What has Honest John been asked this week?

[Web Version]( | [Update preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Facebook icon]( [Like]( [Twitter icon]( [Tweet]( [Forward icon]( [Forward]( [How do I get an 'anti-pollution' sticker for driving in Paris?]( Posted by on 15 December, 2017 It was recently reported that you need 'anti-pollution' stickers, which cost £3.70, when driving in Paris or risk a fine of €135. Do I need them for going to drive to Paris next week and how can I get them? [Read more →]( [My Ford Transit Custom isn't blowing cold air - what's the issue?]( Posted by on 15 December, 2017 My Ford Transit Custom isn't blowing cold air. The temp gauge also shows no temperature. [Read more →]( [I want to buy an MGB GT, what's the best way to go about this?]( Posted by on 15 December, 2017 I'm looking to buy a nice MGB GT. Can you tell me what the best places to place a wanted ad are? I have joined the MG owners club already. [Read more →]( [Can an insurer void a claim because I had penalty points?]( Posted by on 14 December, 2017 Previous to having a licence or provisional I received penalty points. I didn’t know I had, as I thought you couldn’t receive points without a licence (this was in June 2014). I applied for my provisional in December 2014 and I wrote my car off in October 2017. My insurance are saying it’s void because I didn’t declare the points, but previous to this claim - about a month before - the same insurers paid out for a bumper that was damaged. Is my claim still valid and shall I dispute it? [Read more →]( [If a car is blocked into a parking space by another parked vehicle, what should the driver do?]( Posted by on 14 December, 2017 I was at a train station yesterday evening to collect a relative and buy tickets. At the ticket booth, a lady was in some distress. Her parked car was blocked in and on return from London she could not move her car. The ticket seller - the only staff person at the station - suggested she ring the car park administrators. It was 5.45pm, so no chance of success there. Her mobile had gone flat. I'm reluctant to get involved with other peoples arguments, but offered her my mobile to make a call to her family advising of her unknown delay. She'd taken details of the car blocking her way. It seems she was unwilling to call the police because it was private land. What should she have done? [Read more →]( [I only do short drives - can I take precautions to stop DPF issues with my Mazda 6?]( Posted by on 14 December, 2017 I've been reading some of the problems Mazda 6 owners have with DPFs. My Mazda 6 now has 93,000 miles on the clock, it had 90,000 when I bought it. I mostly do short runs (less than 15 miles). What should I look out for? Is there anything I can do before switching my engine off to stop DPF trouble in future? [Read more →]( [I have third party insurance and was hit by a drunk driver - where do I stand?]( Posted by on 13 December, 2017 I currently have third party insurance but I was hit by a drunk driver. Where do I stand ? [Read more →]( [How much is a 1982 Datsun 280ZX worth?]( Posted by on 13 December, 2017 What is the value for a private purchase of a Datsun 280ZX that's in good condition. It's a 1982 model? [Read more →]( [How often should the oil and filters be changed in my Land Rover Discovery Sport?]( Posted by on 13 December, 2017 How often should the oil and filters be changed in my Land Rover Discovery Sport? [Read more →]( [I was charged £100 for overstaying in a car park - am I legally obliged to pay the fine?]( Posted by on 13 December, 2017 I have a £100 parking charge for spending two hours and 17 minutes in a car park when I had paid for two hours. The car park charges £1 per hour, so the fine is clearly exorbitant. ShouldI I pay them about £5 to cover any loss and see them in court if they don't accept this or should I just pay the fine? [Read more →]( [My daughter's insurer is paying out after she hit a pedestrian - but the police said they would not pursue the matter?]( Posted by on 12 December, 2017 Two years ago my daughter was involved in an accident with a pedestrian who walked out in front of her. The police attended the accident and confirmed in writing that they would not be pursuing the matter. The pedestrian suffered minor cuts and attended A&E but was released the same day. Recently the pedestrian instructed solicitors to make a claim for £1500 in respect of personal injuries. My daughters insurance company AXA refuted the claim until just before the court hearing and agreed to settle on the basis that legal costs in defending the claim would be greater. They are now asking my daughter to agree and accept she was at fault. This seems wrong to me as the police decided not to pursue matters and Axa agreed up to the point of settling that my daughter was not at fault. If my daughter agrees to AXA's request to accept liability it will go down as an at fault claim and affect her record. My question is can AXA do this? If they can it seems very unfair . [Read more →]( [Why do they not offer tyre guarantees in the UK?]( Posted by on 12 December, 2017 On reading one of your articles, the point of different size of tyres was raised and you referred them to a tyre comparison site. Looking at this site (American) on some of the tyres particularly Michelin they come with a minimum mileage guarantee, 50,000 - 65,000 miles on some types. Are these the same make of tyre supplied in the UK? And if not why do they not have a mileage guarantee here? [Read more →]( [A minor accident became a £20,000 claim after the other driver lied about fake passengers' injuries - what now?]( Posted by on 12 December, 2017 My friend had a very minor car accident. No damage was done to either car and no one was hurt in any way. Both drivers say it was the others' fault. There were no witnesses. The other driver was the only person in the other car, however he has now added three people as passengers and witnesses onto his claim. They all apparently have injury claims, including the six year old girl who sustained a bang on the head, is apparently traumatised and suffers from nightmares. It looks like they will be claiming over £20,000 from a minor accident. What can he do? The insurance company has more or less said it his word against theirs. [Read more →]( [Why does our Volkswagen Passat over-rev and lose power when we change gear?]( Posted by on 12 December, 2017 Our 2012 Volkswagen Passat 1.6d appears to over-rev when changing gear, but at the same time as the rev counter rises, the engine loses power. It has been recalled and had the emissions fix done. Do you suggest we contact the franchise which did the work or is this something we need to live with? [Read more →]( [My fence runs along the edge of a supermarket's car park - are they responsible for shoppers that drive into my fence?]( Posted by on 12 December, 2017 My fence was damaged again on Sunday by a vehicle using the neighbouring supermarket's car park (it runs along my boundary line). The supermarket were not very helpful, they say they don't have CCTV that covers the car park and say that it is their responsibility. Their customers should they be responsible for the damage to my fence. Any help would be greatly appreciated. [Read more →]( [I'm 58 years old and taking driving lessons - when I pass the test, will insurance be the same as if I was a young driver?]( Posted by on 12 December, 2017 I'm 58 years old and currently taking driving lessons. On the basis that I pass my test at some point and want to buy a car, would I be expected to pay the premium of a young, new driver or would my age be an advantage? [Read more →]( [Can the signal from my key fob be read by thieves from inside my house?]( Posted by on 12 December, 2017 Can the key fob for my keyless entry Jaguar XF be read inside my house by thieves? [Read more →]( [Why does the heater in my Triumph Spitfire blow cold air?]( Posted by on 12 December, 2017 I have a problem with the heater on my Triumph Spitfire. When the heater is turned to 'hot', it starts to produce nice warm air into the cabin once the engine starts to warm up. However, once the engine is a full running temperature the heater then starts to blow cold air. What do you think the problem could be? [Read more →]( [I paid the deposit for a car and the dealer then cancelled the sale - do I have any legal redress?]( Posted by on 12 December, 2017 I viewed a car advertised online by a sole trader. We agreed on the advertised price, I paid a 10 per cent deposit and then agreed to collect the car today. This morning I recieved a text saying the price was wrong on the advert, the sale was cancelled and was offered a refund of deposit. The same car reappeared on the same site last night at a substantially higher price. Is there any legal redress available to me for compensation, to include losses in cancellation of insurance and tax, any increased cost to me to find an equivalent vehicle, mileage to view the vehicle and generally being messed about? [Read more →]( [Our newly bought car failed after six weeks - the dealer refuses liability, but do we have a case?]( Posted by on 12 December, 2017 I recently bought Volkswagen Scirrocco 1.4 TSI for my son. It has had two previous owners and was bought from a second hand car dealer with 39,000 miles on the clock (sadly not a Volkswagen dealer). In the first few weeks after purchase the oil light came on and we found it was empty of oil. After refilling, it was still burning through significant amounts (litres) of oil and ultimately broke down completely in about week six following purchase. The dealer collected the car, identified the turbo as the issue and replaced it at a cost of £1500. He claims the cause of the turbo failure is solely down to my son's bad driving in the first month of ownership as the car was perfect when it left them. He also claimed turbo failure in a petrol engine is unheard of and can only be down to bad driving. My son is a careful and modest driver. Can even the worst driving possible destroy a perfectly good turbo in the space of four weeks? If we take legal action, will it be possible to prove the dealer is incorrect in this scenario? [Read more →]( You are receiving this email because Honest Insights is a publication produced by HonestJohn.co.uk with your requirements and specifications in mind. It provides in depth site analysis comparative with wider industry trends. [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( HonestJohn.co.uk Ltd Unit 1 Eaglethorpe Barns Warmington Peterborough PE8 6TJ