Ask The Guide

THE short answer is there is no simple way of checking. Pre-unleaded cars had a larger fuel filler, and to avoid owners accidentally filling their cars with leaded a smaller fuel filler neck was used on unleaded cars, which mated with the smaller nozzle at the servo. Though the alloy head had a valve-seat insert, it might not be sufficiently hardened to cop the pounding from unleaded fuel. I also doubt Ford would have changed the valves to the hardened ones needed for unleaded fuel. All this suggests you shouldn't run the car on unleaded without an additive.

YOU'D expect to get 10 to 12 litres/100km on average, so your fuel use is high. The car has done low kilometres, so it's not engine wear. Check the peripherals -- filters, plugs, coils, injectors -- and have a mechanic check for diagnostic codes that might give you some clues.

YOURS is a common experience. It's one thing to have problems with a car, but it's something else to have the company argue about fixing them. Maintain the rage. Keep up the pressure to have the car brought up to the condition you expect.

FIRST you should read your insurance policy to see exactly what you are entitled to. The insurance company must return the car to the condition it was in before the crash, and that was virtually new condition. You can't second-guess the quality of the work that will be done, so you either have to let the repairs go ahead, then address anything that isn't up to your standard. Perhaps you could negotiate to buy the damaged car and have it repaired by a repairer of your choosing.

PERHAPS a reader has this information. It would seem they replace the front bucket seats with a bench, but that would involve moving the automatic transmission shifter from the floor to the steering column.

BOTH are decent cars, but there are known problems with the diff and the oil cooler on autos, and I have recently heard of a problem with the spark plugs during a regular service on a V8. It seems they are susceptible to breaking while being removed. One owner lost his car for 11 days while the dealer worked out how to remove the six spark plugs that broke while being removed during a scheduled service.

A GOOD-LOOKING car tells the prospective buyer that it's been well looked after. Scratches and dents say the owner doesn't care. It doesn't sound as if it will cost much to get it looking pristine again. With the damage clearly visible, a buyer would expect a discount on the asking price.

THERE shouldn't be any problem in running your car on ethanol-blend petrol, as long as you understand it is still an unleaded petrol and needs the same sort of valve protection it needs on unleaded. The ethanol blends we are seeing are low in ethanol and there's generally no problem with them. It's only when you get to quite high blends that you could encounter problems. In terms of increasing fuel consumption, I don't know of any additive that will increase your fuel consumption on standard unleaded petrol.

KIA replaced defective engines in Carnivals that were covered by warranty, but offered owners of cars out of warranty short motors at part-cost, taking into account the number of owners the vehicle had, its service history, its age and the kilometres it had done. Should they have recalled the Carnival and fixed it when they knew it was such a widespread problem? They probably should have.

HOLDEN by Design was a range of accessories and options developed for Holden by HSV and fitted at the Woodville factory. They ranged from dual-fuel systems to body kits, wings, wheels and other things that set them apart from the regular run of Commodores. I don't believe they make a car any more valuable.