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Hi Karen,

You've not mentioned the engine size, but assuming it's either the 1.8- or 2.2-litre TDCi diesel then the timing belt should be changed every 125,000 miles (just over 200,000km) or every 10 years.

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Hi Dominic,

Toyota Ireland kindly provided the full service list for 60,000 kilometres. See below image.

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Hi Karen,

If it's the 1.6 petrol you should be fine - it's the diesel engine that gives trouble on older BMWs. Have a good poke around it all the same and make sure it's been looked after properly. Make certain it has a full service history, and check for obvious signs of abuse like parking scrapes or battered alloy wheels.

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Hi Danny,

Yup, should be fine. Citroen's build quality and reliability have been improving lots in recent years, but just check all the electrics to make sure everything's working OK and make sure it has a full and complete service history, with no skimping on the high-quality oil at replacement time.

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Hi Philip,

Not all marques and not all models use AdBlue as yet. AdBlue is a urea solution that can be injected into he exhausts of diesel cars to neutralise a significant proportion of their emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) - very much in the news at the moment of course. The rule of thumb is generally only that larger, more powerful engines need an AdBlue treatment system as many smaller engines don't need the assistance. Each manufacturer, and indeed each individual engine, will have its recommended AdBlue top-up times, and it will be directly related both to mileage and how much acceleration the car has been doing. You can top up the AdBlue tank yourself - a 1.5-litre refill should cost around €11-12.

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Hi Ede,

It depends on which engine your Fiesta is powered by. The 1.4- and 1.6-litre TDCi diesels have change intervals of 10 years or 125,000 miles (just over 201,000km), while the petrol engines (1.25-, 1.4- and 1.6-litre) have timing belts that need to be changed every eight years or 100,000 miles (160,000km).

We'd always advise readers to have the timing belt changed sooner rather than later, especially if the service history of the car is unknown.

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Hi Mike,

I must admit that sounds very very expensive. You should ask them to itemise the price for you, as the parts themselves really shouldn't be that costly. It would be interesting to know how many hours labour and the hourly rate they charge. You should also shop around before telling them go ahead. Ring a few other garages to get a price for it.

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Hi Anthony,

Don't worry - cracking car. Not quite as nice as the current-model i10 but still reliable, solid, nice to drive and should do you for a good while. Just make sure it's been serviced properly (preferably with a Hyundai dealer). 

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Hi Breda,

The golden rule is never buy on year or mileage but on condition and history. As you say, both cars are in immaculate condition but I'll bet that one or the other has a better and more complete service history, and that's the one to go for.

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Hi F D,

There does seem to be an issue with the turbo- and supercharged engines involving the timing chain and it seems to be because Volkswagen tried to stretch the service intervals too far. Now, your A3 may not have that particular engine, depending on the year and the engine power. The lower power 122hp version of the 1.4 TSI didn't have a supercharger, just a turbo so is simpler and doesn't seem to suffer the same issues. The more recent 150hp version also does without the supercharger, so the best thing to do is not panic - if you're concerned about the car, take it to your dealer, have it inspected and maybe insist on a more frequent oil change.