Ask The Guide

The J11-series Nissan Qashqai is built in several Nissan manufacturing plants around the world, including in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear in England, Wuhan, Hubei in China, Saint Petersberg in Russia, and Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. Australian Qashqais are sourced from the Japanese facility. The J11-series has been on sale since 2013, with a mid-series refresh unveiled last year in 2017, so the next model is thought to be coming out in 2020.

Properly maintained (which means regular servicing, and not driving it like a rental) Hyundai's Tucson can last for hundreds of thousands of kilometres. For over a decade Hyundai's engineering is solid, reliable and will last for many, many km's.

While there are ways to make your Mazda 3 quite fast it is not cheap or easy, and will require extensive involvement from experts. You would be far better served to look for a second-hand factory turbocharged high-performance Mazda MPS model, or buying a Subaru WRX, or Volkswagen Golf GTI, to get your high-performance kicks.

The best way to make a Toyota Corolla faster is to trade it in on a Subaru WRX or Volkswagen Polo GTI. While Japanese cars are known to be loved by boy racers for their easy ability to hot up, the last few series of Toyota Corolla have next to no options for hot-up parts as these cars focus on excellent reliability rather than tar-burning performance. If you have a need for speed, consider looking to the Subaru WRX for a practical four-door Japanese go-fast car, or a Volkswagen Polo GTi for a fast car at a similar price point to a Corolla.

To remove the door panel on a T6-generation Ford Ranger you start by removing two screws at the bottom of the panel, then undo the single screw holding the silver door handle cover on. There is another screw behind the cover for the door lever inside the inner section of the door. Unclip the power window wiring plug and remove the door handle, then the door panel can be pried off the metal frame of the door as it simply clips to the door frame.

Get out of the car, it’s a money pit. Have an auto electrician check the electrics for you. I assume the transmission is automatic, if so have it serviced, but it could need a rebuild.

The two I would suggest are the Ford Ranger and the Holden Colorado.

It will have some affect on the speedo – I estimate about 2 per cent – and it will have an affect on the speeds in each ratio. I would recommend you talk to your tyre retailer to determine that full affect of the change.

I can’t see how the stop/taillight could affect the cruise control, but you could remove the bulb you replaced and see if the cruise then works. If it does then that’s a pointer to the cause of the malfunction. To be sure take it to a dealer or an auto elec and have the problem traced.

You don’t specify a model, but it’s a sure bet that a Pathfinder will handle at least 1250 kg, whichever model you have.