Hyundai I30 Problems

As our politicians keep saying, you should be alert, not alarmed. It's happened twice in 40,000km, so it's going to be hard to diagnose until it's doing it more regularly. Monitor it closely, and keep a record of when it happens and any symptom you observe that might help your mechanic trace the cause.

Without knowing exactly what is wrong it's hard to say how much it would cost to repair, but I wouldn't imagine it would be more than a few hundred dollars.

The Mazda6 is the best choice but could stretch your dollars. The i30 wagon also gets The Tick, so choose the one that works best for your budget.

Hyundai HQ in Sydney says it is definitely taking orders despite recent storm damage to its warehouse.

New paint is always going to look good, with or without protection, so the best idea is to get another expert to have a look to see whether it's been done. Most modern paints do not need protection, just regular washing and an occasional polish, but coating has become a significant profit item for lots of dealers.

Of those you have been looking at I would rule out the Cruze on the basis of its transmission troubles. The Focus and the Hyundai are good cars and would do what you want nicely. Others to consider would be the Mazda3 and the Kia Rio.

I've been in touch with Hyundai and they will sort your problem. They have encountered this before and it's a relatively easy fix.

It sounds like you want permission to get the Skoda, so go right ahead.

They are the sedan and hatch from the same mechanical platform, but unless you need the boot space the i30 is a nicer drive and more European in its look and feel.