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Hi Roger,

It’s a very solid car, the Passat, but check for a juddering clutch, for faulty electronic parking brakes and the cam belt needs to be changed every 130,000km or four years, but if it’s had a recent change then it’ll be fine. Of course, it’s also worth asking whether or not the car has been in yet for its diesel emissions recall and update.

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Hi Toni,

You can because they’re obviously designed to fit in the same space, but I’d ask for specialist help with this as it’ll be having the odometer reset to the correct mileage for your car and that’s not something you want to try for yourself or trust to an amateur. And an incorrect mileage reading can seriously affect the value of your car.

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Hi Ashline,

A tough call this one. Your annual mileage isn't really enough to tip you over into diesel territory, and the Corolla is likely to be the more reliable of the two cars. That said, the Passat would be much more comfy and cosseting on the journey and it costs €180 a year less to tax.

So I guess if comfort is your priority, get the Volkswagen. If it's reliability, go for the Corolla, which will probably also work out the cheaper of the two to run overall.

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Hi Stephen,

It's always tricky to diagnose such things remotely, so we'd advise you to go to a good mechanic to be sure.

If the engine has always sounded different when cold then it's unlikely to be something to worry about. Many engines run a little differently when cold to speed up warming of the catalytic convertors and get everything up to temperature.

However, if it's a new noise then you really should get it checked out, as it could well be to do with inadequate lubrication of parts of the engine until the oil is warmed up. This could be caused by a blocked gauze in the oil sump or some other reason for lack of oil pressure. It's worth double checking your oil level before you do much else.

Let us know how you get on.

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Hi Yi,

As ever, it depends on mileage, condition and history but the taxi thing does push values down a good bit, so I'd say you're looking at a value of between €3,500 and €4,500.

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Hi Richard,

No, because the two cars are based on two different platforms. Although the engines are the same, the ancillary fittings and their attachment points will be very different.

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Hi Eddie,

The Insignia is a fine car but you'll find it's not as spacious as your old Passat. Still, it's arguably more handsome and sharper to drive, but you have to make sure all the electrical bits are working properly.

As for the value of your Passat, you haven't given me a specific year but I'm going to guess it's around 2006-2007 in which case you're looking at around €5,000 as a trade in, but don't be surprised if you get offered less - cars with big petrol engines (even efficient ones) are forecourt poison right now.

Let us know how you get on

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Hi Brian,

Yeah, I think you're probably right to stick with diesel with those sorts of mileages. Mind you, it's worth pointing out that those two Volkswagens you have aren't on mega-miles yet and it could be more cost-effective to spend a little on getting them spruced up and fit for thousands more miles than chopping and changing.

That said, if you're in need of a good, reliable family car then I'd have a long look at a Toyota Avensis estate. The 2.0-litre D-4D diesel engine is a good 'un and cheap to tax, it's comfy, ideal for long motorway runs and if it's not the most exciting car in the world, then at least it's solidly reliable. Spacious too.

Probably the most cost-effective option is to replace the high-miler with something younger and fitter and then spend a little extra to keep the runaround Golf fresh.

 Let us know what you decide on.

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Hi Brendan,

We asked Volkswagen's tech people about this:

"I've never heard of a complaint like this before, but I'm guessing it's something in the adjustable lumbar support feature fitted to the seat that may not be operating correctly or secured correctly. Depending on the specification of the car this may be manually adjustable or electrically adjustable.

Without any knowledge of the mileage or previous use of the car it is not possible to determine if this is manufacturer defect or from an outside influence.

We would recommend the car is brought to a main dealer for inspection and advise on recommended repair."

Sounds like good advice to us Brendan. Here's the Volkswagen dealer locator.

Let us know how you get on.

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Hi David,

All I can say is go for it. The CC (I still always start to say Passat CC even though the Passat name has been dropped) is a fabulous car - smooth, comfy and good to drive and really quite devastatingly handsome. Problems are few and far between, but make sure that the service record is up to date (at only a year old it certainly should be) and check that the seals around the frameless door glass is in good nick and keeping out the rain. Other than that, I'd say you can't go wrong.