Will a MINI Countryman diesel be ok for 7000 miles a year?

I'm thinking of buying a MINI D4 Countryman (and spare winter wheels/tyres) as I live in the Scottish Highlands, but most journeys will be only 15-20 miles each way and 6-7000 miles a year. Will this keep...

Can you recommend a family MPV with a large boot for short drives?

I'm currently driving a Ford Focus (old style) 1.6 from 2005 but would like to change to a newer car with more boot space as I'm expecting our first child. I want a family car with lots of boot space and...

Does my Ford Focus have a DPF?

I have noticed from some of your articles that diesel particulate filters are likely to cause problems, especially in low mileage vehicles used for short journeys. I have a Ford Focus 1.6 LX TDCI registered...

Is our BMW 530 DSE suitable for use as our only car, including short shopping trips?

I am considering going from a two-car family to one car as my wife and I seldom use both cars together. Our mileage has dropped substantially from when the cars were bought and we now only do 6000 miles...

At what point do short journeys negatively affect diesel particulate filters?

You often talk about the relationship between short journeys from cold in diesel engine cars and the premature failure of diesel particulate filters. In this context what do you class as a short journey?...

Why is my Vauxhall Combo van losing power?

Please could you advise what to do about a new Vauxhall Combo SE 1.3 van I bought in May 2010? It is hesitating and losing power, and our local dealer can't detect a fault.

How should I drive my Citroen C5 diesel in order to avoid potential DPF problems?

A couple of months ago, I bought a secondhand 2007 Citroen C5 2.0 HDi auto. This is obviously a rep's car, given the 72,000 miles on the clock. Again, no problem, as this is good, honest mileage and the...

Will a Jaguar XF diesel be ok used for weekend and evening journeys?

If I treat myself to a new or nearly-new Jaguar XF 3.0 diesel and only drive it at weekends and maybe some evenings, will the DPF be ok as long as those journeys are not short stop-start and the revs are...

The DPF in my Mazda 6 has failed - should the dealer replace it?

I bought a secondhand 2007 Mazda 6 estate with 62000 miles clocked, so it's out of warranty but under three years old, from a very small dealer - they seemed to sell one car at a time from home but traded...

Does my Land Rover Freelander have a DPF?

I keep hearing about the problems you get with diesel particulate filters if you make lots of short car journeys from cold. Can you tell me if the Land Rover Freelander TD4 ES 2002/2003 models have these...