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Questions from August 2010
My car is a 2003 diesel Toyota Corolla Verso with 31,000 miles. The handbook recommends changing the belt at 60,000 miles. My Toyota garage suggests it should be at six years, i.e last year, but age is...
Some time ago you advised someone to buy legal protection insurance separate from their vehicle insurance policy. You mentioned the website of a company that offered value with regard to this - who was...
I have a 2001 Nissan Micra K11 1.0. I've been experiencing really poor engine performance recently. It would start easy enough and idle OK, either cold or hot, but would not rev when I pressed the throttle,...
I want to buy an Audi A4 2.0T FSI. It's done 60,000 miles and is three years old. The service history is complete but I want to go into to it with my eyes open. What should or could need replacing in the...
I have a funny whirring sound coming from my 2005 Saab 9-3 1.9 TDI's engine. Any ideas as to what it is?
I have engine problem with my Daewoo Tacuma and was wondering what other Daewoo model engines might fit the Lanos?
I am sure that I have read somewhere recently that it would be possible to pre-order and pay for a new car before the VAT change takes effect (at the current rate) and to delay registration until after...
I have just bought a used Renault Scenic Dynamique automatic 2004 which looks like a great family car. How reliable are they, are there any problems with this model? I have read reviews and they seem a...
I have seen a Maserati Quattroporte GT, registered in March 2005, with 27,000 miles on the clock, with FMSH and an asking price of £30,000. This is the Duo Select model which I have heard criticised and...
How reliable are the Citroen Picassos? Also, how much is a S-reg 1998 Peugeot 406 worth?
A driver l know has lost an eye due to cancer. He was an HGV driver for 17 years. After losing his eye, he had his HGV taken from him. He asked the DVLA if he could still drive a 7.5-tonne vehicle and...
At the end of August, my wife will be leaving her current job and when she does so she will be handing back her company vehicle which has been leased by her employer. The vehicle is available for purchase...
You may recall that some weeks I approached you with a problem concerning my i30 diesel auto here in France and how I could not get a Hyundai garage to remedy the fault. An update. Two Hyundai garages...
I purchased a Nissan X-Trail in 2003 from a Belgian garage, imported it to UK and then went to live in Spain. I have had to replace the clutch three times and this year the turbo failed, and now I have...
Don't you think it's about time that the manufacturers produced an autotrans that was suited to small/city cars? It seems crazy to me that Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and BMW are introducing quite unnecessary...
I have just bought a Volkswagen Touran with seven seats which does not have a spare wheel. It has an air compressor and a bottle of sealant. The instructions state that after use the tyre must not be used,...
I have just had a hip replacement and been told that I should drive an automatic car. I drive about 15,000 miles a year, mostly journeys of 20 miles but with two journeys per month of 200 miles each way....
I currently run a 52-plate Volvo S60 2.0L petrol with 110,000 miles on the clock and with its MOT due. It's been a good runner and I picked it up five years ago. Now I'm getting itchy feet and contemplating...
My wife purchased a new Hyundia i20 last September, and has been very pleased with it. Since February of this year the radio has been intermittently doing a 'Norman Collier' on us. The radio breaks up...
A dealer wants £9995 for a 2005 Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI with two previous owners and 65,000 miles. I need to check out its previous history, but is it worth that amount? It is fitted with 17-inch alloys...
I have owned a 2001 BMW 530d SE (E39) from new and have covered approximately 11,000 miles per year, 75 per cent of which has been on motorways. Though I am very happy with it, I feel ready for a change...
I initially had trouble with my 2005 Citroen C3 automatic with stop/start not starting, and the garage advised a new battery, which when fitted was OK. Two years later the car started hopping and the dealer...
I have a Vauxhall Vectra 2-litre diesel. Can you tell me if the front fan on the radiator is supposed to be running constantly, as my temperature is running up to 90 per cent before the emergency fan kicks...
I have recently had a new head gasket fitted to my Micra, red temp light still came on, took it back to garage and they but a new sensor on, but red temp light still coming on. Do you know what else the...
Had a bit of a scare this weekend when my 2001 Citroen Xsara's red warning light above the temperature gauge and the 'STOP' signal on the dashboard started flashing at me. The thermometer shows nothing...
I have a Toyota Previa II 2.4i 16v Manual 1991 which would run very ragged after warming up. I was advised to get hold of a new coil and No.1 HT lead, which I did. Just before the new parts were put on,...
I note in your FAQs that you recommend the first oil change on a new car to be at the (long) manufacturer's interval and subsequent changes at a reduced (6000 mile) interval. I would have thought that...
I've got ticking from the top of my 1995 Jeep Cherokee 2.5 turbodiesel's engine. What could it be?
I have a 55-reg Vauxhall Astra Life diesel 1.7 CDTi. Where is the water temperature gauge?
A couple of days ago I came within an inch of ordering a 2010 Mercedes-Benz E220cdi Blue Efficiency, when I read on the internet that large numbers of recent buyers of this car in UK and elsewhere had...
We have had a jerkiness/misfire problem on our 2008 Opel Zafira 1.8i. It happens at just the point the throttle is opening, i.e just as you have resistance on the accelerator. It’s particularly noticeable...
I have a Mondeo Titanium X 2.0 TDCI (130) doing an average of 38mpg on Tesco diesel. I have looked on your car-by-car guide but cannot find any information for the 130 variant for consumption. Is 38mpg...
We were recently driving our Ford Fusion when it lost all power. The Green Flag driver said that in his experience, as the car still went into gear, it might be a coil or some other small part. He did...
I have an x-reg SEAT Toledo. I got the car recently and it was fine until I went on a bumpy road, and now there is a rattle from the front driver's side when I hit 1000 to 1200rpm. Then it goes away and...
I'm looking to buy a small sports convertible. I can manage about £10,000. I think in the past you've recommended the Mazda MX-5. Which one would you recommend and would I save much by waiting until the...
I have a 2004 Peugeot 307 110 HDI. Could you tell at what mileage I should be changing the timing belt please?
On 5 March 2010 my daughter damaged her two front tyres and wheels in a potholed main road. When she telephoned Hertfordshire Council offices to report the incident she was asked to pursue a claim and...
I live in North Yorkshire, surrounded by hills, and I am planning ahead before the winter. I have a Skoda Roomster and I am considering fitting winter tyres or Autosocks. Which do you consider to be the...
I have a Toyota RAV4 D4D registered in Sept 2007 and it has done 30,000 miles. On applying the brakes the steering wheel is juddering, which, according to the Toyota dealership, is due to the disxs being...
My 2002 Zafira 1.8 Elegance automatic has started losing power when being driven at a steady speed. It works well at lower speeds or in narrow country roads. At same time, the cruise control has stopped...
I am disabled, 69 years young, six feet tall. I am having increasing difficulty getting up from a standard saloon car driver's seat, even at the highest setting. I need to get my bottom higher than my...
I've got an E220 CDI Mercedes-Benz estate on a 2004 plate with 107,000 miles. I've noticed a juddering up steep hills under load, like a petrol engine misfiring. A Mercedes-Benz specialist has advised...
My Mazda 6 has six gears, but I rarely use fifth gear and usually change from fourth direct into sixth gear. I am told this damages the gearbox. Is this true please?
I drive an Audi A6 2.0 diesel running on Continental tyres. The car has passed its MOT with a note that the nearside rear tyre is wearing on the outside edge. The pressure is ok, so this could be due to...
My SEAT Leon 1.9 is five years old in Nov 2010 and has only done 30,000 miles, but my SEAT dealership is advising I get the cam belt changed on my next service at around £355 (on top of the service and...
I recently bought a Citroen Xsara Picasso 1.6HDi (2005) and, after about a week, noticed that there was a squeaking noise coming from the front driver's side wheel. This has got progressively louder over...
My Volkswagen Golf diesel 1.9 TDI is four years old with a mileage of 35,000. When should the cam belt be replaced?
I passed my test a week ago, and my very kind grandmother has offered to buy me a car to reduce the blow of the costs associated with being a new driver, which is fantastic. She knows a chap from a Volkswagen...
I have a high mileage 2000 Ford Focus 1.4 model. My speedo keeps dropping to 0 and I lose the mileage data at the same time. Does anyone have any ideas?
I currently have a BMW Z4 2.5l with 60,000 miles on the clock on a finance deal. We have three young children and are planning one more. I need to get rid of the Z4 and buy something with multiple seats...
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