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Questions from May 2010
During a holiday in Italy in June 2009 it would appear I strayed into a bus lane, and have received a summons and a fine of 109 Euros. If I don't pay by 20 June 2010, it increases to 183 Euros. As I will...
I recently bought a Rover 25 from a trader. It has low mileage and is a 2002 model with slightly tatty bodywork, but it was exactly what I was looking for. I am not a mechanical expert, so I went to a...
My car was hit by a fork lift truck when parked. There is a nice big hole in the boot, but that's all. I am a new driver and have never been in this position before, so I went straight to my insurance...
I've been offered good deals on the 2.0 D Tourer versions of both the Toyota Avensis & the Citroen C5 VTR. There is little to chose between them on price - the Toyota is just a bit more, but the Citroen...
My daughter would like to buy a Clio I-Music 1.2 but we can't seem to find much information about them. How do you rate this car?
I bought my Vauxhall Meriva 10 days ago and it has a few problems. The steering shudders when driving and when turning left. There is also a rattle on the left-hand side and the left indicator does not...
I have a Freelander 2002 TD4 and live in France. A problem has happend and the mechanic has said that I need a new 'Pompe de Gavaje avec un filtre gasoil' which will cost 450 euros. He said it may take...
I friend of mine has just had a fuel conversion magnet fitted to his 1.0-litre Nissan Micra, and says that the engine runs sweeter, the performance is increased and fuel consumption is up by about 7 per...
Could you please tell me if there are any model of car wheels that will fit a Chevrolet Matiz SE 1.0L?
Might I just chime in on the debate of left foot braking in automatic cars. I started left foot braking shortly after buying my first automatic and, save when depressing the parking brake in my old Mercedes...
I have a Mazda MX-6. My aircon is possessed by the devil. When I drive the car around town, the aircon works perfectly. When I drive more than 20km, normally above 120km then the aircon stops blowing cold...
Our 17 year old is currently learning to drive. Yesterday we were approaching a mini roundabout with traffic following us. The sight lines meant there was no way of knowing if other vehicles were approaching...
We are confounded. We need an estate or similar to take two large dogs and be able fit a wheelchair hoist. Budget is around £15,000. we have at present a Mazda 5 which is rather expensive to run. We...
I am shortly due to take delivery of a new Audi S3 Sportback. It has been recommended to me that I install some sort of tracking device. It seems that thieves like small, fast, four-door cars and firstly...
I have a friend who is a recluse living with his dog at the end of a rough, mile-long, track. He is of limited means; but he is a mechanical genius who has managed to keep his ancient Land Rover roadworthy...
My Honda Jazz ES is just 6 months old. It developed a noise on Friday afternoon after taking my grandchildren home. The noise made me stop the car just as I started to pull away. I looked round the car...
Our council tax is to be increased to pay for the damage due to snow and frost. Can you please point out how much revenue the government takes from the motorist and how much it puts back into the infrastructure...
Mike Welch, the entrepreneur behind online tyre retailer Blackcircles.com, is launching a new business venture which aims to explode one of the biggest myths in motoring - that drivers need to return to...
I have been a member of the AA for several years but since they were taken over by private equity, the service seems to have sharply deteriorated. This is a pity. The AA was always a good organisation...
To begin with our son had his own insurance on his own car that covered him to drive other cars not belonging to him as long as they were insured by their owners. However, as time went by, he received...
We have a neighbour who has just bought a massive American truck. It is, I believe a Kenworth tractor, similar, I am told to the trucks in the series: “Ice Road Truckers”. The neighbour tells me he is...
For the past 40 years we have needed our cars to be suitable to carry elderly family members. We are now searching for a car that is fun to drive, preferably a convertible, but also need to install a child...
I purchased a new Toyota Prius in July 2008. My driveway is on an upward incline. When I apply the parking brake, select 'Park' and turn off the ignition the car rolls back - approximately 1/2 a road-wheel...
I was astounded to read the e-mail describing the problems faced by reader, PH of Hampton, concerning the lack of availability of BMW spec (Bridgestone) runflat tyres in France. Like PH, I have just bought...
One worry about the FIAT 500 is what Auto Express says about its servicing costs: "Sadly servicing costs are expensive for the 500." Do you think this is an issue?
I have heard that the 2.0 TDi (PD) engine in the 2005 VW Passat has a tendency for the oil pump drive to fail suddenly at around 70,000 - 90,000 miles. Is this a known fault? If so, has it been rectified...
Regarding all the bad publicity of Toyota, I took my Yaris into West Riding Toyota in Silsden, west Yorkshire this morning for recalls on accelerator pedal and seat belt pretensioners. I was out in 55...
Honest John, some good feedback for a very common and dangerous problem with the SAAB 9-3. My suspension spring sheared and went through the tyre and brake pipe at speed. This is a very common problem.
The timing chain of my 2005 Zafira 2.2 Design needs replacing after 45k miles. Vauxhall is quoting me £720 to have this 'problem' fixed but it appears that it may be a known problem affecting the z22ye...
I am thinking of leasing a small car to take me to work each day (a few miles) and it will be rarely used for longer journeys. Handling, performance and kit are important over street-cred (I'm 33 and not...
I have a 2007/56 Skoda Octavia with 79,000 miles on clock and the diff has just seized and smashed the gearbox. Is this a common problem?
My girlfriend was driving her BMW convertible in Ascot and was waiting stationary at a T junction behind a Land Rover Discovery. The car in front of the Land Rover went to pull out then hesitated half...
I am nearing the replacement of the original runflat tyres of my BMW 520d. I find the ride quite firm and wonder if changing to normal tyres would help this. Do you have any recommendations? For some time...
I read your extended article on the Jazz a few months ago. You don’t rate the automated manual, the Top Gear review loathes it. Is there any chance of the "South African" 5-speed torque converter version...
Can I disable the passenger side airbag of my Hyundai Coupe? I am under 5ft and have heard it’s dangerous, even fatal if they go off.
I have a date when my new FIAT Panda will be available. I told the salesman I want to know year of manufacture. His answer was there is a shortage of these cars. Please advise which of the 17 digits will...
I have an Accord Estate with 11,000 miles on the clock. I don't use it every day and sometimes leave it for a week. Up until three weeks ago I had no problem starting, but now if I leave it for more than...
My wife has a lovely red W reg Ford Puma 53k miles that she has run for 9 years. The car is rusting around the rear wheel arches and is becoming unsightly. Otherwise it is in very good condition. I am...
My granddaughter purchased a Vauxhall Astra Twintop convertible in July 2008. For the first year, the car was not exposed to heavy rain and was garaged at night. Now, however, there are signs of leakage...
Our son and daughter in law live in a very rural area and run 2 Toyota Avensis, about 8 years old. Both cars have and continue to do all that is required except this winter the snow has caused huge delays...
About 20 years ago I was doing auto safety research related to an auto safety-braking device my brother had recently patented in the U.S.A.. One thing we discovered, is that some states instruct drivers...
I now live in France and have done for about three years. I still though think of fuel consumption in mpg. Trouble is, all I can get is the rather unwieldy l/100km. I've tried all the conversion factor...
I am thinking of buying a Mazda6. I read your Mazda6 2.2 Diesel road test on the web site, which is generally very positive, however, at one point you comment, "it manages all this with impressive seat...
I am distressed to find myself in the process of having to spend a considerable sum of money to rectify an apparently known and acknowledged design fault/weakness in elements of the intake manifold, as...
Can you help? We have a 2006 Audi A4 S-line. It’s only done 20,000 miles. The oil light came on. We sent it to Audi to look at. It needs a new engine and a new turbo. Do you know of any problem with the...
Thank you for the advice. I am now the very proud owner of a Hyundai i10 1.2 Comfort automatic - it is a great little car - if I had to criticize anything - it would be to say that the suspension is a...
Yesterday, my car was clamped. I was rather surprised because it was correctly parked, but it seems that the tax was out of date. I didn't know it was out date because I never received the relevant renewal...
1: We have owned a 2007/57 Skoda Octavia from new, now with 44,000 miles. The windows sometimes have been known to open all together, once I found them on my drive open in the morning and it had rained...
I'm wondering if the furore over Toyota and Honda recalls may be a bit over the top. My 2006/56 Focus has had two recalls, one for loss of braking effectiveness and the other a potential electrical fire....
I am no stranger to West Oxfordshire Motor Auctions (WOMA) and bought a BMW 530d there a few years ago I am now looking to buy a 2007 Volvo V70 T5 turbo. Can you confirm what bhp the police Volvo T70...
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