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Questions from January 2009
I bought a new Ford Focus 1.8L FFV petrol 2 years ago and paid for the FordProtect Service Plan, 3 services. Cost of the service plan was £425.53. The car went in for its second service recently and Hartwell...
Following your warning to get the type of radiator checked on older models (mine is a 270CDi estate, March 04) my dealer gave me the dreaded news that mine did indeed have a Valeo radiator. Given your...
I'm a pensioner considering buying what will probably be my last car. I'm looking at Picanto, Jazz, i10, Aygo etc., either new or no more than one year old; small and cheap to run, and I'm wondering if...
I am a trustee for a charity based in rural Northumberland, the aims of which are to support older people to remain as independent as possible in their own area. We own a vehicle that needs to be replaced....
I have an X-Trail, bought new in 2005, now 4 months out of warranty. It is very good and very economical (44mpg overall) and has covered 30,000 miles. Last week the turbo blew and Nissan has agreed to...
In March this year I purchased a new Peugeot 308 with RT4, which includes GPS satnav and cost £1,600 extra. This system includes a "store" for destinations. However, once a destination is in the store...
As a pensioner, I have to minimise the running costs of my car so I traded my 3-Series BMW for what I thought would be a much more economical car. I chose a Honda Civic Hybrid because the website and...
I recently purchased an 18-month-old Yaris from a Toyota main dealer. I was told that it was a one-owner car. A week after taking delivery I noticed a section of the carpet in the passenger foot well had...
After a snowy winter spent in Berlin in 2006 (minus 20 Dec night time temp) I decided to buy some winter tyres for use back home in the western Pennines. Living at 1,200 ft is great in the summer but can...
In April 2005 I returned a Citroen C5, which had come to the end of a three year lease, with slightly less than the agreed 45,000 miles on the clock. The car was collected by a third party on behalf of...
My husband and I are taking delivery of a new BMW 520d SE auto in January. We've never run a diesel before and are absolutely thrilled at the prospect of much more economical motoring. We've run Renaults,...
I can't understand why my wife's 2004 Fiesta 1.4 Zetec manual has road tax of £145pa whereas her father's brand new 1.4 Fiesta Zetec (old model, also manual) is only £120. Our Vehicle Registration Certificate...
I bought my 04 reg Renault Espace 18 months ago. It ran fine until it decided it wanted to go at 10mph. I limped it to the Renault garage that said on the first day it was a glow plug costing £244. The...
I have had alloy wheels previously, but on my new Mercedes C200K they are very difficult to clean, the worst feature being that the "dust" has hardened on in small specks, and seems impossible to remove....
I have just read you FAQs, but if I buy a new car via, say, 'drivethedeal', who could be miles away from me, how do I go about 'approved' servicing and any possible warranty work being carried out?
I want to purchase a Rover 827 coupe. A Rover dealer thought that only about 1,000 of these cars were sold. So I asked the DVLA how many exist, if any. DVLA confirmed it holds the information but the...
You very kindly replied suggesting that instead of a new Jazz as no discount we consider we consider a pre-facelift Civic at a big discount. But my wife is adamant that she wishes to stay with the Honda...
My husband recently met with a car accident due to black ice. There is a lot of damage to the car - the front bumper, hood and the back bumper are totally messed up. The interior is fine and the engine...
We have a 1989 W124 Mercedes 300 TE 24.We are looking to downsize to a FIAT Panda for local use as we also run a 2004 Mercedes S500, which we intend to hold on to. However, the general consensus is that...
Very recently I read a piece in your column about a car that "shut down" and simply wouldn’t start when the owner tried to move it within his drive. If I remember your reply correctly you said it was something...
I am looking at buying a second-hand E Class Mercedes estate to replace a very old and dear friend. I have found an W211 E320 CDI Avantegard on a ‘54’ plate for about £10k with 60k on the clock (fully...
I have always been a very firm believer in the safety afforded by seat belts but I am intrigued by a portion of the current COI TV commercial that says that if you don't wear a seatbelt and have a crash...
I watched Top Gear recently. Is it really possible that Jeremy Clarkson got over 50mpg out of the Jaguar XJ6 TDVi he drove from Basle to Blackpool often at speeds of 70-80 mph? I can’t get 50mpg from my...
Having bought my first diesel this year I am fed up watching the
difference between diesel and petrol prices grow ever wider. Currently the margin is around 15p in South Wales. There was a time when diesel...
Speed limit signs should be safety advisory indicators. It is sensible to have speed limits to protect road workers and/or children, but not sensible to enforce them when no road workers are present or...
I am not sure about this VAT reduction. The rate is reduced to 15% from 17.5% but excise duty on fuel is increased so the normal man in the street will pay the same price per litre. Where it falls down...
I had intended to buy the new Honda Jazz but discovered that it was slightly wider and not fully automatic. The old Honda Jazz, which we have will only just go into the garage so we are at a loss what...
My friend took her 02 reg Volvo V50 turbo diesel into a branch of a national chain of repairers for a service. It was booked in over the Internet and included, as a special offer, an engine flush. The...
On Tuesday night my Audi A6 was broken into whilst parked on the street outside my house. I discovered this on Wednesday morning when I went to get into the car and, on pressing my remote's un-locking...
I understand that the rates and timings of VED taxes have been changed in the recent pre-budget. The telegraph previously printed a very useful guide to what the rates would have been over the next three...
My daughter bought a brand-new Ford Fiesta 5 weeks ago and has had to call the AA out 3 times because it wouldn't start. All three patrolmen have said it's got a major drain somewhere. The car has been...
Please can I have some advice. My husband was forced to keep to the edge of the road as an on coming vehicle came in the opposite direction, there was a big hole in the road and he could not avoid it...
Whilst accepting that limitations on space may preclude publication of the full advice you give to contributors, so as not to mislead others, your reply to R.G., on 29 November should have included his...
I have a Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 16 valve GLS that is coming up for 12 years old and am looking for a new or nearly new car as a replacement. I would like something a little larger and a little more sporty,...
When we were visiting my son in the USA recently, he drove us to a local place of interest. He parked by a meter and put in a dollar. The meter rejected his dollar and proceeded to spew out a further...
Have you received reports of BMW 3 Series coupes lacking traction? Last week in Scotland my 335d completely failed to hold the road on a hill covered in compacted snow with fresh snow on top and had to...
My shortlist for my next car includes Citroen C4, Ford Focus ECOnetic, and SEAT Ibiza/Leon Ecomotive. I am looking at manual gearbox, room for four adults including the 6' 3'' driver (me), a reasonable...
Your letter from C.E. in Cyprus (November 29) struck a real chord in terms of the 'ankle breaker' cheap Chinese foot pumps flooding the market. Maybe he (and you) might consider joining me in my 'sustainability'...
What do you make of the information film currently on TV to promote the wearing of seat belts? In the scenario: a head-on collision between identical cars travelling at the same speed, so that each stops...
Many people are currently using sidelights, dipped beams and front fog lights all on together. I rarely see anyone with front fog lights on, but dipped beams off. Today's dull weather has been a good...
My Golf Plus 2.0 TDI Sport is now a year old and the Service Indicator counted down to "Service in 200 miles" then said "Service Now", although the service sticker on the B pillar indicated variable servicing...
My brother and my wife are learning to drive and we have been looking around London for places/tracks, etc that are preferably free of traffic so they can go and pay for 2 or 3 hours to develop some skills...but...
I am looking to swap my aging Freelander for a used Honda CRV, with a budget up to £7k. I've never owned a diesel before but am tempted by getting one due to the rising VED costs and wanting to get better...
I am getting conflicting information from Mercedes and my local dealership. The front tyres of my W210 E-Class are wearing badly on the inside. The dealer suggests that the front springs are changed and...
In July this year I part-exchanged my old motor home for a new vehicle with a West Country main dealer. I posted the V5C/3 document for the part exchanged vehicle stamped and signed by the dealer to DVLA...
This month was our Polo’s first service. On the receipt the long life SLX Oil was priced by the VW Garage in half litres at £6.90 each, they claim to have used 9 half litres, total £62.10 plus VAT. As...
Can you please try to publicise the Portuguese system whereby the speed cameras are linked to a pedestrian crossing 100 yards down the road, that turns to red for 30 seconds if you exceed the limit. The...
I know you have written in the recent past that UK FIAT dealers have little or no room for manoeuvre on new car prices when it comes to the 500. However, the dealership from which I bought my current FIAT...
I have looked on your website and read John's and Mr Money’s advice. However I can't seem to find "deals" on new MINIs. Am I missing something? Or are these cars still exempt from discounts due to either...
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