What has Honest John been asked this week?

[Web Version]( | [Update preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Facebook icon]( [Like]( [Twitter icon]( [Tweet]( [Forward icon]( [Forward]( [Is it a bad idea to buy a BMW X1 considering BMW are stopping production of some models?]( Posted by on 23 March, 2018 I'm thinking of buying a used, 2017 BMW X1 M Sport diesel. Is this a bad move given that BMW are stopping production of some models? [Read more →]( [Can I drive my SORN'd car to its MoT?]( Posted by on 22 March, 2018 I own a car, which is currently on a SORN. It's kept off the road with no insurance and no MoT. How can I legally drive it to a garage for an MoT? [Read more →]( [My daughter had an accident when she was a learner, without a qualified driver in the car - can her insurer ask for £10k to cover their losses?]( Posted by on 22 March, 2018 Over two years ago, my daughter had a minor accident whilst driving as a learner. At the time, she did not have a qualified driver in the car accompanying her. My daughter's insurance company declined to cover my daughter as she was not driving within the terms of her licence. My daughter was convicted of not having a driving licence and not being insured for which she received six penalty points. The cost of the repairs to my daughter's car were around £300. Two weeks ago, my daughter received a demand for £10,000 from her insurance company to cover their losses for this incident, followed by a threat of county court action today if the £10,000 is not paid within a week. What is your opinion regarding this demand? They declined to insure her, so should anything be paid? She doesn't have a spare £10,000, what action should she take? [Read more →]( [What vehicle do you advise for heavy duty towing?]( Posted by on 22 March, 2018 I need to use an automatic for towing. Do you have any advice on what vehicle to buy? [Read more →]( [Is it smart to get warranty cover on a used car?]( Posted by on 22 March, 2018 I own a 2009 Mercedes-Benz CLC with 23,500 mile on the clock. It has full service history (mainly dealer servicing). I'm thinking about taking out warranty cover. Could you advise on how much this might cost? [Read more →]( [My car accelerates without pressure on the pedal - what's wrong?]( Posted by on 22 March, 2018 I drive a 2017 Skoda Superb 2.0-litre diesel. In December, I noticed the car had started to intermittently idle at 1000rpm or slightly higher and the fan would kick in at the same time. I contacted my local Skoda dealership, who said as it was an intermittent problem I should monitor it and, if it became worse, to re-contact them. The matter worsened and a second fault developed, whereby when I took my foot off the accelerator in a bid to slow down, the car actually increased speed. I booked it into Skoda, who said the over-revving was normal. Regarding the accelerating, they couldn't find anything wrong. If the over-revving was normal, why hasn't it been doing it since I got the car new in March 2017? Just wondered if you had any idea what the problem could be. [Read more →]( [What product would you recommend to protect fabric seats?]( Posted by on 21 March, 2018 I'm due to receive a new car with fabric seats in April. I would like to protect the seats from any accidental stains. Please could you advise what products are worth using? [Read more →]( [What product will remove mould from a convertible roof?]( Posted by on 21 March, 2018 I have a MINI Roadster JCW. There's some green mould around the edge of the rear window and also where the roof meets the body at the rear. There are also some white dots on the cloth too. I've read about cleaning products to use, but they caution not to get the product on the bodywork of the car so I'm very cautious about using them. Have you any suggestions on getting mould off the cloth cover without damaging bodywork? [Read more →]( [A fraudulent claim is being made against me for damage that I couldn't possibly have caused - what do I do?]( Posted by on 20 March, 2018 Nine months ago, I was sitting in standstill traffic looking out of my driver's side window when I felt a bump. My car had made contact with the car in front of me. I feel like I would have noticed if my car was moving and the road I was on was a slight incline and the car in front may have rolled back into me, but I didn’t see. Myself and the driver in front, as well as her passenger, got out and inspected our vehicles. There was no damage. The driver of the car in front agreed all was fine, but I decided to take a couple of pictures and her phone number just in case. She took no details from me and she took no photographs. I got back in my car and thought nothing more of it. I then got a call a few days later from my insurance saying a claim was being made against me. The claim was in a different name to the name the driver gave me. Cutting a long story short, we eventually discovered the person who was driving was the named driver on the policy, though when my insurer first contacted me they didn’t seem aware of who was driving. I supplied my photos showing no damage. Now it turns out they are claiming for damage to the side of the vehicle, which is impossible to have been caused by our cars making contact. They're also claiming for personal injuries, which are also ludicrous. I’m shocked at the turn this has all taken. My car was inspected by my insurer, but they never inspected the claimants car. They showed me the photo of the claimants car that was sent to them and it’s of damage that must have been caused afterwards. My insurer is also suspecting it's a fraudulent claim, but have taken nine months so far with no resolution. Now they have sent me a renewal for double the price of last years. What can I do? Whatever happens it seems like I’m going to pay for it. I'm also convinced the car is being ‘fronted’ by the policy holder on behalf of the driver (named).The car has the name of the named driver on it in silver lettering and upon examining social media profiles of the people involved, you can see that the car was posted with a ribbon on it as though it was a present for the named driver. [Read more →]( [A used car I bought three months ago suffered transmission failure - what are my rights?]( Posted by on 20 March, 2018 I brought a 2013 Ford Kuga last December. It came with a three-month warranty. Last month, I noticed a grating sound when it changed from second to third gear. The garage had a look at it and assured me it was nothing to worry about. A day after this assurance was given, I had a total transmission failure and no forward or reverse movement. The garage now says they would be happy to pay the VAT on the repair, but would require me to contribute to the repair. What are my rights? [Read more →]( [Is it normal to be charged extortionate amounts for 'defects' when handing back a leased car?]( Posted by on 20 March, 2018 I was charged £600 for body repairs to a vehicle I returned at the end of a 42 month lease (22,000 miles) recently. I have now received a final demand from the leasing company. I spoke to a lawyer through my LV= Home Insurance Legal Cover, which advises me that the leasing company are entitled to request payment for any defect that they feel is "repairable" under the terms and conditions of the agreement, irrespective of whether they carry out the repairs or not. They have also advised that, in these circumstances, they are unable to proceed and I'm "on my own" if I choose to pursue this. The leasing company have agreed to remove two of the "defects" from their final list, which leaves me a claim for £177 for a repair (which I could probably get done by a specialist for about £70). Seeing that a solicitor would charge me about £150 for a consultation, it hardly seems worth pursuing it. However, if you have any evidence of a successful case I would love to know about it. [Read more →]( [I have a 1995 Volkswagen Golf that needs £1000 of repair work - should I keep or scrap it?]( Posted by on 20 March, 2018 I have a 1995 Golf GTI 16V, which I've owned from new. It has failed its MoT due to under body corrosion. The estimated repair is likely to be around £1000, although the garage say this will depend on the extent of the corrosion. They say that they'll only know how bad it is when all the covers are removed. I think there is also a drain on the battery, which is undiagnosed. The current MoT expires in mid-April. The car has done 106,000 miles, but I'm a senior and do very little now. [Read more →]( [I have a 1997 Ford Galaxy - should we keep or scrap it?]( Posted by on 20 March, 2018 I have a 1997 Ford Galaxy Ultima sat on my drive. It has not been driven in years and I think it has about 60,000 miles on the clock. We've owned it for a long time, but only used it a few times due to the fact it's expensive to run. It used to start with the first turn of the key, but last summer it wouldn't start. Although it's a lovely car, my husband wants to scrap it because he has put diagnostics on it but nothing showed up. We've been told by a few people, and did a bit of checking ourselves, that only a few of these were made and that they were top of the range at that time. I know that there are only 13 left, including mine. Is it worth keeping hold of? I would rather see it go to someone who likes that sort of car and has time to maintain it. What do you think? [Read more →]( [How common are electronic handbrake failures?]( Posted by on 20 March, 2018 I'm thinking of buying a Volkswagen Tiguan, but I'm concerned about the electronic handbrake. I know someone who had a Tiguan roll down a hill after he had parked it. The dealer said that he must have forgotten to press the button to apply the parking brake but he swears that he did. Is there a record of this type of failure? [Read more →]( [My Skoda Superb on a four-year PCP is faulty - should I reject it in case it can't be fixed?]( Posted by on 20 March, 2018 I took out a four-year PCP on a Skoda Superb in October 2017. I quickly realised there was an issue with the gearbox, particularly when changing between second and third gear. They attempted to fix it in December, but the problem persisted. The car was returned to the dealer in February 2018 for its first service and to also have the gearbox issue revisited. Eventually, Skoda Technical advice was sought because no faults were found. Then the gearbox was stripped down for investigation. If the gear change on my Superb is as good as the gear change on the Skoda Octavia I have been loaned whilst mine is being repaired then I'll be over the moon, as it's a great car. But I don't think that's how this story will end. My confidence in the dealer being able to resolve this isn't particularly high. My concern is that I'll be lumbered with a car with this defect for four years. If the problem persists, what I'd like to do is swap my car for another from their forecourt and move on. I'm pretty sure that it won't be as easy as that given the PCP. Having consulted your guides, I can see I have grounds for rejection because I highlighted the fault two months after purchase. Would you advise that if this next attempted resolution fails, I reject the car? [Read more →]( [A delivery moped hit my son's car - should the company that employ the rider pay for the damage?]( Posted by on 19 March, 2018 My son bought a used SEAT Leon FR from a friend two weeks ago for £2000. It was in excellent condition with a full service history. On Thursday, two young lads on pizza delivery mopeds came to his place of work to make deliveries and decided to race each other round the company's private car park. One of them hit a speed bump and crashed into my son's parked car, severely denting the front wing and cracking the bumper; the Leon had to be jacked up by the AA to remove the wedged bike. My son has had a quote of £1600 to repair the damage, meaning the car is likely to be called an economic write-off by Papa John's insurers. The car is still drives well and the whole incident was recorded on the company's CCTV. It's unfair that my son should have to buy his car back from the insurance company, if it is written off, and to deal with all that hassle himself (his own insurance is third party). He also has to have a car for commuting daily from Norfolk to Cambridge. So, should Papa John's pay for any damage and inconvenience, and restore my son to his original position with regard to an unblemished car? Is there any legal route my son could pursue such as the Small Claims Court, if necessary? [Read more →]( [My daughter hit a car at 5mph and the driver is claiming whiplash - can we do anything about this?]( Posted by on 19 March, 2018 My 22-year-old daughter was second in line at a local roundabout in rush hour traffic. The Mercedes-Benz GLA in front went, but then slammed on his brakes as he saw a car coming from the right on the roundabout. My daughter tapped his car at less than 5mph, she has a slight bend in her front number plate and the Mercedes-Benz has a foot-long horizontal scratch on the plastic plate below the bumper. I spoke to the owner and offered to pay for the replacement part, as well as £200 for the inconvenience, because my daughter only has three years No Claims that she will lose. However, he's claiming whiplash and went to the doctors. He's insisting on putting a formal claim in ‘as the right and proper thing to do’. Is there anything we can do? I have spoken with the claims team of our insurer, Hastings, and they have the full details. [Read more →]( [My low value car was damaged and I need to claim for repairs, but how do I stop it being written off?]( Posted by on 19 March, 2018 My 2007 Skoda Superb, which I use drive as a taxi, was hit by a car. It's damaged near the back door and rear panel near the sill. The sill is badly dented, but the door closes and locks. It probably needs a new door, but the pillar isn't twisted. The accident also seems to have jolted the front door latch because the light doesn't come on now. The other driver admitted liability, but four days ago I spent £800 on repairs to get it through the next taxi test in three weeks time. I'm semi-retired, so spending money on another car doesn't warrant the cost in return. This car runs well and did look okay. The licencing officer approved it as long as it passed taxi and MoT tests. I'm worried that when I make a claim they will say the repair is more costly than the car and write it off, not taking to account that it's worth it for me to keep it going. The sideways hit did jolt my neck sideways a little bit though, so I'm going to see my osteopath about it soon. Can I claim for this? Taxi insurance is expensive and I have 11 years protected no claim bonus. Would you have any suggestions on how to proceed with this? [Read more →]( [How do you start a car with a dead battery?]( Posted by on 19 March, 2018 My mate's Rover 75 won't start. It keeps making a clicking sound when he turns the key and his battery has gone completely flat. It wont start and you can't bump start it because it's an automatic. Do you have any suggestions of how to get it going? [Read more →]( [What's more accurate - a speedo or a satnav?]( Posted by on 19 March, 2018 The speed recorded on my satnav is 3mph slower than the speedometer reading, which is likely to be accurate? [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