Questions from June 2013
I recently bought a classic car from a trade dealer who was selling the car for a client and customer.
On arriving home with the car I find that the nearside electric window and the rear wiper do not...
I have owned my 2007 2.0-litre petrol Subaru Forester for five and a half years, from ex demo.
It has only done 42k miles; I have the oil changed every 6 months, and a full service every year. My use...
When I tow my caravan and the engine is hot if I slow down then put my foot back on the accelerator it feels like "turbo lag" before the engine responds. Any ideas? It's only like this when hot.
I have a December 2009 BMW 118d with 50,000 miles. I've seen increasing reports on forums about the timing chains snapping to the extent that it seems inevitable on all models with this engine - people...
I've got a 2005 Ford Focus. A few weeks ago it started juddering and the engine light was flicking intermittently. My mechanic found lots of brown, horrid water in with the spark plugs, which were very...
I wondered if you may be able to help me with a problem I have on my 56 plate 2.0-litre petrol Honda FRV. It has a very odd flat spot which manifests its self at about 2000rpm and again at about 3000rpm....
Last week a driver ran into the back of my MX-5. There is no major dent (one or two dings) and a few scuffs which may polish off. I have had previous experience of insurance company "approved repairers"...
I have 2001 Cadillac DeVille Limousine. We changed the power steering servo pump, but we still struggle to turn the steering wheel when the car is stopped. It's easier to steer when I push the gas pedal....
My partner and I both have max no-claim bonuses but we are reducing from two cars to one. We can continue with one insurance policy with the partner as a named driver but how does the other one maintain...
I've recently bought a 2011 SEAT Alhambra from a SEAT dealer. I wasn't aware when I bought the car that the standard tyres fitted are self sealing tyres - therefore no jack, wheel brace, or sealing foam/compressor...
I am looking to trade in my 54 plate MINI Cooper for a small or medium sized car which is economical and reliable. It must be automatic. I do long distances on 2/3 days a week, so must be good on a motorway...
Looking to buy a Suzuki Swift, but on a vehicle check app (my car check) it says "this vehicle may be recorded as a write off, however it has undergone a plate transfer" and "recorded as having passed...
I have just this week bought a Volkswagen Golf with 71k miles which was advertised as a one owner car (Volkswagen owned). The logbook V5 also shows just one owner (Volkswagen).
My concern is that the...
Whilst driving my Honda Civic (having comprehensive cover for his own car but driving mine with my permission and covered third party by his insurance company), my husband was shunted twice from behind,...
I'm looking to get a new Honda Civic 2013 on finance with Honda. I have a SEAT Ibiza 2005 1.9 TDI Sport 100 with the following issues:
Large dent/scratch to both passenger side doors
Minor damage to front...
I own a Honda Accord 2.0 V-TEC petrol and I want to buy a new car. I have upto £7k to spend. I would like a diesel for economy as I do a 30 mile return daily with 24 miles of it on motorway.
I have enjoyed...
My Wife is viewing a DS3 Orla Keily soon. These cars all seem to have 17-inch low profile wheels.
Are these the tyres/wheels for this car? Or was the DS3 designed with a smaller type? Are you aware of...
I am trying to find a spare wheel and jack for my Chevrolet AVEO 2013 Tyre size 205/55R16.
The price from Chevrolet is around £175 so looking for a more reasonable price.
Noticed that HJ found an alternative...
In the Sat. June 8th Motoring Suplement you answered a readers question about a smell from their 3 year old Jazz like a burning clutch. You suggested that it was probably a clutch failure. I understood...
I bought a Fabia vRS in February and it has the oil usage problem. The had the consumption test done and was informed that it was to have the breather modification done.
Since then the car is still using...
Some time ago you gave an website giving details of the make year of cars still registered and taxed.
Apologies for being thick but I think it was run by the DVLA and was easier to use than the "How many...
I was in a shunt with the car in front, max 15 mph. My vehicle was driveable. 50 miles later there was smoke from oil burning on exhaust manifold, with oil sprayed all over the engine. Oil was 1/2 way...
I have a Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 Diesel 09 reg. I bought it from Evans Halshaw and it came with a three month warranty which has now expired.
The problem I have been having is a persistent ECU fault. I took...
I am very confused. I have a 10-year-old Fiesta that I am also now using to carry all my gardening equipment, plants and sundries in. Three years ago, I became a part-time, self-employed gardener. I now...
I would like to draw readers attention to an issue at Stansted airport, where motorists are being ripped off for briefly leaving their cars in the drop-off areas to help elderly or incapacitated people...
My wife went for a meeting at a motorway service station off the M61. A week later she received a £100 penalty charge from Parking Eye. She had not noticed that a two-hour limit was advertised around the...
We've had three BMW 525i automatic cars in succession over the last fifteen years, and we love the ride, the space and the performance. I'm thinking about perhaps moving up to a two-year-old BMW M5, but...
I drive a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I would like something more economical but with a driving seat as high as possible. I can spend about £25,000 plus whatever the Jeep is worth.
We are considering buying a new Evoque, but virtually all are diesels and we are concerned about the particulate filters. We do many short local journeys in built up areas, and only occasionally and mainly...
I was interested to read the question titled "Agriculture club" that concluded "you bought completely the wrong engine for your type of use". I'm currently considering a new, or nearly new, BMW 3 Series...
I am a tall 60-year-old man who needs something higher off the ground. I have been looking at SUVs, notably diesels, not necessarily new but as a pensioner I want my cake and to eat it. I'd like something...
I have purchased a secondhand Lexus IS250. It’s very nice, except the ride is very rough. It has alloy wheels fitted with 255/40 ZR18 99Y tyres. How can I improve the ride?
I have had to give up my motor trader's insurance policy as I have turned 75 years old and been forced into retirement. However, I have insurance on the car that my wife and I use and we have found it...
We have a second home in Spain and are considering buying a Spanish car. Secondhand prices are remarkably high. We like the van-based vehicles such as the Kangoo, and are considering a Dacia Dokker with...
I have a Honda Jazz i-VTEC ES with the variant automatic gearbox. Recently when I get out of the car there has been a strong aroma, which I can only describe as a ferrous smell, the sort you get when you...
Over the weekend my wife and I were given an insurance quote of £1525 on a new car we were thinking of buying. I'd forgotten that she had three points on her licence (code TS10) from when she went through...
In 2004 or thereabouts, you spoke highly of the then new Skoda Octavia. I purchased a new Elegance 2.0 TDI DSG with ESP and Sat Nav in mid-2006. The car has now achieved 90,000 miles of totally trouble-free...
I have found two saloon cars for a similar price. Both are 2008 models with full service history and will come with a 2-year warranty. The dealer will take my wife's car as a trade-in. The cars are a BMW...
Our 2012 BMW F25 X3 is almost a year old. The on-screen computer recommends the next service in 11 months, the car having covered 5600 miles from new, and we have the 5-year service pack. I am not happy...
I learned in April 2013 that my then insurer had paid out on a claim from someone who alleged I had damaged their vehicle in 2011. I was not aware of this claim, still less given an opportunity to contest...
I sustained a blow out in my Jaguar XF from a large pothole on a country road that was unavoidable because a large vehicle was coming the other way. I called National Breakdown who declined to assist on...
I bought a new Mercedes E280 CDI in 2008. Is it reasonable for the turbo to have blown after only 35,000 miles?
Please can you tell me when the following traffic-related laws were repealed? Thou shalt not park a vehicle with any of the road wheels on a pedestrian pavement. Thou shalt not park a vehicle on a speed-restricted...
I have just read an article in Telegraph Motoring regarding the new MoT regulations that have recently come into force. I have just returned from Spain where we MoT'd a Spanish car in April. The test was...
I am in a quandary: I own a very nice 1999 Mercedes-Benz S500. It's well maintained, has only done 70,000 miles and I got it cheap (previous owner was banned) so it stands me in at little money. The car...
My daughter has to replace her Toyota Corolla and can go to £5000-£6000 maximum. She averages 5000 miles a year, mainly short journeys with the occasional longer trip each month. For this reason, a petrol...
I am a 63-year old retired man currently driving a 2007 Mazda RX-8. I would like to change to a more economical car (VED is £460pa), but still a little sporty and maybe in a coupe style. I have in the...
I might buy a 2013 1.6 Valvematic Toyota Auris. I feel ready to swap the excitement and uncertainty of Volkswagen Golf ownership for a more dependable, better warrantied and hopefully enduring relationship....
We have a 2006 Fiesta 1.25 petrol Zetec 3-door that we have owned for six years. It has broken down twice in the last year (a plug of some sort let water out of the engine, and a front suspension spring...
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