Expert answer

Hi John,

The only other brand with a comparable warranty back in 2010 or 2011 would be Hyundai, which has (and had) a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty. Of the cars you've mentioned, in descending order of preference, we'd go for Octavia, Passat, Sportage and Qashqai. If it's out of warranty, you can always get an aftermarket one. 

What do you think?

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Hi Andrew,

It seems there are some niggly little issues with the current shape Astra, but none of them seem to be utterly disastrous. There have been some reports of electronic issues, particularly around the cruise control and the (optional) electronic parking brake. Those problems can also cause the brake lights to flicker annoyingly. There have been two recalls issued for the car, one for the anti-trap sensor in the electric windows and one for faulty bolts on the front passenger seat. Make sure both of those have been carried out. Finally, as with the Insignia, there seems to be an occasional issue with the rubber seals on the boot so check the boot carpet for any signs of damp or water getting in.

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Hi Diarmuid,

It's a close run thing, but I'd go for the Passat. I reckon it'll work out just a little more economical than the Mondeo, and it has a nicer, comfier, more 'premium' edition. Mind you, I'm basing that on the assumption that you're going to be on the motorway a lot. If it's twisty roads, then it's Mondeo all the way...

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Hi William,

It's very, very tempting to go for the Merc – that badge on the bonnet is a major draw all by itself. Being sensible though, even with the extra cost up front, the Passat may actually offer better value. Given that both cars will be generally pretty reliable, the differences come down to things like running costs (is the Passat the 1.6 TDI? If so it's incredibly economical), equipment levels (the Passat is likely to be better equipped than the Merc, but do a proper comparison yourself between both cars to see) and what the dealer is offering you. Which one, for example, is offering the better warranty? A two-year warranty compared to a one- year one may not sound like much, for instance, but if something big goes wrong in year two it could save you an absolute packet.

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Hi Mary,

Through a Volkswagen dealer you're looking at about €400 for a front door and nearly €350 for a rear door, not including VAT. We'd recommend with a car of that age to go through a scrap yard instead - you may even find one of the right colour.

Hope that helps

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Hi Mirian,

There's just nothing good about any of that. Bad enough that it happens at all, worse still that you're coming to the end of your pregnancy - as you say, you just don't need that kind of hassle.

The problem is a recurrent one on the Meriva, and seems to stem from a good old manufacturing fault. As far as I can tell it dates back to at least 2011, but in spite of repeated calls from owners and even a stinging piece on the BBC consumer show Watchdog, General Motors has failed to issue a recall for the problem.

For the moment, the best thing I can suggest is that you press your Opel dealer to give you a loan car, NOT A MERIVA, for the duration of the rest of your pregnancy, so at least you have peace of mind. Some car dealers like to try and duck the issue, but under the good old Sale Of Goods And Supply Of Services Act (otherwise known as your statutory rights) you're entitled to a repair, replacement or refund. Clearly, if the steering column has already been replaced, repairing it hasn't worked so you're looking for one of the other two.

If you feel up to tackling the dealer, then simply don't let yourself be fobbed off. Stand your ground in the dealership and don't be afraid to kick up a massive fuss. After all, can you imagine worse publicity for any business than to have a heavily pregnant woman, in tears, talking to local and national media about the issue? If they try spinning your head with tech-talk, just put your hand up and say "I don't care about the technicalities, I paid for a car that would work and I want this one to work, or a suitable replacement." Keep using that phrase and don't back down whatever you do.

In fact, let us know when you're planning to go in and perhaps one of the CompleteCar.ie team could come with you as backup. In a consumer-centric world, where recalls are in the news every day, this kind of behaviour is utterly unacceptable so don't you go accepting it.

Please do let us know how you get on.

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Hi Fiona,

Depends; are you doing lots of long motorway miles? In which case get the 1.9 TDI. If you're doing mostly short hops, especially urban, then get the 1.4 TSI. 

Unless of course you're talking about two specific cars, rather than in general. In which case go for the one in the best condition with the fullest service history.

Does that help?

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Hi Stephen,

I agree it can be a little annoying on an automatic car, as you can't decide when you do and don't want it to happen at any given moment. I'm sure you're aware that there is a button on the dashboard to disable it at any time, but it sounds like you'd rather disable it completely. Sadly, there's no legitimate way to do this. The car's official CO₂ emissions and fuel economy figures rely on this feature, so even if you find a fuse or relay to remove for the system there will at the very least be a warning light on in the dashboard - and it may even go into 'limp home' mode.

By way of explanation, the 'combined cycle' is a relatively low-speed and short duration (standardised) test cycle all the car makers adhere to for their CO₂ and fuel consumption figures. Stop-start makes a big difference for this as the car is idle for considerable amounts of time. In the real world, this tends to happen only in slow traffic or in town with lots of traffic lights. You would see a saving in those situations, but in reality it'll be small.

Sorry not to be of more assistance.

Expert answer

Hi Peter,

As I guess you already know, Shane, Dave, Paul and myself from CompleteCar.ie are all on the APMP voting jury for Car of the Year, so we'll take this point by point if that's OK.

The Audi A3 Saloon was the model specifically being looked at, and while it's certainly at the pricey end of things for many families, more and more family buyers are being tempted in by the attractive repayments and resale figures offered by the German 'Big Three' premium brands. As for cabin and boot space, the A3 sits roughly between, for instance, a Golf and a Passat in this instance, and isn't far off the cabin space of  the current Audi A4. As a father of two, I've had my family out and about in various A3 models and can confirm that they're perfectly acceptably spacious.

It's a similar case for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Size-wise, it's pretty much spot on a rival for the Passat or Mondeo. Perhaps it's a little tighter inside, but not by much, and that's the price paid for a less space-efficient rear-wheel drive platform. Again, while it's at the expensive end of things for a family purchase, there are plenty out there defecting from the more traditional 'mass-market' brands such as Ford, Opel and Toyota to get themselves a slice of the premium action. Once again, it's often down to the tempting finance packages on offer.

As for the Outlander, it is, strictly in size terms, somewhat in-between things. Taking the BMW X5 as an example, it's slightly shorter (200mm) overall, but has a similar wheelbase measurement and it's slightly larger than the next BMW down, the X3. We judged that, given its overall exterior dimensions, its large boot space and the availability of a seven-seat version when specified with the diesel engine, that Large SUV was the best fit. A perfect fit? Perhaps not, but given the continual fracturing of the car market into ever smaller and more narrowly defined niches, it is close to impossible to find a perfect market segment for every car on sale without having an award 'for everyone on the audience'. We put the Outlander PHEV into the Large SUV category because we felt it would compete strongly there. Seeing as it took two awards home on the night (its PHEV drivetrain took the APMP Innovation Award) it looks like we were right.

The categorisation was discussed long and hard by the membership and somebody somewhere will always disagree.

Expert answer

Hi James,

Yep, it sure is. European Union directive 2008/89/EC requires all passenger cars and small delivery vans first type approved on or after 7 February 2011 in the EU to come equipped with daytime running lights. The mandate was extended to trucks and buses in August 2012.

There's a lot of grumbling about DRLs or using dipped beam all the time - people (grumpy, ill-informed people) still seem to think that it's going to wear their bulbs out or something. Think on this though - in Sweden, the most safety conscious country of all, lights on with the ignition has been mandatory for decades while former F1 world champ Keke Rosberg, when asked what one thing he would change about motoring, said "make daytime lights mandatory."

It's not about making bulbs burn out quicker, it's about making cars easier to see (yes, even on bright, sunny days) and trying to stop us crashing into each other quite so much.