Ask The Guide

The 2005 Mazda Tribute had either a 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine or a 3.0-litre V6, both of which had timing chains. They don't normally require changing. The only reason you might change the chain was if it was worn and/or noisy. If it's a 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine it's likely to cost around $2000, if it's a V6 it's going to be closer to $3500.

I would say don't sell it; fix it. It will be very hard to sell when it needs a new engine, so I would take it to a wrecker specializing in Hyundais and they should have a suitable replacement they could install for you. If you sell as it is you will take a bath on it.

You took a share of the responsibility when you went to a clutch place and had a non-factory clutch and flywheel fitted. By doing that you opened the door for Hyundai to walk away from the problem. Had the dealer done the work they might well have found the gearbox problem and could possibly have fixed it under warranty. The only thing you can now do is to go to Hyundai and request goodwill assistance to fix the gearbox problem.

Transmission troubles are common with the Cruze of that vintage, and you're right, it will be expensive to replace the transmission. The only thing you could try is to contact Holden and see if they would come to the party and help with the cost of repairs, given that it is such a common problem. While saying that I don't fancy your chances of getting any help.

Take it to a Suzuki specialist mechanic, or an auto electrician, who might be able to identify the connector for you.

While I imagine that it's possible to modify the electronics to do what you want, I doubt it's as simple as you seem to think. To do it now on a 2012 isn't something I imagine Mazda would be interested in. Perhaps you could take it to an auto electrician and see if they could do it for you.

The car is now 11 years old, so you would expect it to be worn to some degree and using oil as a result, so putting oil in once per month is not a big deal, providing it's not a lot of oil. I would keep a record of how much you are putting in and show it to your mechanic the next time you get it serviced.

You're correct in thinking the Mercedes would cost more to service and repair, particularly if you use a dealer. Going to an independent service mechanic with experience of Mercedes-Benz cars would save you plenty. The Jeep would be the cheaper of the two in terms of servicing, and of the two you are looking at that's the one I would opt for.

There is always a risk when buying a used car, particularly one as old as yours and having done so many kilometres that something could go wrong with it. You really have no protection under the law; you can only hope that the dealer looks on at your predicament favourably.

One thing you might care to explore is the possibility that the engine failed due to the oil pickup becoming blocked with an accumulation of carbon deposits and starving the engine of oil.

There were a number of instances of this problem happening on the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine in the HiLux and LandCruiser. The failure of yours appears very similar to the earlier failures reported in the HiLux, but proving that this was the cause of your problem would be difficult, time consuming, and stressful.

There are known problems with the double-clutch gearbox in the Focus and there is a class action under way from some unhappy owners. But I have had success for several CarsGuide readers in getting their cars right.