Ask The Guide

Was it a Toyota unit or an aftermarket one? If it was a Toyota one I would request the dealer to update the maps to then latest available, and I would expect them to do that at no cost to your son. If it was an aftermarket unit fitted by the dealer then Toyota is not responsible for it, and you have to talk to the dealer as the person who installed the unit.

It's most likely an intermittent fault with a sensor. By restarting the engine you are rebooting the computer, which is a sign of a fault in the engine management system.

The Focus is a great driving car, but there are serious issues with its dual-clutch automatic transmission, so serious you should avoid it, or buy a manual. Consider others like the Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Kia Rio, etc.

With your slim budget you're looking at a 2010/2011 model, which will have on average around 150,000 km. It will be hard to find anything under that sort of mileage. At that I would be loathe to suggest a European brand, given that repairs can be expensive. Having ruled out the Tiguan I would suggest a Honda CR-V or a Mazda CX-5.

They have failed to deliver what they promised and I would suggest he should claim his money back. You could take it to another mechanic and have them assess the problem for you, or you could go the Queensland consumer affairs department and ask for their help.

Check with the state registration people who should be able to tell you the date the car was registered. It should be the date the registration falls due each year. Once you have established the date you can move forward with some certainty.

Holden does have a responsibility to support its products with parts and service for a reasonable time, particularly for a car like the VE, which is relatively new. Consult the people at Consumer Affairs about your concern and ask them to approach Holden on your behalf.

I don't expect the prices to change much in the next 5-10 years, but in the longer term I think the HSV GTO will become a much sought after car. Look after it and keep the kays down as much as you can.

With a limited budget like yours I would suggest to go for a car with a good reliability record. While the Mercedes-Benz is a good car you are likely to be facing an expensive repair if anything should go wrong. Consider a Mitsubishi 380 or a Toyota Camry of around 2000-2003.

No, I wouldn't, the kilometres are too high for comfort. The car is nearing the end of the road, and you're likely to have problems with it going forward.