Honda CR-V Problems

MY CHOICE would be the X-Trail, but there's not a lot to choose between the two. I would expect a dealer would offer you about $6000 on a trade-in for your Vectra assuming its in good sound condition. The kilometres are about average, so it seems like a car in the sort of condition you would expect for its age.

I FEEL dealers are being mischievous in telling customers that they will get these fuel consumption numbers. The explanation given to you about them being achieved on a specific test cycle is correct. It's also correct that they should be used for comparison purposes. All manufacturers test to the same procedure and get results that are comparable so you can use them to compare one make to another, or one model to another. On top of that there are many factors that affect fuel consumption, so it's hard to pin down the actual fuel consumption you could expect in your situation. If you're unhappy with the Honda, contact the company direct and express your displeasure.

THERE really isn't much to separate these two -- they're the class acts in the compact all-wheel-drive category. The CR-V offers a little more interior room, and it's a more flexible interior set-up as well, but the Forester is a little better equipped, with four-wheel disc brakes and cruise control. Both will perform well around town and have limited ability to go bush, but I'm assuming you won't be doing any heavy-duty bush bashing anyway. Look underneath for battle scars, scrapes and bumps on suspension parts, underbody and other bits and pieces of exposed hardware. It's also hard to get sand and dust out of cars, so look for evidence of dust build-up in door openings, under carpets and elsewhere.

The trade would pay about $7000 at auction. You'd get about $7500 if you traded it in on a new car, and the dealer would retail it for about $10,500 with the usual taxes paid and with a warranty. You could aim for a similar figure, but you might find you'll be bartered down to between $8000 and $9000.

HAVE you ever hit a kerb while cornering or parking? You might have damaged a constant velocity joint. Take it to Adam Kovarik of In-N-Out Motors. He's a Honda specialist and should be able to help.

I'm afraid I take a conservative approach, so I would change the belt as Honda recommends. The belts do deteriorate as they age -- it's not just a question of mileage -- and the engine will sustain expensive damage if it breaks. Same goes for the Toyota. It should really be changed after about five years to avoid potentially expensive damage to the engine internals.

THERE are many sound-system specialists who could advise you on the best way to install a CD player in your CRV. Recently, when I wanted to fit a CD player to my 1997 BMW, I had to go to an aftermarket sound-system specialist because BMW no longer stocked the CD player that was compatible with the factory system. In the end I had to compromise. There was simply no way of doing what I wanted to do. For starters, try Chris Watson at Central Car Radio in Bentleigh.