Questions from August 2010
With reference to the email from FM printed on May 29th I have a love hate relationship with the Honda Jazz. The 08 Jazz I loved.
The 010 I absolutely hate. 1: The transmissions are dangerous in 1st and...
I unwittingly drove down a dead end in Dalston and used a factory entrance to turn round. I noticed a man in uniform filming me. About a month later I got a bill for £300, for trespassing on private property....
My brother-in-law has an 8-year-old BMW X5 diesel from new (85k miles). It has always been serviced by the same garage he bought it from in Surrey. Four days ago he was told that his A/C was “shot”, and...
On 23 October 2009 I purchased a 2002 Golf 130 TDI from an established dealer for £4,500. It had 97,500 miles on the clock, but single owner and FSH, main dealer to 88,000. It came with a warranty from...
A lifetime friend has just died, leaving a 2004 Brotherwood converted Mercedes Vaneo 1.9 automatic petrol with 35,000 miles. The conversion comprises lowered floor, slide sideways rear seats, a drop down...
It’s time to change our car and we finally decided on a Peugeot 308S 1.6 petrol. We are looking for a fairly new low mileage vehicle. Most of the 308s advertised on the Peugeot dealers' website are 1.4...
I have just acquired a rural property access to which will involve about 2 miles along first a semi gravel road and then an unmade dirt track to the house entrance. The visits I have made already suggest...
What please is the ‘Credit Hire Racket’? What frightened me was that VC had, apparently received a written assurance from his Insurance that all was ‘done and dusted.’
I own an 8-year-old Mercedes CLK Cabriolet. It has become increasingly difficult to keep the soft top clean even though I have tried different options. The problem appears to be a green moss/fungus that...
I have a 2007/57 Vectra estate with the 1800 petrol engine. At low revs in 1st/2nd gear I sometimes get a power loss for a few seconds. It then needs some revs to get going. After reading a few articles...
My son-in-law mentioned that he is considering having a chip installed in his Audi two litre diesel engine. It is a 2007 model. It seems that a chip will increase both horsepower and economy. I read something...
As a result of ill health, my good friend is considering selling his
Jaguar XK120, which he has owned for 56 years. It is in superb roadworthy condition with some racing history and is used on a fairly...
I have recently bought a one owner 1999 Mercedes 230SLK with 40,000 miles on the clock for a bit of summer motoring. It's a lovely car and I paid £7,995 for it from a good dealer but not a specific Mercedes...
Regarding left foot braking of automatics, my first licence was obtained in 1939 on two wheels, then in 1940 on four. Then the next
30 years of manual followed by 20 years of manual and autos and the final...
Your advice to KS who was speeding to his pregnant wife fortuitously comes after a report in the Daily Telegraph of a police officer caught driving at 68mph in a 30mph zone because his baby was sick. He...
I live Guangxi (South China). Just about all the traffic lights here have countdowns with them. Also they are LED types and very bright. They are positioned above the roads and the other side of the junctions...
Our 18-year-old son is about to take his driving test and needs a car. He has been offered a Vauxhall Corsa 1.2i 16v Design Twinport 3 door with 54 plate for £2,800. The car is from reliable friends so...
I have spoken to VW about the failed ESP module on my Golf. They wont help me because I don’t have a full VW service history. But this is a manufacture’s defect and should be the subject of a recall on...
I saw your explanation of indicator etiquette at roundabouts, but felt that it was rather vague and didn’t really answer the question as to which approach lane you should be in. My interest stems from...
Now the hot weather season has descended on us, it has also brought with it idiots that leave dogs in their cars with insufficient ventilation. I witnessed this yesterday in the car park at Burnham Bridges...
If a policeman stops you and asks to see your insurance documents, and does NOT give you any written piece of paper to ask you to take them along to the local police station, but, asks you to 'pop in'...
About six weeks ago, whilst washing my two-year-old Honda CRV, I noticed that the front offside foglight measuring 8cm across was broken. I thought no more of it and replaced it at a cost of £220. Last...
I would be grateful of any thoughts you might have on this issue. The company I work for has started using "Driving Monitor" to manage staff risk when driving on company business. We are all required to...
I own an Audi A4 2.0 TDI S-Line 09/09. The car has now done 25,500 miles. Last weekend the service indicator warned me that the oil would need changing in a further 1,600 miles. This surprised me somewhat...
I am about to head off to the south of France with the family in our BMW 530i Sport Touring (2003) and have seen the tyre pressure on the door saying 2.8 bar front and 3.3 bar rear - assuming heavy load,...
Since purchasing the above vehicle in May of this year, I notice that when pulling away from standing the engine almost stalls unless I increase the revs. It's difficult to balance the car and the acceleration....
I am looking for a used car to replace my own. I spotted a black Ford Fusion that looks like a steal on Autotrader. Unfortunately, that may literally be the case. I called the dealership a few minutes...
I bought a car from an independent car dealer at the start of July, which still had four months' manufacturer's warranty left. The car advert stated warranted miles and a full service history. Two weeks...
Last week I signed up for a 10-plate Ford Mondeo Titanium X hatchback at £17,995 - bargain! I also part-exchanged the wife's Volkswagen Golf 1.6 for £6000. I rang the salesman to arrange a swap the day...
I recently bought a secondhand trailer for my husband which he has completely refurbished. However, when I tried to insure it the insurance company were adamant that they needed the age of the trailer....
There seem to be more and more aftermarket HID headlight conversion kits for sale, being fitted to cars with halogen headlights. I found a statement on the DfT website (link here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/hidheadlamps...
I have just been given a quote of £1500 to replace my BMW 530d's turbo. Is this about right? This is from a main dealer.
I am looking at a Ford S-Max tonight. It's manual, seven-seater, 56 plate and has done 28,710 miles, with only one owner. Any known problems with these vehicles?
Can you tell me if I have been wasting my money putting Shell V-Power petrol into my Toyota Auris?
I had the AA man come and recover my 1998 Mk4 Volkswagen Golf, and he whittled the non-starting problem down to a fuel pump. Would you know where the fuel pump is located?
How can I replace my 2003 Honda Civic with something just as roomy, quieter and more comfortable, yet still economical? She loves the Mercedes-Benz B-Class, but I say it will be too expensive to run. I...
I have a 2007 Mercedes-Benz E220 CDi Estate, which I love, bought for its boot space to carry a disabled scooter, and also because our immediate families live at opposite ends of the country, so long journeys...
I have a 2001 Vauxhall Corsa three-cylinder with about 70,000 miles on the clock. The emissions light has come on and stayed on. It seems to run OK - no coughing and spluttering. My local garage has done...
In May I bought a 2009 Citroen Berlingo Multispace. On the day I collected the car, I noticed that the owner's handbook was missing. The salesman said he would sort one out for me and be in touch. Despite...
Is it possible for a management warning light to come on and no faults be detected on a diagnostic machine? I have had a recent nightmare with my Citroen C3. The flashing MIL light came on and four unknown...
My son has just graduated and is starting his first job, which will involve driving approximately 15,000 miles pa. He is to be given a car allowance of £400p/m and 0.17p per business mile. I'd like to...
After towing my caravan with my Jeep Commander for a day, the next day I find that the power steering is very stiff and seems to grind for about 200 yards. Then all seems OK. Any ideas why?
I have a Rover 75 and I'm thinking of getting something smaller and more economical. I'm now retired, living in Dorset and I use the car infrequently for a bit of shopping, but half a dozen times a year...
The outside bolster on my leather seat in my Volvo V50 DSE has a split in it. It's quite narrow at the moment and about four inches long. Is it repairable, and if so do you know of anyone?
I took my Saab 9-3 in for its first service which was completed late and left the car dirty. The garage agreed to collect the car and perform a valet as a gesture of goodwill. However, on returning the...
For many years I've insured cars (Ford Mondeos) through a leading insurance company. I reached the age of 70 last year and my annual quote increased by some 30 per cent, although it reduced a bit after...
I have a Citroen Xsara Picasso (diesel) with 91,000 miles on the clock. A squealing noise, sounding like a slack alternator drive belt, developed when accelerating. The car was booked into the nearest...
The sensor light for my ABS in my car has been coming off and on for the last few weeks. I took it to a local garage and they told me to take it to the Vauxhall Garage 40 miles away to get it replaced...
I have been looking at the Alfa GT last special edition. If I kept it for a few years, the costs of buying a soon-to-be-replaced model would lessen and the car is packed with features and remains a thing...
Elsewhere on 
.jpg)
