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Questions from October 2010
Driving my Mercedes-Benz E350CDI estate to Barrow in Furness on Thursday, the car told me it was low on oil. I checked and it was. Because I was unsure what the problem was I phoned South Lakes Mercedes-Benz...
Just over seven years ago, when tossing up between a Freelander and RAV4 D-4D, I took your advice and bought the RAV4. It was excellent until it reached the 70,000 mile mark, when things began to go seriously...
At the end of May my wife took delivery of a new Audi A3 1.6TDI Technik convertible. Within three weeks the hood developed a hole and the car was off the road for two weeks for a new hood. The radio never...
I took your advice some time ago and purchased a Hyundai i10, and have since upgraded to the i20. Both cars I have been very pleased with. I am thinking about changing my i20 for a Nissan Juke with CVT...
I have sold my house in Spain and I am moving to France. Can you please tell me if there is a French estate car that can compare favourably with the new Ford Mondeo estate for price and spec and space?...
Having terrible trouble with a streaky screen, I changed the wiper blades for a second time in a month after first sourcing MER windscreen cleaner and applying as per instructions. Both were a waste of...
I wonder if you can offer any advice on the following situation? A 2-year Mechanical Breakdown Insurance from Auto Protect, purchased via the dealer in June 2009 at the same times as a secondhand Vauxhall...
I promised I would let you know the outcome of a warranty issue I had with Auto Protect after being mis-sold the wrong level of warranty by the supplying car dealer. I wrote to Auto Protect to get the...
The first car I had with automatic transmission was a brand new 1969 Vauxhall Victor (FD) 2000. I very quickly learned that the best way to control this car was to use a left-foot braking technique, especially...
I have a KIA Carens diesel that has shown the same engine management fault on five occasions. So far this has been rectified four times at no cost under warranty, but now both the dealer and Kia are claiming...
If speed cameras are such a milch cow for local councils, how come many councils in East Anglia are now abandoning them completely and will this not result in less safe roads?
Being a little older and having driven Volkswagen Passats over the last 10 years, we now want a slightly smaller car but with the same comfortable ride; however, the distributors I have spoken to tell...
I passed my IAM test in 1985. I had arranged a test at short notice and was tested by the chief examiner who remarked that he had never seen anyone braking an automatic with the left foot before. I still...
A relative owns a 2009 Volkswagen Polo with an 'auto' box. At just 8,000 miles all four tyres are worn to such an extent as to need replacing. Most of the mileage has been on motorways. Any ideas?
I currently own a 2008 Honda Civic 2.2i CTDi with 25,000 miles on the clock. I love the drive, but find the rear window spoiler and lack of a wiper frustrating, especially when it is wet and frosty. A...
I'm getting ready for retirement and want to change my car. We do a lot of European touring so want something spacious, comfortable, reliable and a good motorway cruiser. As it will probably be the last...
I have a 1993 Audi 1.9TDI SE estate which I have had for 14 years. It's in very good condition and has done 104,500 miles. Three weeks ago I was emptying the car prior to taking it for its MOT and service,...
Contaminated screen wash water is a widespread problem and often produces unpleasant odours. All water contains some micro-organisms that will increase to unhealthy levels in water stored over long periods....
Hi John, my wife drives a 2007 Nissan Qashqai 2.0 dCi Acenta 4WD auto and used to cover 25,000 miles a year with work. However a change in our circumstances now means that she travels only 5,000 miles...
I'd like to pick up on two things that you constantly bring to the fore: speed cushions. My wife recently had her car MOTd and we thought it would sail through, as it is a very reliable, regularly used...
I have a 2009 Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI. A few months ago I drove about 13 miles on a hot day and when I got out of the car I could smell hot metal, and hear the engine fans running furiously after the engine...
My Volkswagen Golf 1.6 Bluemotion estate, two months old, has done 2,500 miles. This car should do 54/67/78 to the gallon. It does 40mpg round town and maybe 50mpg on a run (A-roads at 60mph). Volkswagen...
I just received a parking charge notice from an enforcement company for overstaying my welcome at the MOTO Trowell services on the southbound M1, during a journey from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to London. Is...
I pick up the grandchildren from school and travel on a two-lane dual carriageway. Yesterday, one lane was blocked for roadworks and the usual signs showing "Lane closed 800/600/400/200 yards” were in...
In your recent Saturday columns there has been a number of references to the disturbing practices of accident management companies, resulting in high cost claims for car hire and medical expenses in accident...
I have recently acquired a 2007 BMW 118d SE Auto - the so-called ‘Efficient Dynamics’ version. Initial impressions are all positive: handling, performance, autobox, finish and particularly economy (45-50mpg)...
Is it possible to get Volkswagen to pay for the replacement of the ABS/ESP unit in my Golf, even though the repair has been undertaken by a garage other than a Volkswagen dealer?
In April we ordered a Nissan Qashqai 2.0 140PS petrol Tekna Sport with 17-inch wheels and a CVT box here in Tenerife, and were quoted delivery in November 2010. Now we are advised by the dealer that it...
I often read where you recommend the wonderful Nissan Note to your readers who are looking for a versatile, economical car. When wishing to reduce to one car, we took your advice and replaced my Renault...
I read with some concern in The Stamford Mercury that Lincolnshire Highways Department proposes to install, at an estimated cost of £60,000, 21 speed bumps in Stamford town centre as part of a scheme to...
I am 68, have driven cars and motorcycles for 50 years, and have had no accidents/insurance claims (apart from one car stolen following a break-in). I should like to have my car driving checked and reported...
I have a 4-year-old Volkswagen Polo, which I bought new from a main dealer in Ruislip, Middlesex. It passed its first MOT, but the second time I took it to a different main dealer. He found that the headlamp...
This is a bit pedantic, but your comment about siphoning oil from boat engines via the dipstick tube is not strictly correct. Many boat engines, mine included, have a permanently fitted hand pump for removing...
In today's Telegraph there is a very short article about an inquest on the death of a heavy woman in a 107. If Peugeot only test crash 107s to 78kg it begs the question to what weight of drivers do they...
Our Citroen C4 Grand Picasso EGS jerks when changing gears - should we replace it with a Ford S-Max?
I have read your excellent review on the Citroen Grand Picasso EGS, which I bought new in March 2008. I have returned it to the garage under warranty a number of times due to the clunkiness of the gear...
While agreeing entirely that it was daylight robbery to want to charge £46 to flush out the screenwash system ("Car Clinic", pM8, 16th October), may I suggest that it may save the health (or even the lives)...
We recently swapped our old Rover 45 1600 auto for a FIAT Panda Automatic. We're really pleased with it - particularly the fuel consumption. We've always found autos pretty uneconomical, but the 5-speed...
When I took my lessons and test in 1980 I was taught, when turning right, to keep parallel to the lines in the middle of the road and as close to them as possible without straddling them, thus allowing...
My wife is a fairly regular user of the Aldi store in Oswestry. She was aware of the perfectly reasonable 2-hour parking limit but unaware of the camera controlled monitoring system (it is adequately signed)....
I am about to choose between a Golf TDI 90 PS and a Polo 75 PS TDI, but am concerned about reports concerning DPF problems with the Polo in particular. There are also reports about Volkswagen dropping...
I am a retired Metropolitan Police Traffic constable. I was for some time attached to the investigation unit. Whilst I agree that 100 per cent of fatal accidents cannot be accurately reconstructed, nearly...
Just thought I'd drop you a line to say thank you for recommending the Suzuki Splash. My husband always reads your column and when it was time to change my beloved Fiesta we looked at the new Fiesta and...
Recently on my way to work I, like thousands of other commuters, was held up on the M4 motorway for nearly five hours, due to “fear for a man's welfare”. The traffic was halted at 7.40am and released at...
I had just taken delivery of a brand new car. It was parked on the road outside my house. Three quarters of an hour later, a lady knocked at the door. She said that she, along with three other horse riders,...
I have a SEAT Altea XL 1.9 diesel coming up to 40,000 miles in three and half years. I have always taken it to the main service agent for servicing, but I am not really happy with their service so intend...
The engine of my Oct 2006 Toyota Avensis 2.0 diesel, with 86,500 miles, started losing water. The first time it happened I was on the road. The AA replenished the water but could find no leak. The car...
I assume you get lots of emails complaining about having to buy a set of four car mats when you only want to replace the driver’s mat. This is another one. When are car manufacturers going to do the decent...
My weekly commute of 400 miles is responsible for about 90 per cent of my car's mileage. Almost the entire journey is on dual carriageways and motorways, and is done at 70mph. I am always watching the...
I have been following your correspondence concerning "Claims Management" and whiplash scams. Can you give advice what to do at the time of an incident, please? Is it possible to deter the other party...
Why can private parking companies trace drivers through the DVLA's database, but individuals cannot?
There has been correspondence in your column regarding demands for excess parking and other matters on private land, where the only way the company would know the car keeper’s name and address is from...
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