What has the Honest John team been asked this week?

[Web Version]( | [Update preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Facebook icon]( [Like]( [Twitter icon]( [Tweet]( [Forward icon]( [Forward]( [Why have no claims discounts reduced?]( Posted by on 8 March, 2024 I have just renewed the insurance on our car. The renewal premium was quoted at £211 as against £142 for last year - a rise of nearly 50%. On examination, I discovered that the full premium had actually gone down but the NCD for 9+ years had been reduced from 57% to 23% meaning that I had to pay 77% of the full premium rather than 43%. Perhaps even more startling was that the NCD for 1 year had been reduced from 24% in 2022 to just 2% today. I finally decided to change provider and took out a policy with a higher full premium but an NCD of 51%. Can you explain how insurance providers arrive at these NCD figures and why they can vary so much from one provider to another and from one year to the next? [Read more →]( [How do I find the best insurance for a new (but not young) driver?]( Posted by on 8 March, 2024 I recently passed my driving test and am looking to buy my first car. Unlike most new drivers, I am in my 40s and the car I want is a family saloon. How do I find the best value insurance in my situation? Is it worth looking at black box insurance? [Read more →]( [Is a road test mandatory after brake repair work has been carried out?]( Posted by on 8 March, 2024 Is it illegal for a garage not to road test a customer's car after a brake overhaul? [Read more →]( [What countries require a Crit'Air-equivalent sticker to drive in?]( Posted by on 8 March, 2024 Do I need a Crit'Air equivalent sticker for Austria when driving in that country? I already have a German and French sticker ready for our trip. [Read more →]( [What's the best family car to tow with?]( Posted by on 8 March, 2024 I am looking for a vehicle which can take a family of four on holiday but also tow up to 3.5t on occasion. With a budget of £17k I am looking at possibly a pick up style vehicle however realise these are limited space wise on the second row of seats which may be uncomfortable for tall kids on long journeys. Do you have any suggestions of other vehicles I should be looking at? [Read more →]( [Should we buy a hybrid car?]( Posted by on 7 March, 2024 Could you recommend the best buy for us? We're after a new hybrid car for a retired professional couple? We do approximately 5000 miles/year. Most of our traveling is local city running, except when we travel to Sheffield/Glasgow from the West Midlands to our children's (that is about 6 times/year.) We currently own a Toyota Yaris petrol which has low mileage. Should we buy a new hybrid or just stick with the old car? [Read more →]( [Why has the fuel consumption in my car increased?]( Posted by on 7 March, 2024 After six weeks of my VW Passat standing idle I took it for its MoT, which since then has shown a marked reduction in fuel consumption. My wife's monthly trip from Glos to Suffolk registered closer to 40mpg rather than the usual 50. Yesterday, we had an intermittent screeching noise from the front of the car, possibly not brakes, which cleared after about 15 minutes. The car feels as normal, but our local garage is inundated and I'm concerned about my wife driving to Suffolk again next week. I would appreciate your thoughts. [Read more →]( [Can I use a local garage for servicing and keep my warranty?]( Posted by on 6 March, 2024 I plan to buy a new Citroen C3 from a Citroen dealer in Lancashire. I live in Isle of Man but there is no Citroen dealer here. Would the servicing by another garage be acceptable for Citroen warranty purposes? [Read more →]( [Can I get over the air software updates?]( Posted by on 6 March, 2024 Can a reputable local garage do software updates? I read somewhere about "over air" updates where you are not tied to a main dealer. [Read more →]( [Can you recommend a tyre foam repair product suitable for a motorhome?]( Posted by on 5 March, 2024 Can you recommend a tyre foam repair product suitable for a motorhome? [Read more →]( [How does the ACT system work on 1.5 litre VW vehicles?]( Posted by on 4 March, 2024 I have a Skoda Octavia 1.5.TSI Evo ACT. These engines are fitted with ACT, meaning when at certain times the 4 cylinder engine reduces to running on 2 cylinders. Do you have any information when and at what speeds this comes into operation, in my case it seems to be over 60 mph but seems hard to keep it running on the 2 cylinders for any distance. [Read more →]( [Do I need to regularly drop the roof on my convertible to keep it working?]( Posted by on 4 March, 2024 I have inherited a 2012 Renault Megane Cabriolet. I like the car and intend keeping it until it's no longer viable and I will then scrap it. This may be a long way off as my mileage is low and the car has only 30k on the clock. The point is though that I have no desire to ever use the retractable roof. Is it ok to do this or is it advisable to retract it every now and again so as to maintain the integrity of the seals or, conversely, would this have the opposite effect and I'd be well advised to keep it up and leave well alone? [Read more →]( [Is the stop start system in my Honda Jazz more trouble than it is worth?]( Posted by on 4 March, 2024 I have some doubts about the benefit of this facility. Every time I come to a stop with foot held on the brake the engine stops and release the brake and the engine fires up. This means that the battery has to start the engine many more times than with the facility disabled. As I understand it, continually stopping and starting the car degrades the battery thus shortening its useful life. My 2 year old battery was recently checked by the A A and it was found to be in only "fair" condition, pretty poor for a battery of that age. Also every time a car is restarted there is a spike in petrol usage--this facility seems to cause more problems that it solves, I now disable it before I drive. I would appreciate your comments and advice [Read more →]( [Why don't automatic lights work on the rear of some cars?]( Posted by on 4 March, 2024 Driving in poor visibility today and noticed lots of cars with no back lights on, despite the fact that their front lights were on. Various manufacturers, mostly newer cars. Is this a function of auto lights? If so I certainly didn’t realise it. Can you throw any ‘light’ on it?? [Read more →]( [Is it easy to sell a Cat S car?]( Posted by on 4 March, 2024 Is it easy to sell a Cat S car? [Read more →]( [Can you still get insurance that covers a car to be driven by anyone?]( Posted by on 4 March, 2024 I am 92 and I seem to remember that about 70 years ago my father used to insure his car comprehensibly to be driven by 'any driver' When did that option stop? [Read more →]( [Does the bed of an LGV have to have load bearing ply?]( Posted by on 4 March, 2024 Does the bed of an LGV have to have load bearing ply? Is this a legal thing or not as I work for a company that have used 18m plywood to replace the old deck. [Read more →]( [Is a used Ford Transit Custom a reliable buy?]( Posted by on 4 March, 2024 I am looking at a 2016 Ford Transit Custom, however I have read terrible reviews of this year’s model. The model I am looking at is a limited black 2.0 TDCi 130ps with 80000 miles on the clock. I am aiming to use it as my only vehicle, replacing my car and campervan to cut down costs. Annual mileage will be about 5000 miles.I am a 70 year old woman and live on a small pension, so cannot afford any costly problems. Would you recommend this vehicle, or do you suggest I steer clear of it? [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