Trending topics in January 2010
Questions from January 2010
Our second car is a 1998 CR-V and whilst it is currently reliable I am concerned that we may miss the opportunity to get £2,000 for it under the scrappage scheme if that scheme closes. My wife has taken...
Can you advise which of the official fuel consumption figures most nearly corresponds to what an average driver in mixed driving can expect to see?
Do you give help/advice on possible mechanical/electrical car problems anywhere on your website?
In June Liverpool Volkswagen (Derby Road, Liverpool) carried out what it described as a '2nd variable service' on my 4-year-old VW Golf. I was charged nearly £300, which included the service charge (£156)...
If you had a 17 year old grand-daughter who lived out in the country (in Northumberland actually) and who had just passed her test and was hell-bent on buying a small used car with a budget of say £3,000...
I was hoping you could help me. I am looking to buy a new to 1-year old small car for myself and my partner after my Punto Active was hit, and will most likely be a write-off. I am looking at either a...
I want to buy a new or nearly new 4x4 estate/SUV. Not to go off road but to use on skiing trips and the like. I need a good sized boot for largish dog cage and luggage and have identified the KIA Sportage,...
My car insurance is due for renewal. I am currently with Norwich Union, which, of course, has just changed to Aviva. I have heard rumours that in the event of a claim, Aviva personnel are not the easiest...
I’m looking at a BMW 3 series convertible. List price with extras is £35k. What sort of discount should I aim to get?
Not only are speed cushions a menace to vehicles, they are a menace to pedestrians. Last week I looked left, looked right, stepped out and fell full length, having tripped over one of these ‘safety’ devices....
Could I have the benefit of your advice please? I have owned a Honda CR-V VTEC Sport since new and now, at just over 3 years old and 27,000 miles, it will shortly need a new set of tyres all round. The...
You may remember I wrote to you about starting and running problems with my recently purchased 2006/56 Focus 1.6 automatic. You recommended Shell V-Power petrol. I said I would let you know I got on and,...
Recently I was charged £55 by Grasmere Skoda of Macclesfield, a former Skoda dealer who sold me the car new, to rectify rear alloy road wheels that could not be removed at home because they were corroded...
I am looking at a Mercedes 280E. It is 2006/56 and owned by a friend at my golf club. He says he has been offered £17k by Jaguar in exchange for an XKR. I have yet to drive it but I was very concerned...
Could you please give me your opinion on the most successful means to slow down traffic on our road? We have no pavements, and when we have to walk up and down the road it is very dangerous, due to the...
I bought an 03 plate Porsche Boxster S from a specialist dealer in March 2008 and was charged £500 for GAP insurance as an 'extra', although no paperwork ever materialised to support this, despite numerous...
We are retired and own two cars: a Jan 99 BMW 318iSE and a Feb 07 Jazz. We keep the BMW for three or four 1,000mile round trips to visit relatives down south. It has covered 70,000 miles and because of...
I have just retired after spending all my working life in and around the motor trade. We have a problem with which I hope you can offer some help which you probably have never been asked before. I am an...
I took my car my 2005 VW Passat 2.0TDI 140 Sport to the local VW dealer due to an oil pressure loss/emergency warning light appearing, combined with a loss of braking servo assistance. Oil was correct...
I bought a 1997 Ford Fiesta 1997 with 1 years MoT. The clutch broke 1 week later. I was then informed by my mechanic that this MoT is not right as there are numerous faults, including 2 broken springs...
In early September I visited Guy Salmon my local Land Rover dealer in Knutsford having read a good review of the new Discovery 4. There was a very nice example in the showroom and I requested literature...
I think the main benefit of average speed cameras is protection of construction workers. It is most unpleasant to be working at the side of the road with traffic roaring past at 70 or 80. However, for...
Today I received my insurance renewal quote from the AA. Apparently my current insurer wants £295 to renew but the AA has found someone cheaper at £233. How kind of them. I will renew without delay. However,...
I draw your attention to an absolute scam involving parking tickets. Read www.flashpark.co.uk This shows you how to become a freelancer for a parking enforcement operation. It is trying to marry street...
Two weeks ago, while driving my 1997 Citroen ZX, I was involved in a collision with a Land Rover Freelander. The other driver admitted liability to the police after losing control of his vehicle; which...
I’m looking for some pointers towards a new car. I’m about to purchase a mid-sized caravan and want to trade in the wife’s 04 Golf 2.0 TDI for a 4x4. We will only be towing 3-4 times a year so the car...
I am considering spending a fair bit more than I usually would on a nearly new car with the intention of keeping it for maybe 7 - 10 years. What concerns me is the possibility that within that time scale...
During March of this year following a fairly sudden halt to the traffic in the outside lane of the M25, my Jaguar XJR, whilst stationary, was shunted from behind by another previously stationary car that...
I bought a Mercedes ML 270CDI earlier this year protected by a 6 month ‘Warranty Wise’ warranty. I made a claim in August that has been rejected and they also say "we hold no contract directly with you...
I have two questions about my 2004 Volvo V70 D5 with 22,000 miles. For the last few years there has been a rattle when the clutch is dipped down. The rattle stops when it’s up. It rattles some days more...
Surely it is possible in these days of Big Brother to tax vehicles, not on engine size, but on their individual mileages done per annum? We are pensioners requiring separate transportation, living in a...
My friends in County Durham are hoping to move down to Buckinghamshire, where they will no longer need the 4WD of their Nissan X-Trail, which is not economical to run, either. The husband is a tall man...
You have been fairly relaxed about ‘space saver’ emergency wheels. I am very surprised they are legal. I have been idly thinking about my next main car. Given the poor state of the lanes in the West Country...
I have a 2006 Vectra 150SRI. It is garaged each night, but some mornings I open the garage to find the car's front windows are down. My dealer has suggested any fault must be human error, i.e. the electric...
I have had a second vehicle stolen in Derbyshire and whilst I was in the process of sending an email to the police requesting them not to use their contract vehicle recovery scheme, a knock came at the...
We're looking for a replacement 5-door hatch in the Focus/Astra/Golf sector. Most manufacturers seem to have neglected the petrol models at the expense of diesel development, and now petrol models seem...
In October 2008 I bought a new Honda Jazz 1.2 having studied the literature given by the Honda dealer with particular reference to the fact (so I was told) that this car would qualify for a low road tax...
A friend of mine has a Golf Plus, just over 3 years old. Original owner, full VW service history, 42k miles. A braking system warning light came on. He was going to go non-franchise until I told him about...
On 15 August you published a letter from "DW" about registering his car in Ibiza. We too have brought our car over (to Mallorca) and I would very much like to know whether your correspondent resolved the...
I have just been saddened by the sight of an elderly victim of the car scrappage scheme. At a local car breakers, an early Humber Sceptre in superb condition has been stripped for banger racing. This was...
I recently purchased an 11,000 mile 2007/57 Mercedes CL63 AMG from a private seller. After taking it to the main dealer for a service and reporting a judder under braking, I was told that due to pitting...
What do you recommend for a lady passenger (wife) who gets carsick? Her husband (a friend) has Jetta Sport and feels Sports Suspension best for her. I thought height of 4x4 (Tiguan or XC60) or the hydractive...
I parked my BMW in the car park in Shoreham By Sea last night. There were no lights in the car park. On my return I was clamped. I endeavoured to reverse, I got out to see I had been clamped. I went to...
What would be a dealer's comeback if someone sold him a car that has missed a service and needed a reconditioned engine to be fitted at two and a half years old? If the car was serviced just before the...
We propose to buy a second hand car for our 23-year-old son after he has passed his test in the next couple of months. He lives in Leeds LS4 2HG and will park the car outside his house. Budget is £1,500...
My present car is a Lexus LS430, which is more than 3 years old and has completed 29,500 miles in a faultless manner. I am considering changing it for a new MB S Class (latest facelift). Now that they...
As a FIAT 500 owner you, and maybe other readers and potential purchasers of this iconic little car, might be interested in the following. On 7th August this year my husband placed an order for a FIAT...
I am looking to scrap my 11-year-old Golf V5 2.3 automatic under the government scrappage scheme. I would like to replace it with a new automatic car of similar size and power. Budget £17k-£22k including...
My wife and I are in dispute about the relative merits of automatics and manuals. My view, from my advanced years, a lifetime in the industry (with Ford) and as a car user for half a century and over 100...
You kindly advised me on the purchase of a Mercedes SLK 200 and its acquisition has, inevitably, brought a desire to go off for long drives, which previously my husband and I have generally not done. We...
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