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Questions from November 2010
Can I fit snow chains to an Audi A6 Avant (Sport) 2002?
Tyre size 215/55R16, Rims 7J.
My manual says I can, but Audi Customer Services say I cannot.
I have spoken to Thule who say I can and Rud who...
Do winter tyres need to be fitted by a specialist tyre fitter or will my local independant fitter or nearby Kwik-Fit etc be sufficient?
My wife has just bought a `58 Reg Mazda 3 Takara (Takora?) 1.6 with 205-55 R16 tyres on alloy wheels.
With all this Global Warming producing so much snow she wants to have winter tyres for the winter...
I have a Mercedes A-Class (2002) and wanted to know whether it was best to get winter tyres and steel wheels or to go for winter tyre socks. Any advice would be great.
An article in the motoring section recently talked about the rising cost of insurance. It failed to mention some of the reasons for these increases. 1) The high, almost obscene charges made by solicitors...
JD laments his inability to receive Test Match Special on his radio because he can’t get Long Wave. However, I discovered a while ago that the rarely-mentioned Radio 4 Medium Wave (720 metres) mirrors...
Can you please supply details of the device that will prevent one from putting petrol into a diesel car? I know you have published these details before, but at the time I did not have the need for one...
Is there a way of improving tyre grip in ice and snow without changing to winter tyres?
I am thinking of changing my Honda Jazz for a Toyota IQ. I change my car every few years and my greatest joy was a Toyota Yaris Verso, alas no longer in production. The Toyota dealer here says a new version...
Why does my Volkswagen Transporter's DSG automatic gearbox lag before responding to the accelerator?
My new Volkswagen T5 Transporter 2.0TDI 140PS has a DSG gearbox with a hazard. After slowing down for a junction or roundabout there's several seconds pause before it will respond to the accelerator. You...
I cannot agree with you enough about the value of fitting winter tyres. Combine them with sensible driving and who needs a 4x4 for road driving in snow? I drive a Jaguar S-Type Diesel and last winter spent...
You have helped me with this info in the past, but on the last occasion with an unfair £80 fine at an M6 Moto service station, they refused my offer of £10. I then wrote to Moto head office directly and...
My wife has a 2005 Volkswagen Golf 2.0FSI GT with 51,000 on the clock. The light in the ESP switch, and the dashboard steering wheel and ABS signs, have all come on together, intermittently, over the last...
I drove to Colchester in my 2008-registered BMW E87 118d on 20 October. The journey of 70 miles return was achieved without mishap. However on 21 October, whilst entering a car park, the malfunction display...
My in-laws live on a private road. On returning from holiday they found that one of their neighbours had installed a speed hump. This is not the first but is significantly higher than the others - making...
Who is responsible if an RAC Trackstar tracking device flattened the battery on our Porsche Carrera?
I bought a new Porsche Carrera 2S four years ago and we fitted a RAC Trackstar device. This work was carried out by a local RAC Franchise as we live in Guernsey. Subsequently we have had four years of...
Many years ago, when I worked at the British Standards Institution as secretary to the colour-fastness committees, the Post Office telephoned in a flap. The hand-written entries on tax discs had faded....
We have a 2002 MGF. The detachable rear screen has become very misted and the dealer we spoke to could only suggest replacing it. Do you know of a cleaner or spray that would help to clear this?
I recently received a notice of a fine by the company operating the car park for Morrisons in Northampton for £90.00. This was due to my overstaying for 35 minutes. How do I stand on this with regard to...
I have a new Ford Focus Zetec 2.0i automatic Titanium X. Am I better buying a set of winter tyres or going the whole hog and buying a set of new wheels with appropriate winter tyres?
My wife recently took over ownership of our son's car as a second car, but when insuring it was told her no-claims discount on her main car of some nine years wasn't transferable to the second car, and...
I bought a B-Class Mercedes-Benz car last year in order to be able to carry my husband's electric wheelchair, (with the help of a hoist) and also a manual wheelchair, folded between the front and back...
It was very timely to read in the Telegraph on Saturday about an Audi's failed ABS system. The light on my 2005 Focus keeps coming on intermittently. I haven't had it diagnosed yet but have just looked...
A neighbour has pranged (wing, lights and bumper) my new A5. The repair is underway and I hope it will be looking good soon. However when I trade this car in, probably in two years, I expect it to be worth...
An unusually rare act of vandalism overnight in a hotel car park in central France earlier this month rendered my car inoperative and obliged me to call on the services of RAC European Recovery. I cannot...
I have recently returned a Mercedes-Benz SLK at the end of a two-year lease through Mercedes-Benz Finance. I carefully studied the Vehicle Return Standards booklet and repaired a wing mirror and a dent...
I am writing to you on a subject to which I believe you referred in your column - traffic humps. I am the owner of a Racing Green S-Type Jaguar which is dealer-maintained, and by the way I am an extremely...
My beloved Mini has just failed its MOT due to a seized front brake wheel cylinder. The part I need is a GWC101 (15/16ths bore dual piston front wheel cylinder) for a 1962 Mini, which is proving very difficult...
Last night at about 19.00hrs I left Dover dock and got into the wrong dedicated lane and found myself going up the A2 instead of the A20. There was no traffic in sight coming towards and nothing behind...
Are there any tricks to prevent a windscreen icing up on the inside during winter? If it's unavoidable, what is the best way of dealing with it as quickly as possible before driving off? I assume leaving...
As a pensioner driving in London at 5.30pm on a Sunday evening, I became disoriented after following diversionary signs from multi road closures and stopped to consult my ABC and seek directions from a...
I continue to be astonished at the letters in your columns on the subject of left-foot braking, and just thought you might like some more support for your arguments on this. I have driven an automatic...
Whilst I understand your passionate desire to spread the left-foot braking technique among drivers of automatics, I fear that the very people that you are aiming to convert will find the change beyond...
I am thinking of ordering the new Audi A1 from my local Audi dealer. This would be a cash deal with no part exchange, but I am told there can be no negotiation on purchase price. Is this reasonable? There...
We have a 2003 Citroen C3 1.4 automatic. We would like to trade it in for a newer car. It has to be an automatic and we would like the same size car with similar spec. With trade-in we have about £12,000...
Much is made of the low carbon dioxide emission needed to meet various targets and the drive towards zero emission objectives through all electric vehicles, using technologies such as fuel cells etc. Most...
I owned a Nissan Qashqai Acenta 2.0 DCI Turbo for 31 months during which time it covered 20,000 miles. It averaged 40mpg (according to the computer). At no time did I have any issues with the DPF. At each...
Last year my local shopping mall installed black and yellow speed humps that were too high. These damaged my Rover 75 sump tray. It took me a month to find who was responsible. I sent them an estimate...
We are both in our 60's and my wife wants to exchange our Skoda Fabia for a folding metal roof cabriolet. Reviews suggest that a Volkswagen Eos would be the best buy. However, the new model is not available...
I would like some assistance with how to approach Volkswagen as my 5-year-old Golf Plus (2005 with 44,000 miles) has now become the latest in a long line of failures of the Teves Mk 60 ESP. I noticed that...
In August I bought a Renault Clio from a used car dealer. The car is 54 reg and is on 44,000 miles. I paid £4,800 for it. I have covered fewer than 400 miles since the purchase and have now found out that...
I am having steel wheels and winter tyres fitted to my Volkswagen Jetta. The winter tyres are Bridgestone 205/55 x 16 (same size as existing tyres). How should my existing alloy wheels and tyres be stored...
I recently purchased a 2009 Peugeot 308 Verve 1.4 fitted with Continental tyres. Could you please tell me if anybody as done any research that would indicate that a different make of tyre would run quieter?
In support to FD of Brentwood’s complaint about severe pains in his right leg, I also suffered a similar pain after changing my large, comfortable Volvo to the smaller variant. I found that I suffered...
I would like some advice on tyres please. I need four new runflat tyres on my 2003 BMW 530D (225/50 17 94w) and wondered if you have any suggestions? I currently have Dunlops, which offer a very hard ride...
Although my experience of accident management companies is limited to using them via a corporate lease plan, I have to say that even then, I question their usefulness. A skip delivery lorry recently drove...
We currently run a Vauxhall Meriva ‘A’ 1.7CDTI and will shortly be looking to replace it. We have been looking for something in the £30 tax bracket that can tow a folding camper weighing up to 1,100kg,...
You recommend winter tyres as an alternative to having to buy a 4x4. On a front-wheel drive family car do you need all four or just two to provide better traction on the front, assuming the rears have...
I had legal assistance cover on my insurance policy. After an accident my impression of their service is that they seem to be fixed on getting me into a hire car. I was wondering whether I would be better...
How easy is it for an experienced manual gearbox user to switch to automatics and left-foot braking?
I've been following the thread about left-foot braking with interest, as I've been considering switching to an automatic next summer when my Motability Ford C-Max is due for replacement. I can see the...
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