What has happened is that the gas struts that are designed to help you raise the weight of the tailgate and then hold it in place have lost some of their gas. As such, they’re no longer able to support the weight of the tailgate and that’s why it’s randomly falling to earth, risking trapping your hands or other body parts in the process.

The solution is to replace the struts. These are available from parts stores and plenty of online sellers and shouldn’t cost too much. They're not difficult to fit yourself, but a mechanic wouldn’t charge too much to fit them either. Once they’re fitted, the tailgate should be perfectly safe to use again.

Many cars also use these struts for the bonnet, too, and they’re a common failure. Just make sure you get the precise strut for your make and model as they vary in length and in how much weight they’re designed to support.

It wasn’t until the end of 2010 that Hyundai got around to fitting the i20 with Bluetooth tech, so really early examples of the i20 missed out. But Bluetooth is available on all other i20 years and variants, so here’s the skinny on how to connect Bluetooth to Hyundai i20 models:

Hyundai i20 Bluetooth pairing starts with your phone having Bluetooth switched on and the phone in discoverable mode. You then need to press the Menu button on the car’s control panel and use the right-hand dial to scroll through till you find the Bluetooth prompt. Press Enter and then highlight the Pair function and hit Enter again. From there, you’ll get a series of vocal prompts which will lead to the info screen showing a pass-key number. Enter those numbers into your phone, hit the green button and you should be connected.

Some later model i20s have slightly different procedures, but the basics are the same: Search for the car on your phone, use the set-up menu on the screen, and then enter the correct pass-key number. While some other systems display the pass-key number on both car and phone, Bluetooth Hyundai i20 style needs the pass-key as a manual entry to your phone.

Once you have the connection established, the Hyundai i20 Bluetooth will allow all the usual functions including music streaming. The car and phone should automatically pair each time you enter the car from then on. If problems occur, the first place to look for answers is the owner’s manual, but a Hyundai dealer should also be able to help with troubleshooting.

The only way to successfully tow something like that is to use a trailer, I'm afraid. Unless you can get the drive wheels of a conventional automatic car off the ground while it's being towed, you stand to destroy the transmission in minutes.

Flat towing with a certified A-frame is legal in Australia, but the regulations do vary from state to state. But even if it's technically legal, it won't work with an automatic i30.