2017 Volkswagen Arteon Pricing and Specs

You could well be on the right track here. Many cars with transmission coolers place them in the car's radiator so that the liquid that cools the engine, also cools the transmission. But if the transmission cooler fails, that can allow transmission fluid into the car's coolant system which might account for the oil you're seeing in your coolant bottle. Many mis-diagnose this as a blown head gasket because the outward symptoms are very similar.

If this is the case, the bad news is that coolant has probably also entered the transmission potentially wrecking the mechanical parts and frying the electronic bits.

The trade recommends a fully synthetic oil for either the diesel or petrol engines of the Golf Mk 7. The correct grade and specification is 5W30 which will give you maximum engine protection and performance.

The other engine-oil recommendation for this car is to not skimp on checking the oil level with the dipstick. These engines – in particular the 2.0-litre petrol unit – are designed to sip a little oil between changes, so don't be caught out with too little oil in the sump as that can cause catastrophic damage to the engine. The engine does this because it's a low-friction design, but the small amount of oil you'll use will be more than offset by the fuel savings engines designs like this can deliver.

Make it a habit to check the oil level every Saturday morning; it's a simple thing to do and something that we all once had to do in the old days when most engines burned a little oil.

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.