Ask The Guide

The cars are vastly different, yet both get The Tick from me. The advantages of the Hyundai are more boot space, open-road comfort and the five-year warranty and service package. The Mazda is good on quality, but you'll pay a bit for the "fruit". Don't get a diesel, despite the current cheap fuel price, unless you travel at least 30,000km a year, as diesel engines cost more than petrol.

The mileage is very low for an 11 year-old car, so make sure the odo reading is credible. A check of its service record should give you enough information to tell if it's correct or not. RAV4s of that era had quite a lot of trouble with the automatic transmission, so put the car through as many different driving modes as possible and look for things like reluctant shifting, hesitations, juddering, etc. Other than that the RAV4 is a decent car.

There's no easy fix I'm afraid, the only way to fix it is to repaint it.

Yes, you should. It's not being caused by the spark plugs, that's a red herring, it's most likely a problem with the sensor itself or the wiring.

Take it back to the dealer and inform him that the leak hasn't been fixed and ask that it be done again. Whatever was done before clearly hasn't worked and you need to insist that they continue to attempt to fix it. Let it be known that you won't be satisfied until it is fixed. On your side is the fact that he car is only a few months old. There should be no argument about fixing it. If the dealer can't fix it, escalate you claim by taking it to KIA head office.

Clearly the battery, the starter and the associated components have to work a lot harder with a car with the stop-start function, but you have to believe that the carmakers with the system have upgraded the components to cope with it. If they didn't the component would most likely fail quite quickly. I have sufficient confidence in carmakers to believe they have developed components that are capable to doing the job

What's happening is that the car's computer is detecting a problem and putting it into limp home mode. The idea is that you are then able to drive on at a reduced speed to get it to a dealer for repairs. What's not happening is that the dealer is not identifying a problem when they get to see the car and check it on their diagnostic equipment. It's difficult to find the cause of a problem when it is not evident when the mechanic is doing the check. There is likely to be a problem with a sensor or a wiring connection issue. The only way to find the problem when the diagnostic gear isn't telling what is causing it is to do a thorough manual check. I would be taking the car back to the dealer and telling them that you won't be taking it back until the car is fixed.

If it's a 2011 model that's what it is no matter when it was registered. The extended warranty should cover you in the event the transmission gets any worse. Given what you say is happening I would keep a close eye on it and, if you feel there is a problem take it to a dealer and have it checked.

Toyota spokesman Stephen Coughlan says: “There is no plan at the moment (to bring back a Corolla wagon). There is a two-wheel drive RAV4 and Rukus as substitutes.” So that’s a no from Toyota.

Look at a Hyundai i30 wagon, which gets The Tick and is the closest thing now to your Corolla wagon.

I have yet to drive the E400 but, in general, mid-sized Mercedes drop-tops have lots of space and comfort but are not remotely sporty. If that’s what you crave, it should do the job.