Ask The Guide

It's all bad news I'm afraid. With a private seller you have no comeback.

All you can do is to ask the seller to refund your money, or maybe cover the cost of the repairs. If he wasn't aware that the RWC was out of date he might be honest enough to help you out.

You could also consider taking him to VCAT, the Victorian small claims tribunal on the basis that he misrepresented the vehicle to you.

Unfortunately not. There is no recording device within the computer that could tell you how a car has been treated.

The Discovery 4 is highly regarded by owners. It’s a very capable off-roader, comfortable and refined on the road, and there are few issues to worry about. Service costs are high if you use a factory dealer, but there are plenty of independent mechanics able to take care of it for you. When checking a Discovery check for use off-road, and look for one that has been pampered within the town boundaries. If you don’t want a car that will go off-road perhaps look at a Toyota Kluger 7-seater or a Mazda CX-9.

I would really question what you have been told, so I would get a second opinion. If it is correct and you want to get rid of your car the best way would be to trade it on another car.

There are no major issues with the Ranger engine or gearbox that should rule it out. Around the end of the financial year is often a good time to get a good deal, cars companies and dealers are looking to shift their stock at that time. Change of model is also a good time to swoop.

It would suggest it wasn’t the throttle position sensor that was faulty, but it could be a connector to the sensor that has caused the problem. If that isn’t the problem look elsewhere, and I would suggest the crank angle sensor.

The 2008 drives nicely, the 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine is very economical if not particularly zippy. It rides and handles well, is roomy for its size, will accommodate four adults, has a generous boot, and boasts five-star safety. It’s also generally reliable.

It’s something that bugs a lot of drivers, but unfortunately there’s not a lot that can be done about it until the lawmakers change the rule and force carmakers to be more accurate. I understand it’s not good enough, but I would suggest you go by what the GPS says.

Putting petrol in diesels is a relatively common mistake people make when they’re distracted. Petrol acts as a solvent reducing the lubrication of components such as the fuel pump, which I suspect is where the metal shavings have come from. The metal particles can subsequently cause serious damage to the rest of the fuel system. Serious damage to the engine can be caused by detonation from uncontrolled ignition. Because you dispute Ford’s contention that you did put petrol in your car I would suggest the fuel in the tank be analyzed to determine if it contains petrol or not.

We have contacted Mazda and we’re waiting for their response. We'll update you once we hear back from them.