Hyundai 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.

The Kuga is a good drive but, like Rob, you should get her to test drive the Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson before making a decision.

I would not recommend a Captiva. At the moment, the CX-5 is best in class but the Tucson also gets The Tick.

You will definitely find it easier to work with the Hyundai at your height, and it's a very practical wagon as well. I'm not a fan of the Outlander, which makes it easy to recommend the i40.

We've been warning for a long time that some dealerships are using this sort of thing as a major profit centre, when much of it is unnecessary and you can get it for less at a specialist company.

Please don't do that, even though it's cheap. The Freemont, really a Dodge Journey in a Fiat cloak, is not remotely a CarsGuide favourite. Better to spend extra and get a Hyundai Santa Fe.

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.

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.

The Celerio is fine for that sort of use and the price is very good, but if it was my sister I'd get her to spend the extra on the added size of the Accent and the five-year warranty.

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