Why does our MINI One use so much oil?

Our MINI One 2011 is using an excessive amount of oil. The problem has appeared quite suddenly. In the past 4000 miles the car has used two litres of oil. Is this normal? My guess is the valve seals are...

Buying a Ford Focus diesel - what should I look out for?

I am wanting to buy a 3/4 year old Ford Focus Estate and seem to have found a 2013 one, but the mileage is quite high at 100,000. Would this be a problem in the long run? My average miles per year wouldn't...

How can I prep my car for winter storage?

I'll be taking my 2008 reg 1.6 VVT Renault Megane cabrio off the road for the winter. It'll be stored in a good dry garage and the petrol tank will be full and dosed with inhibitor treatment. Handbrake...

Does the Subaru XV use lots of oil?

I was thinking about buying a 2013 or 2014 Subaru XV 2.0i but have heard about a large class action lawsuit in the US against Subaru concerning excessive oil consumption. Have there been any complaints...

How often should a Fiat 500 be serviced?

I'm thinking of buying a used (three or four years old) Fiat 500 with a petrol engine. However, each one I have enquired about appears to have been serviced once after three years, or about 18k miles....

Why does my Vauxhall Viva use so much oil?

I have a Vauxhall Viva (2015 model) which I have owned from new. Within seven months of ownership, the oil light came on after 8900 miles. I was told the car simply needed an oil filter change. As a result...

How often should I change the oil in my new car?

I will be getting a brand new car in December. With all my previous cars I have changed the oil and filter every six months (annual mileage 8K). Should I continue this practice or will an annual change...

MINI Cooper (R56) timing chain failure

I bought a used (2007 model) MINI Cooper from a local dealer 10 months ago. The car has been great until now. The yellow (EML?) warning light has come on and my local garage has diagnosed it as a timing...

Is the Volvo V50 a reliable car?

I have owned my Volvo V50 since I bought it new in 2012. The car runs fine, but I am retiring soon and wondering if it is a good car to keep for long term reliability. To date it has been dealer maintained,...

When should we service our DS3?

My wife's DS3 is now two years old with 3600 miles on the clock. After 12 months of ownership, she took it to a local Citroen dealer and they did a standard service. But now, after another 12 months, and...