At 9 months and 10000 miles I've decided that the Yeti needs to go. In the end the mixture of too many things going wrong, poor service from dealers and a feeling that some faults (like the numerous rattles, non functioning bits etc.) will never be sorted has beaten me. Add to that the raucous diesel that isn't particularly economical, the jittery ride and incessant wind noise and the experiment of trading down to Skoda is a failed one.

To be honest I miss the engineering integrity, reliability and good old fashioned service that came as standard with the Hondas and Subarus I've run up to crazy mileages in recent years without a single fault or a day's unplanned downtime. I also broke my rule of only buying cars where I have a dealer within 10 miles. When you have a car like this one that needs constant visits to the dealer a two hour round trip starts to grate and costs my company real money.

I've already offered the car to a few dealers but nothing bordering on a sensible offer so far - misguidedly I thought this would be easy to sell given the waiting lists that apparently exist. So maybe Sure Sell.

The replacement is a little problematic, petrol for sure (in view of reduced annual mileage / increased use of trains), Similarly sized but not a Golf as anything VAG is off the agenda. Read more

On a particularly hot day in July 2010, I noticed that the air conditioning in my Mazda6 MPS had stopped cooling. I rang my local Mazda main dealer who told me that I needed the system re-gassing. This was done and I was charged £60, but it did not solve the problem. I was then told that the air condenser was riddled with stone chips and that I needed a new one for a further £450. When I picked the car up it seemed to work fine, but over the following winter months the A/C only had the need to blow hot air.

9 months and 3000miles on, and the system does not work again. I took the car to the same dealer and asked them to simply diagnose the problem. When I collected the car I was told that they had again re-gassed the system with a dye. Charge - another £60. I refused to pay this as I feel that I am being taken for a ride. What bothers me the most is whether I even needed the new air condenser 9 months ago?

They've told me to go back in 2 weeks so they can establish what the problem is by looking at the dye. What do you suggest I do? I am worried that they'll tell me that something ELSE is wrong and that I'll need to pay out even more. Read more

A relative who works in the BBC buildings (not for the BBC) often admires a stunning new Ferrari 599 GTO parked in isolation near the goods despatch area. It belongs to a well known tv and radio presenter, who owns several classic Ferraris (you probably know who this is).

It was only after about the fifth time of admiring the car that he realised it has no front-number plate, only the rear (personalised) one. The famous owner simply pays the £60 fine everytime he's caught - there's no points attached to this offence. It also means he can ignore Gatso average speed cameras.... Read more

I'm looking for a midsize for less than £,000 which will seat 5 adults comfortably on a long journey. I though an 02ish Mondeo would be ideal. The only problem is the hump in the middle of the back seat. Would 3 adults sit comfortably side by side in MK1 Renault Scenic? Any other suggestions welcome.

Cheers... Read more

HI ALL,# DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE THE POLLEN FILTER HIDE'S IN A TOYOTA AVENSIS 53 PLATE.

THANKS IN ADVANCE.... Read more