Ask The Guide

You have a CVT transmission. Take it to a Toyota dealer, or an automatic transmission specialist and have them assess the transmission. It could be that it needs to be serviced.

It’s hard for mechanics if they can’t observe the problem themselves. If it doesn’t make the noise when in their presence they really are in the dark in trying to find the cause. It could be in the front-end, perhaps bushes.

There are no lemon laws as such in Australia, and I don't believe you would have a claim on the basis of it not being fit for purpose. It really requires regular and repeated failures to qualify as a lemon or being unfit for purpose. But it is an expensive repair, just out of warranty, and at low kilometres. Give Ford a call and explain your concern, and request they cover the cost of the repairs as a gesture of goodwill.

Try wriggling the steering wheel; that can often free it. If it is really stuck or broken you are probably going to have to replace it.

Yes, hybrid cars are more economical than a regular car using petrol. They use a combination of an electric motor and a small petrol engine to save on fuel and cut exhaust emissions. The battery life is said to be about 10 years, but evidence suggests they last longer than that.

There doesn’t appear to be anything in your regular driving routine that is out of the ordinary, nothing that would demand more frequent oil changes. I would question the advice you have been given by the dealer and Honda, and I would ask that the oil monitoring system be checked to see that it isn’t giving false readings.

It’s rated to tow up to 1600 kg if what is being towed has brakes, so towing a van weighing 1000 kg on road should be a breeze.

It’s mounted at the inlet of the intake manifold.

At 170,000 km there is plenty of life left in it, but it is higher than average for a 2013 model, and the price is on the high side.

The Daihatsu Feroza (called the Rocky or SporTrak overseas) was sold in part-time 4x4 or full-time 4x4 variants depending on the gearbox chosen.