Zafira vs Touran - which should I choose?

An enlarging tribe of grandchildren means I need to change my 3yr old 2-litre diesel Vauxhall Antara for a seven-seater. I have good offers on new Zafiras (e.g. loyalty bonus) but don't like the inflexibility...

A reliable used family car

I'm looking to buy a secondhand reliable and economical family car, budget upto £5.5k/£6k. It should have no more than 75/80k on the clock ideally, so I've narrowed it down to Mazda 6, Skoda Octavia, Toyota...

Is it possible to remove a DPF?

I have been told that it is possible to take off the DPF and replace it with exhaust, (or simply knock out the middle of the DPF) and then "remap" the system (if the garage has the correct kit to do so)....

Buying a new, efficient petrol 4x4

Buying New 4x4 (not 4x2 version) but it will only cover 3000 miles/per annum. As all modern diesels have DPFs we can't have a diesel, so besides Suzuki Grand Vitara & Kia Sportage, what else? Unless someone...

S-Type DPF regeneration

To retire with I searched for and eventually found an immaculate Jaguar S type 2.7 diesel, just out of warranty, at a quality independent dealer. Soon after, at just over 40k miles, the DPF failed. My...

Nearly new and cheap to run car

Myself and my partner currently both own Skoda Fabias. Mine is a 56 1.4 Petrol 16v and hers is a 57 1.3 Diesel (both high spec) but neither really do a lot of mileage and we could easily survive with one...

DPF replacement - what needs to be done?

I'm having the DPF replaced on my 2005 Ford Focus 1.6TDCI as I have a fault saying that the DPF has reached its maximum regenerations. I'm having it done by a local garage at a small fraction of what...

Dearly departicled

I just bought a 2011, 2 litre diesel Toyota Verso to use for journeys of approximately 50 miles round trip and needing a low loading area for my parents mobility scooter. I use my wife's petrol Yaris for...

Of particulate interest

I have a Focus 1.6 diesel that has just had its 3rd major service at a Ford main dealer at 33,000 miles. The paperwork indicates that a DPF service is “urgently required” at an additional cost of £150....

Recurring limp-mode problem on Zafira

I've reported a recurring problem with my Vauxhall Zafira to the dealership I bought it from over a period of 18 months. The problem is that the car loses power and goes into "limp mode", showing a warning...