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Hi Philip

We spoke to Toyota Ireland and they had this to say about your issue. "There's very little info to go on but the clue seems to be in the fuel used. It could possibly be a knock sensor reacting to octane rating or fuel quality causing the light to come on."

It might be an idea to stick to the best fuel possible and check with your local Toyota service agent. Come back to us if you need more help.

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Hi Liam,

If you planning on selling it privately you should ask around €6,000 as your starting point leaving you room to negotiate. As a trade-in from a garage, you are likely to be offered around €4,000 - €5,000 at best, obviously depending on what you are trading in against.

I hope this helps!

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Hi Brendan,

I think the Golf is your best bet here. The 1.2-litre petrol engine tends to freak out a lot of people because they think it will be way too small and meagre for their needs, but this just simply isn't the case. We have tried this engine in a number of body styles and have always found it to be more than capable. The Auris isn't a bad car as such, but it is simply not better than the Golf in any way so if it is a straight choice between these two, for me anyway, the Golf would win every time.

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I think the new BMW X3 is where the BMW X5 used to be and the Audi Q5 is a little like where the BMW X3 used to be, if that makes any sense!

The Q5 is a decent compact SUV and it comes in cheaper than the X3 at base level. While there is a 2.0-litre TFSI petrol Q5, if we ignore that (as you should in Ireland at least) then you are left with the 2.0-litre TDI model with 143hp for €42,350. In comparison, the BWM X3 has 184hp for €45,900. Even though the X3 has more power, it is cleaner, with Band C road tax compared to Band D in the Audi.

BMW X3 - 184hp - €45,900 - Band C

The problem right now with the X3 is that you simply can't get one. They are in very short supply, so you could be waiting months. There is a similar situation with the Q5, but we believe you would get one sooner than you would get a BMW.

If you are asking us to choose one regardless of that, then I would have to say I'd much prefer the new X3. I didn't really like the old model, but this one is now so much better than before.

Audi Q5 - 143hp - €42,350 - Band D

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Hi Ciaran,

Thank you for your query. The Kia pro_cee'd is a good car, but thankfully the only thing negative about it is the silly name. We really rate the car and it would make a great second-hand buy. It has been a while since we drove a pro_cee'd so we called Kia Ireland to get a reminder on the engines. We were told that very few 1.4-litre petrol models were sold in 2008 and practically none in 2009 after the road tax laws based on emissions were introduced.

The first thing to note then is that the petrol models are scarce, but quite a bit cheaper than the diesels. A petrol model will cost you €9,945 while a diesel from the same year could cost you €12,950 - more than €2,000 more. You certainly won't save €2,000 in fuel and road tax in a hurry, so it depends on how long you intend to keep your car. If you change your car quite often and residual values are a concern then you probably need to get the diesel, but if you will be keeping the car for a long time then you should get the petrol, especially given the relatively low mileage that you do.

In terms of what to look out for, there is nothing. There have been no recalls that we know of and the car has few real faults apart from the fact that visbility isn't great out of the small rear window, but then you can expect that with any coupé-like hatchback.

Anyway, I hope this helps and doesn't actually make it more confusing! If there is anything else don't hesitate to come back to us.

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Hi Sharon,

Those are three good choices. Obviously given the fact that you have had such great history with the Honda CR-V then it could make sense to get another one, but the CR-V doesn't really offer wonderful value. The cheapest one is a fiver under €40,000 and you can pay up to €50,000.

Honda CR-V

When you compare the BMW X3 to this, which is such a brilliant SUV, the CR-V looks expensive. We drove the BMW X3 last Christmas and it proved itself to be outstanding. Naturally you will have to spend closer to €50,000 to get a decent X3.

BMW X3

There is a problem at the moment with the X3 in that they are in very short supply, so there is a waiting list. Granted you are not taking delivery until January next year so perhaps you will have plenty of time then. Get the 20d rather than the 18d if your budget allows and choose the four-wheel drive ('xDrive') version too.

The last car you mention is the Subaru Forester and this is the best value car you choose. It is very good but certainly not as refined as either the CR-V or the BMW X3. Have you ever considered the Subaru Outback? That costs around €42,000 and it would be a better choice than the Forester in our opinions.

Subaru Forester

All of that taken into account Sharon, I would have the BMW X3 all day long. It is superb and miles better than the old one. But we would suggest that you will need to get your order in early because the waiting lists are long.

I hope this helps!

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Hi Karl,

Thank you very much for you inquiry. I am not sure how much damage is on the car, which could obviously affect the price somewhat, but what I would say is that if it is a 1.6-litre petrol it is probably worth aroud €7,200, but if it is a diesel it might be worth about €8,700.This is of course, a guide price and what you would expect to sell the car for privately.

I hope this helps!

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Hi Declan,

The Passat is a lot of car for a 1.6-litre engine to pull along, so depending on how and where you are driving it then your fuel economy might not be super. Is the car brand new? In the running-in phase economy can be a bit down on post run-in performance but perhaps have a look at your driving style and eliminate that as a possible problem first.

It is possible on the Passat to look at the instantaneous consumption so keep an eye on that and make a note of it and the average values. 

I've been through enough fuel economy challenges at this stage to know that it can be often down to our own driving (and I include myself) in this. Nobody really needs to 'drive' a tonne-and-a-half car down a hill and being a little more delicate with your right foot can make a massive difference (110- vs. 130km/h on a motorway for example). 

Aside from all that, keep a note of the car's performance over 2-3 days then make a conscious effort to change your driving for the next few and if there is no massive difference then perhaps see about getting the car checked over. 

Come back to us with actual figures, mileage of the car and how it is used and we'll try to give you more assistance.

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Hi Siobhan

Really it boils down to price. The chances are you will have to pay around €10,000 for a low mileage petrol model and perhaps €1,000 more for the diesel. Since your mileage is low  you won't save a lot more immediately, but perhaps in 2-3 years time when you trade in again you might be in better luck with a diesel car. To be honest, I would say buy whichever one has the lowest mileage from a main dealer, regardless of which fuel it uses. 

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Hi Enda,

This was a long one, so I thought I would answer by video. Click on the link to see the answer!