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Trending topics in December 2010
Questions from December 2010
Visiting German in laws this week in my '97 Astra estate, I bought four Uniroyal MS Plus 66 winter tyres (195/55 R 15 85H fitted, balanced, new valves) for Euros 441.56 - that's 375.12 UK pounds at a branch...
Is it OK to run my BMW 3-Series without run flats? I find the ride too hard with run flats.
After 10 min with the vehicle running with normal heat on all windows start misting up. I have taken to Jaguar who could not find a problem. I have used a de-humidifier but got little water out can you...
I bought a one year old VW Golf last year from a VW dealer and was told that there was only one key. In the past I have always had two sets of keys with every car I have bought. Is this now normal? And...
Although my Ford Mondeo has a traction control switch to assist roadholding in icy conditions, I have found as an additional measure, when driving on particularly icy and ungritted sideroads, that switching...
I know from what you have written that official fuel economy figures are unachievable, but does there come a point at which they are misrepresenting the car? I bought an Alfa MiTo in August (pre-reg but...
I'm a former police officer from Glasgow. One posting involved taking/screening vandalism reports from a large area of Glasgow. One year a small area had numerous reports of ABS cables being cut. This...
Can a battery be trickle charged without removing the battery cables?
We have a Honda Jazz 1.4 SE CVT purchased from a Honda main dealer in June 2008 with 1,300 on the clock used as a demonstrator car. At 18,000 miles we noticed a knocking sound. The first two visits to...
We live in rural Surrey. It’s not isolated but it can become difficult in the snow. We were just going to bed one night when the snow was very bad indeed and we had a ring on the doorbell. A young woman...
I was just wondering what your thoughts are on the Evoque Cross-Coupe Range Rover five-door version. Also at £35,000, and being slightly smaller than the Freelander, is it worth the money? Or is there...
Your correspondents ask about the relative fuel consumption of cruise control versus manual driving. I have recently driven three return journeys from Cambridgeshire to South Devon, in my Honda Accord...
For a 2-wheel front or 2-wheel rear drive car, do you recommend that only the driven wheels require to be fitted with winter tyres?
I was interested to read GG's letter about his licence problem, as I will have to renew my own driving licence in 2013 when I am 70 years old. I passed my driving test 50 years ago when I was 17 and still...
Regarding latest EU emission regulations for diesel engines, could you please give us more information on the subject of the particulate filters being adversely affected by repeated short journeys? I have...
The letter from KW, Harlow, about all the windows on his Skoda fully opening after he'd locked and left it struck a painful chord with me. I've had two Skoda Octavias, excellent cars in every other respect...
I asked a question about mileage reporting last year and have since found an amazing piece of technology. It's a small GPS tracker that logs business miles. It records all miles that you travel. If the...
On 12 November 2010 I purchased a SEAT Ibiza ST 1.2TSI DSG. The oil warning light came on after six weeks' use at 1,700 miles. I had been advised by the salesperson that the warranty would not cover engine...
Being the owner of two rear-wheel-drive cars I am frustrated at being marooned in my house during the snowy conditions. As we live on slight hill we have not been able to drive to the nearest main road...
It's time to replace my company lease car again. My choice of car has to meet a tight window of requirements, balancing weight (for pulling a large caravan), economy for the 90 per cent of time I am not...
My girlfriend was involved in an accident in Nov 2009 where she rear-ended someone at a roundabout. Her car is a company car and insurance is arranged by her employers. She admitted liability, her car...
I currently own a 5-year-old Porsche Boxster and am looking to change it in the next three or four months. I am retired, and enjoy my driving. However, family and bad back considerations suggest a change...
Why did my insurance company charge an additional premium for fitting winter tyres to my Skoda Yeti?
My wife and I completed the 2010 Lands End to John O’Groats Historic Rally in December, during very bad weather, in our 1962 Rover 100 P4 fitted with M+S tyres. However, after a discussion with a colleague...
I have a Golf GTI bought in March 2010 with Volkswagen satnav installed. It worked fine until a couple of months ago. At that time the direction arrow on the map went adrift. Often it was miles off the...
Now that the family have left home my wife and I do almost all our motoring in our MINI Clubman (with which we are well pleased). But I still have our trusty 12-year-old Volvo estate for the relatively...
The 2-year-old battery in my Vauxhall Astra 2.2 Coupe failed to start the car during the recent spate of cold weather. After recharging it, it again failed a few days later and so I charged it up again...
The Government has declared it will “cease its war” on the motorist whilst diesel has risen to £1.39 a litre. Will it remove its real weapon of mass destruction - the road hump? Probably not.
The heavy snow over last November and December left me marooned for days because our lane was never cleared. Although fond of my ageing Polo estate, I'd have felt more confident negotiating icy rural Somerset...
I’m going travelling for six months and have decided to sell both my Mazdas. First up is a 2006/55 Mazda 5 Sport 2.0d (143) with 63,000 miles and full service history. Firstly I will seek to sell to my...
I always keep a couple of gallons of diesel as a stand by, but have not used it for about four years. Can I use it now or is there a limited time before it deteriorates?
I returned from holiday in Egypt (before the troubles) and experienced the crazy traffic in Cairo. The way they drive there would give anti driver groups like Brake a heart attack. At night, a good number...
I purchased a Volkswagen Jetta from Car Giant, White City for £9,639 in March 2008. It had had one owner (Avis) and a very low mileage. Car Giant gave it a clean bill of health. I subsequently had it checked...
The brochure for my SEAT stated that a space-saver spare was supplied with the car, but it did not come with one. I pursued the matter vigorously with the dealer who relented and supplied me with a new...
My wife was recently fined £60 for parking in Waitrose for 2.25 hours. I have no quibble with this. However the parking company (Europarks) stated that unless the fine was paid they would be able to access...
I have been appointed the executor for my late brother's will. I want you to give me a fair price for the disposal of his two cars. Unfortunately the family can’t agree on the prices, but all are willing...
My son owns one of a block of flats, each with its own parking space requiring a displayed permit and administered by PPS (a member of BPA). I parked in his space while he was at work in order to carry...
My daughter recently bought (mistakenly in my opinion, but she didn’t tell me until after she had bought it) a 6-year-old MG TF soft-top with 30,000 miles on the clock. On Christmas Eve she was driving...
My wife’s MINI Cooper has now blown its cylinder head gasket for the second time in less than 36,000 miles, and I have decided that it must go. Can you recommend another small car with reasonable performance...
Before Christmas I was searching for snow tyres. I was being quoted up to £120 each with a wait until mid-January. My son reminded me of your recommendation for 'MyTyres'. I rang them on 20 December and...
We have had a total engine failure on our Espace 2.2 dCi and are wondering if others have has similar problems. Basically it started with engine losing power and flashing ‘Injector fault’ on the dashboard....
Being snowed in for the third time, I am looking at the possibility of an alternative to my Audi A3, to get me back on the road, but don't care for the huge Jeep/Land Rover type 4x4's, which are far too...
I live in the country and iced-up windscreens and frozen washer jets are a problem most winters, not just this one.
Do you have a solution to the problem of windscreen washer jets/supply pipes icing up,...
My Bluemotion 1.2 diesel Polo has done 500 miles. Not once has it reached the advertised mpg. Between 3 and 7 Oc reaches just 53 mpg.
Is it better to leave a 10 year old Skoda frozen, as it has been for 4 days so far, or to start it and let it run for 30 minutes or so? If so, how frequently? I do not want to drive down our slippery...
I have been reading about snow shoes recently. Are they a good alternative to other forms of winter products?
I noticed that you have endorsed the use of snow tyres recently. I have been Michelin Alpin, M + S rated tyres in winter since 1997 and swear by them. However, I have seen reports in the press that some...
Please can you remind me the recommeded websites, and the relative advantages of tyre change, or complete wheel change for winter tyres?
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