Ask The Guide

Modern Korean cars have come a long way since they burst onto the Australian market as entry-level runabouts 30 years ago. When properly serviced and taken care of the Kia Soul shouldn't be any less reliable than a comparable Japanese vehicle, though I have heard of some issues in America (in cold states) where cabin vent tubes can become blocked leading to the demisters struggling to clear the windows quickly.

The Getz is a good, solid, and reliable car with no major flaws that should cause you any concern. The automatic transmission is a regular one, not a CVT.

While some vehicle keys can be programmed at home almost all contemporary vehicles use a smart key system that requires a qualified locksmith or car dealership to code the key to your particular car using specialist software.

It is rated to tow 750 kg if the trailer doesn’t have any brakes, or 1600 kg if it does have brakes. The Passat diesel will also tow 750 kg with an unbraked trailer, but 1500 kg when the trailer has brakes. There are no major concerns with either of them.

This isn't a Hollywood movie where you can use a secret handshake to break into a car, then hotwire it by twisting a couple of wires. You will need to call a locksmith or get the car transported to a dealership, where they can open the car, then sell you reprogrammed keys coded to your specific vehicle.

It’s still under warranty, so take the Koleos to your dealer to have it checked.

Yes, no and maybe! Mazda has sold a heap of their compact SUV in Australia and they have generally been pretty good reliability-wise, though there has been an increasing number of manual transmission failures reported at between 50,000km and 75,000km. Disturbingly, these are reported to only be fixed by replacing the entire manual gearbox. There have also been questions raised over oil consumption in the Skyactiv petrol motors, and the longevity of steering racks.

If you buy a used car with money owing to a financier from a previous owner, it could be repossessed. To find out you can do a PPSR/REVS check to see if any money is owing on the vehicle you are buying. Go to the Personal Proptery Securities Register website.

Pull the small slot on the back of the key fob to the left, then remove the emergency key from the end of the fob. Put a small flat-blade screwdriver into the slots where the emergency key slid out of, gently prying the fob apart by slowly twisting the blade. They fob then splits in half and you can replace the battery.

Skoda is part of VW, so there’s no reason to believe spare parts are any harder to get, or that problems are not properly addressed.