What has Honest John been asked this week?

[Web Version]( | [Update preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Facebook icon]( [Like]( [Twitter icon]( [Tweet]( [Forward icon]( [Forward]( [I sold a car 'as seen and approved' but the buyer now claims there are faults and is demanding money?]( Posted by on 23 February, 2018 I have a 'sold as seen and approved' document from a sale I made recently but now the purchaser is demanding £500 for alleged faults. He wants to take County Court action against me. What are my rights? He inspected, drove, paid for and took delivery of the car at the time. [Read more →]( [Why should I pay to protect my no claims bonus?]( Posted by on 23 February, 2018 I am shortly to renew my car insurance and to protect my no claims bonus of nine years, maximum, the charge is £30. For what? It does not seem to me to give any real reason to pay. Could you give me some idea of what the advantages are? [Read more →]( [How can I find out what damage was involved in an insurance write off?]( Posted by on 22 February, 2018 I have purchased an Experian search on a car due to it being an Insurance write off. It only advises of the category, it doesn't show the name of the insurance company. Is there anyway I can find this out? [Read more →]( [Should I buy a Cat D car?]( Posted by on 22 February, 2018 Can I find out what damage was done to a car that's a Cat D and why it was written off? The seller doesn't know. [Read more →]( [What do multiple total loss insurance claims on a used car mean?]( Posted by on 22 February, 2018 I'm looking at a used car. What do multiple total loss insurance claims mean? [Read more →]( [My insurance premium increased despite no formal claims - why is this?]( Posted by on 22 February, 2018 A few days ago I accidentally reversed my car into a neighbour's parked car, resulting is very minor damage to one of his car's rear wheel arches. My car was undamaged. I immediately notified my neighbour and provided my insurance details. and reported the incident myself to my insurers without delay. Several hours later, I learned that my neighbour's car had broken down, though this was unrelated to the incident involving my car. I have now been told that he is scrapping his car. On updating my insurers, I was told that my next premium will increase because I reported the incident, even though no claim is being pursued by either party. This appears very unfair, as it would clearly have been better for me to delay reporting the incident pending personal consultation with my neighbour, a practice actively discouraged by insurers. Is this acceptable practice by the insurers? [Read more →]( [An elderly relative has a car on PCP but has been diagnosed with dementia and now cannot drive - where do we stand?]( Posted by on 22 February, 2018 An elderly relative has owned a car for one year of a three year purchase agreement. During this year he has been diagnosed with dementia and is not capable of driving. The car is stored off road and the keys are locked away. I am a family member, but not the registered keeper and have no financial or other responsibility for the car or the purchase agreement. The registered owner does not wish to return the car and end the purchase agreement, however, no insurer will offer cover to a dementia sufferer whose licence has not been renewed by DVLA. Is there any advice you can give me? [Read more →]( [Do I have to accept a refund for a car that I want repaired?]( Posted by on 22 February, 2018 Can I insist on a dealer repairing a car instead of refunding me? I bought a BMW i3 from a used car supermarket. It developed a major, complicated drive train fault on day one. The dealer and I agreed they wouldn’t know how to fix it. We sent it to a BMW main dealer to quote for repair. That came in at £5k. Now the supermarket is dragging its feet. They say they’re trying to get a goodwill concession from BMW. I’ve told them that has nothing to do with me. They’re also fobbing me off with excuses about directors being unavailable to make a decision.To their credit, the supermarket has offered a full refund. But I want to keep the car, because it is a truly rare spec. Can I insist they repair it? I’m aware that they are legally on the hook for some form of redress, but can they insist on a refund? [Read more →]( [How much is my 1980 Mini 1275GT worth?]( Posted by on 22 February, 2018 I've had a 1980 Mini 1275GT since new and it's covered just 50,000 miles. It doesn't go and has not moved for five years but is in surprisingly good condition on the outside. I now realise I am not going to get around to any restoration so wish to sell. How can I value it so that I get a sensible price? [Read more →]( [What is the definition of 'list price' on a new car?]( Posted by on 22 February, 2018 What is the definition of list price on a new car? Does it include the delivery charge and number plates or is it just the RRP of the car itself? [Read more →]( [Should I wait to get my 1971 Spitfire MoT'd?]( Posted by on 22 February, 2018 I have a 1971 Spitfire IV on which the MoT expires in February, but which is currently garaged over winter. The tax runs to 1st May (its £0 now). Shall I wait until the new MoT exemption rules come in May then tax it without an MoT certificate? Do I need to SORN in the meantime? [Read more →]( [The dashboard dials in my car keep going crazy - how do I stop these time travelling episodes?]( Posted by on 21 February, 2018 My Renault Megane dashboard dials keep going haywire, like the DeLorean's dashboard in Back to the Future, about 20 minutes into a drive. They go back to normality after two or three minutes of the dials prancing about. Have you got any ideas about how to stop these time travelling episodes? [Read more →]( [My car needed a new turbo which the manufacturer is paying for - should I have to pay the labour?]( Posted by on 21 February, 2018 Last week a couple of yellow warning lights appeared on the dash of my 2014 Skoda Octavia 1.4 petrol. At the main dealer they diagnosed a turbo fault which requires a new turbo to be fitted at a cost of £1770. Skoda will make a 100% goodwill contribution for the parts but I will still be left with a bill of around £450 for labour. Is this right? [Read more →]( [What checks do I need to make on a pre-reg car that's been sat around?]( Posted by on 21 February, 2018 I am purchasing a BMW 340i Touring from a main dealer. It was first registered in April 2017 but only has 72 miles on the clock and has been sat round for a while. Is there anything you would recommend maintenance wise on the car? I've checked the tyres for flat spots and it's fine but I didn't know if its worth changing the engine oil yet? [Read more →]( [Do we need to change the gearbox oil on our two-year-old Jazz?]( Posted by on 21 February, 2018 My wife's two-year-old Honda Jazz with 13,000 miles is due a service and the dealer recommends changing the gearbox oil at the cost of £75. Is this necessary? There are no problems with the manual gearbox. The car was purchased with a three year PCP. Does this mean we have to use the dealer for the service or can we use a recognised independent specialist? [Read more →]( [My car won't start - can you help me?]( Posted by on 21 February, 2018 My car has problems starting. A mechanic replaced the straight front exhaust pipe and after a couple of weeks the car doesn't start. The mechanic tells me the filter and catalytic convertor are sooted and the car will never start unless this is rectified. I opened the bonnet and pressed the red fuel cutout button and after a few attempts the car stared. I revved it and left it running over 30 minutes, switched it off and it started again, However it seems that after leaving it overnight the starting is not easy. Another mechanic checked it and said the anti pollution system needs cleaning. [Read more →]( [Why is my second year car tax more than I expected?]( Posted by on 21 February, 2018 My Kia Sportage has CO2 of 175g/km and I understood that my second year tax rate was £140 but I have just received my reminder and it states £220 for the next year. Have I misread the tax band details? [Read more →]( [The clutch is slipping on a used car we bought four months ago - should the warranty cover this?]( Posted by on 21 February, 2018 I purchased a second hand 2014 A5 Sportback in October 2017. We received a six month warranty with the car and now the clutch is slipping. The warranty company are stating that the clutch has to be completely broken to be repaired and that as slipping isn’t ‘broken’ then this isn’t covered. Is this true? [Read more →]( [Should I have to pay for recall work on my vehicle?]( Posted by on 21 February, 2018 Due to recall of my Fiat Ducato motorhome I visited my local Fiat Professional dealer and they suggested that replacement of EGR pipe the work would take normally 6.5 hours on a Ducato van but with extra difficulties in getting access to motorhomes engines would mean an extra 4 hours of labour total cost £317 as Fiat warranty would not cover extra for motorhomes. This seems strange given they supply 75% of European motorhome base vehicles. I was also told that Camper Customer Services was in disarray and not taking direct calls and they were going through Fiat Professional van division. I would be interested to have you views? [Read more →]( [What are the best cheap 4x4 pick-ups?]( Posted by on 21 February, 2018 I need to spend some time over a few months clearing a house on occasional visits. Skip hire is ridiculously expensive so I am thinking of buying an oldish high mileage pickup or 4x4 for a couple of grand and then selling it again after I have finished. Do you have any recommendations?is kind of thing? Reliability will be important. [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