Ask The Guide

We checked with Nissan and a spokesperson confirmed that the "Nissan Pulsar range does not have parking lights. Nissan took into consideration market trends when developing the Pulsar" and decided not to fit them.

You are not alone, as the mapping in every factory installed GPS is going to be a little outdated — I get emails every week from unhappy owners. The problem is the delay in getting the Australian mapping coded, sent to HQ and then uploaded on to hard drives. The quickest and easiest solution is to use Google maps on your phone. Nissan has previously said it gets the mapping updated as soon as possible.

The Mazda is an excellent choice but also test drive the Sportage. Buy a fully loaded car for the safety gear but sunroofs and big alloys aren’t worthwhile. A pre-registered 2015 car with low kilometres is a smart way to buy.

The CX-3 is the best in the baby class and gets The Tick. It’s not great for value and could be a bit small. You should also check the latest Subaru Forester, which is much improved.

These days I’m sure tachometers survive mostly because they add symmetry to the dashboard. There are some cars where they are still invaluable, which is why companies such as Ferrari put an oversized rev counter straight ahead of the driver, but you’re right that they are mostly irrelevant in day-to-day driving.

Nissan spokesman Chris Jordan can clear up the misunderstanding: "We do not instruct Nissan dealers to do any specified oil change on Xtronic (CVT) transmission in the 2013 Pulsar. Dealers are able to monitor any potential CVT deterioration via computer when analysing data at service. We do, however, recommend dealers inspect (and if necessary replace) CVT fluid every 100,000km in cases of high loading on the transmission, such as towing or off-road use."

I’m also putting out the call to Prado owners. This is a new problem, and the replacement unit is likely to be updated. But make sure it's logged in the service record in an unlikely event of future dramas.

Electrical problems can quickly become costly but you will notice a big step down in comfort and class if you downgrade to a Hyundai. It's a sensible move on the budget front but make sure you understand the implications — take a long test drive in the Accent before you commit.

You need to have the car repaired, there's no option. Refuse to give the loan car back until your car has been repaired, and ask the dealer to pressure VW into airfreighting the ECU in. It's absolutely unacceptable that VW cannot supply a part for three weeks. If they don't have the part available in a warehouse in this country they should be prepared to airfreight it in at its expense.

The VE sounds like a good car that's been well looked after and would be a good car for a growing family such as yours. I will assume it's a V6, in which case the main thing to be concerned about is wear to the camshaft timing chains. They're a known problem and cost $2000 or so to replace if they do wear. You can tell if they're worn as the engine runs poorly because the cam timing is thrown out. Other than that the VE is quite sound.