It certainly would have had a service schedule book in the glove-box when it was delivered new, Denis. These books are important pieces of a car’s history as they show (or don’t show) that the car has been serviced correctly throughout its life. It’s one of the first things switched-on buyers look for in a second-hand car.

Unfortunately, because it’s a paper book and not a plastic or metal piece of the car, these books tend to go missing pretty often. Usually it’s just a simple case of somebody cleaning out the glove-box and throwing the book away or – more commonly – storing it somewhere safe where it will never be found again. If you want to take the more cynical view, `losing’ the service log-book is a great way of getting rid of evidence of shoddy servicing over the years.

You can approach a Subaru dealer to see if you can get a new log book, but even then it won’t show the car’s service history, only what’s been done since you obtained the new book. Even then, I’d grab a normal softcover exercise book that fits in the glove-box and use that to record each service or repair as time goes by. That will certainly be better than nothing to the person who eventually buys the car from you.

A lot of cars have warning chimes, buzzers and bells to warn you of all sorts of things you have never even imagined going wrong. The Japanese manufacturers seem especially keen on them.

It could be an actual fault with a door-ajar or seat-belt warning chime or it could be a new habit the sat-nav has picked up. Have you checked the oil level and the level of coolant in the overflow-tank? Plenty of cars will warn you when these items need attention, and, since they’re not everyday events, this could be the first time you’ve experienced them.

The auto in your car is a continuously variable one, and the sound you describe sounds like the noise you get from a CVT. If it has become louder in recent times it might be a good idea to have the transmission replaced.