How should I store my Volvo automatic for four weeks?

Having read your advice on three months' storage, could you say which of the points are really necessary for an 11-year-old Volvo auto that will be garaged for four weeks, please?

Fiat 500 - start/stop system doesn't work

I have a new Fiat 500 with stop/start, but the system refuses to work. It has been back to the garage numerous times because the stop/start does not apply itself when it should, and when it does it does...

Why does my Volvo S80's battery keep going flat?

This is a desperate call for help. My car is a Volvo S80 auto, bought secondhand with 60,000 miles registered, five years ago. It now registers 67,000 miles. I do infrequent low mileage. It has had two...

Will the Porsche Cayenne stop-start system damage the battery or DPF?

A friend is purchasing a Porsche Cayenne diesel with a stop-start fuel saving cut-out facility. Firstly, does this rapidly destroy a battery (with all the re-starts)? Secondly, as a diesel with a DPF,...

How should we store our Chrysler Sebring for two months without a garage?

We have a 4-year-old Chrysler Sebring Coupe Cabrio. It is a little underpowered, but we like it. We are away for the whole of October and November and have no garage facilities. Is it advisable to get...

What's wrong with my BMW 520d?

I have just had my BMW 520d Touring serviced at 33,000 miles by a local dealer, preceded by a warranty check, which found a leaking exhaust manifold and a faulty EGR. When I took it away, I noticed that...

What's causing my Ford Focus' battery to go flat?

I purchased my Ford Focus 1.6 EcoBoost in April 2012. Since then the battery has gone flat on three occasions. The first time was three weeks after purchase. The second, on 16 August 2012. The battery...

Why do I need to disconnect the battery when using my new trickle charger?

The instructions that came with the 6/12v 740/4355 automatic battery charger I bought from Argos yesterday say “disconnect the battery from the vehicle before charging to avoid possible damage to the alternator”....

How can I work out the residual value of an electric car with leased batteries, like my Renault Fluence?

I've just bought (not yet collected) one of the 'pre-launch' (January 2012) Renault Fluence ZE cars that have been offloaded into the dealer network and seem to have appeared in numbers in the last couple...

Do I really need to disconnect my battery before charging it?

The instructions that came with the battery charger I bought from Argos yesterday say 'disconnect the battery from the vehicle before charging, to avoid possible damage to the alternator'. That could have...