What has the Honest John team been asked this week?

[Web Version]( | [Update preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Facebook icon]( [Like]( [Twitter icon]( [Tweet]( [Forward icon]( [Forward]( [What car would you recommend for a tall young driver?]( Posted by on 17 November, 2023 We live on the Isle of Man where you are allowed to drive from age 16. Our son reaches that age next year. He is already over 6ft tall so the tiniest of cars isn’t really an option. Luckily insurance costs are lower than the UK. Budget £8k. Should he blow it all...or maybe get something older and cheaper now with the thought of trading up when he has a couple of years no claims? Ideas please. [Read more →]( [I've seen a camper for sale but have been told it was under a leaseback contract, is this right?]( Posted by on 17 November, 2023 I am in the market to buy a campervan and saw one offered by a company online that have campers, motorhome and industrial machinery. When I enquired after a particular vehicle I received a reply stating 'This motorhome was under a leaseback contract, but the owner was unable to pay his monthly installments to our company.....We are selling it at the price listed to recover the remaining debt of the leaseback contract and because we will close the company next year and we take the decision to quickly sell everything because we must pay taxes to HMRC urgently. This is the final price for this motorhome with no other liabilities (debts) or hidden taxes to our company' Is this legit? [Read more →]( [My brand new Alfa Romeo has developed a gearbox fault, what are my next steps?]( Posted by on 17 November, 2023 Our 1 week old Alfa has been diagnosed with a gearbox problem, what should I do? [Read more →]( [Can my daughter reject her faulty car?]( Posted by on 17 November, 2023 My daughter bought a Mokka X Elite on the 7th August, after six days the engines management light came on. She contacted the garage who after a discussion agreed to pick up the car. After seven days she called to be informed they could not find any issue and the car had lost its data. Since the this has occurred three times. Yesterday she called the garage to be told take the car to them. Sorry no courtesy car until January. I don't trust the garage but she love the car. Can she return the car and demand her money to be returned minus say £500 for millage covered? [Read more →]( [How does my protected no claims work?]( Posted by on 17 November, 2023 I recently was involved in an accident (at fault but no other parties involved). I've tried to understand how the NCD works but is confusing from the same insurer. So, my policy documents state: Protected no claim discount - maximum number of claims allowed - 2 claims in 3 years. But the same document goes on to show a table: 1 claim in next 12months - keeps NCD in same place 2 claims in next 12months - keeps NCD in same place 3 claims in next 12months - reduced NCD to 3 years. I am not sure why the discrepancy of stating you can have 2 claims in 3 years but then goes on to state 12months? Further, what happens if I move insurers next year - does this reset as you are with a new insurer, so 'allowed' 2 further claims in 3 years (or 12months)? [Read more →]( [Is law that all new cars must be fitted with an SOS emergency button?]( Posted by on 17 November, 2023 I have a 2022 Vauxhall Grandland SRi. I understand that as of April 2018 all vehicles manufactured after this date must be fitted with a SOS button by law. As my car is not fitted with this I spoke to Vauxhall Customer Service, they informed me that it isn't a legal requirement. Could you please clarify this. [Read more →]( [Are SEAT Arona models with with DSG reliable?]( Posted by on 17 November, 2023 I am considering buying an Arona automatic, but concerned that is has a DSG gearbox. Should I be worried? [Read more →]( [My daughter has a service plan but the has dealer closed down, what can we do?]( Posted by on 17 November, 2023 My daughter bought a new Suzuki car back in 2019 from a Suzuki dealership in Cornwall, early this year she took out a service plan for which she pays monthly, the actual dealership she bought the plan from has closed down, she is still paying the direct debit. She has phoned other Suzuki dealers, but they said they are not sure if they can honour the agreement. Is this correct? [Read more →]( [Is supermarket fuel poor quality?]( Posted by on 16 November, 2023 Is supermarket fuel quality being compromised due to the large mark up they are being allowed to charge? My 25k mile Audi Q7 engine light came on recently and turned out it was a Nox sensor failure, Strange thing is whilst in the Audi dealer I was told it would take a few days to get the part as there was a run on failures so parts were low. Only a week later my brother rang to say same fault on his Audi Q5. Now these parts aren't cheap, £800+, fortunately my car is under warranty. Is it possible to prove what caused the damage and how can this be avoided in future? [Read more →]( [Are the BMW diesel engines in P38 Range Rovers reliable?]( Posted by on 16 November, 2023 With the weather becoming more unpredictable and winter soon upon us I've been looking at a 1999 P38 DT 2.5 DSE with the BMW engine. 1. Are there any known common faults with that engine? 2. Is the engine run by an ECU or is it a pretty basic diesel with a manual pump etc? 3. According to the owner this model 2nd Gen doesn't suffer from rust worm as badly as others, it does look very good topside wheel arches, doors etc but I can't slide under it to look at the chassis. [Read more →]( [Does cruise control work at 20mph?]( Posted by on 16 November, 2023 Just an interesting observation on the 20mph speed limit. I normally set cruise control where possible at 30mph or where there are similar restrictions. However have you tried setting automatic speed control for 20mph on cars. I have found on a lot of cars it does not work at 20mph. [Read more →]( [Will my daughter be charged for leaving the scene of an accident?]( Posted by on 16 November, 2023 My daughter was driving home at 3am on Sunday morning in dark rainy conditions, she skidded, lost control and hit the kerb and a traffic light (which was damaged) She left the car in a safe place nearby and came home in a cab as she felt shaky and shocked.No one was injured, no other vehicles involved and the road wasn't obstructed. Her intention was to report to the police Station at a reasonable hr (she knew she had to report within 24 hrs) At 8am the police knocked on the door and she was read her rights and voluntarily explained what had happened. She had not been drinking/drugs, has a clean driving licence of 15 yrs fully insured (reported to insurers) The police said the brief statement will be passed to the traffic police and they will be in touch and that they couldn't say what will happen next .Could she be charged with leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving or other? [Read more →]( [What pickup do you recommend for towing a horse box?]( Posted by on 15 November, 2023 I live on a farm in a hilly location and currently have a Mitsubishi L200for towing. It has been a decent truck, but the engine isn't robust enough to tow big horses up and down hills. I'm looking at the market for a new towing vehicle, what do you recommend? [Read more →]( [Can I disable the automatic locking on my MG ZS EV?]( Posted by on 15 November, 2023 I have recently purchased a 70 plate MG ZS EV. It has automatic central locking when the car travels above a set speed ? 10 or 20mph. Is it possible for this to be disabled? It can be done by pressing the central locking tab on the door handle, but will reset itself every time the car stops and restarts, which is tiresome and slightly awkward. I understand on the later models it can be disabled by the owner. My wife is fearful that the automatic unlocking in an accident will not work! [Read more →]( [Are there advantages to having oil fed cam belts?]( Posted by on 15 November, 2023 Are there advantages to having oil fed cam belts? [Read more →]( [Is it illegal to use front fog lights when there is no fog?]( Posted by on 15 November, 2023 Driving at night, I notice an increasing number of drivers clearly using their fog lights as an extra set of headlights when there is no fog anywhere to be seen - is this usage legal ? [Read more →]( [Do dealers have to keep parts available for cars up to 10 years old?]( Posted by on 15 November, 2023 I have a 9 year old Vauxhall Meriva B 1.4 Petrol Turbo. The steering pump has failed (again) and has failed its MoT. I cannot find a replacement pump either new, reconditioned or even second hand. A garage has told me that there are plenty of parts that will fit but will not extinguish the yellow light so will automatically fail the MoT. Any suggestions as to what to do with my very expensive paperweight? I thought that there was a requirement for dealers to keep parts for at least 10 years [Read more →]( [Can I insure my 2003 BMW X5 as a classic?]( Posted by on 15 November, 2023 I live in Enfield where i have to pay ULEZ. Vehicle is currently off road declared SORN, however I want to get the vehicle back on road in a month or two. I covered only 200 miles a year prior to ULEZ. I want a fixed price valuation for it, or how can i get a acceptable valuation for it, say £20000 or above? It's in showroom condition, bought from new and original condition with no restoration anywhere whatsoever. Which insurers can i approach please? What do I ask for? Can I do daily insurance and or should I go for a yearly policy, will this be a policy I use my NCB on or will it be a policy that don't require NCB? [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