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Questions from August 2013
I am a car nut with a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, a Ferrari F360 in the garage and an Alfa 4C on order. We have a 2-year-old and the Cayenne is great for him: big boot, luxurious and good on the motorway. We...
Around last autumn time a reader wrote in with a problem about water in his car boot, but I cannot remember your reply. It was the same car as mine (a Ford Fiesta) and there is only water in the base of...
My wife bought a Polo with a DSG box two years ago. At the first Volkswagen dealer service she complained about an intermittent hesitation from the car when starting from a stop. The mechanic said there...
I live in Adelaide, South Australia. We purchased a 2011 ex-demo Skoda Yeti 2.0TDI 4WD DSG nine months ago. There is a ground swell here in Australia concerning possible DSG problems. We had a couple of...
I wrote to you in May regarding problems my daughter was experiencing with regard to the differential of her Nissan Qashqai and the amount of compensation Nissan was prepared to pay. You kindly provided...
Whilst driving after a hard days work, I started to feel drowsy and decided to pull into the nearest service station, Welcome Break Gordano, at around nine o'clock at night on 24 May 2013. I decided to...
I have a 2007 Skoda Roomster. When it rains my electric windows don’t operate. After a dry day they work again. Is there a known problem with this fault? Now they have stopped working completely. Can you...
Having given my local Skoda garage £370 to flush contaminated diesel from my Superb estate, a serious cold-start knocking issue persists as bad as ever, disappearing once the engine is just a little warm....
I am interested in buying a new SsangYong Korando Ex Auto 4WD which seems a lot of motorcar at a reasonable price. Would you recommend this car as being reliable?
Sadly my father has just passed away and will no longer be able to drive his pride and joy, a dark green 2003 Rover 75 Connoisseur Auto 4 door 2-litre petrol saloon. It is in very good condition, beautiful...
We bought our Yeti 1.8TSI 4WD new in September 2010 and have been absolutely delighted with it. We bought a Monthly Service Plan at £15.57 per month to cover the first three services. I requested a schedule...
My Renault Scenic 1.9 DCi recently cut out when being driven out of the local supermarket car park. It could not be re-started and the AA was summoned. The AA man suggested that the problem was likely...
I have a December 2007 BMW 118d ED with stop-start and the other associated bells and whistles. This feature has not worked for about nine months. My BMW dealer thinks it might be a poor battery, and suggests...
There is a creamy coloured deposit in the oil filler of my wife's 2008 Clio 1.2TCE (26k miles). The water level and oil level are normal and the oil is a good colour. The car was serviced in December....
The coastal town of Formby where I live is roughly seven square miles, has a population of approximately 25,000 and is affluent with high car ownership. The size and population of the town has changed...
My driver side window regulator recently failed on a 5-year-old Audi TT 2.0 TFSI. It ruined a weekend as the window jammed open and we had to cancel a 200-mile drive. Do you know if this is a common problem...
Several years ago I purchased a 2008 Golf Plus 1.4 TSI. When I purchased the car I was adamant that I wanted a chain cam system as a result of the problems with belt cams. The Volkswagen dealer assured...
My locked 2007 Mazda 6 TS 5-door auto parked on my driveway was struck by a car veering off the road at speed. After demolishing part of my neighbour's wall and part of my hedge it bounced off the rear...
Are SUVs and light vans subjected to the same safety requirements and crash tests as cars?
A friend of mine has moved to Spain for the summer. He generously invited me to join him for a week and we were discussing his car. It's British registered and fully legal in England. He reckons that he...
We require a 4x4 (either permanent or selectable) to carry household and other items to and from mainland Europe. New or secondhand. Our mileage is around 15,000 per annum, mainly longer journeys, and...
Can you tell me what is the point of a built-in car satnav (in a 2-year-old Citroen) that won’t let you input the last two characters of a postcode, so it only takes you to a town, not to the exact address...
I’ve just had to fork out for a new set of rear tyres on my 35,000-mile Skoda Octavia 1.9. The tyres had 3.5mm of tread left but were “out of shape”. Curiously enough, the same thing that happened to my...
Last Saturday six of us packed into my son’s Mazda 5 to go on a picnic to celebrate my grandson’s fifteenth birthday. With all the picnic hampers, room was at a premium. Twenty minutes into the journey...
The time has come to let go my 1991 J-reg E30 BMW cabriolet with leather seats, sports auto gear box, electric hood and air con that I have owned for 16 years with a mileage of 74,000. I'm the third owner...
I passed my driving test in Lisburn, NI in February 1979 driving my parents manual Renault 4L. My paper driver licence was sent to the DVLA for replacement to update it to my Rushden address in 2006. It...
My wife has had a 2003 Honda CR-V petrol 2.0i model for about eight years and it has given her great service. She likes the road handling, size and space and how comfortable the ride is. I like the fact...
Can you tell me which is better, Audi A4 or BMW 3 Series? The reviews seem to suggest that the new BMW is a better car, but I'm hesitant because I've had 3 Series cars before and found the seats uncomfortable...
I’ve owned a 2009 Volvo V50 from new. From time to time the climate control, when set on automatic, suddenly changes so that it may be limited to a single zone, perhaps coupled with full fan. Other possible...
I am looking to buy a BMW X3 from a private seller. I have had a HPI check done and the car was category D Vehicle (damaged but repairable - the insurer decided not to repair). The data currently held...
I have 2003 skoda Octavia diesel that blows smoke on start-up. Any idea what's wrong?
Today my BMW 3 Series cut out four times as I was reducing speed and changing down the gears. I wondered if it was due to the heat?
The car restarts as you bring the clutch back up, although where I've...
My daughter's nine year old Renault Megane has finally expired and she needs a replacement for £10,000 - £12,000. She liked the Megane, but it proved unreliable and expensive to repair. Could you recommend...
I am looking to replace my 2000 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T Estate, which I’ve owned since new. I am hoping to get something smaller, but would prefer a manual.
I'm attracted to the new Golf Estate GT 1.4...
I'm looking for a small family car for around £7000, I've seen a two cars I like (Kia Cee’d and Toyota Auris) with around 50,000 miles in three years. Would you recommend buying something with this many...
I have a Mazda MX5. A few weeks ago my off-side tyre blew on a sharp raised manhole cover. The damage cost me £140 to fix and I have taken photos of the damage and the cover in question. Should I write...
My Mazda 3 recently had a refill of the DPF fluid and forced regeneration by a main dealer due to an engine management light coming on, which produced DPF related error codes.
The car subsequently ran...
Is there a method or procedure to remove category D write-off from a vehicle when it's been repaired?
I have just ordered a new Jaguar F-Type in red. Would you recommend the extra protective polymer coating at £500?
My 2012 Honda CRV has been in the dealership for six weeks now with a DPF emissions filter problem. This has been a recurrent issue with the vehicle since new; we are now told it will be another two weeks...
The manual gearbox on my Volkswagen Golf is making a loud rattling noise when idling in neutral. I’ve approach my local dealer and been told this is a neutral gear rollover noise and they will not accept...
I'm looking for a second hand medium sized car for myself. I do a daily commute of around 40 miles and want something comfortable, but sporty to drive.
I’ve had thoughts about the Skoda Octavia vRs,...
A friend of mine drove his leased BMW 1 Series 'at a reasonable speed' through a 'reasonable puddle' and has flooded the engine. He has been told it will cost £3000 – £6000 to fix. Is this a common problem...
My 1998 Volkswagen Golf (Mk4) has been making a loud knocking noise. I have replaced everything on the front suspension imaginable, but the noise persists. The noise starts on the front left suspension,...
I’ve been offered a 2001 Saab 9-3 for £2995. It has covered 77,000 miles. Should I buy it?
Can you recommend a fairy cheap used convertible sports car for weekend use?
I bought my 2008 CRV 2.0 Automatic as an approved used car from a Honda dealership in 2011. Recently my air con stopped working. Upon taking it to get the air re-gassed, I was advised the compressor was...
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