Ask The Guide

Both these cars are well equipped, well built and have a good reputation in the trade. Which means you won’t regret buying either of them. In turn, that means that the decision will come down to whether the extra standard equipment of the Astina model outweighs the factory warranty of the SP25 GT.

The extra gear in the Astina amounted to 10-way adjustable powered front seats with a memory function, specific 18-inch alloy wheels, a sunroof, radar cruise-control, forward obstacle warning, adaptive headlights, lane departure warning and lane keeping assistance, and smart brake support. Whether you reckon that standard gear is better than a year of so of factory warranty is entirely up to you. The only problem being that when the warranty runs out, you might start to think differently about the relative value of the two cars.

Modern cars are relying more and more on online updates for things like navigation maps and even the computer that controls the car’s major functions. This usually isn’t too hard to achieve but for people unfamiliar with computers and the online world, it can seem very daunting. That’s especially so with an online update, as there are no physical switches to push or changes to make, it all happens apparently by magic and you have to trust that the changes have been successfully made.

A good service centre would have helped you by walking you through the steps so you know how to do it next time. I understand some workshops and dealerships are very busy, but this would seem like an important role for customers tackling a task for the first time. Failing that, the average 14-year-old relative is probably more than capable of tackling this for you.

Conventional wisdom is that your should increase tyre pressures with increases in load and travelling speed. But in the Arkana’s case, the factory tyre pressure recommendation for either urban or freeway speeds remains at the 33 front and 31 rear psi you’ve noted on your tyre placard. Which suggests that the type of tyre Renault is using is happiest at those pressure regardless of average speed. Which, in turn, suggests that a load that varies only by a couple of passengers and a few pieces of luggage is likewise not going to affect the tyre’s performance.

A much better thing to concern yourself with is to keep a weekly eye on the tyre pressures. Tyres lose about one psi a month just sitting around, so keeping on top of that is very important in a safety sense. A tyre can be as low as about 12 psi before it will even look strange to the naked eye, so buy yourself a good quality tyre gauge and get into the habit of checking those pressures every weekend.

Every time you drive the car, the alternator should be keeping the battery fully charged. If you had the dash-cam switched on and recording for 18 months without driving the car, then, yes, it would definitely flatten the battery. However, it shouldn’t really pose any threat to the alternator.

It doesn’t really matter what’s draining the battery, be it a dash-cam or the headlights or the stereo system; if the car gets regular use, the alternator should be able to stay on top of things and keep the battery charged and in good health. This sounds more like your dealership blaming the dash-cam as the cause of a failed alternator, when the problem was possibly a dodgy alternator all along. 

Don’t accept nonsense like this. Take the car to an auto electrician and have the thing diagnosed properly. Then by-pass the dealership and contact LDV’s Australia customer service number. Your vehicle should still be under factory warranty, so make it LDV’s problem. And if the car’s alternator can’t support a dash-cam, then it’s probably not fit for purpose, at which point the ACCC and Australian Consumer Law might be interested.

As both these model-years concern the same series of Focus, there would definitely be some interchangeability. Body panels should interchange readily (provided you don't try to fit the hatchback from a five-door to the boot of a four-door) and many interior fittings would also be able to be swapped (provided the interior colour and trim materials of the two cars matched).

Mechanically, however, you need to be a bit more careful. Obviously, there would be major differences between the driveline of the diesel version and the more common petrol model, but there will likely be differences to driveshafts and all sorts of components when you compare a manual Focus to an automatic one. Different trim levels can also cause interchangeability problems in terms of a base-model car not having the electrical wiring to support the convenience equipment of the upmarket version. Things like the power windows in the rear of a Focus Ghia, for instance, will cause problems in the base-model CL which relied on manual rear windows.

2022 Yaris Cross should be able to travel to the moon and back with no problems given low mileage such as yours. While it's true that cars don't appreciate sitting around not being used, 1000km in four months still suggests it gets a workout now and then and hasn't sat around for that full period of time. Don't forget that cars often sit around for months at dealerships waiting to be sold. That said, demand for the Yaris Cross recently has ruled out that possibility.

Basically, your car should still be well and truly match-fit provided it has had all its maintenance and checks carried out. Don't forget to check the tyre pressures, top up the windscreen fluid and enjoy the journey. Extended road trips are precisely what cars are for. And modern cars, even smaller ones like the Yaris, are better at this than their forebears ever were, especially in terms of comfort, safety and fuel efficiency.

Perhaps you've been lucky and simply bought a freakish Focus without any DCT Powershift transmission problems. But when more than half the small Fords sold in Australia fitted with that transmission  experiencing either single or multiple failures, I'm afraid the odds are stacked against you in the longer term. It seems there are two types of Focus Powershift transmissions: Those that have failed, and; those that will fail at some stage.

The price you paid is probably about where the market is now, but this is a car we can't recommend at any price.

You could start with the established spare parts retail outlets. Many of these stock parts for all sorts of brands including, of course, Toyota. While it may come in a box that is branded something other than Toyota, chances are it will be made by the same company that supplies Toyota with its genuine parts. Be wary of really cheap replacement parts, though, as these could be cheap knock-offs from anywhere. With that in mind, stick with the known retailers who are less likely to sell you a poor quality part.

If that doesn't work, jump online as c heck out some of the cyber-retailers. A quick search at my end has confirmed that both Gates and Dayco (well known and respected brands) have stocks of the very part you're looking for through a variety of online retailers.

It will depend on the borrower to an extent, but many finance companies will not even look at an unregistered or unroadworthy vehicle. You need to remember that finance companies are always trying to reduce the risk of any loan they make going unpaid. With that in mind, they're pretty averse to privately imported cars, any car that has shown up on the repairable write-off register, cars more than about 12 years old, and any car with finance still owing on it. These rules can vary from borrower to borrower, but if there's a sniff of risk, you might be in trouble.

Don't forget, an unregistered car changing hands also requires notifying your state's registration authorities before ownership can be transferred and it can be re-registered.

This is probably a case of either the key being worn to the point where it doesn’t engage with the ignition barrel properly any longer, or the barrel itself (in the steering column) is likewise worn to the point where the two components no longer mesh properly. Failing that, it could be that the ignition barrel has collapsed internally, locking itself in place and refusing to turn. If either of those things happen, you won’t get any dashboard lights, and the steering column will remain locked meaning the car can’t be steered.

A locksmith should be able to sort this pretty easily, but at a cost. The alternative would be to find an ignition barrel in a Frontera at a wrecking yard and swap it for the one in your car. Don’t forget to the get the key from the wrecked car, though, as the new barrel won’t work with your old key. You’ll also need to have the replacement key’s remote locking function recoded to talk to your car.