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Car Clinic

The Sunday Times Driving Placeholder

My car was towed while my residents' parking permit...

Q. This year I renewed my residents’ parking permit online, calling to confirm the payment had been received. A week later the permit had still...
Published 18 January 2015
The Sunday Times Driving Placeholder

Letters of the week, January 18

This week: A-pillar blind spots, Clarkson's Lexus hybrid review, parent and child parking places...
Published 18 January 2015
What is ISOFIX?

What is an ISOFIX child seat?

Road safety organisations, engineers and parents all agree: Isofix is the safest way to install a child seat in a car. The mounting system, which...
Published 16 January 2015
The Sunday Times Driving Placeholder

I received a penalty charge notice on road with no...

Q. I parked on a stretch of road where I could see no pay-and-display machine or sign relating to parking fees or restrictions, yet I was issued with...
Published 13 January 2015
The Sunday Times Driving Placeholder

Letters of the week, January 11

This week: Parking spaces, tailgating, beautiful clocks and petrol prices...
Published 13 January 2015
The Sunday Times Driving Placeholder

My Honda Jazz has a driver's blind spot — have any...

Q. My two-year-old Honda Jazz has a driver’s blind spot between the windscreen and a small triangular side window. It is particularly noticeable...
Published 13 January 2015
The Sunday Times Driving Placeholder

A digit on my Mercedes digital clock has disappeared...

Q. One of the digits of the digital clock on the dashboard of my Mercedes-Benz has disappeared. Is there any way that this problem can be fixed without...
Published 13 January 2015
The Sunday Times Driving Placeholder

I want a fun, petrol-engine, manual car that has room...

Q. I drive short journeys, covering less than 8,000 miles a year, and want a fun, petrol-engined, manual car. I was thinking of a hatchback but as...
Published 12 January 2015
The Sunday Times Driving Placeholder

Car insurance for young drivers: how do you get the...

Hefty premiums can deter youngsters from getting on the road and costs are only likely to rise this year, but Emma Smith has some tips on how to ease...
Published 12 January 2015
The Sunday Times Driving Placeholder

Letters of the week, January 4

This week: tailgating, scrapping paper licences and winter driving
Published 06 January 2015
The Sunday Times Driving Placeholder

Can franchised dealerships justify charging high rates...

Q. My wife’s 2006 BMW 320d estate was serviced by a local BMW dealership, which also changed a rear lightbulb. The bulb cost £2.50 but the fitting...
Published 06 January 2015
The Sunday Times Driving Placeholder

Does the fuel on sale at British forecourts have to...

Q. When our VW Golf had a recent service, the garage found a minor problem with erratic acceleration. The technicians asked us where we bought our...
Published 05 January 2015