What has the Honest John team been asked this week?

[Web Version]( | [Update preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Facebook icon]( [Like]( [Twitter icon]( [Tweet]( [Forward icon]( [Forward]( [Are broken front suspension springs common on BMWs?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 I have a BMW 3 Series MSport Coupe (58,000 miles). About four months ago, the front left suspension spring shattered while the car was parked at my house. Three weeks ago the front right suspension spring shattered while the car was being driven, destroying a tyre. My usage is entirely conventional - no rough stuff, no racing, no off-road. Is this a known problem? What is likely to be the cause? [Read more →]( [Should I keep or sell my diesel car?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 What is the position on emissions legislation? It's very confusing. Are some cities imposing/planning to impose local charges or bans? It's putting me off changing my car. I have a 2017 diesel Hyundai i30 and I'm not sure what to do. [Read more →]( [Which cars have massage seats?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 I have a Volvo XC90 Executive with a function for massage seats. I'm planning to change this year for something similar size so could you recommend a brand/model that has massage seats? Thanks. [Read more →]( [Can you recommend an accurate tyre pressure gauge?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 Can you recommend an accurate tyre pressure gauge? [Read more →]( [Do low profile tyres get punctured more?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 We have a 2014 Skoda Superb Estate. In five years of owning it, there have been eight punctures due potholes or nails. Is this due to the low profile 17-inch tyres? Two of them have occurred whilst towing a caravan. We do not drive on unmade roads, mainly on motorways or major roads. We have never owned a car in over 40 years where we have had punctures such as this. [Read more →]( [Should I swap my front and rear tyres over?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 The second yearly service highlighted a need for the front tyres on my Volkswagen Touran to be changed. This will be the first tyre change. All the tyres are the 215/55 R17 Continental Premium Contact. Volkswagen suggested I replace the front tyres and a friend suggested I swap the front and back tyres over. What would you suggest? Very much appreciated. [Read more →]( [Should I contest my parking ticket?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 I parked on a school crossing and got a parking ticket because I was partially obstructing the tactile pavement next to the single yellow line. Should I contest this and argue that it should have been a double yellow line to prevent me from parking there? [Read more →]( [Dealers don't seem bothered about selling us a car. Should we wait?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 We're looking to change our car, and fancy either a Jaguar XF Sportbrake or Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The experience with the Mercedes dealership has been poor, they don't seem interested in selling a car (don't return calls or emails). I was told this was because they don't have enough stock and there are so many people out there wanting to buy, they don't need to chase customers (they also put up prices on three cars we were interested in overnight by a couple of thousand). We're looking for something a year to two years old, and wonder if it's worth waiting till September/October to see if there is more choice about? [Read more →]( [Can you recommend a petrol, family car?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 I have a budget of £11,000 for a petrol family car (6000 - 8000 miles per year). It needs enough room for four adults and I’ve been looking at a minimum of a 1.4 petrol engine. Having read many reviews, I’m nervous as to which engine and manufacturer to choose. [Read more →]( [How do I know if my Ford van has had the injector recall work done?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 I've recently bought a 2017 Ford Transit Custom and just discovered the injector issue. I understand Ford have been recalling vans with this fault. Is that correct? And should Ford replace/fix free of charge? [Read more →]( [I need a reliable car for £5000. What's your advice?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 I'm looking at spending no more than £5000. I would like a Vauxhall Astra and it needs to be diesel. I'm hoping to get one that is around 5-7 years old with less than 60,000 miles with a good or full service history. I've just been made redundant and lost my company car so I'm using all my redundancy pay on getting me something reliable. Am I looking at the right car? [Read more →]( [I'm buying a new car, do I go for petrol or diesel?]( Posted by on 21 August, 2020 I'm buying a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Convertible. Do I buy petrol or diesel? Which model do you recommend? [Read more →]( [My van has done 80,000 miles. Should I keep it or trade it in?]( Posted by on 20 August, 2020 I have a 2014 Ford Transit Connect LWB van. It does mostly motorway miles, and has covered a total of 83000. How many more miles should I get? [Read more →]( [Can you recommend a car to replace my Citroen C3?]( Posted by on 20 August, 2020 We are about to change my wife's 2014 diesel Citroen C3 Picasso. It is used primarily for short to medium journeys with occasional longer trips. We've been delighted with the Citroen, it suits our needs in all respects but we wish to switch to a petrol engine. My wife is short and I'm 6ft tall. We're looking for a fairly recent secondhand hand model. Open to all suggestions. [Read more →]( [should I avoid buying a car with an MoT advisory?]( Posted by on 20 August, 2020 I’ve looked at a 2013 Ford Fiesta. The MoT history shows the last advisory as 'Nearside & Offside Rear Coil spring corroded bottom'. Should I avoid buying this car? [Read more →]( [What EV charging networks should I sign up to?]( Posted by on 19 August, 2020 We’ve just taken delivery of the new Honda e. We have a home charger which gives us the range we need in London, but I need to think about charging it when out and about in the south east and further afield. Can you advise what networks we should sign up to? [Read more →]( [Can you recommend a TPMS kit?]( Posted by on 19 August, 2020 Do you have an opinion on tire pressure monitoring kits? If so, do you recommend any particular make? [Read more →]( [Do I have to get my servicing done at a main dealer?]( Posted by on 19 August, 2020 Do I really have to get my service done at a main dealer? If I got it done at my local garage (which is nice to support), would it still get registered in the service history on the car? [Read more →]( [Will optional extras add value to a used car?]( Posted by on 19 August, 2020 I bought a Ford Focus Titanium X in 2019. At the time I specified every extra possible, which added £5500 to the list price. The car has done 9000 miles and has just had its first service. The used price guides don’t account for options. Is that dead money or can I ask for more? [Read more →]( [Can you recommend a reliable family car for £1000?]( Posted by on 19 August, 2020 I'm currently looking for a second car that can double up as daily transport for short local journeys and taking the family and dog on local outings. We're a family of four I'm looking in the price range of £1000. Reliability, mpg and space are the main issues. The age is not an issue as many older cars have been well treated. I'll be looking at cars in the 10 - 15 years category. I can do some maintenance myself (oil, filters brakes etc). I have considered Toyota Avensis, Volvo V50 and Ford Mondeo. Are these cars good for my purpose and should I consider other unsung heroes? Thanks in Advance for any gems of wisdom. [Read more →]( You received this email because you signed up to our mailing list. If you’re not interested in receiving our newsletter any more, you can: [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( Honestjohn.co.uk 5 New Street Square London United Kingdom EC4A 3TW