Why is the idling irregular when my 2003 Vauxhall Zafira starts up from cold?

After 140,000 miles of reliable use, my wife's 2003 Vauxhall Zafira 2.0 DTi is misbehaving. At temperatures below 8c it starts instantly and fast idle is fine but as it warms up and the idle speed drops...

My car won't start in the cold - what's wrong?

My Vauxhall Astra 2004 1.6-litre won't start from cold when the outside air temperature is below 6-7 degrees. In the past two days of very mild weather, the car has fired up fine but at the beginning of...

Should I get a cover for my Volkswagen Golf which suffers in the winter from iced-up doors?

I live in Suffolk on the coast and my 2001 Volkswagen Golf sits outside, doing a relatively small mileage. I suffer with problems of heavy frost on the windows, which takes some time to remove and, very...

Winter driving - car won't start

I have a 13 year old Audi A6 Allroad, which I use in the Alps in the winter. However, I’ve noticed that the car runs very poorly in cold weather and sometimes will refuse to start. I’ve tried using polar...

Can we stop our neighbour warming up his Ford Transit van and filling our house with fumes?

We have a next-door neighbour who backs his Ford Transit Connect diesel up to his house. In the morning at about 6:30am to 7:00am he wakes us up starting the engine and then leaves it running for half...

Recommend an SUV for local use in the Alps and for occasional long journeys?

My daughter lives permanently in a high ski resort in the French Alps (Val d'Isere) and needs a four wheel drive (obviously with winter tyres as well) for use by her and husband and three young children...

What is this creamy-coloured deposit around our Clio's oil filler?

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....

What is causing our Hyundai ix35 GDI to cut out?

We have a 20012 Hyundai ix35 1.6. In the past three days it has cut out three times whilst driving. We are worried about this because of the danger aspect. We have contacted Hyundai but they cannot see...

What is causing a sluggish gear change in my Ford Fiesta?

About three months ago I purchased a Fiesta 1.4 automatic (torque converter). It was only three months old with a very low mileage, an ex Motability car. I am pleased with the car, its performance is adequate...

Did biofuel cause my Citroen DS3 to break down?

My 8-month-old Citroen DS3 e-HDI 110 stopped at the side of the road with the engine management light on after I had lost all power and the car refused to go above 1500 rpm. As it is the DSport version,...