Q I recently part-exchanged my Toyota Corolla as part of a deal to buy a
new car. I sent off my V5C document to the DVLA and have since received a
form from a company called Vehicle Mileage Check (VMC) asking questions
about the Corolla, such as where it was bought. The DVLA booklet (INS160)
lists the organisations that it releases details to, but VMC is not
included. Do you know anything about this organisation?
AP from east London
A The leaflet you refer to gives an overview, rather than an exhaustive
list, of companies to which the DVLA releases data. The Directgov website
(see tinyurl.com/26s24u) gives more
information on this and includes a link to download a fuller list of
companies. This list does include Vehicle Mileage Check.
The DVLA releases data because motor dealers must do “due diligence checks” on
all secondhand vehicles offered for sale to ensure a car’s stated mileage is
correct. VMC is one of many companies that runs such checks on behalf of
dealers. There is no harm in releasing mileage or other details, though
there is no legal requirement to do so.
Q We are emigrating and would like to get rid of our cars for the best
prices with the limited time we have left. We own an S-reg Peugeot 407
diesel estate (MoT to the end of this month) and an 04 Renault Scénic diesel
(MoT to July 2009).
KR from Wiltshire
A You have three options. First, you can take the cars to used-car
dealers and ask if they want to buy them for cash. You’ll be lucky to get
much for the older Peugeot estate but you should get a decent offer for the
Renault Scénic.
A dealer will pay only trade price so you will probably make more money by
selling the cars privately. The problem is that the secondhand market is
awash with cars. You will therefore need to advertise them both at
attractive prices to get any swift interest.
Your third option is a car auction. You can set a reserve price to protect
you, but take advice from the auction house or the cars might remain unsold.
By taking this route at least you will sell them – and get paid – quickly.
Ensure that the cars are clean and take the paperwork (including service
history) for potential owners to view.
Q I am thinking of taking a few months off work to drive through Europe,
before taking the ferry from Spain to Morocco and then heading down to South
Africa. How difficult would it be to insure a car for a period of six
months? I have a clean UK driving licence with eight years’ no-claims bonus.
AH from south London
A You will need a “foreign use” extension to your policy to cover the
vehicle in most European countries, as well as Morocco and Tunisia. There is
normally a charge for this and typically a time limit of 180 days. Six
months’ cover for a 30-year-old male driving a 1.6 litre Ford Focus would
cost £350 on top of an existing £320 policy.
For cover in Africa beyond Morocco you will need a specialist insurer. The
British Insurance Brokers’ Association (www.biba.org.uk,
0870 950 1970) can offer a list of brokers able to help.
Q I have an Alfa Romeo 156 Twin Spark Selespeed with 50,000 miles on the
clock. It is serviced regularly but in the past four or five months the
engine has begun to die whenever the car slows down as I approach a
junction. This immediately immobilises the steering wheel. Everything seems
fine when the engine is restarted. I have changed the car’s ignition key,
which initially appeared to solve the matter, but the car stopped once again
recently. What could be causing the problem?
AP from Bedford
A This sounds like a fuelling problem at low revs. It could be due to a
number of things, including low fuel pressure, leaking fuel lines and worn
or clogged fuel injectors.
Your garage should be able to nail this down, using a computer. When the
engine dies, the power steering stops, which makes the steering feel heavy
and seem as though it has been immobilised. It hasn’t, but considerably more
effort is needed to move the wheel.
Q I own a 1999 Vauxhall Zafira that has served me well for day-to-day use
and family holidays. It is getting old now and there are ever bigger bills
for repairs. Is there a rule of thumb to judge when a car is becoming too
big a liability? If we opt to replace it, what would you recommend for a
family of four with a budget of about £12,000? I don’t mind a newish
secondhand car, but ideally it would be less than a year old. I would prefer
an estate with reasonable performance and good fuel consumption.
John Moore, via e-mail
A There are no hard and fast rules as to when to sell a used car. You
may get lucky and remain free of serious trouble for a few years – or have a
large bill next month. The good news with your car is that depreciation has
levelled off to become negligible, something that cannot be said for your
next car.
Your budget of £12,000 will buy a 12-month-old Zafira (petrol or diesel) with
less than 10,000 miles.
Switching to an estate car is a good idea, though. These tend to drive better
than people carriers such as the Zafira and have the potential for better
fuel consumption thanks to their more aerodynamic shape. You have a generous
range of 12-month-old cars to choose from. In our view, the Mazda6, Ford
Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra all drive well and they each offer decent petrol
and diesel engine options.
Q Is it possible to change the Quickclear windscreen of a 2007 Ford Mondeo
estate to a standard screen that doesn’t have all those wires? How should I
go about this and what type of glass should I ask for if I don’t want a
special tint?
CT from Bristol
A The Quickclear windscreen on your Mondeo is designed to heat up and
clear ice on winter mornings. It also prevents fogging throughout the year.
It is possible to replace it with a conventional screen so long as whoever
does this installation tapes up the screen’s electrical connections safely
and removes the fuse. The question is, why do you want to do this?
If it is because the Quickclear screen is interfering with your sat nav’s
reception, note that most good models have a socket so that you can plug in
a separate antenna, which would be a much better solution than swapping the
windscreen.
Remember too that although damaged screen replacement is covered by most
insurance policies, it still attracts an excess payment, typically about
£50-£75.
If you opt to change the screen, you can indeed choose a glass with no tint.
Again, though, it’s hard to see why, as the new screen then wouldn’t match
the rest of the car’s windows. More important, a tint helps to cut UV rays,
which make the car’s interior hotter and are harmful to the passengers and
the upholstery.
Q Can you help me to understand the type of automatic gearbox exemplified
by the Geartronic box fitted to the Volvo V50. When drive is selected, is
there some sort of electronically controlled clutch engaged? If so, how does
this affect driving – should one always select neutral when stationary? I
also notice that when I am slowing down, but not necessarily braking, a sort
of freewheeling appears to operate, inasmuch as the revs drop to idle speed.
Is this so and is it safe? Finally, the car has cruise control and, while
this is great in helping me to avoid penalty points, is its use good for the
engine?
TW from Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
A All Volvo automatic transmissions (apart from the new Powershift)
have torque converters – clever devices that essentially play the part of
the clutch and match the engine to the gearbox.
As with a manual gearbox, it is always good practice to select neutral (while
applying the brake) when you are stationary for any period other than the
odd few seconds at, say, a zebra crossing. As well as reducing the
mechanical wear on the various components, doing so will cause the engine
revs to drop slightly and thus save a little fuel at the same time as
reducing your emissions slightly.
When slowing down, you will always be in a gear, so there is no freewheeling
involved. As with pretty well any feature fitted as standard to a vehicle,
cruise control will harm neither the car nor the gearbox.
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