Ask The Guide

Your choices both get The Tick, but the Benz A250 might be too sporty for a retirement car and the A3 is an upscale Volkswagen Golf. A good mate has just bought an Accord Euro and, even though it goes out of production soon, he loves it. You should test-drive all three.

You should test drive the Skoda Octavia and Hyundai Elantra, which both get The Tick from me. The Octavia flies under the radar but is a very good car. The Elantra's recent update improved it vastly and it also has great warranty and service support.

Your problem sounds like many others reported to CarsGuide. You should immediately request a replacement via both your Holden dealer and Holden headquarters in Melbourne.

Car makers will sometimes reset the idle speed to compensate for the increased load on the engine from the air-conditioning so the engine doesn’t become unstable at higher temperatures. But a 1000 rpm idle would be annoying.

We’ve always believed that it is better to get used to the distorted view of the convex mirror than change to a flat one. I can understand why people become frustrated by the distorted view, but the reality is that you see more with the convex mirror, and that has to be safer. It doesn’t take long to adjust, so I would urge drivers to take the time rather than convert their mirrors. At the end of the day, however, it is up to each individual driver to decide what is best for them.

There are lots of reports about wear on the balance shaft and the timing chain. It is an issue and anyone contemplating buying a 2004-2006 model should be warned.

No, you shouldn't live with it, take it back to the dealer and have them fix it. It could be that it needs the oil replacing.

Ssangyong owners rarely say anything negative about their cars, all comments we have had have been positive. Ssangyong has warned against using bio-diesel, so take that advice on board and use regular diesel. Otherwise it’s a good car and good value-for-money.

The problems with the DSG gearbox, which VW claimed only affected the 7-speed unit, badly damaged the company’s reputation. But worse damage was done when it refused to accept there was a problem and stonewalled owners until it was faced with mounting public pressure to act. Then they only recalled cars with the 7-speed gearbox, not the six-speed that was fitted to your car.

It's all about global rules for fuel economy and emissions, which means stop-start will eventually be fitted on all cars. Thankfully, some provide a switch to disable it in hot weather.