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Hi Valentine,

You haven’t told us the year of the car, but assuming it’s a 2010 model, then it should be worth in and around €10,000.

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Hi Barry,

As a trade-in, it’s going to be worth in the region of €8-10,000.

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Hi Robert,

Great choice. We published our Irish road test of that very car only last week and it's a good option for those that don't need diesel. The 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine features something called Active Cylinder Technology (ACT), which automatically shuts down two of the engine's four cylinders when the car is cruising or the engine is on light load. This saves fuel and is nothing to worry about in the least. By displaying when the engine switches into that mode it educates the driver as to when the car is being driven in its most efficient mode.

Anything else specific you need to know, just shout.

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Hi Ciara,

It’s always tempting to trade in a car that’s starting to look expensive, but for the most part, it’s almost always more economical to keep an existing car going, even if it does need regular servicing. In fact, that regular servicing is the key to all of this — keep it looked after and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t provide years of service yet. As you point out, the diesel filter needs longer journeys to keep it from clogging up, but a regular circa 20-30km run at motorway or main road speeds should be enough.

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Hi Martin,

Yes we have, although not yet in a properly scientific way. Thus far, it’s Volvo’s Pilot Assist that is the best. None of them will take control for more than a few seconds at a time, and you always have to have your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel, but they can take a good deal of the strain out of longer journeys. The Mercedes system is very good too, with the BMW one just fractionally behind for now, but all are improving with every generation.

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Hi Carol,

Sure thing. We've tested two different versions of the current Hyundai Tucson:

Hyundai Tucson 1.7 diesel Executive review

Hyundai Tucson 2.0 diesel 4WD auto review

We've also pitched the Tucson against its two closest rivals in a unique three-way test if that's of interest:

Nissan Qashqai vs. Hyundai Tucson vs. Renault Kadjar

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Hi Peter,

It depends on what kind of history the car comes with. If it has a fully-stamped-up service book and a folder bulging with receipts, tax discs and old NCT certificates, and is in obviously good condition, then I wouldn’t have too many worries. If it’s a bit tired and worn looking, and there are gaps in the history, I’d avoid.

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Hi John,

We don’t have precise fuel economy figures for that model, as it was never sold here so never got put through the EU NEDC fuel economy test. Generally, an automatic car will be a little more thirsty than a manual version, but on a car as small as the Note, it probably won’t make a huge difference.

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Hi Patrick,

It's not easy to assess the damage from afar I'm afraid, so I'd suggest getting a good autoelectrician or mechanic out to have a look. It's possible that the ECU (engine control unit) has been damaged, but I'd also hope that has protection against such things built into it. Most likely there are fuses blown somewhere along the line. As I said, get someone to look at it for you and hope nothing expensive has been damaged.

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Hi David,

Very hard to assess such a thing from afar, but certainly sounds like a flat battery to us. Try to charge yours up or get a 'jump' from someone else. If no luck then best bet is to get a good mechanic or auto electrician out to have a look.

Best of luck