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Hi Dave,

It sounds as if it could be an issue with the actual fan that blows the air (both with and without air conditioning on) through the vents. Sometimes the blades of the fan can warp, or even melt slightly if you’ve been running the heat at full blast for a while (such as when defrosting the car on an icy day), and that can cause an odd harmonic effect in the airflow. Or, it’s also possible that leaves or some other sort of road debris has gotten in past the filter and is causing the whistling effect.

Either way, you need to get it looked at. It is possible to take the fan cover off and inspect it yourself at home (a Haynes manual is an invaluable aid here), but we’d always recommend asking a professional first.

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Hi John,

Yes, just go to the system settings menu (have a look at your owner's manual) and change the selection from Metric to Imperial. It takes a couple of seconds, but best to do it when you’re stopped rather than driving.

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Hi Bijo,

Yes, we’ve heard that the automatic gearbox on this generation of Colt can be troublesome, in some cases losing drive altogether. I’d be very wary of one and would suggest that, unless you really, really need the auto, you’d be better off going for the manual gearbox version, which should be solidly reliable.

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Hi Pat,

The Countryman is in the Revenue VRT calculator, but it’s in an odd position. You have to select Cooper, One, or First, then pick Hatchback as the body style and then once you’ve selected the usual petrol or diesel, manual or auto functions, you should find the Countryman models in there.

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Hi Peter,

If it says Cclimate on the tin, it should have climate control on the inside. The difference between that and normal air conditioning is that air conditioning simply allows you to choose between hot and cold, whereas climate control allows you to select a specific temperature. If your car only has a red-blue heat controller then you've been sold a pup.

That said, it depends on where you're getting your build data from. Some lists won't code specifically for climate control and will just use air conditioning as a catch-all.

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Hi Liam,

OK, first off you don’t need and shouldn’t be buying a diesel. With that kind of mileage, and doing most of it in town, you’ll never get enough efficiency out of the engine and you’ll run into trouble with the particulate filter and more potentially.

Of the three cars you’ve mentioned, I think that the Mercedes B-Class might actually be the most sensible, and it’s certainly the roomiest if you’re concerned about carrying big loads. Worth remembering that for similar money you could probably get yourself into a nice C-Class Estate too, which is only a little smaller inside and a whole lot nicer to drive. I’d be tempted to stick with the Mercedes, too, for safety reasons, if your son is going to start learning to drive.

The Tiguan is another very good option, and there are versions with Volkswagen’s excellent 1.4 turbo petrol engine if you shop around. Again, safe and good to drive, if not quite as roomy as the B-Class. I’d avoid the Duster at this point — it’s diesel only, and not as safe as the Merc or Volkswagen.

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Hi John,

We don’t have precise fuel economy figures for that model, as it was never sold here so never got put through the EU NEDC fuel economy test. Generally, an automatic car will be a little more thirsty than a manual version, but on a car as small as the Note, it probably won’t make a huge difference.

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Hi Patrick,

It depends where on the window the crack is and how big it is. Click here to view the official NCT testing manual - go to page 26 and it clearly shows how cracks in the windscreen are assessed.

Best of luck

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Hi Seamus,

By any chance is yours the automatic version, with the larger 18-inch wheels? We tested the manual gearbox version that did indeed at the time have a CO₂ emissions rating of 147g/km, whereas the automatic model, with four-wheel drive, was rated at above 180g/km. 

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Hi Cathal,

You are indeed entitled to a refund, but not immediately. Under the Sale of Goods and Supply Of Services Act, if a product is “not of merchantable quality” then you are entitled to a repair, replacement or a refund. It will be up to you and the dealer from whom you bought the car to discuss which of these will be the case, and most dealers will try at least to repair the car at first, as obviously that’s usually the most cost-effective route from their perspective.

You can demand a refund and nothing else, but I’d make sure you have a good solicitor on your side before doing that as technically if the dealer is offering you a repair then they are fulfilling their duties under the act.