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Hi Garath,

Yes, absolutely. True, diesel values are softening a little with all the adverse publicity, but the 520d is a car that’s going to retain its allure for a while yet, and in the meantime it’s frugal, refined and brilliant to drive. If you’re a low-mileage driver, it’s very definitely worth considering either a petrol 520i or a plugin-hybrid 530e, but for long-distance driving the 520d is still king.

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Hi there,

A rate of €570 per annum would put the car in Band D based on its emissions, which is 155- to 170g/km. Our initial investigations suggest that this car should have emissions of just 134g/km, which would put it in Band B2 for an annual tax bill of €280, however, that's for a newer car than you're talking about. The older one has emissions of 165g/km, which would indeed mean a €570 tax bill.

Hope that helps clear it up

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Hi Shay,

You've not told us which engine your car has, so we're going to assume it's the 1.6-litre petrol version. The change schedule is actually 160,000km, but no harm doing it early of course. 

As to the cost, I'm afraid that will vary depending on where you bring the car to have it done. The work should take no more than three hours. The auxiliary belts should be changed at the same time, so make sure you factor that into your costing.

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Hi Ollie,

Generally speaking, you should be OK, as that 30-min run each day should be enough to keep a DPF hot enough to clean it out, but that’s if and only if that 30 mins is all run at high-ish speeds, say above 80km/h most of the time and in a lower gear. If you’re spending a lot of time in stop-start traffic, I think a petrol option might still be the better one. Mazda’s 2.0-litre petrol engine can be a bit thirsty, but the 1.4 TSI option in the Passat and A4 is a very frugal engine, and still has peppy performance.

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Hi Jack,

Assuming you're talking about the 1.4-litre 16v petrol model, that relay is in the fuse box under the bonnet. It should be labelled "2" and is next to fuses F10 and F15.

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Hi Veronica,

The S40 is pretty solid, and that 1.8-litre engine is more or less unburstable, but there are common problems with the ignition and central locking systems, and on a car that old you’ll need to check for a full service history, and have a good, long inspection to look for signs of excessive wear and tear.

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Hi James,

As discussed via email:

That generation Audi A6 is in general a reliable car, but not fault-free. Some owners have had no problems, while others have been plagued. The Multitronic transmission is not renowned for being the most trouble-free, though units made pre-2006 have the most problems. Also, the gearbox's fluid should be changed at 55,000 and 115,000 kilometres (or 35,000 and 75,000 miles) so the car you're looking at should have had two changes by now. Check that it has and then look in detail at how the gearbox works. Does the 'PRNDS' indicator on the dash flash? Is there hesitation? Is it easy to get reverse?

No matter what turbodiesel car you look at you'll hear of turbo problems from some owners. Most of the time it's likely to be due to poor oil maintenance. So check the car's service history in terms of oil changes and that the oil level itself is right. They do use a bit of oil.

While you're checking out the car in detail, make sure the air conditioning can produce freezing air in just a few minutes, as these have been known to fail.

I'm probably making this sound worse than it is! I'd buy an A6 for myself - it's a good car - you just need to know what you're looking for and not get caught out by one of the few badly maintained examples out there.

Let us know how you get on.

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Hi Daniel,

As that car is pre-2008 it is taxed according to its engine size. Following the Budget announcement (December 5, 2012), the cost of taxing that car for a year has risen from €962 to €1,034.

Hope that helps,

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Hi Dermot,

In general the Superb has proven to be very robust, as it's built on Volkswagen Group mechanicals. Make sure you check the car's history (we recommend Cartell.ie for that) to ensure it wasn't a taxi in a previous life.

Other than that, check the air conditioning is working.

We wouldn't particularly recommend the 1.8 T petrol model due to a few known engine issues, but that car is not so common here anyway.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Paulina,

There’s a common wiring fault that can disable the speedometer, and check too for corroded brake discs. Leaking shock absorbers are common too, but thankfully that’s about it for the known issues. But do bear in mind that it’s 15 years old now so check the whole car over very carefully and insist on a full service history.