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Hi Anne Marie,

Stop-start systems on cars will stop working for a variety of reasons, some of them outside your control, but if you think your SEAT still has a problem after looking through this list of possibilities, best bet is to get the car along to your nearest SEAT dealer to check it out:

- Ambient temperature too cold
- Ambient temperature too hot (unlikely in Ireland!)
- Battery in poor condition
- Driver's seat belt usually must be on
- Driver's door and bonnet usually must be closed
- Engine temperature is too low
- Climate control settings may force the engine to stay on

Hope that's of some help. This question by an Audi owner has proven very popular and is mostly applicable to your car too.

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Hi Sean,

I agree to a certain extent with this, but not completely. Rear-wheel-drive cars with their engines up front (as with your Mercedes) really struggle with traction in icy conditions, but front-wheel-drive cars are no better when it comes to braking and turning in the same conditions so if such a law was to be brought it, it really should apply to all cars, as winter tyres provide much more grip whether you're accelerating, braking or turning.

However, despite the crazy week we've had here in Ireland with snow and ice, long term weather stats clearly show that we don't get enough cold weather in most parts of Ireland (i.e. the temperature below seven degrees C) to warrant forcing everyone to change to winter tyres. Above seven degrees C, winter tyres are not as good as all-weather/summer tyres and they wear much quicker.

The Irish motorist already feels hard done by in terms of taxation and running costs so I don't think any government would bring this in here, but to be honest, I don't think they should, either. It really should be up to the individual. And that's coming from someone that has expereinced how brilliant winter tyres can be. Other opinions area available...

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Hi Jane,

I would say that if you're driving as you describe then sDrive is fine, as not only is it entirely capable it's also much better from a point of view of running costs. For normal on-road driving it's perfectly good enough, and if you're worried about winter conditions then consider fitting some winter or all-season tyres. 

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Hi Paul,

If the car has a full service history and is in good condition, then in general we’d say there’s nothing much to worry about. At 125,000km it’s well within the lifetime of all its major components, and if the history is solid then so should be the car. Just make sure that it has had a timing belt replacement, or at least an inspection of the timing belt.

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Hi Cyril,

The A4’s a nice car, very comfortable and refined, but it’s not as roomy as the Passat. Don’t go for the 120hp, as it’s just underpowered. As for reliability and problems, it’s a solid car, but you need to keep an eye on the diesel particulate filter (DPF), water leaks from the air conditioning unit, glove box lids that don’t fit properly and worn seatbelt sockets. Check for signs of uneven tyre wear, and noisy suspension is probably the anti-roll bar drop links. No other major problems to report.

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Hi William,

There doesn't seem to be a history of consistent problems with the F10 5 Series rear suspension. The only recurrent problems that we have noted are leaking damper issues. A broken spring can just be 'one of those things' and given the state of many Irish roads, perhaps it's not too much of a surprise. 

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Hi Inderjeet,

The simplest solution is just to go for a 16-inch version of the same 175-section tyre. It’s best not to muck around with tyre sizes too much, as they’re designed to offer the best performance for that model in that size. 

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Hi Paul,

It depends on the wheels, but assuming you have a 175/65 14-inch tyre, then you need 31psi of pressure on the front tyres and 26psi for the rears.

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Hi Clare,

Well, if I gave the impression that I wasn’t too impressed, then that’s not quite right as we haven’t yet driven a new Citroen model equipped with the new Advanced Comfort suspension system. It won’t go into production until next year (2017). We have just driven the new Citroen C3, which has a very impressive ride quality on standard springs and dampers, so the omens for the new system are good.

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Hi Pat,

Well, it’s impossible for us to comment on an individual car that we haven’t seen and don’t know the history of. Toyotas tend to be very reliable and well made, and the Avensis especially so, but no car is entirely without its issues and much depends on maintenance, care and attention to detail. Have you tried contacting your Toyota dealer? Did the problems occur within the original warranty period? Does the car have a full and complete service history?