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Questions from December 2015
I bought my Honda civic brand new from the Bushy dealership in Watford, love it to bits, I have previously owned a 2007 2.2 I-Dtec from new for nearly 10yrs always serviced by main dealer no issues at...
I have a 4year old Mercedes SL350, which has done 16,000 miles. It has developed a leak into the boot. I am told by the local Mercedes independant specialist that "They leak when they leave the factory...
I recently posed a question regarding a short term lease (3/4 months) for my wife (we need an auto as she dislocated her knee recently). Having researched this following your advice, an auto 5 door fiesta...
I was never a fan of the VAG group (VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda)and, on top of that, your site is full of examples about unreliable motors they produce; however lately I find myself in a difficult position:...
I have a Mercedes Benz E 200 estate 2010 October model which has done 89000 miles. It has been fully serviced by a registered Mercedes Benz dealer. The cam chain has broken requiring a new engine at a...
In March 2015 I bought an approved used 2011 530D GT. It has, since then, needed a new window regulator, headlight control module and is booked in for a new headlamp (full of water..). All 4 alloy wheels...
I'm planning to trade in my 2006 Boxster (40k, FSH) in the new year and am undecided between a 981 Boxster or F-type convertible. My budget is around £30k plus the trade-in, so I'm looking at manufacturer...
I bought a brand new Golf Mark 7 just two years ago. At the last service in November the dealer told me that the car needed new rear brake discs at a cost of just over £ 300.00. I queried this and suggested...
Hi, been offered the chance to buy my company car but can't get price/value do to higher than normal mileage. Car is 34 months old and has done 95000 miles. Full main dealership service history. Fully...
Hi all I am sure that I read in my brand new Zafira's owners manual that tyre pressure can be increased from 32 to 38 psi to improve economy.Can you tell me what the pro's and cons are to this (reduced...
My six year old Honda CRV has developed the Honda Flat Battery fault . Any ideas what has failed to bring this on ?
I have up to £20000.00 to spend on an SL class mereceds which model do you
recommend
We have 2 vehicles a 2006 Kia Sorento which we use for towing a small caravan and a 2010 Peugeot Expert van hubby uses for work.
I need a car for a new job which requires a daily round trip of 60 miles...
My in-laws have a 63 reg VW Up ASG which has only done 6,600 miles. It had a software update about 9 months ago however, 6 months ago it developed a problem where reverse won't engage when cold. It takes...
Dear Honest John,
I am looking to buy a new supermini(which I would prefer to keep for at least 7 years)and having a hard time choosing between the new Hyundai i20 (1.2 petrol) and the Renault Clio (0.9...
Hi. I am wondering about your opinion of the X-Trail 1.6dci x-tronic. From your other posts I see you rate the 1.6dci and I think it's one of the better engines for not having DPF issues. What is your...
Hi,
I have a 2013 Fiesta Zetec S and this has been trouble free up until now. The manual heater/blower fan speeds 1-3 have suddenly stopped working. full speed (4) is still OK. Researching points to a...
I have anti pollution fault on my car but the car when warm is revving on its own and then it will cut out it will start but then there is no accelerator this may last five minutes then it will revert...
My year old Citroen c3 Picasso was written off in a accident , what would you reccomend to replace it with , as I don't want another c3 as the lack of storage is restricting , I am looking for a dismal...
Hi, we bought a 62 plate (just over 3 years old) Peugeot 3008 from a local independent dealer 6 weeks ago with 40k on the clock. It was an ex contract lease vehicle and came with a full Peugeot service...
When will the car manufacturers give honest day by day MPG figures rather than the concocted figures gained from Lab tests. The recent situation wuth regards to VW etc just show how we are all being stitched...
Good morning
A month ago I changed to winter tyres. Since then the temperature has hardly dropped below 12 and has often exceeded it when, for winter tyres, it should be 7 or below. As the tyres are presumably...
Hi HJ & Team.
A question regarding our legal rights. We bought, approximately a month ago, a 2006 Ford Fusion 1.4TDCi Zetec with about 70k miles on the clock. We paid approximately £2,200 less a £500...
My car has been in garage since 9th Dec due to water in driver footwell . replaced door seals and tried to return to me still with water you could dip finger in in the footwell and mildew growing on passenger...
hi
looking for a golf/focus size car 12 to 18 month old
do mixed driving about 18 k a year
any recommendations?
regards
I have a 2007 Seat Ibiza 1.2 Reference Sport. I have just noticed that both the front wheel arches are rusting. I am the third owner of the car however the manual states the bodywork warranty is for 12...
Hi John
I will be moving home soon and my distance to work will be a 35 mile round trip. I already own a Nissan Qasqai 1.2 DIG-T but I like the idea of the 1.6DIG-Ts extra humph or would I be better...
Re: Unhappy Returns, AC, Elgin 26/12/15
Many years ago I had an MB300TD on contract hire from MB, contact mileage 90k/3 years.
The car was collected, the people ticked all boxes as OK on the collection...
I recently took my 2008 Jag XF for a routine service at a main dealer who reported a problem with the injectors. On removal the diesel was found to be contaminated with 30% (est) petrol which invalidated...
Hello HJ - With 5 children between 8 and 12 years old on an in town school run would appreciate your advice regarding vehicle options to accommodate them and large dog with regular trips along farm tracks...
Dear John
We bought and paid for a Jaguar 2006 xk convertible from the Marshal Jaguar dealership on the 26/04/2015.We were unable to collect the car for another four weeks as it turned out the previous...
Is there a special method for refitting the Heater Resistor (3R68K 1R71K R41K) in a Renault Megane without having to completely remove the dashboard?
The positioning / design of the resistor connector...
Hi
I have had my Mondeo looked at today by the RAC as it wouldn't start and have been told that the turbo has blown. Oil is coming out of the exhaust and a neighbour who is in the trade confirmed that...
HJ; have an approx. budget of £15-20,000 to spend; reliability ONLY requirement! What should I purchase from below;
Toyota Yaris
Toyota Auris
Mazda 2
Kia ProCeed
Kia Rio
Honda Jazz
Honda Civic
Should...
I drive a 2013 Toyota Avensis but recently starts to overheat in traffic if the air-conditioner (A/C) is on. The cooling system will stop working immediately the temperature rises. Once the A/C is of,...
Hi H.J.
I have owned since new , 2004, an x trail. The car has done 104000 . it has been very reliable during the 11 years.I now want to replace it . Max spend is 14000.My choice of cars is between x...
Dera HJ
Speaking as an avid reader of your column I read that virtually every type of VAG diesel or petrol engine has relliability and other failure issues,there seem to be many problems with readers cars.
I...
Hi, Happy Xmas any way,
Have put a deposit of £40 on Seat 1.6 Altea that has done 890000 miles at a price of £4,900 not to bad a scuff or two.
will give MOT & change oil...
Search results for I bought a 2006 citroeon c3 5 months ago on finance. The car had 37k miles on the clock. last week i could smell burning rang the dealer took it to citroen to be told that it needed...
I read with interest your response to a recent question regarding a noisy timing chain in an Audi A1. My 2011 Seat Ibiza 1.2 TSI has suffered from a similar problem and a while ago, the timing chain was...
I purchased a second hand Golf 1.4 FSI with 80,0022 miles on the clock for around £3000 in October. After driving it for around 600 miles it broke down. They have since diagnosed it as timing chain failure...
My daughter bought a 10k mile MINI Cooper in March 2015. In December, at £20k miles, the clutch failed. Guildford MINI Centre would not entertain a warranty claim unless a £900 'exploration fee' was paid....
My 2010 Skoda Scout 1.8TSI developed very high oil consumption after 80K miles. This was a few months outside my warranty that I had extended to 5 years.Investigation determined that this was caused by...
My wife's Fiesta was slightly lagging a bit on take off so I gave the car a service, the usual like oil air filter plugs. After installing the plugs the car was misfiring. So I have done a full check on...
I'm a plumber and back in June 2014 I leased ( on a three year deal) a Touran through my business. It's fitted with the EA189. I'm thinking about approaching Volkswagen and just saying ' look, you fibbed...
My son and his wife (with one child) need a replacement family car, either an estate or an SUV style. They would prefer to buy rather than lease and I have offered to provide funds up to £10k.The first...
I bought a Ford Focus manual 1.6 TDCi just over 1 year ago and it was just two years old. It has been serviced at Ford dealers at required intervals and about three months ago with about 38000 miles registered...
I've just had new winter tyres fitted to my 2013 Honda CRV. I was advised that the tracking was incorrect so I had a 4 wheel laser check to correct the alignment. On the first straight road after the fitting...
The only problem I have with my Hyundai i30 auto is the level of road noise. You often advise lowering the pressure in the tyres will this help in this case?
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