Ford Fiesta misfire

I have a year 2000 Ford Fiesta 1.25 petrol. Recently it has developed a misfire, I tried pulling the leads off with the car ticking over and number three cylinder is the problem. The car had new plugs...

Ford Tourneo Connect - does it suffer DPF problems?

I plan to buy a Ford Grand Tourneo Connect. I would choose the diesel, but am afraid of DPF problems because I only do short journeys in a city. Would you rather recommend the 1.6 EcoBoost petrol or have...

Missing extras on the i30

The Hyundai website says the i30 in Premium trim comes with some useful extras, including: Keyless entry, Stop/start and a parking camera. Yet, on the used market, none of the i30s have these items. Why...

New car delays - what are my options?

I have a new car on order with with a stated delivery date of mid/end of July. After a querying phone call to them on the 23/4th July I was given the registration number. It is now 4th August with no more...

Buying a used car - Insignia or Passat?

I have a 75 mile round trip commute so I'm looking for a large cruiser with a decent boot. I'm looking at used cars with 20-30k on the clock. The Vauxhall Insignia has caught my eye, mainly because it...

Putting a car into storage - what do I need to know?

I am looking to mothball my Focus C-Max, 2.0 diesel for 12 months. What tips and advice can you offer?

How cold should my air con get?

I have a Ford Fiesta which has air conditioning. How effective should it be as it doesn't get very cold in the summer months.

Fiat Panda problems

A year ago I was delighted to buy a 2010 Fiat Panda automatic. I bought it from an independent garage, but three months ago (when the car was four years and two months old and had completed about 11,000...

Peugeot 206 misfires only brake is applied

I have a Peugeot 206, which misfires when the breaks are applied. The car then has to be shut down and restarted for it to stop. The ECU, throttle body and throttle switch have all been replaced, but the...

Cam belt failure - is my local garage liable?

I brought a used car from an independent garage 10 months ago with a newly changed cam belt by the same garage. Five months and 8000 miles later the cam belt snapped. The garage has since made a warranty...

What's the wading depth for a plug-in hybrid?

I want to buy a plug-in hybrid, but am worried about the wading depth for such cars: eg Outlander, Golf & A3? I'm not planning on driving through flood water but have encountered 4-6 inches on the road...

Is it time to ditch the diesel?

Our Ford C-Max 1.6 diesel is almost three years old and mostly used for lots of school/activity runs and averages about 35mpg. It’s worth about the same as an old shape 2013 Petrol engined Vauxhall Zafira/...

Why does my X-Type keeping switching to safety mode?

My Jaguar X-Type has done 90k miles with few problems, but over the last six months it inexplicably goes into "Safety Mode". To solve the problem I usually have to pull over, switch off the engine and...

Nissan Micra emitting white steam from exhaust

I have whitish steam coming from the exhaust of my Nissan Micra (1996) when I accelerate. There is no cream in the oil or coolant loss. Any ideas about what I should get a mechanic to check? Could it be...

What's the cam belt/chain change interval for a Corsa?

Could you tell me what the the cam belt/chain change interval is for a Vauxhall Corsa 1.4(100)?

Buying a new BMW X3 - petrol or diesel?

I'm considering buying a used BMW X3 and running it with winter tyres during winter. I've seen some petrol versions available at reasonable prices compared to diesel. I will do mostly 15,000 miles this...

Can I reject a car due to poor fuel economy?

I bought a 2008 Lexus IS220d recently from an independent dealer. When I bought the car the salesman told me it would return 40+mpg. However, the car hasn't returned anywhere near this figure, with an...

Collision damage waiver insurance - is it worth the extra money?

Is it worth taking out annual personal cover for collision damage waiver insurance on hire cars in Europe to try to avoid rip offs?

Used SL350 purchased 4wks ago - SBC issues fault codeC2359

I purchased the above from a home based dealer some 5 weeks ago and have since covered less than 1K miles. It's a 2007 model and now has 49.6K miles with a full main dealer service history (last serviced...

Buying a new car - Skoda, SEAT or Volkwagen?

I am looking to buy a new car. I have narrowed down my choice to the Skoda Octavia, SEAT Leon or Volkswagen Golf with the 1.4 turbo petrol engine. However, I believe that the 1.4 in each of these cars...

Should I buy an electric car?

I am considering purchasing a small electric car and have test driven the Nissan Leaf and the Renault Zoe. What are your views for a lady with mainly small journeys but the occasional longer one? It does...

Are diesel cars a bad idea?

I live in London and have ordered a new Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion, but am now worried that I have made a mistake. Transport for London and Boris Johnson want to penalise diesel drivers from 2020 onwards...

Should I buy a Freelander before they replace it in 2015?

I’ve discovered that the Land Rover Freelander is due to be replaced in 2015. Should I buy one before the change or wait for the new model?

Nissan X-Trail won't accelerate

I have a 2003 Nissan X-Trail, diesel with low power. It will not pull properly and feels like it is missing a lot of power. It crawls up to 3500rpm, then takes off. Any idea what the fault could be?

Best £1500 slogger

Change of circumstance means I need a reliable car for a 100 mile daily commute. It's asking a lot, but it needs to be 'smart' as this a new exec level role. Want something that's not out of its depth...

Buying a Clio/Captur 1.2 - can I get a manual?

I'm looking to upgrade from my Megane Coupe to potentially a Captur or even the Clio (which is know as about as big as my Megane). The 1.2 TCE seems good but I hate the EDC. Is it likely Renault will...

Yaris or Fiesta for a low mileage driver?

I' planning to buy either a Toyota Yaris (2009-2011) or Ford Fiesta (2008 onwards). Which of the two do you recommend for reliability, holding its value well, build quality and running costs. I'm planning...

Fan keeps coming on after a crash in our Volkswagen Caddy?

My husband was involved in a crash (his fault) in his Volkwagen Caddy Van (2009 model, done approx. 30,000 miles). During its repair we were told that the fan kept coming on even when the ignition was...

Is my ix20 too sluggish?

My ix20 1.6 automatic was recently in for paintwork repair. I had found it sluggish at times in general - it is 6 months old. I hadn't driven automatics before so just thought 'oh well. ' I had a Corsa...

Do I have to pa tax on my Irish bought car?

I have just bought a Citroen C2 1.4 VTR on Southern Irish plate and I'm unsure what to do? I paid a grand for it, it has 77,000 KMs on the clock. Will I have to pay tax on this? It has a UK MOT on it...

Buying a used BMW 3 series saloon - which engine?

Which engine would be best for long term reliability - 320i, 328i or 330d? I prefer the way petrol drives but am worried about coil and injector problems - is the F30 320i or 328i proving to be reliable...

Feeling ill whilst driving - is my car emitting dangerous fumes?

I am driving a 2011 Volkswagen Passat (company car) with 50,000 miles on the clock. I've had it for sometime and felt ill. My other half told me it was smelling of diesel fumes and that's why I was feeling...