I own a Volvo XC70 and have done 185,000 miles trouble free. A noise recently occurred which became worse and was diagnosed as a failure of the transmission. The remedy was to replace it at a cost of £2500 at a transmission specialist recommended by the dealer.

A wheel bearing was also replaced. The car was returned to me with a leak, which was transmission fluid. This was fixed and the car again returned to me. On the day of return, I immediately noticed a small oil leak, which got worse very quickly.

I took it back into the dealer and was told that the head gasket has gone and will cost almost £3000 to replace. I am also told that this has nothing to do with the transmission repair and is a 'coincidence'.

I am clearly unhappy about the situation where a car goes in with one problem and comes back with another one having shown no symptoms of this whatsoever. It seems to be extremely suspicious.

I am in discussion with the dealership about the situation, but they are not budging. Where do I stand on this? Should I expect to pay for some or all of the head gasket repair?