Toyota Problems

There are probably hundreds of reasons for this to occur, starting with the fuel system and including (but not ending with) something to do with the electronics that control modern turbo-diesel engines. Other causes can be clogged EGR valves or faulty injectors. You need to have the vehicle scanned to see if the on-board computer has detected the fault and logged it. But don't rule out something simpler like a fault with the DPF or even a dirty air filter. Either way, black smoke suggests either a problem with the air-fuel mixture or the way it's being burned.

But don't ignore the problem as black smoke from a diesel engine can also mean it's running hot and that can lead to all sorts of problems including internal engine damage. Unlike a petrol engine which will tend to run cooler on a too-rich mixture (too much fuel, not enough air) a diesel running rich can easily run too hot.

Flushing a transmission is a practice that mechanics around the world just can't agree on in terms of its benefits. Either way, it would be pretty dangerous to do it with something as flammable as petrol. Also, unlike transmission fluid, petrol is not a lubricant so internal damage would possibly occur if you ran the car with only petrol in the transmission.

Most transmission flushing is done by using fresh automatic transmission fluid (ATF) which displaces most of the old ATF. A fluid change is the other service option, but this will usually only replace the ATF in the transmission's pan. A flush, meanwhile, will replace the stuff in the pan as well as in the torque converter and the transmission lines.

Your problem, however, sounds more like a lack of fluid in the first place. The inability of an automatic transmission to select gears and/or produce any forward movement is often down to depleted ATF rather than dirty or old fluid. Check the fluid level on the transmission's dipstick and, if it's low, add some more. The job then is to work out where the ATF is going missing, because the transmission is a sealed system that shouldn't need topping up. You may have a leak somewhere. And definitely check this first before spending lots of money on repairs when a quick ATF top-up will bring the car back to full health.

Plenty of people have successfully converted vehicles like these to motorhomes, so the short answer is yes, it's a good choice. Because it's a bus, however, it will have windows along the full length of each side, so privacy inside might be a problem. Many motorhome builders tend to black out various windows as well as fit security screens over them to make the rig more secure at night and when you're not there to watch over it.

Some early versions of these buses were petrol-engined, but a diesel version would be a much better bet for outback touring where diesel is sometimes easier to obtain. Beyond that, the success of the conversion will come down to how clever you are with things like the equipment you specify and the layout you choose.

The smart money says go with a Toyota. The RAV4 is popular but within your budget, you'll be buying a 12- or 14-year-old car with at least 200,000km on its odometer. Which still means it's probably a pretty good thing in terms of reliability, provided it's been serviced correctly up to now, but you'd have to buy carefully. A second-hand Kluger can also be a good deal if you can afford the fuel, but comes with the same caveats.

A Honda CR-V won't be much different to the RAV4 in terms of its price versus model year, but you stand a slightly better chance of finding a CR-V with relatively low kilometres. Don't be afraid to get a bit alternative and look at things like the Kia Sportage. Your ten-grand gets you into a Sportage of around the same vintage as the RAV4, but is likely to have as many as 100,000 fewer kilometres on board. Again, check for a full service history.

And given your usage pattern, don't be temped to stump up more for a hybrid SUV; there's just not the pay-off at the pump for a car that does mainly highway and open-road work.

These are quite different vehicles in terms of their physical size. While older generations of the RAV4 were known as compact SUVs, the current model is resolutely mid-sized. None of which is to say that the Yaris is cramped but it is a size-division smaller, so if you often carry people in the back seat or your family is growing, the RAV4 might be a bit more future-proof.

However, in driveline terms, the Yaris is the one that is truly future-proof thanks to its hybrid driveline. If most of your driving is around the city and suburbs, you might be surprised at just how efficient a modern hybrid can be. On the highway, there's less to be gained form the hybrid layout, so take that into account, too.

The other thing to consider is what happens a few years down the track at trade-in time. The RAV4 is question is already one generation older than the Yaris, and the hybrid Yaris is almost certain to be worth more as a second-hand proposition five years from now. Which means the latter will probably be the cheapest to own over that time in a wholistic sense.

From the sounds of things, you need a vehicle that can accommodate the wheelchair as an actual seat in the car rather than having the chair folded and stored for the journey. With that in mind, a van or people-mover is by far the best best bet and the news is good, because there are plenty of choices. For a while there, people were converting Ford Falcon station-wagons for this task, but since the Falcon is no longer made, vans have become the new default vehicle to convert. Which makes plenty of sense.

There are specialist firms around that will carry out whatever conversion you require and tailor-make the ramps, lock-down points and grab-rails you need to make it work for you. Switched on companies will sit down with you and discuss your precise requirements and engineer something bespoke if necessary.

At the moment, the list of car choices is pretty long and includes the new Hyundai Staria, VW Caddy, LDV G10, VW Caravelle, Renault Kangoo, Renault Trafic, Hyundai iLoad, Mercedes-Benz V-Class, Toyota HiAce and, in case you need something really big, even the Toyota Coaster. Some of these companies are also registered as NDIS suppliers.

But don’t rule out a second-hand vehicle, either. There are websites around listing used wheelchair-accessible cars for sale. Some will be ex-taxis, but others can be relatively low-kilometre cars that might just have the exact layout you were looking for.

It sounds like the needle has physically moved on its shaft to exhibit this problem. The question is how. Did you hit a huge pothole or bump off-road? Has any part of the dashboard been adjusted or pulled apart for another reason? Has the vehicle been operated in really dusty conditions (sufficient to have jammed up the smooth movement of the speedo needle)?

Unlike older vehicles, the modern HiLux doesn’t use a simple mechanical cable to power the speedo. Instead, it uses a vehicle speed sensor as part of the transmission to inform the body computer of the vehicle’s speed which then transfers an electrical signal to the speedo in the dashboard. If anything goes wrong with that chain of electronic command, then the speedo can be affected.

The fines are a separate matter as to what you eventually do with the vehicle. They need to be paid, regardless of what else you decide to do.

As you say, you can return the vehicle to standard condition or have it engineered for the modifications you want and then have the defects cleared by having the car inspected. But if you decide to sell the vehicle, it can't be sold with current defects and while still registered. You can clear the defects and sell the vehicle with registration, or cancel the registration and then sell the car. In any case, there's no way you could obtain a roadworthy certificate with the defects you've listed so the simplest way to get rid of the car would be to cancel the registration and then sell the car.