Questions from August 2010
What can I do to make my 2001 BMW 330i model more economical?
I have agreed to buy a car from a dealer which is a category C write-off, but has been repaired and has had a VIC check. The car only appears to have had a minor rear end shunt, which broke the bumper...
My 57-reg Saab 9-3 is coming to the end of my lease agreement. It has 33,000 miles on the clock, with no major problems encountered so far. On completion of the lease, I can either give it back, take out...
I'm in negotiations to buy a 1997 Ford Galaxy TDI with all the equipment like air conditioning. I don't understand cars much, so is this a good car? What are the car's good characteristics, and what I...
My wife was driving our 2004 Ford Focus 1.8 petrol model yesterday when the steering became heavy and the brakes hardly worked. The onboard computer displayed the messages "engine system failure" and "braking...
I have a Volvo S80. Sometimes, when I push from second gear to first, it gets brushy or stiff. When I stop the engine and put it in reverse, it clears. Why?
I've just bought myself a 2001 Ford Focus and I'm fitting some reversing sensors. I need to know which is the colour of the reversing wire that I need to connect the system to.
I am looking for car insurance and I'm totally confused with the different policy offers, particularly with regard to 0 per cent compulsory excess. Help please.
Can a 2006 Ford Mondeo run on 50 per cent diesel and 50 per cent bio diesel?
I just bought a Volkswagen Golf GTI and I have a warranty of either 3000 miles or three months. Trouble is, the garage serviced the car before I bought it and changed the timing belt and pulleys. It is...
On all three occasions I have driven my 2008 diesel Honda CR-V on motorways in the fast lane, and have experienced immediate power loss and have had to cross into the hard shoulder. On every occasion I...
My 2004 Mazda 6 diesel estate's clutch has failed for the third time at 60,000 miles. After some coercion, Mazda paid for replacements one and two (at 9000 and 22,000 miles respectively) but will not contribute...
I have just taken my Vauxhall to the garage as the engine management light is on. The fault reader showed code P113 - 'door inactivation position sensor'. The garage has never heard of this and couldn't...
My BMW 118d is due for new Pirelli runflats soon. How can I tell if the new ones I buy are the latest version with improved ride characteristics?
I'm absolutely hopeless on these matters but I've got a leak somewhere in my radiator. I'm having to top up the coolant every few days. I bought some Radweld, but to me the directions aren't clear as to...
I have a 2000 Peugeot 406 HDI 90 Rapier. When the engine is warm, the car will not start. Everything works with no warning lights, it's just that it will not catch. After several minutes it catches, or...
My Peugeot 306's cigarette lighter does not work. All the fuses are okay as the dashboard lights and the cigarette light works, and these are all on the same fuse circuit, so I want to purchase a new unit....
I am thinking of buying a Volvo XC70 205 diesel. Are there any potential problems with the turbos I should know about?
The ESP light on my Audi A3 is permanently illuminated. From the fault code I believe it is the much-maligned problem with the ABS pump, which I was completely unaware of until I started doing some research....
I have an 07-plate Skoda Octavia vRS diesel. It has a full Skoda service history with 72,000 miles (the next service is due at 78,000). Recently, the particulate filter warning came on and I followed the...
On saturday I had my catalytic converter cut off while my car was parked in a restaurant car park. I have fully comp insurance with a £250 excess. I reported the incident to the insurer, who sent their...
I shall shortly be taking delivery of a new Golf. The Volkswagen dealership is trying to sell me a paint protection extra at some £300. Is it worth it or would regular polishing do the job just as well?
In your personal opinion, which out of the two manufacturers Ford and Vauxhall do you prefer, and why?
In October 2008 we bought a new Skoda Fabia 2. Recently the electrics all blew and the engine died. I phoned Skoda Assist, the car still being in warranty. They sent the RAC to me and a very nice man arrived...
I have a 1999 Ford Puma 1.7 with a juddering problem and have had two diagnostic checks, but no codes show up. When I take my foot off the accelerator, the car judders. So far I've replaced the catalytic...
When should the cam belt be changed on a Vauxhall Zafira Elegance?
What is the law on 3.5-tonne and 7.5-tonne gross box vehicles in relation to motorway third lane use? The right-hand lane of a motorway with three or more lanes must not be used (except in prescribed circumstances)...
When travelling at approximately 75mph in the fast lane on a motorway, my 2006 Audi A6 Allroad diesel lost power. The engine was still turning over but the car was going slower and slower. Despite trying...
I think I have been mis-sold a warranty, given a false MOT and charged for unnecessary work on a high-end car. Is there anyone I can email or speak to confidentially? The dealer will not speak to me but...
I have run a 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK Cab from new (it's now at 98,000 miles) and I recently had the autobox circuit board replaced by a good specialist garage, as the gear change sometimes stuck in lower...
I looked at a 2009 Vauxhall Insignia Tourer 2.0CDTi Exclusiv yesterday, the dealer's own ex-demonstrator with 7300 miles on the clock and priced at £16,495. I'm part-exchanging my 2004 Vectra Energy 2.0...
I have a Ford Fiesta 1.3 OHV G reg 1989/1990. It starts on the button and runs ok, but will not idle. If you come to a junction and remove your foot from the accelerator, the engine stalls. I have cleaned...
We have a Ford Mondeo estate. It has always gone pretty well. We went out on Saturday and it drove fine. Stayed at home Sunday and on Monday morning went out to start it up. Nothing. No electrics at all,...
I have a 2002 Peugeot 206 1.4HDI. A couple of weeks ago the engine management light started flickering on and off, and the speedo and the rev counter will read 0 one second them will read 120 miles an...
Can I tow a car back to the dealer? The car in question has been on SORN and it has a current MOT, but I'm insured on the car that would do the towing.
I am trying to find the list of minor traffic offences according to British Law. Is there any legal document or guide available where all minor traffic offences are listed?
I have a 2009 BMW 330d touring with many extras which I bought for £46,000 list new (it now has 16,000 miles). In April of this year it began to run very rough on startup from cold, and didn't go as well...
Any ideas on getting rid of a rotten egg smell from my Volkswagen Passat's windscreen washer system?
I live in the US so I feel a bit stuck to do anything, but my mother in the UK had a 2004 Skoda she had bought new, and it had only 12,000 miles. She is 86 and does not drive much. A couple of months ago...
I have a Nissan Micra 2001 1.3 SE. The keys came with with a small pen-like thing - I dont know what this is for?
I got pulled over by police last year, and I came back on the check as licence revoked. The Kent officer then took my car and my driving licence. However, at the time I had fully comp insurance and the...
I bought a 55-plate Ford Focus with 51,000 miles on the clock back in February 2009 for £6500. It has now developed an engine fault that my local Ford dealership tell me will cost either £400 plus VAT...
I have a 2000 Volvo S80, mileage 112,000. The ABS light has come on and my main dealer says the part will need replacing at an overall cost of roughly £1200. I am hoping that servicing or repair is possible...
My 1999 Ford Fiesta 1.25 Zetec has started to overheat once in a while. Every now and then the temperature gauge flicks into the red. The warning light doesn't come on and, once pulled over, it'll slowly...
We own a 2007 Vauxhall Astra 1.9 SRI CDTi diesel. The other day I heard a rattling noise in the car and, by the time I got home, I was struggling to get it into second and fourth gear. The garage has said...
The steering rack on my Ford S-Max recently failed and cost me £1300 to replace. The car was just out of warranty by six months and only has 26,500 miles on the clock. I bought the car when it was a year...
We tried out the Fiat 500 1.2 Lounge petrol but found it to be very sluggish, especially as we live in Devon with loads of hills. You mentioned that there could be problems with diesel models on short...
A fortnight ago, when driving my BMW up the M5, on two occasions the DTC warning light flashed and I had a momentary power loss. Both incidents were over in seconds. It didn't happen again until last night...
I was recently 'invited' by my supplying dealer to bring my 10-month-old 170 BHP Volkswagen Scirocco TDI/DSG car in for what was termed an 'Express Visual Check'. The car has done 13,300 miles and is running...
Watching a lady reverse a very large van between my car and the other petrol pump, I was distracted enough to pick up the petrol instead of diesel filler. I only put in two litres of petrol before realising...
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