Tristan Shale-Hester
Q Conflicting information on changing up! timing belt
MY Volkswagen dealer says my up! needs a new timing belt after five years and 15,000 miles. I read in an Auto Express buying guide that there’s no set interval. Which is correct and do I need to pay £500 for the change? GB, E-mail
A
WE spoke to Volkswagen and received confirmation that while there’s no set mileage interval for replacing the timing belt on an up!, it’s recommended after five years. As such, your dealer’s advice is sound and it is advisable to change the belt. Should the belt fail, the damage to the engine could result in a far bigger bill. You could consult an independent specialist to find a lower quote.
Q Where do I stand regarding promised MoT certificates?
I BOUGHT a used car and the dealer said it would send me its previous MoT certificates, but they haven’t arrived. What should I do? Is there some way I can get these from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency? Steve Porter, E-mail
A
IF you head to the gov.uk website, there’s a page that allows you to enter any car’s number plate and view its MoT history. You can also see the locations at which the tests took place if you enter the car’s latest 11-digit V5C (vehicle log book) number. The dealer should provide the certificates if it has them, though, so you may wish to chase this up, contacting its head office with a written complaint if necessary.
Q Must I give up my phone cradle for navigation?
MY car doesn’t have built-in sat-nav or Apple CarPlay, so I have my iPhone in a cradle stuck to the windscreen that I use for navigation. One of my friends commented that this is illegal. Is that correct or can I carry on using a cradle? Peter Oldham, E-mail
A
WINDSCREENS are split into zones. Zone A covers a 29cm vertical area with its centreline on the steering wheel, while Zone B is the rest of the windscreen. A cradle shouldn’t cover more than 10mm of Zone A and/or more than 40mm of Zone B. The rule of thumb is to use common sense and not have the phone/cradle in a position that distracts you or obscures your view of the road in order to avoid trouble.