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Trending topics in September 2010
Questions from September 2010
I have a Ford Mondeo Ghia TDCI 2002. It has a tapping noise which is very loud when I start the car. When driving over 1000rpm it goes way. Can you help me fix it?
I was hoping you could advise me on the quality of Nissan's stop-start technology. I was not able to test it out and to be honest I was not confident in what the car salesperson was telling me. Have you...
My car was damaged due to potholes on and around a speed hump, but the council's insurers are adamant that I have no claim quoting the stock S8 Highways Act 1980, contrary to your advice regarding such...
My girlfriend recently chose her local BMW garage to repair the bodywork of her Z4 after a brick was thrown at it. However, before she had taken back ownership of the car after it had been repaired, another...
I've paid a £200 deposit to a small car dealer for a 55-plate Vauxhall Vectra SRI. The deal was my car and £2800 but he was selling it for a mate of his. I was going to pick the car up in three weeks and...
I was recently stopped in Bodelwyddan, North Wales by a Police Traffic Officer in an unmarked car, having foolishly held a map in my left hand while looking for a turning (all be it, at low speed). I was...
I have owned a Volkswagen Polo 1.9TDI sport on a 52 plate from new. I am now thinking of replacing it - my only criticism of the car is its hard suspension. The two cars in my sights are the Volkswagen...
I am looking to buy an estate car and am considering the Toyota Avensis and Ford Mondeo. I have discounted the Honda Accord and Mazda 6 as I think they will be too expensive. I do not want to spend more...
I used to own a 2002 1.9 TDi 140 Volkswagen Passat Estate and loved it. I've already sold the car and am looking at purchasing a newer estate. I have heard there have been some issues with the 05-onwards...
We are considering changing our car and as my wife is of an 'arty' persuasion a small estate seems to be the best option. One we like the look of is a 1.2 TSI 105 Skoda Fabia Estate as there is a discount...
I have a 2010 Audi A4 2.0TDI. It will display average mpg for the current journey and for the car's lifetime (till reset). It is irritating that these readings only land on certain values. For example,...
My 2007 Vauxhall Corsa SXI's steering feels vague. It constantly needs correction when travelling at reasonable speeds. It doesn't feel too bad at lower speeds but is not nice to drive.
I'm currently driving a Ford Focus (old style) 1.6 from 2005 but would like to change to a newer car with more boot space as I'm expecting our first child. I want a family car with lots of boot space and...
I am thinking of buying a 2008/2009 Ford Focus, however I believe Isofix was only fitted if this was specifically requested when new. Do you know if it is possible for a dealer to retrofit if the car I...
2001 1.1 Citroen Saxo, absolutely immaculate with 71,000 miles, a full service history and two owners from new. The dealer wants £1500 for it - is this too much?
I live in Sweden. At the moment I am in the process of looking to purchase a left-hand drive Ford Mondeo ST220. One recently came up for sale, but has a few problems with its bodywork. The front fender...
What car would you recommend to pull 1000kg of horse (plus trailer)?
I was involved in an accident, not my fault, and the side of my car was damaged by a motorbike sliding along the ground. The insurer authorised the replacement of just one strut and one shock absorber....
I took my Citroen C5 into a local independent garage for a new head gasket. The garage said it would take the best part of a week and quoted approx. £500. At the end of the week they phoned to say that...
I can't lock my Peugeot 306's driver's door, so I have to do it through the passenger door. Any help please?
I purchased a Mercedes-Benz B150 automatic new just over four years ago. I currently have 91,000 miles driven. It is serviced at six-month intervals by a Mercedes-Benz dealership. Following a recent service,...
I am thinking of buying a Kia Cee'd 2 SW (diesel). The garage has a demonstrator model with about 400 miles on the clock. The price is £14,995 on the tag. I have a seven-year-old Peugeot Partner Combi...
I have a 1999 Citroen Xsara estate, and for some reason my boot will not open. When I use the central locking button on my key, all doors open fine but the boot remains locked. If I try to turn the key...
My sister recently got a PCP quote for a Volkswagen Polo. However, the total payable amount shown excluded a £500 deposit and a fee of about £1500. The actual cost of buying the car was nearly £3000 more...
My daughter has just started teaching in Manchester, a daily return trip of 75 miles per day, 70 miles of which is motorway driving. We would like to replace her 1995 306 Peugeot XLD, which has just had...
I want to buy a second car for the family, to replace our old Volvo T5 which we use to carry kayaks, surfboards etc. to the beach. Not unsurprisingly, no one will insure my daughter, who is 17 and just...
I have a 54-reg Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi with 113,000 miles. It's developed a whining noise and a slight feel through the steering wheel when you take your foot off the accelerator. The noise is not there under...
My brake light bulbs seem to be okay but they're not working when you press the brake pedal.
We have bought a Renault Clio with a full service history. Renault recommendations are that it is changed at five years or 72,000 miles, whichever is earlier. The car is seven years old and has done 46,000...
I've bought a Citroen Picasso 1.6HDI for taxi driving. I've been driving it for a week now and noticed that it seems to lack power when accelerating. I had it loaded with four passengers and luggage and...
Is it normal to be able to feel the gear change from first to second with an automatic gearbox when the engine is cold? Once the engine is warmed up the box is quite smooth. My car is a 2007 Mazda 6.
I'm getting a van and I want one in which two people could sleep in the back and do some rough camping on surf trips. The biggest issue for me is fuel economy. I have only £2500 to spend. I have a 1997...
I purchased a car in May 2010 from a private seller. I conducted various checks including HPI and all came back positive, matching the info the vendor supplied. After about three months the police recovered...
I might have the chance of a Volkswagen T4 2.5TDI, 888 X-Pack, plus Volkswagen-fitted air conditioning. One owner from new, 79,000 miles, 52 plate, an immaculate van. It's from a main Volkswagen dealer....
I bought a Jaguar XJ from a main dealer in June 2010. I have since established that the car had accident damage prior to my purchase. I was not informed of this when I asked if it had had any accidents....
We bought a Nissan X-Trail Columbia on a 2007 plate last year and we have found that on start-up the engine sounds like a bag of spanners. This lasted for at least four or five miles but now seems to last...
I just got a SEAT Ibiza 1.2 05 reg with the AZQ engine. It has full service history with 50,000 miles on it. Do I need to fit the new cam chain and tensioner? I read that from 2004 onwards it was OK.
Can you please tell me where the adjusting screw is on a 1999 Renault Laguna? I have installed new headlights but the mechanic says he cannot adjust them as the lenses are not moving?
I have a Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9. When I'm changing up to second gear at around 2000 revs, the engine jumps like it wants to leave the body. It's had a new cam belt, distributor cap, rotor arm, lead and fuel...
At a recent show, we paid £1000 deposit on a Carioca 746 Motorhome on 16 October 2009 at a price of £40,000 (plus extras of approximately £2000). The van was the latest Carioca 746 model and had green/cream...
Hi, my wife and I had our 30-month-old Mercedes-Benz ML320CDI collected the other week following a lease we took out. The car had only covered around 16,000 miles against an allowance of 25,000. The car...
I am thinking of buying a Ford Fusion with Durashift transmission. Is this advisable and what are the drawbacks with this type of transmission? My general mileage is about 5000 miles per year. It will...
We have a five-year-old Audi A3 2.00 TDI DSG. We have only covered 33,000 miles since new but Audi recommend the cam belt is changed. Do you agree, and what other work should be carried out?
I have a claim on an extended warranty for a broken-down ECU, sensor and wiring harness which had to be replaced. The cause on the invoice was "Thermister failed, causing coolant to travel up wiring into...
Everything in my 2001 Renault Clio's dashboard works properly apart from my speedometer. Once it gets to 40mph, the speedo hand becomes shaky and it goes down. When I slow down to 20mph it goes up again,...
Those of us with disabled parking badges should beware of letting them fade through exposure to sunlight. I recently got a replacement badge and was told of a couple who had been fined £60 because a 'jobsworth'...
Why has my Vauxhall Meriva's power steering motor stopped working?
Approaching Luton airport in the early hours, there was a tailback of slow-moving traffic some 1000 yards from the terminal. My son, who I was dropping off, decided to alight and walk. Only when I turned...
I have a 2000 320CDI Mercedes-Benz estate with 175,000 miles, owned from new. The latest problem is with the automatic gearbox. It won't go from park to drive unless you stop and start several times, and...
My 2005 Toyota Hilux's clutch pedal seems to go down on its own with little assistance and needs my foot under it to bring it back up. This is happening more frequently since it started two days ago. Any...
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