Ask The Guide

Yes, it is a common rail diesel engine.

To start you need to have the filter cleaned out by what it called a manual regeneration. It’s not a warranty issue. Take it to a Subaru dealer and get a quote from them. The reason the light has come on is that the car hasn’t been driven in a way that ensures the regeneration takes place automatically. It could be because of the way you drive it, or the way previous owners have driven it. When you talk to the Subaru dealer about regenerating the filter also ask about the way to drive it so the regeneration happens automatically.

Your choices are limited. An i30 of around 2014 would handle your towing needs and fit your budget. You could also look at Holden Cruze or VW Golf wagons.

They’ve fixed the faults under warranty, so they have honoured their warranty. If it happens again ask for a loan car to use while yours is being fixed.

It is a common problem with the waterborne paints that are used today. The only solution is to repaint the affected panels. You could talk to Toyota (1800 869 682).

It sounds like a problem with the door lock itself, so have a mechanic assess it for you and maybe replace it.

Water vapour from the exhaust is common during the warm-up phase. It should stop after a short time of driving, but I wouldn’t be concerned about it.

It’s a little higher than I would expect. It should be around 8.7 L/100 km in city driving and 5.3 on a country run. It would be worth having it checked by a mechanic or dealer to see if there is something amiss with it. It’s hard to say what the suspension noise might be, without actually hearing it I would only be guessing. Have a suspension specialist check it for you.

Apple CarPlay is due to be released on the 2019 RAV4 later this year; it’s not available for the 2018 model.

The private price guide is $23,500-$26,000, but that’s with average kilometres of 30,000-50,000. With 10,000 km the value would be towards the top end of the range.