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Questions from August 2011
After exchanging my wonderful Volvo 940 Celebration for a 2008/58 V70 diesel estate last November, I took your advice and have always run it on BP Ultimate diesel (as also my wife’s Golf), and both cars...
I recently bought a 2009 BMW X5 from an independent dealer. The car still has 16 months left of warranty. I noticed I was losing air in one of the front tyres, so went to a local garage. He diagnosed a...
We are looking for a small 'starter' car for my daughter, 18 years old, but to be used by us occasionally as well, so we want something in good nick. My wife and two daughters are smitten with the 'trendy'...
Can you please help? The MoT on one of my cars, parked off road on our driveway, runs out on the 19th October. I will be out of the country from the 13th September until the 26th October. The car will...
I currently have a 2005 Skoda Octavia Estate 2.0 Litre diesel with DSG gearbox. Car has been faultless and I have experienced none of the reported "hesitation" with the 6-speed wet DSG box. Now time to...
I am exploring the possibility of replacing my son's current VW Golf 1800 (purchased April 2001) with either a VW Polo or Skoda Fabia. My son who lives in Islington at the side of the Congestion Zone is...
My Mercedes ML320CDI has covered a relatively trouble free 165,000 miles. At its last service my local MB dealer says that there is a judder in second gear (it is the 7 speed model) that is likely to prove...
We need to replace our 16-year-old Mercedes C180. Can you suggest a replacement saloon car that would have a decent amount of legroom as my son is 6' 10” and I am 6' 6” and we would also need room in the...
I have a 2005 Jaguar S-Type 2.7 diesel. Can you tell me if it has a cambelt or chain?
According to your website, my annual road tax is £260 for my 2007 KIA Sedona 2.9 CRDi TS Auto but the DVLA charges me £445. I guess I'm not going to be lucky and the DVLA has got it wrong so I think there...
I have been given the chance to buy, from an elderly lady neighbour who is giving up driving, a Vauxhall Astra 1.6 115 Elite and I should like to know whether it would be a good buy, and, if so, what would...
The GPS units (e.g. Garmin) which are fitted in private light aircraft are required to record their journey details so that, like the Black Box in commercial aircraft, they can be interrogated after an...
I wrote to you last year about driving 100 miles a day, 30 across hills on poor roads and 70 on the motorway. I wanted some 4x4 capability, excellent fuel consumption for motorway driving (I am filling...
You recently commented on driving your Father's Auris hybrid, and I think I remember your remarking on the smoothness of the autobox. We currently run a BMW 3 Series and a V5 Golf, which is getting a little...
A dealer 25 miles from me has a 2004 Micra 1.2 SE in what looks to be good condition and at a very tempting price. We need to replace an aged Polo and have very little cash to spend, so this looks promising....
I own a 09 plate Scirocco GT TDi 140, but fancy a fun cabrio that can be used as an everyday vehicle. I've £20,000 to spend, in addition to trade-in. Any suggestions?
I recently went to a local branch of a national tyre chain to have two front tyres replaced and the front alignment checked. After a time the fitter came to me and said they could not do the work as “your...
Does this win the prize for the most optimistic claim for product failure? Last week my dealer-maintained Rover 75's original manufacturer-fitted battery failed after barely nine and a half years. Is Rover...
My wife received notification from claims handlers Transcare Solutions Ltd that her vehicle was responsible for damage to an Arriva North West bus. They operate in N.W. England. On this date she drove...
I booked a hire car in Majorca in June though a broker paying in full in advance. The terms and conditions on the voucher (there are also terms and conditions on the broker’s web site so plenty to wade...
I contacted my Conservative MP about Clause 56 in the Protection of Freedoms Bill as you suggested. His reply states they are aware of the problem and he claims safeguards will be in place to protect us...
I have been offered a Mini Cooper 06 plate, registered in Republic of Ireland. I am in GB. What are the implications of transferring the registration of the car to the UK. Are there any charges I should...
Do you subscribe to the generally accepted advice that you should not apply polish (not even wax) to a new car until it is 3 months old, to allow the paint to harden ?
My 17-yr old son (recently passed) was driving my Seat Ibiza 1.2 and was hit from behind at approx 35mph. Damage is to the rear bumper and the other driver has admitted liability.
My son has no whiplash...
I Parked on car park which serves a number of shops and is free for 2 hrs,I walked off the car park to a shop round the corner and after 30min returned and visited two of the shops on sight. On returning...
I thought I'd found the perfect van with the Nissan NV200 until I discovered it only had the 2 seats up front. Will they introduce a 3 seat version or is there something similar/can it be modified? The...
Our Audi A4 Avant 2.0TDI is unfortunately too small for us. We are considerg replacing it with a BMW 520d SE Touring.
I have seen an April 2009 model in Deep Sea Blue with Black Leather and Business...
Comfortable high ride, good fuel economy, manual or automatic (not too used to automatics but keep getting advised that the new ones are more fuel efficient?)
At the moment we seem to be looking at Scenics,...
I have a 2001 Toyota Yaris. When I bought it it only had 1 key (the previous owner lost the others). When I went to my local Toyota dealership they told me that I didn't have the master key so there was...
I have a faulty SL55 that has cost me £76k, the garage in Brentford have had it for 8 months and are not giving any repair date or replacement. I have written numerous letters and explained that we have...
I am approaching 50k on the clock and want to sell my Rover 75 which has been a reliable old friend. The car is in good working condition and been serviced and reapaired when required. What should I do...
A very good friend has a 3 year old Honda Jazz for sale. It has only a few thosand miles on the clock and has remained virtually undriven since he had a stroke two years ago. What are the pitfalls of...
On start up after sitting idle for a day or so the auto gear box "clunks" into gear no matter how gently I move the gear change into drive. It is ok for the rest of the day. Car is still under warranty...
You may remember an exchange about my Mercedes Vito that lost traction on one wheel when reversing into my drive. This was because of the twisting action caused by a significant camber change raising one...
Rather late in the day I am writing to ask you for advice regarding the loan of a Bentley following a motorway shunt 20 months ago. We were part of a multiple collision on the motorway coming home from...
I would like your opinion on the rear discs replaced on my car at a main dealership. The car has covered 33,560 miles. I have measured the disc and the total wear on the thickness is 0.75mm. The reason...
I have a BMW 3 Series and would appreciate your recommendation for winter tyres and wheels. Is this likely to transform this car in the snow?
I am thinking of buying a Toyota Verso petrol model. The 1.8 however is only available as a semi-automatic and is called a Multidrive and has CVT technology. Could you tell me what this means? Is this...
Following your email of 5 Aug I received one from Warranty Direct advising they would re-assess my claim if I sent them copies of the MoT in force at time of repair, the last service bill and the repair...
A Mazda dealer has offered me the following that I will view next week: Ex-demonstrator Mazda 5 1.6 Diesel, TS2 on 16” wheels, 3,500 miles on the clock, for £16,995. Is it worth considering, as a new...
I have recently acquired a new KIA Picanto 1 and a very accomplished little car it is too. Naturally, the engine will need to go through it's ‘break in’ (as the manual puts it). Also, I would not expect...
Please assume that I know absolutely nothing about winter driving and tell me what I can do now to prepare for the possibility of snow and ice on the road. Last winter I was marooned in my house because...
It took me six months to find a Mercedes SLK in good condition with AMG bodykit and wheels. On June 9th 2011 I bought locally a SLK 320 73,000 miles 3 previous owners, full AMG kit which had been fitted...
Just a brief line to thank you for the advice you gave me to have my steering checked by going to www.alignmycar.co.uk. I took my car to QR Sport in Cheshire who sorted out the problem in less than an...
We currently own one of the first 2004 diesel Discovery 3s (on off road tyres) and a 2003 5-door petrol VW Golf Match. The Discovery is averaging 21mpg, which makes frequent weekend trips from London to...
I wish to thank you and your legal advisors for the sound advice given me, re: a 535D delivered to my son on 2 July, breaking down on 17 July 2011. A special delivery letter was sent to the Dealer Principal...
Regarding TH's problem with excessive oil consumption on his Audi A5 (13 August), I've had eight A4s and not had any problem with excessive oil consumption. I put this down to meticulously following your...
Your excellent column in Saturday's Telegraph exposes some serious issues, exemplified by MM of Hawick (13-08-11). Can you recommend a best procedure for dealing with an incident which requires car recovery...
Yesterday we got a letter from our car insurance company (More than - we have had our insurance with them for over 30 years), stating that "We have been contacted by a third party who has informed us that...
My car radio is a Blaupunkt some 14 years old. Recently I had a new car battery installed and this actuated the security coding system. I do not have the security code number and thus I am unable to remove...
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