What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Questions from September 2012
I bought a Citroen C4 Picasso 1.6hdi vtr+ 2 weeks ago from Arnold Clark Northwich. It's a 57 plate Picasso with 39,000 miles on the clock and I have noticed a chirping sound like the cam belt maybe slipping....
My 2001 Polo just failed MOT on emissions, high on everything. The mechanic advised I should replace the manifold cat, the standard cat and the lambda sensors. Quote for parts alone is over £700. I'd like...
I own a Peugeot 406. The engine cut out whilst driving; fault was diesel pressure sensor. Replaced sensor. Engine diagnostic light on again and the car has gone into limp mode. Took it to the garage. Codes...
Is an extended warranty worth taking up - includes parts but not labour for two years for £445.
When turning on the ignition first thing how long should the glow plug light stay on before it goes off. Does the length of time it takes, or doesn't take, indicate a problem?
I have an issue with automatic gear box on my Renault Grand Modus 1.6 (2008). Have driven autos for over 20 years, mainly Japanese cars so this is my first Renault. I find that the Modus drives more like...
I've been browsing answers and I'm interested to note you do not need a spare tyre to pass the MOT test. However, I seem to remember you must have a spare to drive lawfully on a day-to-day basis. Is that...
I need a small automatic car for my 79 & 91 year old parents. It must have with all round parking sensors & good visibility, as well as wide doors and high seats without high sides for easy access, for...
I purchased a Vauxhall 2007 Corsa 1.2 Club for £3650 on the 14th July this year and now the head gasket has gone. The dealer only gave 30 days warranty on the engine and gearbox. Trading Standards have...
I have an Agila petrol 1.2 with approx 35000 miles on clock. How can I tell whether timing chain needs replacing or whether it is a tensioner fault or cam sensor fault? Diagnostic code is 0340 but car...
I have kind of a minor wobble in my steering, this happens at any speed slow or fast. It is a small vibration and steering wheel moves a small amount (2-5cm) from left to right or right to left. This...
I'm a new driver now considering a vehicle. I narrowed my choice to a used Volkswagen Golf MK5, either the 1.6 petrol or the 1.9 diesel. My question is, which is the most sensible financially? I've been...
We're a family of two adults, a 2.5 year old and a 6 month old. We currently own a Hyundai i30 estate diesel (the best car we've ever had, and a complete bargain) and (on the basis of a good experience...
My diesel 320d started emitting white smoke suddenly one day. One mechanic told me to put diesel fuel injector cleaner in it and service the car. It solved the problem a little bit. But I wanted it further...
Is this car worth considering if I drive approx 8000 miles annually and are the usual servicing requirements needed? ie cam belt particulate filter and perhaps other expensive service items that come with...
I'm confused about the auto gearboxes available on the Volvo V40. Although you refer to Powershift gearboxes in the review, the technical details refer to Geartronic boxes. Can you advise which is actually...
I bought a new Ford Ka in March. I wish to reject the deal as the car has had a fault since new, and despite several attempts to fix it by the dealer they have failed. Ford finance refuse to let me cancel...
Single mum looking to get another car - not too small but low tax, cheap insurance, good on fuel, cheap to repair.
Can you recommend quiet tyres for my car - 205/55/R16 91v?
I am looking for a 4x4. My garage has recommended a Honda CR-V, a Toyota RAV 4 or a Nissan Qashqai. I have never driven a 4x4 so it is important I find one that is easy to drive. I am not a long distance...
I've bought myself a spare set of alloys and have ordered some winter tyres from my local garage. They will be fitting Kleber Quadraxer's next week. I have let my insurance company (Direct Line) know...
I have been told by a garage that my air-conditioning unit in my Scenic 2006 needs replacing (ball bearings?). I could hear noise (Whining) and the garage checked and diagnosed a fault with air-conditioning....
We want a reliable small van for our 17 year old who will travel around GB for outdoor sports. He may sleep in back occasionally so should accommodate a mattress. It should be lowest insurance possible,...
I'm a devotee of regular oil and filter changes. 20,000-mile service intervals are clearly aimed at fleet operators keeping maintenance costs down and are irrelevant to many of us. I bought my 1.2-litre...
My 18-year-old daughter was on holiday in Cornwall last week and received a parking charge notice. When she parked she tried to purchase a ticket, but both machines had a digital display showing 'out of...
Recently I was a passenger in a car being driven in the outside lane, during rush hour, on a Friday evening. All three lanes of the motorway were busy with traffic moving at about 40mph. I looked across...
I have a 2006 Toyota Yaris and was disappointed to read that Toyota has since abandoned the digital speedo. It is so easy to read and, when driving abroad, you can just set it to kilometres. It's much...
I am often dismayed at the selfish drivers who park up to half a car length from the start or end of a parking bay, thus taking up two parking spaces. If I left a note under their wiper blade saying, "In...
My Vauxhall Vectra’s power steering pump broke down and we were towed to Tustain Motors in Berwick-upon-Tweed by an RAC contractor. Unfortunately, they were unable to obtain a replacement pump before we...
I am contemplating the purchase of a 2004-2007 Volvo XC70 automatic diesel. Were these vehicles fitted with DPFs, dual mass flywheels and exhaust gas recirculation valves? It will be my second car with...
We own a 2004 Volkswagen Golf 1.9TDI automatic that has now done almost 100,000 miles. So far it has been relatively trouble-free, although it recently needed a new alternator and battery. Would you advise...
I was driving my one-year old Audi A3 at about 40mph on a rural road near my home when the car suddenly veered to the right, crossed the road, knocked down a telegraph pole and fell into a deep ditch....
I purchased a Volkswagen Touran new from Dane Motor Company in Chester just under six years ago. The warranty has, of course, long since expired. Dane has serviced the vehicle for me. Recently the ESP...
It is rare that I use the left-foot braking advice that you give for driving automatics. However, I am sure it saved me from an accident recently when approaching a narrow bridge only to find a large HGV...
You're quite right that the CPS (also known as the Criminal Protection Society) is useless at pursuing fraudulent insurance claims. I suspect one reason for this is that a hugely disproportionate number...
I have been told by my local Mercedes-Benz garage that the air-conditioning unit in my 2010 B-Class doesn't work because the condenser was damaged by a stone thrown up from the road. The original repair...
In 2009 I bought a new Renault Laguna 2.0dCi 150 Initiale 50 diesel automatic. Can you tell me whether it has a diesel particulate filter, dual mass flywheel or an exhaust gas recirculation valve fitted...
I recently bought a SEAT Altea SE 1.6TDI DSG and I also looked at the equivalent Volkswagen Golf Plus. The SEAT worked out to be £4710 cheaper than the Golf. Taking into account the extras which are cheaper...
Do you know if Volkswagen has any plans to bring out a new model of the Golf Plus? I think I read somewhere that a new model of the Golf was being introduced later this year and, if this is correct, I...
In January I bought a used Audi which I sourced through the Audi website, as it claimed that all vehicles have a service history check and will have a clean, completely transparent record. I have no complaints...
Telegraph Motoring recently carried photographs of two high performance cars: the Jaguar E-Type and the De Tomaso Mangusta. Both clearly show sensibly-sized wheels with hefty tyres to absorb the shocks...
I used to use my 2004 Jeep Cherokee 2.8 CRD Limited to travel backwards and forwards from Exeter to Manchester. More recently we use hire cars, so the Jeep only gets used for social, domestic and pleasure...
I am not particularly mechanical so can you explain the difference between a dual mass flywheel and a standard flywheel, the advantages of using them (if any) and why they are used if they cause so many...
We purchased a 2010 Golf 1.6TDI in September 2011 with 10,000 miles. It has now done 15,000 miles without any problems. My wife only does a low mileage and she usually keeps a car for seven or eight years....
Last year I contacted www.orangewheels.co.uk about a new Golf Match TSI auto. I was passed to Dane Chester and was offered a discount 3 per cent greater than local Volkswagen dealers and a delivery of...
Earlier today, with my car temperature gauge reading 30 degrees Celsius I saw two young boys sitting in the back seat of a Ford Ka in a supermarket car park. Their only ventilation was the two rear quarter...
I'm becoming more frustrated by the lack of skills exhibited by some motorway drivers, who never leave their lane and make it difficult for others to overtake. If I undertake, it never fazes them, nor...
A friend of mine had a head-on collision recently. He was travelling at under 30mph and his airbag failed to inflate. A policeman who arrived at the scene told him that they don’t inflate at the speed...
I have a 2010 Volkswagen Scirocco 2.0 TDI. After leaving it locked in garage for four weeks while on holiday, I found that the battery had discharged and the car wouldn't start. I have already had the...
Thank you for informing ‘RT via email’ how to drive. I have been having to deal with prats like this for years. Why does anticipation never enter into the Driving Test? Is the relationship between speed...
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer