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Hi Michael,

Sounds like piston rings or valve seals or maybe even both!

Needs a major amount of work whichever it is.

Sorry!

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Hi F D,

They’re basically the same car, so the differences are, at most, fractional. The Leon SC is 4,428mm long overall and 1,975mm wide. That compares to 4,258mm and 2,027mm for the Golf, and an Audi A3 three-door at 4,237mm and 1,777mm. So the Leon SC is a little longer (longer than the five-door Leon too), but not by very much, and most of that extra length is actually in the bumpers.

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Hi Breon,

First of all, congratulations on the incoming arrival. As for finding the right car seat, we're really not the experts in terms of advice on specific seats, but we know some people who are. Pop in to your local branch of Mothercare or Halfords (or Tony Kealy's if you live in the Dublin area) and you should be able to get some very helpful advice on which is the correct kind of seat for your kids. As a rule of thumb, the longer you can keep them in a rear-facing seat, and then the longer you can keep them in a full-backed seat, with integral harness, the better. It's down to the size and weight of the individual child though. 

As for cars, you have several choices but they're all MPVs, I'm afraid. Sorry about that... Still, all is not lost, as the Citroen C4 Picasso and Peugeot 5008 are both pleasantly comfy, economical and easy on the eye. Kick up a price and size band and you'll find the Ford S-Max, which is one of our favourite cars, whether or not space is your priority. Handsome and good to drive, that one.

If you're in the second hand market, you could do worse than track down a good used Fiat Multipla (if you can live with the looks, it's got one of the best cabins of any car, ever) or there's always the evergreen Renault Scenic or the (slightly dour) Volkswagen Touran. Finally, there's the Toyota Verso, which isn't the most exciting choice but is solidly built and spacious. Finally, the six-seat Honda FR-V is a left-field choice that's one of those classic "try it and you'll never have anything else" cars.

Hope that helps.

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Hi again Eamonn,

You're right. There does seem to be a recurring issue out there in Civic-land with customers complaining about premature pad and disc wear.

Now, early brake wear is a very hard thing to analyse as we all drive differently. Someone who brakes late, rides the middle pedal constantly and generally displays a lack of mechanical sympathy is clearly going to wear the brakes and pads out faster. Look at F1 history for the perfect comparison. Back in 1988, McLaren engineers working with (super fast) Ayrton Senna and (super smooth) Alain Prost would have to remove and chuck away Senna's brakes after every race whereas Prost's could almost be re-used - if re-using things was something F1 teams ever did.

We have heard about the possibility that this early brake wear issue mostly affects low mileage Civics, as the brakes are simply not used enough to clear corrosion from the discs on a regular basis. Not sure about that one but it sounds just about plausible.

All we can suggest is to either take a competent mechanic along to help you thoroughly inspect any potential purchase (and we mean THOROUGHLY - wheels off and everything) or get the AA to inspect and report on the car prior to purchase. An honest vendor should also tell you whether they've noticed any early-onset brake wear when asked.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Barbara,

Yes, it’s due to arrive in 2019 (and will probably be shown off at next year’s Geneva Motor Show in February) and will be based on the same TNGA chassis as you’ll currently find under the Toyota Prius and CH-R. It will definitely use the same new 1.5-litre petrol engine as installed in the updated Yaris, and will also get the 1.6-litre diesel bought-in from BMW and already being used in the Avensis and Verso. There is likely to be a hybrid version too, but that’s not guaranteed as yet.

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Hi Erwan,

The 207 had recalls in 2007 for engine power loss, a loose seatbelt fixing and short-circuiting electrics. 

Watch for failed wipers and faulty fuse boxes while both clutch and gearbox can be fragile, especially with lots of urban driving. As always make sure the cambelt is replaced on schedule.

Hope that helps

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Hi Philip,

The thing with Italian cars is that they're like the apocryphal little sister. When they're good, they're very, very good. When they're bad, they're 'orrible.

The Multipla is actually one of the more robust Fiats, and speaking from personal experience the 1.9 JTDM diesel engine seems to take all manner of abuse and high mileage in its stride.

The best bet seems to be to avoid the 1.6 petrol model, and check to see if a diesel is down on power or displaying obvious flat-spots in the power delivery. If so, it could be an exhaust gas recirculation valve, or a more serious crankshaft wear issue. 

Other than that, check and make sure that everything electronic is working right. Fiat has come a long way on reliability since the bad old days but irritating electrical gremlins remain the brand's Achilles heel.

Let us know how you get on

Expert answer

Hi Des,

If it’s a factory-approved enhancement, then you should be fine as the car has been homologated to accept that upgrade from BMW itself. As long as you let your insurance company know, you should be fine, but, yes, they’ll probably bump up your premium a bit. You might want to call them first and ask them how much extra it will be, because it may not be worth it for an extra 13hp.

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Hi Eric,

We received some very helpful tips from Valerie, the Munster secretary of the Irish Caravan Club, on this one:

"Hope this is of some help in answering your query:  The Caravan Club recommends taking 85% of the kerb weight of the car and this is the max weight of caravan you should tow.  Most 1.6-litre cars are around 1,300- to 1,400kg in weight so there would be a good margin to play with in this case. Remember there will always be added weight to take account of to include the awning, BBQ, Cadac, bicycles, aqua roll, to name but a few items! Correctly loading the caravan is very important, balancing the weight between car and caravan, but all this comes with a bit of experience. Joining one of the caravan clubs and talking with experienced caravanners is the best way to learn the ropes."

Hope this is of help

Expert answer

Hi Stuart,

The new-shape Hyundai i30 is a really great car. Its interior quality and space will be a decent step up from your Fabia and the i30 is more refined on the road too. Good choice. If you are looking for alternatives, take a look for Kia cee'ds of the same age, as they're essentially the same car underneath and the Kia warranty itself is a little longer (though different).

Let us know how you get on.