Help!
GENERAL
Cloning
Q I have received in the post a letter from Transport for London saying that they have identified my cars emissions as not compliant in the ULEZ zone and I’d be fined £12.50 a day (letter received before October 25th 2021). My 2013 Peugeot 308 1.6 HDi has NEVER been to London and never will (I live in Yorkshire). I have asked others but no one else has had a letter. Do you think my numbers been cloned and what can I do about it?
Will Beck
A It should now in theory be difficult to obtain a numberplate, requiring proof of ownership and proof of the owners identity, but there are still unfortunately firms on the internet who sell numberplates described as ‘show plates’ who ask for no details.
It is very likely that your number has been used and displayed on another vehicle which is being driven around London. The purpose of this for the owner of that vehicle would be to illegally travel or park, avoiding the detection of speed cameras and other zones where the vehicle would otherwise be fined.
If the vehicle is recorded as having entered a zone or been speeding, then photographic proof would accompany the letter issuing the fine. As you have received this warning letter, I suspect that a vehicle displaying your numberplate has entered the ULEZ area.
I would reply in writing to Transport for London who would have issued the warning letter and state very clearly that you have not been in the area at any time. They can also be contacted by phone on 0343 222 2222.
In your circumstances I would call Transport for London first and check that you received this notice due to a suspected sighting of your vehicle in the zone. If they confirm this was the case, I would send them a letter to confirm that you have never been in the area and then I would report the matter to the police using the 101 telephone number or website. A full report can be filed on the 101 website, and this will ensure that they know about the incident. You should also report this to the DVLA to ensure that they are aware of this incident.
FORD FOCUS
Keyless entry
Q Once more I am writing in the hope that you can point me in the right direction regarding a frustrating niggle on my 2011 Focus TI-VCT Titanium spec. It is to do with the keyless-entry which is unpredictable in its operation. In theory all the door handles unlock the car and the front doors have black buttons which can lock the car.
At the moment the front driver’s door works perfectly, and the rear passenger door unlocks the car. The door handles for the front passenger door and rear driver’s side door do nothing. Occasionally the function makes a brief reappearance at the front passenger door, but then it gets lost again.
David Braithwaite
A This is a problem which is not uncommon on the Focus with the keyless-entry system and is normally due to damp entering the door handle and causing interference to the signal. As the driver’s side does work without issue, the fault will be within the front passenger door handle.
The fix as described by Autodata is to remove the front outer door handles. Disassemble and thoroughly clean all components. Then apply Xtreme nanopro (wheel rim sealant) to the internal surfaces of the door handles and keyless entry components. Reassemble and refit the handles.
The handle can be removed by first removing the blanking plug at the rear edge of the door and then loosening the securing Torx screw. The rear trim section on the door handle can then be popped out allowing the outer handle to be slide backwards and manoeuvred out.
The sealant can be found at this website https://bit.ly/CM2desc
The sealant recommended to prevent moisture problems with the door locks.
FORD FIESTA
Dashboard electronics
Q I understand that the dashboard electronics on my 2015 Ford Fiesta Titanium X petrol runs the SYNC 1 system. The Ford website told me there was an update and I downloaded the files onto my iMac computer.
My iMac automatically unzipped the files and Ford instructs that they be placed on a memory stick of adequate size and formatted FAT/FAT32. My iMac’s nearest equivalent is DOS (FAT 32) so I used that.
The problem is the car tells me it cannot find the files, I have tried umpteen times to no avail. I have even formatted a memory stick with FAT32 on a windows computer with the same lack of results. I have googled this problem and I am not alone. There seem to be many solutions and these appear to work for some people but not others. I’m loth to start interfering with the contents of the files, so can you please say if you have
