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Hi Debra,

It’s kind of difficult for us to diagnose a car over the internet unfortunately, but it sounds as if you may have a whole host of problems there. You’re quite right in that rattles are often something to do with either the timing belt or chain or the camshaft mechanism, but if you’re getting multiple fault codes on a diagnostic it could be that there’s a bigger issue that is causing lots of systems to develop issues. Have you brought it to a Volkswagen main dealer yet? That would be our recommended course of action.

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Hi Fergal,

Well, it depends on which model you're looking at. In general buying an automatic these days doesn't have the fuel consumption (and CO₂) penalties of old, although it's fair to say that not all automatics are equal. They can be very expensive up front though (BMW asks €2,500 for an auto) and, depending on the car, you won't always make that back at resale time. Certainly on a Ford you might struggle with automatic resale, but a BMW or Audi should do better as people expect the auto in those. 

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Hi Anne,

Actually, it’s not far off. I’d say, with a bit of practice, you should be able to beat 60-65mpg on a regular basis with that Polo, and to be honest you’re not going to get much better than that from any car. There are plenty of cars with official economy figures up in the 70s and 80s mpg, but those are laboratory figures and damned near impossible to reach in real world driving. If economy is your priority, then I’d stick with that Polo.

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Hi John,

Tough call actually, as there’s very little to separate them. The SEAT is a little nicer inside, in terms of layout and quality, but the Hyundai is a little more spacious. Both the 1.6 TDI engine in the SEAT and the 1.7 CRDiin the Hyundai are a touch underpowered but they’re both solidly good from a point of view of emissions and fuel consumption. It really is too close to call, so perhaps it comes down to styling (arguably the SEAT is a bit more handsome) or warranty (the Hyundai’s five-year unlimited mileage one is hard to beat). Best bet is go drive them both and form your own opinion, but to help, here are our reviews:

Hyundai Tucson 1.7 CRDi review

Hyundai Tucson 2.0 CRDi review

SEAT Ateca 1.4 TSI review

SEAT Ateca 2.0 TDI review

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Hi Paul,

I’m assuming you’re looking at about a 2005 model year? If so, the official combined fuel economy figure was 42.2mpg, or 6.7 litres per 100km, but the actual fuel consumption will depend significantly on both the condition of the vehicle and your own driving style.

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Hi there, 

Assuming that’s the 2.4-litre petrol engined version of the Honda RE4 (better known to us as the third-generation CR-V), you’re looking at around 32mpg overall. We can’t give you more accurate data than that as the model was never homologated for European sales, so that number is extrapolated from the figure given for Australian market cars.

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Hi Max,

Well, the official combined fuel economy figure is 51.4mpg, but that sounds a bit optimistic to us. Doing short journeys shouldn’t be a major issue as it’s a petrol engine, but a bit of gentle driving should get you at least past the 40mpg mark, unless you’re stuck in stop-start traffic all the time. I wouldn’t bother using premium petrol, as you’re just wasting your money. The engine is designed to work on standard 95RON pump fuel, so just use that, but make sure you buy from a reputable supplier.

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Hi John,

No, it’s not just another cost to the consumer. Stop-start systems are designed to prevent the car from running the engine unnecessarily at standstill when doing so would be at its most wasteful of fuel. After all, if you’re not moving then what is the point in having the engine on? Stop-start systems are specially designed with either a beefed-up alternator or an integrated starter/generator so that it can handle multiple stops and restarts in rapid succession, and it’s estimated that on an average car, stop-start can save as much as ten per cent of overall fuel consumption – not to be sniffed at, never mind the benefits to city-centre air quality.

Admittedly, the car makers have brought in stop-start to bring their cars' official CO₂ and fuel consumption figures down, and the benefits are only really felt if you are stopping and starting regularly. If you spend all your driving time on the motorway then you won't use the system at all.

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Hi David,

They’re not bad actually. The only major mechanical items that cause regular bother are the engine’s exhaust gas recirculation valve (if the engine is down on power or putting out lots of smoke, suspect this…) and the fragile water pump on the 1.6 HDi diesel. That 1.6 also needs a steady diet of high grade oil at service time. The only other issues are minor electrical niggles, such as the electronic parking brake, sticking fuel filler flaps and the like. Buy one with a full service history and keep it serviced and you should be fine.

Expert answer

Hi Jennifer,

You could try a Skoda Superb Combi, but I think that many big dogs would overwhelm even that car’s massive boot. Perhaps you need to go down the road of a van-based MPV. Maybe try a Citroen Berlingo or Volkswagen Caddy Life? Seats for the kids and (hopefully) enough space for the dogs, plus their tailgates aren’t too high off the ground so the older dogs shouldn’t have too much trouble getting in and out.