CAR ADVICE

If your tyre has a puncture, it’s not the end of the world. Here’s everything you need to know about tyre repairs. Photo: iStockBecky Wright Oh no! You’ve just noticed the air is hissing out of your tyre. This can be one of the most frustrating things to happen to your car, especially if you’re on a budget. RELATED: What is a run-flat tyre? With a new tyre costing between $100 and $500 per corner, it can cause some unnecessary stress. But your tyre can be repaired for as little as $10 depending on what sort of puncture you have. We take a look at when a tyre is and isn’t repairable. How is a tyre repaired? When you get a puncture in your tyre, the fitter will perform one of three repairs. The most common is a rubber strip. The repairer pulls the puncture-causing object out of the tyre and pierces the puncture with a reamer to enlarge the hole. A sticky rubber strip is then fed through an insertion tool and rubber cement is added to improve the seal. The strip is then p...

Wind the calendar back and hunt for a ‘diamond in the rough’ to yield big older new-car savings. Some of the best new car deals can be found hiding in plain sight at dealerships around the country. While the bunting and fanfare usually surround brand-new models, those looking for big savings need to hunt down stocks of new cars that were built a little bit earlier. Logistical challenges and inventory movements that impacted the automotive trade over the past few years mean there are still a few vehicles that were built in 2023 or even 2022 looking for a first owner. These are by rights, still brand-new cars, with full warranty periods and other maintenance schedules intact, but due to delays in shipping and inventory movements, may not have arrived at the selling dealer until much later. The benefit to buyers is that while they may not be the newest kids on the block, some of these vehicles can bring big savings to the table as dealers look to move them as quickly as possible...

A Ferrari F355 GTS, gifted to the seven-time F1 champion upon joining the team, could now be yours. The inaugural Ferrari gifted to the legendery Michael Schumacher when he joined Scuderia Ferrari, is going under the hammer. Finished in Blu Le Mans with Pelle Crema leather, this F355 GTS holds something truly special – the legend’s signature on the back of the driver’s seat. Schumacher joined the Scuderia Ferrari team alongside Eddie Irvine in 1996 after winning back-to-back championships with Benetton in 1994/95. MORE: Michael Schumacher’s final Ferrari F1 car could fetch $22 million at auction According to the auction notes, the car was built to Schumacher’s specification, and delivered to him in April, 1996 – a couple of days after his podium finish at the European F1 Grand Prix. In 2020, the car received Ferrari Classiche certification, verifying that it retains its original chassis, gearbox, bodywork, and factory-original colour combination. The certi...

Two major motoring groups are reminding parents and carers about the dangers of leaving kids in hot or locked cars. Here’s what you can and can’t do, as well as what to do when things go wrong. With temperatures in some of Australia’s capital cities hitting the high 30s this weekend, safety experts are warning drivers to make sure children are never left alone in hot cars. Over the next few days, both Melbourne and Adelaide are expected to hit a top of 37-degrees Celsius, with Perth, Brisbane and Sydney also maintaining temperatures in the high 20s and early 30s. RELATED: What to do when your child locks themselves in the car Is it illegal to leave kids in the car in Australia? While leaving a child alone in a car is never a good idea, in summer especially the consequences can be catastrophic. But leaving a child unattended in a locked car under any circumstances is illegal, with fines possible of up to $22,000 under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection...

Kia has retired the Cerato nameplate and replaced it with the all-new Kia K4. But can this new – and more expensive – small car capture buyers in the same way? Skip ahead: Introduction Running costs Price and specification Energy use Interior space and comfort On-road assessment Connectivity and infotainment Summary Safety Next steps 2025 Kia K4 The all-new Kia K4 has landed in Australia and it has some pretty big shoes to fill. Kia’s newest small car is a replacement for the popular Cerato range of sedans and hatchbacks; a model that has, since 2004, become a mainstay on our roads. Over 200,000 Ceratos have been sold in Australia since it first launched in 2004, and even as recently as last year, with sales of around 16,000, the Cerato was Kia’s second-best selling vehicle of any kind locally, trailing only the popular Sportage medium SUV on the sales charts. The new Kia K4 is a super-important car, then, for the Korean brand. Kia sa...