Ask The Guide

Used car dealers in Victorian are required to provide a statutory warranty if the car is less than 10 years old and has travelled less than 160,000 km. It lasts for three months or 5000 km, which ever occurs first. You can have your car serviced anywhere you choose in that period.

The claimed average for your car is 6.7 L/100 km. It would be higher if it were driven around town – 9.4 L/100 km – but a less – 5.2 L/100 km – if only driven in the country. But remember that these so-called claimed figures are a guide only and not necessarily what you might get from your car.

It should be located at the front under the inner guard. Look up between the bumper and the support panel and you should see it.

It’s indicating that the coolant isn’t yet up to temperature. Once the engine is warmed up the light will go out.

It may be sufficient to warrant a recall on the grounds of safety, but more info would be needed to make a definitive call on the issue. But it’s being fixed under warranty, so hopefully you should be back on the road soon. In the meantime if I were you I would be demanding a replacement vehicle to be used while yours is being repaired.

It could any number of things and the dealer should be able to identify and rectify the cause for you. It could be as simple as a faulty solenoid in the transmission, a problem with the car’s computer, or a dodgy electrical connection.

There is a current recall affecting 30,505 MY 2016-2018 BT-50s. It relates to two front brake issues, one for a potential front brake hose failure, the other for possible front brake calliper cracking. Both could affect the car’s braking. To see if your BT-50 is one of those affected phone Mazda Customer Support (1800 034 411).

I understand the 2010 Fiesta came with a space saver spare tyre. I'd be trying a wreckers to find a replacement, but make sure it actually fits your car. Plenty of space savers will look the same, but feature a different PCD (nut spacing), offset and overall diameter. 

The Caddy is based on the Golf, so they should fit. If in doubt check with a VW dealer.

You’ve got a limited budget, which will determine the car you can buy. It will be a relatively old car, so buy one in the best condition you can find, with the lowest odometer reading, a good service history, and the best safety rating. Try a Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Kia Rio, and Hyundai i30 from 2008/2009.