Q My new BMW 3-series features a fuel-saving function that turns off the engine if you put the car in neutral when at standstill. The engine starts again as soon as you depress the clutch. I always thought that starting the engine used a lot of fuel, so is it effective? - RJN from Neath, south Wales
A The automatic stop/start principle was tried by VW in the late 1980s but didn't catch on, largely because drivers found it unnerving. However, with high fuel prices and concerns about carbon dioxide emissions, motorists may prove more willing to adjust.
The BMW Auto Start-Stop system is available on four-cylinder, manual gearbox models as well as the Mini. It cuts the engine when the car is in neutral with the clutch pedal raised, then restarts it as soon as the clutch is depressed. BMW says it has calculated that leaving the engine idling for two seconds uses about the same amount of fuel as stopping and starting the engine, so if the engine idles for more than two seconds - as it would do at traffic lights, say - then you are saving fuel by stopping and restarting.
It is worth noting that restarting an engine tends to use less fuel than was once the case thanks to modern, electronically controlled fuel injection systems, which ensure exactly the right amount of fuel is provided to restart the engine. Also, BMW's system will not stop the engine until it has warmed up nor if it detects the battery charge level is low.
The company reckons that, on average, its stop-start technology could cut fuel consumption and emissions by 3%, although this figure will vary depending on driving conditions.
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Q We have a mid-range Honda Civic. My wife and I are expecting our first baby and are worried about the car's rear view, which is awful and has a large blind spot. I also dislike the hard ride and the low driving position. Could you suggest an alternative of similar value (our Civic has done only 8,500 miles) that is more family friendly? - MB from Edinburgh
A Assuming your Civic is the 1.8 litre SE, it would be worth between £10,500 and £11,000 as a part exchange, although you could sell it privately, in which case you might get a little more.
Cars similar in size and specification to the Civic include the Ford Focus, VW Golf, Vauxhall Astra, Peugeot 308, Mazda3, Renault Mégane and Citroën C4, any of which you could take for a test drive to compare visibility and ride.
However, if ride height is also a concern, you may prefer a people carrier, also known as an MPV. These offer a higher seating position and tend to have larger glass areas. Five-seat versions are of similar length and width to your Civic.
We'd suggest you take a look at the Renault Scénic, which, at just under 14ft long, is shorter than your Honda and less than an inch wider, or the Toyota Corolla Verso, which is about 3½in longer but half an inch narrower. Your budget of about £11,000 would get you a 2006 56-plate Scénic 1.9 dCi Dynamic with about 10,000 miles or a 2005 55 Corolla Verso 2.0 D4D T2.
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Both cars should give you a supple ride, but whatever you look at try to avoid models with large alloys and low-profile tyres as these will tend to make the ride harder.
Q I was recently clamped for inadvertently parking in a disabled parking space at a Little Chef restaurant. I reversed into it and failed to see the logo painted on the ground or the small notice at the rear of the bay. There were yellow markings on the passenger side of the car but not on the driver's side as the adjacent bay was a normal space. Does this conform to the appropriate regulations? - JL from Denbigh, north Wales
A Requirements for road signs and traffic markings are set out in the government's Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002. The legislation states that a disabled parking bay must be marked on the tarmac and a sign informing you that it is for disabled badge holders only should be clearly visible. The parking space you describe would appear to fulfil both those stipulations, unless you feel that the sign was obscured.
Little Chef says it does not have a clamping policy so the car park in question must have been operated by a third party. Drivers should be aware that parking operators are increasingly cracking down on misuse of disabled bays. Asda, the supermarket chain, recently announced it is to start fining drivers who abuse them.
Q We are looking for a seven-seater estate, all front-facing seats, rather than an SUV or people carrier. Any ideas? - DH from London
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A There was a time when you'd have been able to choose from a range of cars, such as the Citroën CX Familiale, Peugeot 504 Familiale and Renault 21 Savanna, all of which had three rows of forward-facing seats.
However, such cars went out of production by the mid1990s and the success of the modern SUV and MPV means it is unlikely they'll return in the near future, despite their superior aerodynamics, which would help reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
The closest you'll get is the Mercedes R-class, which the car maker has dubbed a "multi-activity vehicle", claiming it combines the best of SUVs, MPVs and estate cars.
Prices start at £40,000 for the seven-seater version but the R-class is still significantly taller than a traditional estate car. You may have to consider seven-seat people carriers such as the Renault Espace (from £18,845), Citroën C4 Picasso (from £15,495) and Vauxhall Zafira (from £12,995), the last of which has a lower roofline than the R-Class.
Q I have a 2001 Rover 75 CDT that works fine apart from the clutch, which needs replacement master and slave cylinders. I have tried several websites and my local garage without success. Do you know a supplier? I'd prefer new parts but used would do. - ES from St Andrews, Fife
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A Xpart (0870 242 4791, www.xpart.com) can still supply most Rover parts and though it doesn't sell direct to the customer, you can find your nearest retailer on its website. For your car, a master cylinder (product code STC105480) is £192.25 and the slave cylinder (UUB105301) is £123.05. If you're doing the job yourself, there's a special tool that makes removing the parts considerably easier. Its code is ZUA000040 and it costs £2.23.
Please e-mail your questions for our experts to carclinic@sunday-times.co.uk or write to Car Clinic, InGear, The Sunday Times, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1ST. Please supply us with a daytime telephone number and as much detail about your car as you can. We cannot send personal replies or deal with every letter, so please do not send original documents or SAEs. Advice is offered without legal responsibility.