Which small diesels are safe for short trips?

Your Renault Zoe report said 'Only a handful of the latest tech diesel engines can be started and driven for less than 5 miles from cold starts without eventually choking their diesel particulate filters'...

Diesel pump failure killed my Note

My 6 yr old fully serviced Nissan Note 1.5DCI, with 70K miles refused to start. It has gone to the garage and the diesel pump has failed, pushing metal swarf into the injectors. Is this a common problem...

What do you make of diesel ECU tuning?

More and more people are looking at tuning their diesels for more economy and or power. In this day and age of ridiculous fuel prices isn't it time we had a decent investigation into the pros and cons...

Should we buy a RAV4 or an XC60?

My husband and I have now retired at the age of 70 and would like your opinion on these two used vehicles, either of which will be the last we purchase: the Toyota RAV4 petrol or the Volvo XC60 Volvo petrol....

Why are modern diesels bad for short journeys?

I would be grateful for information on cars using diesel. I have been told that this is a good feature if you are doing a lot of distance driving, but not a good choice if the running is mostly local....

Would you recommend the Ford Wildtrack as a family car?

I am considering buying a 2009 Ford pick-up, double cab, Wildtrack 3.0 TDCI 4WD. It has 30,646 miles and is £11,991 plus VAT. It will effectively be the family car as I need the load space to cater for...

Which 4WD vehicle to replace my Subaru Forester?

I currently have a 2005 2.0-litre Subaru Forester and would appreciate your advice of a replacement. I bought this car in May 2009 and chose an AWD as we were moving to mid-Wales and an estate for my husband's...

Should I sell my 2007 Octavia Scout before the DPF fails?

I bought a secondhand 2007 Octavia Scout TDI 1,968cc with 76,000 miles on the clock in May last year. It is my second diesel Octavia but the first with a DPF, something I had not heard of before I bought...

Would you recommend that we buy a Honda CR-V and another second car?

I have a 2007 Ford C-Max 1.6 110 diesel with 61,000 miles on the clock. My husband has a Ford Mondeo estate diesel 2.2 Titanium X with 60,000. We both now do about 6000 miles a year, a lot on short 4-10...

Which hatchback for short journeys?

I drive 8000 to 9000 miles per year, mostly shortish distances. I have to replace my Honda Accord diesel. I would like a 4-door saloon or hatchback, petrol at about £10,000 without trade-in, not more than...