 as the insurance changes. I am looking to get a fun car (budget around £7000) for she and I to drive that is cheap...

When should I replace the cam belt on my Volvo V40?

I own a 1999 Nissan Micra that has done 122,00 miles without any problems. When my husband died this year I inherited his 2000 Volvo V40 diesel that has the same miles on the clock, though at 99,494 miles...

What should I replace my faithful Honda CR-V with?

I am having to think about getting rid of my beloved Honda CR-V. It is now 14 years old and has been the best car I have ever owned. I bought it when it was three years old with 60,000 on the clock....

Why has this company taken money after we hired cars from them in Portugal?

I've recently returned from Portugal where a colleague of mine booked a car through Argus Car Hire for six of us and one child. He requested a Mercedes-Benz people carrier but on arrival we were told they...

WIll my wife be penalised on her insurance after attending a speed awareness course?

A few weeks ago my partner was driving around the outskirts of Hull when she was flashed doing 35mph (so the ticket said) in a 30mph limit. She has opted to take a speed awareness course to save points....

Passat with no heater and overheating at high rpm

I have a problem with my Passat TDI 130 PS 2001, on motoway journeys over 50mph, the temperature rises, or when holding revs over 2000rpm. I have had the water pump/cam belt replaced as thought that was...

Red engine system warning light

I have an engine system warning light come on in my 55-plate Focus TDCi (red cog like with exclamation mark in centre) any ideas please? Car has done just over 93,000 miles and was going to get belts change...

New turbo disappoints

I fitted a new turbo to my Renault Megane 1.9dCi after hours of struggling i was pleased with my work when the car started first time, it idled for 20mins as i cleaned my tools but just 1/2 mile into the...

Dealer Liability over Holed Air con Condenser - where do I stand?

I just bought a 3-year-old Renault Modus diesel QS5 with 16,800 miles for £7995, which the independent dealer claimed was in perfect condition. The fuel economy is impressive, returning twice the MPG of...

When should I sell my BMW 5 Series Touring?

My car is a BMW 525d M sport auto touring 2008/58 197 bhp 3.0 diesel; full service history, owned from new; it's been an excellent car. Question is - when to sell?.... current mileage is 106k, a few minor...

Buying a used 4x4 without DPF

I am looking to but a used diesel 4x4 for towing that does not have a DPF. The car would need to have a kerbweight of at least 1800kg for safe towing of my caravan. My budget is around £10,000, what...

Tiredness Can Kill: Take a Break

Can you advise me - I was travelling down to Leicester after Christmas from Scotland, stopped off at a service area, (Moto Donnington Park) at midnight for a wee rest, before continuing on at 5 am, the...

Importing Irish car into UK

I've moved from Ireland to the UK and now need to think about re-registering my 2008 BMW 320d E92. It looks quite straightforward apart from the fact that I need to get the speedo swapped across to mph...

Cars less liable to attract car park criminal damage

Because of persistent criminal damage to my 13 year old BMW 5 Series in Farnham car parks, I have decided not to replace it unless forced to do so by a write-off. It is still an excellent, comfortable...

Fuel Economy of post-2008 cars

You mention in the current stats that newer cars fair worse on fuel economy compared to official figures - do you have the average drop for newer models from 2008?

Brake pad wear on a Nissan Micra

Bought my car in April 2008 - new. Always serviced by main dealer. Services in March 2009 and 2010 were fine. 2011 they said brake pads needed renewing, so I gave the go ahead. Same thing in 2012! I...

Ford C-Max - Facelift Due?

We are looking at buying a new Ford C-MAX (probably through Drive the Deal due to prices) but I am concerned we'll buy just as a facelift is due. Do you know if one is on the horizon for 2013?

Buying advice - Skoda Octavia

We are having to upgrade our car from an Ibiza to something bigger to accommodate our recent new arrival to the family. Had been looking at an Octavia estate and was wondering if you could recommend which...

Buying a Mercedes-Benz CLK convertible

I am looking to buy a MB CLK Cabriolet as a retirement indulgence. I plan to spend £12,000 to £14,000 and am looking at the larger engined models. I think I will be buying an 2006 or 2007 model. Are there...

Gap Insurance

I bought a car from Harrots in Huddersfield in May 2012. The car had 7 miles on the clock when I purchased it. Unfortunately I did not take out Gap Insurance, and now would like to do so. Is there anyway...

Supermini needed...

Buying (nearly) new Yaris sized car to replace 2001 auto CDX. Nissan Note seems favourite but what is there available in other makes. Been very happy with Yaris so inclined towards Japanese and high seating...

Legal issue - Private car parking ticket

We parked in a private car park run by Premier Parking Solutions but unfortunately our tickets was either displayed upside-down or blew over when we closed the door. On return we had a ticket. I wrote...

Buying a small crossover/4x4 to replace a C30...

I'm looking to replace our 58 plate diesel C30 R Design [55k miles] with something that's a little more capable in winter conditions. We don't go off road or tow so don't need a big thirsty 4x4; the car...

Heater not working on new Jaguar XF

Took delivery of my Jaguar XF 2.2 on 7/01/2013 5mls on the clock. NO heat coming into car.Dealer took it in NO faults registered on computers or shown on PDI. Dealer is stumped. put call into Jaguar before...

Volvo S60 hot start problems

I have bought a car today, drove it 28 miles to a supermarket and went shopping. Came back out after approx 45 minutes and the car would not start. Had to call out breakdown and he managed to get it started...

Windscreen misting - what's the cause?

I bought an Octavia in Aug 2012. Ever since purchase, the windscreen has tended to mist up badly inside if there has been any change in outside temperature. It has to be wiped as it takes too long to...

Exploding airbag

My husband was driving his Peugeot 307cc at 60mph on the motorway when the passenger door airbag suddenly exploded, filling the vehicle with smoke and gases and causing him to lose control of the car....

Brand new car broken down and no fault found

Brand new car delivered in October, chosen because of unsurpassed reliability record on warranty direct and JD Power data. Driven towards the Alps, 2200 miles on the clock, for family ski holiday on...

What are the right tyres for my Freelander?

Running a Freelander 2011 model - it has Pirelli Scorpion tyres - 235-60-18 - and need to change them. The car is used every day approximately 18,000 miles per year, with 99.999% on road. What are your...