What has the Honest John team been asked this week?

[Web Version]( | [Update preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Facebook icon]( [Like]( [Twitter icon]( [Tweet]( [Forward icon]( [Forward]( [My VW Golf Infotainment has failed - what can I do?]( Posted by on 9 February, 2024 The screen has died on my VW Golf. The VW agent charged £100 to confirm it was dead and offer a new system at £3100, or local man might offer a secondhand, no warranted screen for £800. What should I do? [Read more →]( [How much dies a cambelt change cost?]( Posted by on 8 February, 2024 What is the average cost for changing the cambelt on an A3 2018 Sportback 1.6 petrol engine? [Read more →]( [Can you drive a SORN car to an MoT test?]( Posted by on 8 February, 2024 Can my SORN'd, uninsured car be driven to it's pre-booked MOT by the garage proprietor/MOT tester using his own insurance? [Read more →]( [What tyres would you recommend for my Volvo?]( Posted by on 8 February, 2024 Help please, so many tyres and prices to choose from. Should I be looking at fuel efficiency for example? [Read more →]( [Are Cat N cars more expensive to insure?]( Posted by on 8 February, 2024 I have found some interesting cars for sale at a fairly local used car place. The cars seem good but he deals only in cat N cars, which he does body work himself and takes them to a local place for mechanical repairs/MOTs. They are all small cheap to run, low mileage etc. I am interested in a Ford B-Max (17 reg, 20kmiles, £6500) or a Skoda Citigo (16 reg,40Kmiles, £5250) he has for sale. I have read it wont make a difference to insurance if cars are N cat because they're value is so much lower than equivalent non 'N cat' cars on market. Do you agree? I have tried to get quotes but I'm not sure how I can tell the insurers it is N cat, there are no questions pertaining to these categories in the details they ask you for quotes. Can they tell from the registration of the car if it is category N or whatever? [Read more →]( [How do you remove windscreen blemishes?]( Posted by on 7 February, 2024 My eight year old Toyota Verso has developed thousands of spots on the windscreen which can only be seen when facing the sun. It badly affects visibility. I have tried various screen cleaners plus meths to no avail. Is it a faulty screen (expensive replacement) or as I’ve seen on online sites water-spots. If so what causes them rain or local water hardness and the best removal method advice please? [Read more →]( [Can I get PCP payment protection?]( Posted by on 7 February, 2024 If my partner is half way through a PCP agreement and dies, what is the legal/financial position? Is it possible to insure against such a scenario eg payment protection? [Read more →]( [Should I change the cambelt on my Ford Focus EcoBoost?]( Posted by on 7 February, 2024 I read somewhere that there has been a massive recall in USA of 2016-2018 Focus with the petrol 3 cylinder engine. Apparently they are failing after only 50,000 miles because the wet cambelts are deteriorating faster than thought in the design stage. My Focus has 60,000 miles and the handbook says it should be changed at 150,000 or 10 years. Do you think I should change it now? [Read more →]( [My nearside wing mirror is broken - is this an MoT fail?]( Posted by on 7 February, 2024 My wife's 2012 RR Evoque is due an MoT and she has just clipped the passenger side (N/S) wing mirror which has cracked and broken the plastic outer bezel and cracked the mirror. The wing mirror is fully operational indicator and adjustment mirror etc. but the mirror is badly cracked while giving visibility Will this result in a MoT failure? I tried googling the issue and get conflicting answers. [Read more →]( [What vehicle can cope with towing and long distance travelling?]( Posted by on 7 February, 2024 We’re farmers and need to tow up to 2.5tons (trailer plus up to several cattle). The farm has a 4.0-litre diesel 2007 Range Rover Sport which has a number of old and recurring faults to do with suspension, tyre pressures, other electrical faults, and starting, which would be v expensive to fix! The one where having hit the dashboard… it then starts! Clearly it’s a thirsty old car. This car has done 48000 miles. We could keep it and run it into the ground if it keeps going that long…or We also have a 2015 C250 diesel estate (50mpg on a motorway run), with 70,000 miles on the clock We’re wondering whether there’s a car that would offer combined comfort, towing capability, better fuel efficiency… that would allow us to part exchange our existing cars and just have one? We haven’t looked for a different car for years and there seem to be many options. New land rovers look good, but are v big, very expensive, and have poor reliability. Lexus have a very good reliability…? [Read more →]( [Are car covers a good idea?]( Posted by on 7 February, 2024 I’ve recently bought a nearly new Mercedes GLC 300e in red. The car will be kept on our driveway and in order to look after the paintwork I am considering buying a car cover. Would this be a wise investment or should I worry about scratches caused by dust trapped inside the cover rubbing against the paintwork in high winds? If they are a good idea is there anything I should be cautious about? [Read more →]( [What is the best used automatic SUV for under £15,000?]( Posted by on 7 February, 2024 What is the best used SUV automatic to buy with a £15,000 budget please? [Read more →]( [Should I buy a car with turbo oscillation?]( Posted by on 7 February, 2024 I am about to buy a 2018 Astra Automatic. It has low mileage 7500, one owner since new, full service history but my AA inspection has thrown up turbo oscillation or turbo kick which gets more as you go up in speed. There are no fault codes. Garage has checked the car after the inspection and there are no faults. They are adamant that it is a good car and have even offered to extend warranty to 12 months from 3 months. Mot history is good and car comes with 10months Mot. Should I still buy? [Read more →]( [Is the Mercedes Sprinter a reliable van?]( Posted by on 6 February, 2024 I am considering buying a 2020 Mercedes Sprinter. It has FSH and seems to run and drive ok. t is £14,000+VAT and has 99,995 miles on the clock. Are these vans reliable? Will I reach 300k miles if I service it every year? [Read more →]( [We need a car that is safe and has low insurance costs, what would you suggest?]( Posted by on 5 February, 2024 Please can you advise. We will be moving to Salisbury city centre and no longer need a Jag XF diesel sadly - wrong car for less use and urban. Having decided on a Honda Jazz 2014 SE that was safe, well built and in great condition, the insurance was very high. I see this is due to thefts of cat converters. It also seems to be an issue with other cars like the Auris. We were planning to spend around £7-9K max. So we wanted something very reliable, very safe, and low insurance mainly for shorter trips with the odd longer. Also an automatic is vital. So this has thrown us. Can you suggest any possible models that fit our criteria? [Read more →]( [Can I appeal the VED premium rate?]( Posted by on 5 February, 2024 I bought a MINI Countryman Hybrid in March 2023. I was very careful to keep the total cost under £40,000. I ordered it in June 2022, but there were a series of delays with manufacture and it was registered in March 2023. The price did not change and there were no discounts. DVLA have it with the extra (over £40k) tax on it. I called DVLA and all they would say is they go on the price reported to them by the manufacturer. My price, without discounts, and including all extras AND delivery and registration fees was UNDER £40,000. Any ideas how I can appeal this please, and have you come across it before? [Read more →]( [What's the best SUV for short people?]( Posted by on 5 February, 2024 What is the best mid size suv for short people? [Read more →]( [What should I replace my Fiesta with?]( Posted by on 5 February, 2024 I have a Ford Fiesta 1.25 Edge 2009 but need to replace it, I am happy with 3 or 5 door but need to fit 5 people in the car sometimes. I would like a newer car to keep repair costs down. I mainly do town driving. Budget approximately £5000. I appreciate it might not be possible but heated seats would be lovely. [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