What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Questions from March 2012
My wifes 2010 Aygo is due 20,000 ml service. Shall I use a Toyota dealer - pricey at £200 plus - or a decent independent I know? Will it affect my warranty or resale value using a non official garage?
I'm horrified to see passengers of cars and vans, with their feet and legs sprawled over the dashboard.
If there's an impact and the airbag goes off, I suspect the feet and legs of the passenger will...
In late January I purchased an 04 plate 645ci from a BMW main dealer. It came with a full year's BMW used car warranty.
Since then, the car has been into my local dealer's due to blocked boot drains flooding...
My local dealer is offering an 11 plate ex demo Avensis 2.0 D4D TR Estate for £18,000.
I have a Panda Multijet on a 56 plate with 60,000 on the clock in reasonable condition for possible trade in. Is...
I am a GP in West Yorkshire and have to drive 24-30 miles a day through all weathers. I have been very happy with my old Subaru Forrester (1997) - which I fitted with all terrain tyres - apart from the...
Switching to 16" from OE18" wheels on my Audi A3 Cabriolet S-Line to ease hard ride. (Insurance compnay will be advised)
I'm being ofered 100+ tyre options from 'Premium Performance' @ £45, asst brands...
I'm after a turbo-diesel 2-litre and have £2000. I would like something with room and comfort for long journeys. I like the look of a 110hp C5 any thoughts?
Anything comparable from other manufacturers...
I recently bought a new 1.2 Suzuki Swift. Only done 2,000 miles but the oil could already do with a top up. The handbook says the number 1 recommended oil is Castrol Magnatec 0w - 20.
My question - is...
The car goes into limp mode when under load going uphill. I have paid one garage to fix the problem by cleaning the turbo. It actually made matters worse.
Discovered they actually only cleaned the inlet...
Is it essential to balance the back wheels? Just got two new back tyres and the guy fitting them said they dont balance tyres for the back wheels.
Like many other readers I have been attracted to the Hyundai ix20 1.2 by your favourable comments. It drives really well and is more responsive than I expected, thanks for pushing me in an unexpected direction.
The...
The electric windows don't work on my Renault Megane. All other electrics work fine.
I have a Volkswagen Golf Match Bluemotion, bought new last August.
It has now done 5000 Miles and the service is not due for another 5000 miles or 5 months. Would it be a benefit to a new(ish) engine...
I have a BMW 335cd sport coupe 2007. I have had this car from new and after 9000 miles I noticed the front offside outer edge of tyre wearing, and also that the steering was a bit skittish. I went to my...
My Ford Mondeo 115PS TDCI with 60,000 miles just broke down - NSR brake caliper binding. Last year it was front spring.
I asked RAC man whether I should keep on repairing or replace the car and he was...
How do I top up the automatic gearbox with transmission fluid in my Reliant Scimitar SE5a 1975? There is no oil in the box whatsoever, however it goes through the gears without any problems.
I currently drive a 1.5 tech run Renault Megane. We're expecting our second child and need bigger boot and more spacious interior. I also have a bad back so was looking for something higher up. Budget...
I'm looking to replace our 2000 Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec estate. The Focus is perfect for me but my wife who is 5'1" tall finds it difficult to reach the pedals.
She tried a mark II Focus and the position...
We are OAPs (that places us in the almost idiot class to some!) On Saturday my wife put £5.00s worth of Sainsbury's City Diesel in the petrol tank of her 2004 Daihatsu Charade - because the fuel warning...
I agree with what you say about low profile tyres and have been trying to order a 1.8 TSI with factory fitted 16" wheels.
This seems impossible, even if I could swap with a willing Yeti owner, they come...
I'm 72 and looking for a smaller car. Comfort is essential, as is fuel economy, low tax, and an automatic transmission. I am trading a Corolla 1.6 Automatic registered 04, 46,000 miles immaculate condition....
I have an Audi A4 TDI 96 plate. I've had the battery and starter motor changed and still can't start it.
When the key is in the ingition all the lights on the dashboard come as normal and then go off...
The turbo failed on my C4 Picasso. The car is 4 months out of an approved used car warranty and the dealer has told me they have received notification from Citroen that the problem is due to a known fault....
I have owned my 03 Berlingo HDi from new, now done 125000 miles. The horn works with the ignition off perfectly, but will not work with the ignition on! Clearly an MOT failure but my garage - an independent...
I am at a loss which car to buy!
It is either Hyundai ix35 or Kia Sportage (which has been my favourite) or the Ford Kuga for its ride quality - but I really object to the mark up on the extras with the...
My mother-in-law has big problems with her 1996 Astra. A couple of months back the woodruff key in the crankshaft timing pulley wore and sent all the timing up the wall.
After fitting a new pulley and...
We have just acquired a 59 plate Galaxy TDCI automatic which has a complete mishmash of tyres on it with about 4mm tread, and I'm looking to put a matching set on. The current size is 225/55/R17.
What...
I visited a main dealer this week. Told the salesman what I wanted - nearly new. He phoned me later, offering a car registered Feb 2012 with delivery miles, for £9999.
Yes please, I said, and gave my...
We have the opportunity to get a lease car from work so we don't need to worry about tax and maintenance, etc.
What is the most economical car that could cope with two adults and three 10-13 year olds...
When should I change the timing belt on a 2009 (59) Audi A6 2.0TDIe, when the service book says 114,000 miles? My dealer says 75,000 miles. It is after-all still under warranty, so if it snapped wouldn't...
Yesterday I had my only serious accident in 47 years. A foreign HGV side-swiped me on the M25, I lost control and hit the central barrier head-on, and was then hit by another van too. When the chaos ended,...
When swapping from steel to alloy wheels, the most important thing to check is the length of the bolts. An alloy wheel is thicker and will need longer bolts, otherwise the bolts will not be secure in the...
I recently bought a 1.8-litre petrol Mazda 6. The ‘info’ button reveals I am achieving between 42 and 43 miles per gallon. How accurate are these in-car gizmos at calculating miles per gallon?
My daughter purchased from a dealer a 20-year-old Nissan Figaro with a full three-month warranty. She returned the car as the power steering was leaking. A power steering leak cure solution was poured...
My wife recently paid to attend a speed awareness course (after getting caught by a speed camera) and the main 'instruction' from the lecturer was to always stay in third gear when in a 30mph zone and...
Two cars had had a collision outside my home. I got their numbers. Unfortunately, an unattended parked car also had its near-side front wing damaged in the collision. I attached a note to its windscreen...
I am a motorcyclist who will always take the opportunity of filtering when it presents itself. This is part of the point of a motorcycle. When scything between lanes of traffic, one is in a state of high...
I can't recall having seen an item in your column about how air con should be maintained, for example how often re-gassed, de-odorised etc. Could you please advise? Will I get a better deal mid-winter...
After a couple of incidents I witnessed this week it is so clear to me of the benefits of always wearing high visibility jackets at a breakdown situation or similar. Rule 274 of the Highway Code only advises...
I have just bought a Skoda Fabia, which uses the same turbo-diesel engines as the Octavia. You may be interested to know that your advice is strengthened in the owner's handbook, which instructs (not advises)...
I recall reading an article about how a speed camera recorded details if a vehicle was over the limit, but not sufficiently so to issue a ticket, and those records were kept on a site accessible to the...
I bought a January 2009 Fiat 500 and have had it for nearly four months. However, recently there has been a bad smell inside. It is not a petrol or oil smell. Could the cause be attributed to the cold,...
A reader recently wrote of the ridiculously heavy-handed way some VOSA inspectors check on MoT stations. Your readers might be interested in how the VOSA checks boat trailers. In July this year I was pulled...
My current BMW 520d auto estate company car is due for replacement soon. I commute between Sheffield and Macclesfield at an average of 35,000 year. The current car is very comfortable and suits my needs...
On receiving my renewal form my car with Aviva, I noticed that an accident was recorded in the renewal form. On making enquiries (by telephone) I was told not to worry as this was being investigated and...
Why is it that some brands like BMW and Audi appear to have much brighter headlights? Also, don't you think that the many people who leave fog lights on constantly are often responsible for dazzling oncoming...
On 18 July 2011 we purchased a pre-owned 2011 Vauxhall Meriva 1.4 turbo petrol with 3,000 miles on the clock. On 18 December 2011 a warning message came up to say that a service was due, and the oil and...
We bought a used 2006 Volvo V70 T5SE in April 2011 with 59,000 miles on the clock that continues to consume about a litre of engine oil every 2000 miles. We took the car to the dealership that supplied...
On your advice I bought a facelifted Hyundai i10 1.2 automatic. I just wanted to say that I am delighted with the car. However I am not sure whether I should wait 12 months to have it serviced? My nearest...
Elsewhere on 
.jpg)
