READERS’ QUESTIONS

I’m tempted to get a convertible, my first drop-top. Given all this dry weather, it seems a good time to do so. My question is: should you leave it parked with the top down to air it out on a hot day? Malcolm Henry, via email

No. Not only are you inviting passers-by to use it as a waste bin, but some unscrupulous types might try looking through your glovebox, even if it has a lock on it. Best keep everything closed for safety and then run the air-con for a short period when you get in it to cool things down.

I’ve come to depend on my car more post-lockdown and noticed it takes a while to start. Is there any way to find out if it is a battery issue before I take it to a garage? Ben Fowely, via email

You can put the interior or headlights on while starting and, if they dim a lot, then you’ve got a strong indication that there isn’t enough juice in the battery. However, a more comprehensive test is to get hold of a hand-held tool that will be able to tell you the cold cranking amps capacity of the battery. If it comes up being lower than what’s stated on the battery, it’ll need replacing.