Expert answer

Hi Paul,

Yes, it can be. The N47 2.0-litre diesel engine had an issue with its timing chain, which had a nasty habit of snapping, and which was located right at the back of the engine, against the firewall, making it hard to access or inspect. BMW claims to have fixed the issue, which affected engines produced between 2007 and 2011, but it’s wise to tread carefully, make sure you buy only cars with full BMW service histories, and keep that service history up in case the problem occurs. 

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Hi Patrick,

It's not easy to assess the damage from afar I'm afraid, so I'd suggest getting a good autoelectrician or mechanic out to have a look. It's possible that the ECU (engine control unit) has been damaged, but I'd also hope that has protection against such things built into it. Most likely there are fuses blown somewhere along the line. As I said, get someone to look at it for you and hope nothing expensive has been damaged.

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Hi Marie,

The timing belt interval for the 1.5 dCi engine is every 120,000km or five years, so you would expect to see that this car will have had the belt changed in 2014 at the latest. As for the mileage, it’s certainly not impossible for a car to have covered only low miles, but if you have any concerns then get a history check done by a company such as Cartell.ie, and ask to have a look at all of the service stamps and records for the car. If any are missing, be suspicious. If it’s an original Irish market car, then check its previous NCT certificates, which should have recorded the mileage at each inspection.

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Hi Cyril,

The A4’s a nice car, very comfortable and refined, but it’s not as roomy as the Passat. Don’t go for the 120hp, as it’s just underpowered. As for reliability and problems, it’s a solid car, but you need to keep an eye on the diesel particulate filter (DPF), water leaks from the air conditioning unit, glove box lids that don’t fit properly and worn seatbelt sockets. Check for signs of uneven tyre wear, and noisy suspension is probably the anti-roll bar drop links. No other major problems to report.

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Hi Yvonne,

It’s going to be very hard to find a car that’s taller but not bigger overall. Most car makers cluster around the same size and dimensions within a given class, so unless you go for a larger car altogether, you’re unlikely  to find anything else that is more than a few millimetres different either way.

Your best bet might be to have a look at the Opel Mokka X, which is similarly sized to the 2008, but a little bit higher in its ride height. Why not go and check out out and see if it suits?

Relevant reviews:

Ford EcoSport review

Peugeot 2008 review

Opel Mokka X review

New Peugeot 3008 review

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Hi Rahul,

There are a lot of other options from the Ford Focus to the Toyota Auris to the Peugeot 308 to the Hyundai i30 to the Kia cee’d and Nissan Pulsar. Of the ones you’ve mentioned, the two that I’d pick from are the Skoda (huge inside, practical, reliable) and the Mazda (high quality cabin, ultra-reliable).

Relevant reviews:

Audi A1 review

Skoda Octavia review

Volkswagen Golf review

Mazda3 review

Ford Focus review

Toyota Auris review

Peugeot 308 review

Hyundai i30 review

Kia cee'd review

Nissan Pulsar review

Expert answer

Hi Bob,

Like all Volvos, the V50 is pretty solid, but you do need to check for some specific faults. The air conditioning compressor is prone to damage from salt and road debris, so check to make sure that it’s working properly. The 1.6 diesel has a weakness in its oil and water pumps and it needs a steady diet of high-quality oil. The diesel particulate filter will also give trouble if the car has only done low mileage or has been mostly driven around town. Excessive vibration can be the dual mass flywheel on the way out. Black smoke from the exhaust is usually a blown turbo or exhaust gas recirculation valve. Sunroofs can leak, electric components can be tricky, especially the ignition and central locking system, and you need to check for cracked springs, broken balljoints, and wishbone bushes.

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Hi Gerry,

Absolutely. Unless you’re doing at minimum 20,000km a year, it makes much more sense to have a petrol engine. Cheaper to buy up front, lower maintenance costs and no issues with exhaust filters (DPFs) etc.

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Hi David,

Yes, you could just about do 48km each way in an electric car, certainly in the Ioniq and just about in the 30kWh Nissan Leaf, although it would be hugely helpful if there could be some way of charging up at work. A Renault Zoe might do the trick too.

Hyundai asks for a minimum €5,000-odd deposit on a new Ioniq, and the repayments are quite steep so that one might be out of the question, although they come down to around €360 if you can put a €10,000 deposit down. A basic Nissan Leaf, with €6,762 down, will cost you just €264 a month, which might leave enough wriggle room to go for the bigger battery, and Nissan has some tempting free insurance offers on at the moment, while Renault asks just €179 a month for a Zoe, but the battery rental is extra and it comes with some quite tight mileage stipulations.

The other, possibly better, option would be to go half-electric. Toyota can put you into a Prius or an Auris Hybrid for as little as €199 to €263 a month (again, depending on deposits etc.) or you can get the rather impressive new Kia Niro for €353 a month with a €9,000 deposit. All of those should average as much as 60mpg, which would put a big dent in your fuel costs.

Read our relevant reviews here to help you choose:

Kia Niro review

Hyundai Ioniq Electric review

Nissan Leaf review

Renault Zoe review

Toyota Prius review

Expert answer

Hi John,

The Skoda. Both the Volvo and the Volkswagen are decent, solidly built and generally reliable cars, but Skoda always seems to beat Volkswagen in major reliability surveys, so go for the Octavia if reliability is paramount.