THE Green Vehicle Guide says a 2000 VT Series II Commodore auto uses 11.5 litres/100km around town and 6.8 litres/100km on the highway. With a lot of city driving my car regularly achieves 9.5 litres/100km. The VE Commodore Omega in the same guide consumes 10.8 litres/100km combined cycle. The VT Commodore has more comfortable seats and a better ride than the VE, so have later-model cars gone backwards?

10 July 2009

MY WIFE recently had a back operation and now she can't tolerate the seats in our VT Commodore wagon. The bottom of the upright seat curves away too much. Is there anywhere we can get information on vehicles with seats that would be better?

10 July 2009

I WAS looking to install Lovells coil springs on my 2008 Lancer ES, but was told by Mitsubishi my warranty may be voided. I understand that if a product is not up to manufacturer standards it would void the warranty, but according to Lovells its product exceeds the original ratings by 10-50 per cent. Mitsubishi showed some concept vehicles at the 2007 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, and one was an ES sedan that had aftermarket 20-inch chrome wheels and lowered suspension. If Mitsubishi can display a modified car it gives the public the idea they can make such modifications without fearing the cost of possible future repair, which in this case is misleading. Where do I stand?

10 July 2009

THE speedo in my 2008 Golf is an average of 10 per cent out. My dealer tested the car and said it was fine. When I approached VW Australia it suggested adjusting the computer from the winter setting. This apparently lowers the speedo by 10 per cent for ``snow driving''. The problem is, my Golf doesn't have the full computer and couldn't be adjusted. VW basically said ``stiff cheese'', because by law the variance can be up to 10 per cent. What can I do? I generally have to guess my speed if I want to do 100km/h and hope the 110km/h I am showing is 100km/h.

10 July 2009

I HAVE bought a 1994 BMW 525i with 145,000km on the clock. It is in beautiful condition and faultless, except when the lights are on at night and I get a dash alarm indicating a brake light has gone. I've checked and can't find anything wrong. Can I fix this problem?

09 July 2009

I HAVE owned my 1989 Nissan Skyline since new. It's now done 260,000km, but on hot days the temperature gauge goes to the top of the scale with or without the airconditioning on. I have had dual electric fans installed without improvement. My coolant has been changed and the radiator has been flushed. Do you have you any ideas?

09 July 2009

I'VE had yet more brake woes with my Ford Territory. This time the left rear hose has failed near the swage end, chassis side, which was similar to the right front hose failure, but at the caliper end. The hose has split in the outer sheath and the front hose let go at about 60,000km. Now the rear has gone at about 71,000km. The Ford Customer Relations Centre is not interested, nor supporting me with the repair. They say it's a wear-and-tear item and the car is out of warranty. My dealer is trying to help, but doesn't hope for much success either. I am not pleased with Ford's attitude. I suspect there is a material-quality problem. I had both my rear brake hoses replaced, because I didn't have the confidence the right rear hose would not let go if I hadn't changed it. The car has never been off-road.

03 July 2009

I COULDN'T help but notice the nonsense the Ford service manager was saying about rust in Fords (Carsguide, June 19). Ask him about door hinges where they join to the pillar. On white and silver cars the rust is shocking. On dark cars it can't be seen unless the hinge is removed. The boot and bonnet hinges are the same. This problem started in the EA model and is still there. I recently retired from Ford after 43 years and, having owned EB, EF and BA II Falcons, all with the same problem, I have turned to Toyota.

03 July 2009

I READ with interest your reply to my letter criticising the instruments in the VE Commodore (Carsguide, June 19) in which you mentioned the larger digital speed readout that was part of the trip computer. Personally I prefer a needle moving because it's quicker to see, though the graduations are illegible for long-sighted people, as I mentioned. In the central area, I like to have the trip computer active even if I have to squint or put on glasses to read it. My issue is with the size of the markings in the instrument panel and the central radio/heater area. The trip computer has the same problem in that all of the numbers are unnecessarily small. A simple reprogramming job could increase the digit sizes, but please, don't let the twentysomething designers do it.

03 July 2009

I AM amazed at the people who complain about problems with their Fords and Holdens, and yet continue to buy them. I have driven Hondas and Mazdas for a long time and they have never missed a beat. I've driven them from one end of this country to the other and there has not been one problem. Why buy Australian if there is always something wrong? I recall the Ford ad from a few years ago that said if the fuel pump breaks you can still drive it to get help. That was a selling point! And people still buy them. The Japanese cars are the same price or cheaper and are nicer inside. The people who buy Ford and Holden obviously never test drive anything else. When was the last time you saw a Mazda or Honda broken down on the side of the road?

03 July 2009