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Hi Ruairi,

Oh, that’s just not good, and I’m worrying that you may well actually need a solicitor at this point, especially as clearly one garage or other has reneged on what they told you they were going to do. Did you get, in writing, the assurance that a new wiring loom was going to be installed in the car? That would be helpful.

Basically, under the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act, either the car or the repair was clearly not ‘of merchantable quality’ and you are entitled, under consumer law, to a full replacement or refund. Car dealers will often try and squirm out of that, but if they do I suggest you tell them you’re going to take it to the small claims court (where there’s no need for a solicitor). If that doesn’t get them moving, then it’s time to get the lawyers in.

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Hi Marc,

You've not told us which engine you have so we're going to assume a 2.0 TDI diesel. No matter which version of that engine it is of that age, the change interval is 210,000 kilometres. We'd suggest doing it more frequently if the car is used mostly in urban environments and stop-start traffic.

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Hi Michael,

If your Kia really has had only one service since 2014 then I'm afraid its warranty is unlikley to be honoured - that does not conform to the terms and conditions.

However, it may well be that the previous owner did all the servicing with Kia directly, which means there will be an electronic record of it all. To check this, call your nearest Kia dealer with your car details and they can check for you.

Fingers crossed, but in truth, the cee'ds have proven to be very reliable so I wouldn't panic.

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Hi Gursimren,

Generally speaking you can’t. It’s a system Chrysler inherited from Mercedes and while you can inhibit the traction control up to a point, it’s never fully off. There is a bit of a cheat mode, though, which involves starting the car, let it creep forward in D, select neutral, and then turn the ignition key to the ‘start’ position again, as if you’re trying to start the engine. That should switch the engine into ‘Performance Mode’ and you should hear an electronic beep that tells you you've done it. The system should then reset once you turn the engine off again.

Please be aware that we don’t recommend you do this, as the car has been set up to function with the traction control switched on. 

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Hi Angela,

Yes, it does. The SV model has a reversing camera, and the SVE has a full 360-degree ‘surround view’ system. Prices for both models start from €23,990 (although it’s worth remembering that there is an all-new Leaf launching early next year).

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Hi Caroline,

That model has CO₂ emissions of 194g/km so it’ll cost you €1,250 to tax for a year.

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Hi Rob,

If it’s the original manufacturer warranty, then yes — they’re pan-European warranties (mostly, check the small print) and will be honoured by any dealer within the EU. If it’s a warranty offered individually by a dealer, then possibly not. Definitely not if it’s from an independent dealer, but there might be a chance if it’s one offered by an Audi or Volvo franchised dealer in the UK. 

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Hi Robert,

It’s Motability you need to ask, I’m afraid, not us. I’m sure you can change the car if needed, but there may well be a cost of change to be paid, depending on what car you want to put them into. I’d suggest ringing Motability Ireland, have a chat with them, and go through the fine print of the contract.

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Hi Eugene,

The new i3’s battery is rated at 20kWh so 20x18c gives you a cost of €3.60 for a from-flat-to-full charge. That should be good for at least 200km, or about 1.8c per kilometre driven.

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Hi Anthony,

Assuming it’s the five-speed manual model with four-wheel drive then it has CO₂ emissions of 165g/km, and that means Band D tax at €570 a year.