I can't add to what has been said about the Lithium batteries but its worth saying that lead acid batteries are very often located in the rear passenger compartments of modern vehicles and are of a type which, though not totally sealed, are effectively isolated with no provision for topping up elect...

When I bough my new car I found that the dealer quote for a service contract was significantly higher than the direct quote from Hyundai. It did include some other, possibly dubious, benefits though.

If the fault is electrical the emergency pull wire is essential but in most cases the flap just stick because the mechanism does not have a positive release. Pulling the wire makes no difference. In an emergency an old store card or credit card did the trick for me. Insert it in the gap at the back ...

old man is quite correct, I do the same. I have just returned from holiday where my hire car was a full hybrid Toyota. I was blown away by how smooth the drive and transmission was compared to my Tucson, no hesitation, no surges, just smooth. May have to take a closer look next time I change much a...

Its a decision which can only go in favour of the hybrid for most buyers but in the case of cars mainly used for short journeys the plug-in makes some sense. Its still unlikely to pay for itself though. Perhaps a few owners can get free electricity at work destinations but that won't last if the num...

I wonder what the issues were with the PHEV that caused them to relent and a fit a Lead-acid battery in the boot :?: I suspect this was a pragmatic decision because of space limitations. Not only is the plug in lithium battery about 5 times the size of the ordinary hybrid one but there also needs t...

Although it doesn't lock you do get a message from the Bluelink app telling you it isn't locked. Also if you unlock the car but don't open the door it will relock after a short time.

Surface rust on disks ( not callipers) is quite normal and is likely to be worse on a hybrid car which is driven gently because the car is slowed electronically when the pedal is not pressed hard. It is always a matter of some dispute under warrantee because brakes are considered as consumable items...

On this theme the VAG group make little secret of the fact that they use the same base vehicle to create very similar vehicles at a huge range of prices. When I owned a very quick SEAT Ibiza I used to chuckle about a neighbour who ran an Audi with exactly the same engine and running gear which had c...

For reference my PHEV is used mainly for short journeys and in electric mode wherever possible. The instrumentation gives a meaningless overall consumption figure of 60 mpg after 12 months. In reality long journeys at motorway speed give a true fuel consumption of 40 mpg and mixed journeys give betw...