Should Audi accept responsibility after an incident following a service and oil change? - Wing Lun Leung/Alamy Stock PhotoDo you have a question? Contact carsadvice@telegraph.co.ukDear Alex,Three days after my 2018 Audi Q7, with less than 85,000 miles, underwent a routine service and oil change at an Audi main dealer, the engine developed a pronounced rattling noise and an “Oil pressure too low” warning appeared. I stopped immediately and the vehicle was recovered to the same dealer, which declared the engine catastrophically damaged and in need of replacement. Audi has offered inconsistent explanations and no root cause has been provided. Given the timing – a routine oil service followed by oil-pressure failure within 72 hours – the coincidence seems extraordinary, yet Audi refuses to accept liability. Is this reasonable?– EBDear EB,I agreed with you that the coincidence was pretty startling. So I asked Audi to provide me, firstly, with its diagnosis of the fault, so that if nothing else, I could at least relay to you the information the dealer had as yet failed to provide.AdvertisementAdvertisementI also asked whether it could provide evidence that its actions in servicing the car hadn’t been the root cause of the issue.Audi finally gave me the full diagnosis: the engine damage was caused by a bearing that broke up due to a drop in oil pressure, caused by a faulty oil-pressure-regulating valve.It also said that it had noted on inspection that the correct quantity of oil had been drained from the car and that there was no leakage noted around the oil filter, although it did note coarse metal filings within the filter element consistent with a major engine failure. It added that the dealer had checked and confirmed that the sump bung had been torqued to the correct manufacturer specification, ruling out improper installation.You told me you were unsatisfied with Audi’s explanation given the coincidental timings and wanted to take legal action. I suggested you seek advice first from a legal professional, because if Audi and the dealer in question indeed have documentary evidence to back their claim that they carried out the service correctly, you may end up throwing good money after bad chasing a claim that might not succeed.AdvertisementAdvertisementI asked Audi whether it would consider a gesture of goodwill for you as a loyal customer, but it said that as no extended warranty had been purchased and the car was therefore long out of warranty, it was not willing to contemplate any sort of financial compensation. Fair enough – the company has no legal obligation to do so. But so much for loyalty, eh?In an official statement, a spokesperson said: “Audi is renowned for and prides itself on its engineering excellence. However, for added peace of mind, owners of older vehicles are always recommended to have the vehicle serviced by an Approved Audi retailer and take advantage of extended warranty packages that are on offer”.My advice, if you exhaust the legal avenues available to you is to make the best of a bad situation by getting the car repaired at an independent specialist, rather than a main dealer. That way, the labour rate on such a big job won’t be quite so punitive.What’s the best tow car for only £10,000?My son needs to replace his 2010 Volvo V70 D5 with a roomy, reliable, 4x4 SUV. He has a budget of about £10,000 including any trade-in. It needs to be able to regularly tow a 1,500kg trailer. He appreciates he’s not going to get anything recent for his budget, but he’s a bit bewildered by the options that meet his target criteria for something around 10 years old with 50,000 miles or so – mostly from the likes of Kia, Hyundai, Nissan, Mitsubishi and so on. Might he get better reliability from, say, a Volvo that has covered a greater mileage?AdvertisementAdvertisement– LWDear LW,To be on the safe side, your son should ideally follow the 85 per cent towing rule, which says that your towing load should weigh no more than 85 per cent of your car’s kerb weight. That way, you don’t end up with the load pulling the car around – the tail wagging the dog, so to speak.In that case, he will require a car that weighs at least 1,760kg. While there are plenty of cars costing under £10,000 that will do the job, relatively few are less than 10 years old, or have fewer than 50,000 miles.A little flexibility on age and mileage opens things up considerably. For example, a Kia Sorento would fit the bill perfectly. I found a 2014 2.2 CRDi KX-2 automatic with 55,000 miles and a full history for £9,790. This era of Sorento isn’t particularly sophisticated, but it is large, comfortable and great at towing, with a solid reputation for reliability.The Kia Sorento is ‘large, comfortable and great at towing’ - MihAlex/Alamy Stock PhotoWhether a higher-mileage Volvo would be any more or less reliable, well, Kias, Hyundais, Toyotas and the like tend to fare better in reliability surveys, so they tend to be the reliability benchmarks. And while Volvos of the era are generally pretty solid, parts prices can make maintaining them costly.AdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, if your son rates his V70, he could stick with Volvo. I found a 2014 XC60 D4 SE Lux AWD with 85,000 miles and a full history for £9,990. He might want to research EGR cooler issues before buying, though, to avoid buying a car with a pre-existing problem.One final, slightly left-field option: how about a Ford Edge? This oft-forgotten SUV is large, comfy and tows very solidly. Its reliability record can’t match the Kia’s, but it’s better than the Volvo while, being a Ford, servicing and repair costs are reasonable.What’s more, the Edge is great value. I found a 2016 2.0 TDCi Titanium AWD with 75,000 miles for £9,995. Worth a look, no doubt, but choose a manual gearbox – the automatics can be problematic.Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.