HESITATING TO ASK
Dear Doc, Hope you are keeping well. When the Ford Fiesta was having its fifth service at my local Ford dealer a couple of months ago, they told me that there was an update to be done to the car’s brain and that this would be carried out free of charge. The […]
ROVER AND OUT?
Dear Doc, I currently run a Rover 75 diesel and last year it only just passed its MOT because of the dreaded tin worm in somewhere crucial under the car. I’m scared that it may not pass another year and I’ll have to condemn it to the graveyard in the sky. The problem is […]
DO DIESELS OF THE PAST HAVE A FUTURE?
Hello Doc, More an observation than a question, but I was overtaken – yes, overtaken – by a Peugeot 205 STDT the other day, and it got me thinking about the future of classic diesel cars. I must say it looked brilliant – I thought it was a GTI at first – but […]
A SMORGASBORD STARTER
Hi Doc, I have recently purchased my second Mazda6 diesel – a great car. Reading your report on the Mazda3, you cast some doubt about the reliability of the engine. In three years and 30,000 miles of mainly non-motorway driving, I have experienced no problems. Now that this engine employs the use of […]
OLD RUBBER AND STRETCHING THE TRUTH
Dear Doctor Diesel, I’ve just bought a used car from a local garage, and to my horror, I’ve found that all four of the tyres are different brands, though they are all of the same size. Should I be worried? I have spoken to the garage, and they tell me that it’s perfectly […]
MITSUBISHI TO EXIT EUROPE
Dear Ian & Doc, I have heard via email from Australia that Mitsubishi are pulling out of Europe when the present supply of vehicles cannot comply with new EU legislation regarding emissions. Whilst I do not completely agree with John Cadogan, in the past he has been accurate. Many thanks for keeping the […]
NORWEGIANS WOULD?
Hi Doc, There was an interesting story on the BBC website about an electric plane that took its first test flight from Cranfield. It’s a bit short on details, but probably a fuel-cell. Only question is, where is all of the hydrogen going to come from? Because if we have drones, planes, cars, HGVs, […]
LEFT ON THE SHELF
Dear Doc, This might seem like an odd question, but does diesel go off? Stupidly, I filled my CR-V with diesel just before the lockdown was introduced and the car has been off the road ever since. By the time the lockdown has been lifted, it could be three or four months of inactivity for […]
Looking after a fine Patriot
As a regular subscriber to Diesel Car for over 14 years, I would be much appreciative of your advice. My 2007 Jeep Patriot, which is powered by a VW 2.0 TDI PD engine, has always used the recommended PD oil to specification VW 505.01, which is a 5W/40 fully synthetic grade. My local supplier has […]
Kindred spirits, and more
Hello, Doc! Yes, me again – I had to write for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the July edition of Diesel Car cheered me up more than usual – not just because you generously squandered a number of your column inches on some of my mutterings, but because I learned that the bees that […]
