Ask The Guide

Kia confirmed that there is a software issue with the 2.0-litre diesel engine, which results in surging when the engine is cold. The told us that their supplier has been working on a solution which they hope will be available fairly soon. It is complicated by the fact the software is not supplied only to Kia and any changes have to be cleared by all users. From that I think you could assume the Tucson is probably also affected.

No, we haven't managed to get Nedahl to spend time with the MU-X yet, but thanks very much for the suggestion. We'll try and make that happen soon.

The Camry wins on reliability and fuel consumption, but carries the highest price; the Subaru is the least expensive but has the highest fuel consumption ad the lowest resale, while the Kia sits in the middle. The Kia is good value-for-money. If fuel consumption is your priority go for the Camry, if not go for the Kia.

Get a quote from a Mercedes-Benz dealer, at the same time get the price of the pads from the parts department. If you want to chop around get a quote from a brake specialist, and you can get the price of the pads from a parts outlet.

You can buy a workshop manual for the car on the Internet, and it contains a wiring diagram.

Check the brake fluid level, it could be a warning for low fluid.

That’s a difficult call to make. The car has done quite a few kilometres and is in the twilight of its life. If it’s been properly serviced all its life to date and you continue to service it well you should be able to keep on top of any issues that crop up. But at the same you should anticipate that problems might occur more often now, and that will involve more expense. Looking forward you need to decide if you want to gamble on it giving little or no trouble, or get out of it. If you are not sure about it get out of it now.

It sounds like the Cruze automatic transmission gremlin has struck. In the past Holden has come to the party with some or the entire repair costs, but that was some time ago when the car was near new. As yours is seven years old Holden might not be as cooperative. Even so it would be worth calling Holden (1800 033 349) and lodging a claim for compensation.

The best approach is to buy a car from a well-respected brand, and stick with an Asian brand such as Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai or Kia rather than an European one. Models to consider would be a Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Hyundai i30 or Kia Cerato.

No, I don’t believe it would be some sort of trick to get more business. Have you been servicing it at a Mercedes-Benz dealership, or perhaps a regular mechanic? It could be a reset glitch after the last service.