Baraza JM Two news items caught my eye last week, both on Wednesday evening. One was a world-class event of grand proportions; an affair magnificent as it was expensive — making liberal use of a massive aircraft, a lot of fireworks, an R&B singer, a Formula 1 race driver, and talk of “massage” and “scents”. It was … Read more
Hi Barasa, I have owned a Toyota Mark X, 2005 model for six months. Last week, it started showing the check engine light. A diagnostic revealed one of its oxygen sensors had stopped functioning. Is it ok to still drive it? A lot of Mark X have these problems. Also, when I press on the … Read more
In the recent past I have found myself in a good number of new cars, all of which beg reviews, but since there is hardly any time (or space) to do them all, they will have to share a bed or rather a space. To kick things off we have the new RAV4, the 2013 … Read more
WHEN BMW announced last month that it was recalling 30,000 of its 2007 to 2010 X5 sport utility vehicles over the mere possibility that they could lose power brake assist, few took notice of the fact that the car manufacturer was not saying that the braking system was faulty, but that it could become faulty … Read more
Hi Baraza, I once overheard a former Toyota Prius owner lament about how much trouble the car had put him through when its photovoltaic cell broke down. Finding a competent mechanic to fix it was a nightmare. Toyota EA, the franchise holders, did not stock it too. Please comment on the whole hybrid car phenomenon … Read more
Hello Baraza, I drive a Mercedes Benz G Wagen while my husband drives an Audi Q7. We will be in Iten for six weeks, during which I will have to drive 12 kilometres off road every morning down and up the Kerio Valley as I trail him on his running track. I would like your … Read more
Hi Baraza,I recently bought a second-hand VW Touareg with a five-cylinder TDI engine from the UK. While I love the car (after replacing the shocks), I fear I may have not done my pre-purchase selection well enough as I have been informed that local agents refused to stock diesel Touaregs due to a potential mismatch … Read more
Hi Baraza, I plan to import my first ever-car in the course of this year. My preference is a 1.8-litre Toyota Premio or Avensis, both VVT-i saloons. These two cars seem to cost almost the same and I like their shape. I have heard people say the Avensis’ engine is troublesome and not easy to … Read more
Hello Baraza, Thank you for your advice on motoring. Could you kindly take your time to help me decide on what is the best vehicle in relation to the issues I state below? 1. Infrequent travel on the rough roads of areas like Marsabit, Turkana, and the coastal region. 2. Going to work in town. … Read more
Hello Braza, Thank you very much for your advice on tyre size. It worked perfectly. I have one other question. Somebody advised me to be changing my gear selection to N (Neutral) when going downhill in order to save fuel. Is this true? Does it have any adverse effect on the vehicle, especially when I … Read more