EXPERT ADVICE

The dealer you can trust is on hand to answer your questions on car problems and consumer issues

CLAIM, NO BONUS

If you have an accident while driving a vehicle that is owned by your employer, and a claim is made, do you also have to notify your own private insurer? PB

Yes. It’s still a claim involving you. If you don’t disclose it, your own insurer is likely to find out via the Motor Insurance Database.

COVERING HIS BASES

The outside bolsters in the seat bases of my partner’s 2014 Smart ForTwo are developing splits. I intend to contact Mercedes under the Sale of Goods Act, requesting that they replace the bases or repair this fault. The car is in excellent condition throughout with a full service history. Is Mercedes likely to regard this as normal wear and tear for a car with 42,000 miles, even though it looks immaculate? AB

This is a six-year old car, so Mercedes will reasonably argue “wear and tear”. You should be able to get it fixed by searching the internet for a car upholsterer and trimmer.

PRESSURE POINT

I have a persistent “tyre pressure low” warning on my car’s dashboard, even though a garage check has shown that they are all fine. What could be wrong? DM

The tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) needs to be re-initiated – refer to the owners’ manual. Once the pressures are correct, the system needs to be programmed to base any future disparity on these.

LEAF-TIME GUARANTEE

Some advice for reader AD, who had wet carpets in his Mondeo. I park my Ford under a tree that tends to shed leaves and these used to get through the bonnet gap and block the drains. I cured this by cutting a piece from a plastic scouring pad and wedging it in the drain hole on each side of the vent well. Its coarse mesh allows the water into the drain but not the leaves. WP

That’s a very useful tip.

TAKING A DIM VIEW

My wife has bought a 2013 Suzuki Splash. It has done just 37,000 miles and seems to be a lovely little car. If it is not used for a few days, however, the battery becomes completely drained. We have had the battery charged and tested and are told it is fine, so I am assuming there must be a faulty alternator or some constant drain on the battery while the car is parked. What should we look at first? JH

The most likely culprit is the interior light delay switch that keeps the interior light on as you emerge from the car, then eventually switches it off. Even though the light goes out, these switches are notorious for remaining live and draining the battery. Try switching the interior light off entirely at the light itself, so it does not come on when you open a door. If you suffer no more draindowns then you have your answer.

DRAIN ON RESOURCES

My 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid is immaculate, has done only 66,000 miles and is serviced annually at a main dealer. Over the last few weeks its engine management warning light has displayed intermittently. Diagnostics show that the hybrid battery capacity is at 15 per cent and requires replacing, at more than £1,950. Is there any way of resuscitating it? NJ

If you search the internet for “Honda Civic hybrid battery” you will find links to some tricks to revive them. You will also find salvaged hybrid batteries for sale from about £325, which is likely to be more reliable. It’s always a gamble, of course, because unless a salvaged battery is certified you won’t necessarily know how much life is left in it. But it’s probably a better option than scrapping an otherwise good car.

CABLE CAR

I have a 2012 VW Golf 1.6 TDI that is parked on a slope. When I get in the car creaks terribly, especially if anyone sits in the back. This occurs

HISTORY IS BUNK

I was sold a car and was told its service history would be posted to me, but I still have not received it two months later. When I pursued the matter, the garage said that all the paperwork was in the car at the time of delivery – although I also have an email telling me it would arrive four days beyond that. Any thoughts? CW

I think the vendor could be found guilty of Misleading Omissions under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. intermittently and doesn’t happen on the flat. It has been to a garage twice to check the handbrake, which was fine. Both rear brake discs were replaced but the problem persists. Any ideas? AP

It’s probably coming from the cables to the rear parking brakes – that’s quite a common thing.

PASSING MANOEUVRE

My son and his Thai wife are considering relocating from Phuket to the UK. Both hold Thai driving licences. In order to buy, register and insure a car here, a UK licence would be required. Are there any fast-track methods of obtaining one? NC

There are organisations that specialise in this. The most perfunctory of internet searches yielded momentumdrivingschool. com and passmefast.co.uk but you should find more with a detailed search. For insurance, try Direct Line, LV, Churchill, Quote me Happy and Coveo.

FOG CHORUS

My local car dealer asserts that modern LED daytime running lights (DRLs) render fog lights obsolete. Is this opinion correct? SD

DRLs could be anywhere on the front of a car, high or low, and do not perform the function of fog lights. They merely alert oncoming drivers to your presence. I’ve never found fog lights to be much use; additional lights that turn in tandem with the steering are much more effective.

VOLUME CONTROL

I have problems with my ears and go deaf when I travel any distance in my BMW X1. My wife’s BMW 1-series is even worse in the respect. Run-flat tyres seem to be the cause. What can I do, short of buying a different car? AW

The reason is probably not that the tyres are run-flats, but that they have too low a profile. If your car has 18- or 19-inch wheels, you can probably swap to 17-inch rims with 225/55 tyres.

MIND THE GAP

I do about 20,000 miles each year in my 2014 VW Golf 1.6 TDI. I recently had the cambelt and ancillaries changed; the receipt advised that the next cambelt change was due at 140,000 miles. Is this correct? BS

I recommend a fresh timing belt, tensioner, water pump and auxiliary belt every five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.

WRITE TO US

For consumer and used car advice, or car faults, email Honest John: honestadvice@telegraph.co.uk