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Hi James,

It's recommended to change that Mondeo's timing belt every 160,000 kilometres or every eight years - whichever comes first - for the 1.6 petrol model, or every 200,000 kilometres and every ten years for the 1.8 or 2.0 TDCi diesels.

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Hi Hugh,

It’s only a rough guess, as ever with VRT, but it should be in the region of €3,300.

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Hi Stephen,

The TMC Costin was, kind of, Ireland’s Caterham. Built by the Thompson Motor Company, (hence TMC) in Wexford (established by brothers Sean and Anthony) it was a small, light, two-seat sports car very much in the mould of the Lotus, later Caterham, 7.

The body was designed for TMC by legendary aerodynamicist Frank Costin (hence the name) and it was usually powered by a 1.6 Ford Crossflow engine (or a Cosworth BDA if you were feeling brave). Celebrity owners included none other than Stephen Roche of Tour De France  (and Calvita cheese!) fame (you're not related, are you?). Around 40 cars were built before the firm went bust in 1987 (although there had been claims of as many as 100 built) and the rights to the chassis design were later sold off to Don Panoz, who later developed the basic chassis into the Panoz roadster.

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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 Fergal,

The Mondeo is a fine car, but it has fallen back a bit compared to previous versions and I don’t think it’s really comparable to the current crop of premium-badge saloons, which is a shame. The A4 is very, very good, but if you’re going to have to ‘rob a bank’ to get a BMW 520d then you’re going to have to do the same for the new A6.

That said, there are some very good mid-size saloons around at the moment that are better than a Mondeo, and which can give an A4 a serious run for its money. A Skoda Superb, perhaps? Volkswagen Passat? Mazda6? All well worth a look, and better value all-round than the A4.

Here are a few of our reviews to help you decide:

Audi A4 review

Ford Mondeo review

Volkswagen Passat review

Skoda Superb review

Mazda6 review

BMW 520d review

Expert answer

Hi Ray,

If you fancy a hybrid, then the best current model is the Toyota Prius. Its looks may divide opinion, but it is exceptionally economical, even on a long motorway run, and it has a roomy, comfortable cabin. Read our Toyota Prius review here.

If you fancy something a little more prestigious, then how about the Lexus IS 300h? Not quite as spacious as the Opel you have, but with exceptional build quality, decent economy and terrific refinement. Read our Lexus IS 300h review here.

BMW”s 330e plugin hybrid is another good contender, as is Volkswagen’s Passat GTE, but they’re both quite pricey and work better in downtown than they do on the open road. As far as hybrid SUVs go, Toyota’s C-HR is lovely, but rather small inside, so it may be worth waiting for Honda to launch its new CR-V hybrid next year. More reviews for you:

BMW 330e review

Volkswagen Passat GTE review

Toyota C-HR Hybrid review

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Hi Rory,

Assuming you really do mean the 1.5 TDCi diesel in the latest Focus (which was only launched in 2015), then Ford recommends every 180,000 kilometres or 10 years. We's suggest earlier if the car is used in town a lot in stop-start traffic. That applies to all 95hp and 120hp versions, as well as the 105hp ECOnetic model.

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Hi Paul,

At 24k a year you’re probably best going for diesel, to be honest. While we’re equally in the dark as regards what the Budget holds in store for us, it seems (at the time of writing) unlikely that any drastic moves are going to be made just yet. There’s also an urban/rural divide in all of this. If you live in the Dublin, and to a slightly lesser extent, Cork, Limerick, Wateford and Galway city areas, then there is a distinct move away from diesel and towards petrol, but in rural areas, diesel is still king.

That said, the 150hp 1.4-litre TSI turbo engine is absolutely excellent, and we’ve found that while it is, of course, less economical than the equivalent diesel, you’re only talking about 1.0 litre per 100km or so in the real-world difference. It’s well worth considering if you’re concerned about future diesel values. 

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Hi Debbie,

The EcoSport got four stars out of five on the Euro NCAP tests, with a 93 per cent adult protection score, 77 per cent child, 58 per cent pedestrian and 55 per cent safety assist. That makes it safe in an accident, but lacking a bit in standard active safety equipment.  

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Hi Kate,

Well, the Fiesta has always been a good car, and 2014 models were post-facelift versions, so they look a little sharper on the outside and the interior got a boost in quality. Plus there was the option of the EcoBoost engine. Values run from around €8,000 to around €12,000,  but, just at the moment, we can’t find a single automatic version for sale…