Expert answer

Hi Peter,

We spoke to a technical expert within Skoda Ireland. He confirmed that there's likely to be something else up, as no car would require servicing on that low mileage. The variable indicator works off an oil quality sensor and also takes into consideration length of time between services. It works off two years between services though so if you're doing only 8,500 kilometres every two years that may well be the issue.

With that information to hand, it might be worth popping into your local Skoda dealer and talking it through with them. If you're racking up 8,500 kilometres quickly then there could be a faulty sensor somewhere.

Hope that helps.

Expert answer

Hi Annemarie, 

We would always say look at the cost to change, but I'd expect that you will be offered around €5,000 for your C-Max, which might translate into €6,000 against a new Peugeot 5008. The 5008 is a good choice too, you can read our review of it here. 

Expert answer

Hi Lorcan,

We spoke to Kia Ireland and they said that your car should be serviced at 20,000km intervals so you have another 8,000km until you need to do it again according to them!

Expert answer

Hi Mark,

I'm afraid that's a very difficult question for us to answer remotely. Every car is different, as is every dent. We'd suggest you contact someone like www.dentmagic.ie or www.autodentsolutions.ie to have a look, as they provide a service that requires no painting, sanding or filling. Should work out far cheaper too.

Hope that helps.

Expert answer

Hi Ciaran,

Sorry for the delay in coming back to you on this. Let me honest first and foremost and put my cards on the table and say that I probably wouldn't buy a second-hand Land Rover Freelander at all and especially one with 90,000 miles on the clock. You are right in what you say that the second one has proven to be more reliable than the first one but it still has been a little bit problematic. There aren't major reports of problems on the second version, but to be honest if I was looking at a vehicle a few years old and in SUV form I'd be looking at something from Japan or Korea. 

If you are going to get one and you have your heart totally set on it then only buy from a main dealer with a full service history and get the longest warranty you can find. 

For me though, I'd still be looking at something like Toyota RAV4, Nissan Qashqai or Hyundai ix35 to get something that will be reasonably headache free. 

I hope this helps. 

Expert answer

Hi Susan,

While our service is predominantly designed for an Irish audience, we don't minding answering the occasional question from abroad. Your valuation would depend on several other factors though:

• Is it a 2005 or 2006 car?
• Which trim level is it?
• Is it manual or automatic?
• Is the specification standard or are there desirable extras?

If you can let us know those details we should be able to give you a more accurate estimation.

Thank you

Expert answer

Hi Elaine,

Well first things first, the speedometer issue really isn't their problem - there are lot of imports coming in and not all have their speedos changed. Is this garage a Skoda dealer or an independent? If it is a Skoda main dealer then perhaps I would ask them to change it over as part of the deal.

Secondly, sales staff always use the cars on the forecourt. This has been going on for decades. In larger dealerships the staff will usually have their own company cars so this won't happen. I would be a little concerned that the service intervals haven't been adhered to and under no circumstance should you purchase the car until they service it for you.

The advice we would always give is that if you already have some niggling doubts, which you appear to have, then don't buy this car. In terms of the value of your car, take if that if you are getting €2,000 then you are really getting about €1,200, as, if you were a cash buyer (with no trade-in) then you would be expecting to get up to €1,000 off the price of the car anyway.

Come back to us if you need anything else.

Expert answer

Hi Rob,

I can't be certain, but I would reckon Annesley Motors would be your best bet because they did retail Smart at one stage so they would probably have expertise in the cars. Alternatively, there is a Smart dealer in Belfast, Isaac Agnew so they would be definitely very good. I will check around and see if there are more

I hope this helps

Expert answer

Hi Philip

We spoke to Toyota Ireland and they had this to say about your issue. "There's very little info to go on but the clue seems to be in the fuel used. It could possibly be a knock sensor reacting to octane rating or fuel quality causing the light to come on."

It might be an idea to stick to the best fuel possible and check with your local Toyota service agent. Come back to us if you need more help.

Expert answer

Hi Hazel,

What you need is something that will be reliable, has low mileage, has a full service history from a SIMI dealer and that will be a little bit fun to drive. I had a look for you and there are several that match your criteria on sale at the moment. We found a great little Kia Picanto: it has only 30,000km on the clock and is a smashing wee thing that would cost you very little to run.

We really like the Fiat Panda too, as it is a straightforward car that is chic, charming and fun and you could get one with really low mileage that is within your budget. You can never really go wrong with a Ford Fiesta: this would be a super car to own although the mileage on is a little higher.

If you want something that is a little bigger, then this Nissan Primera would be a good car and this is a low-mileage example.

Out of all of these, that Picanto could be a super little buy.