I have a 2007 Toyota Prado with the same diesel engine as the Hilux and was wondering how could you tell if the injector seals were leaking. When I bought my car new it had a knocking noise when cold, but was normal when warmed up. I had the dealer check it and he said that there was no recall, but he did recognize that it was noisy. Will I cause any damage when it is cold, someone told me that the fuel is flooding the motor causing it to run incorrectly? I am concerned that it might be something similar to the same condition after reading the article mentioned above.

24 May 2012

What is your opinion on CVT transmissions? I have heard belts brake early and they're expensive to repair.

24 May 2012

Just wondering if you have heard any further news from Toyota on the cracked dashboards in the Prado? Mine has five significant cracks across the dash and Toyota has offered to pay 50 percent of the cost to repair, which will leave me about $1000 out of pocket. I contacted Toyota and they said "that's all your getting mate". No opportunity to lodge a complaint, nothing. I feel like Toyota should at least pay for the supply of the dash.

24 May 2012

The rear door skin on my 2005 Toyota Prado has cracked down the hinge side, separating where the metal folded into the door. Apparently this is a common problem on the 120 series model, given the weight of the door and spare tyre mounted on it. Toyota offered to cover 50 percent of the repair cost, which was good given the car was just out of warranty. The replacement door had a 12-month warranty, but three months after the warranty expired it cracked in the same place. When I approached Toyota again they said that the door was not under warranty, hence I must pay full price. Consumer affairs tried on my behalf, but got the same reply. Would it not be reasonable to expect merchantable warranty given the long model run and the R&D that goes into the tough Landcruiser? Not sure where to from here.

24 May 2012

We have noticed that the clutch shudders in our 2009 Ford PK Ranger XLT crew-cab 4X4 3.0-litre diesel manual. We bought it new and it has only done 30,000 km on speedo. It's only used on holidays when we tow a 12-foot off-road caravan weighing 1630 kg. Our dealer contacted Ford and was told that our model had been fitted with a heavy-duty clutch as they were problems with earlier models and that the shudder was normal for a heavy-duty clutch when towing up to 3 tonnes. Is this correct or are they just putting us off until our warranty expires?

24 May 2012

The black plastic liners inside the rear guards on my 2011 Holden Cruze Sri-V have started to fold in towards the tyres, which is putting pressure on the outer panel by drawing it into the undercarriage of the car. Can I take the car back to Holden to have it fixed?

24 May 2012

In July 2011 near Kunanurra WA the engine in my 2006 Toyota Prado D-4D diesel suffered two cracked pistons. I had owned the vehicle for 4 and a 1/2 years, but it had only traveled 85,000 km, and had been log book serviced by a licensed mechanic I have known and trusted for years. I took it to the Toyota dealership in Kunanurra and picked it up in Perth five months later with a new motor. The cause of the engine failure I am told was due to injector failure caused by poor quality fuel. The repair bill was close to $30,000 with replacement motor and transport costs and testing of the fuel. My insurance company accepted the claim and paid for all but $1800 of the repair, plus airfares to and from WA, and $1400 caravan park rent. I have become aware that this problem has occurred to quite a number of these D-4D motors between 50,000 km and 100,000 km. My question is as to how best to care for the new motor and avoid a repeat of the above in what is a short distance, well short of Toyota's 100,000 km warranty claim. I asked Toyota what I should do, but got no response. A local Toyota dealer advised me to speak to a diesel expert. I did and was told that the fuel filter was the incorrect fuel one and would restrict the flow of fuel to the high- pressure pump and damage the motor. The Toyota dealer insisted the advice was incorrect when I returned to buy a spare. They also stated that the low standard of diesel fuel in Australia is the cause of the injector failure, which in turn causes the pistons to fail and the motor damage. If this is true, why does Toyota continue to sell this motor in Australia? This experience has shattered my confidence in the long-term reliability of this vehicle.

24 May 2012

I was reading with interest about Greg Weir's problems with his 2005 VW Golf where the coolant had leaked into the wiring loom, as I too have had a similar problem with my 2006 VW Golf where the coolant temperature sensor failed and coolant was forced into the wiring loom. I went to an independent VW mechanic in Adelaide and they were able to source a secondhand loom, and by soaking the terminals in solvent were able to save the computer. The final cost was much less than the $16,000 Greg was quoted. So, are we entitled to any compensation from Volkswagen for faulty components?

17 May 2012

We have queried a Toyota dealer and an RAC service centre about if and when we should change the timing chain/belt on our 4.0-litre V6 petrol 2004 Toyota Prado that has done 200,000 km, but neither could tell us when this should be done. They could only suggest it should be done if due or over due. We can't find reference to it in the manuals, but don't want to risk an expensive repair bill if we have missed doing it. Can you please clear this up for us? Additionally our radiator hoses have never been changed. Should this be done?

17 May 2012

In a recent Carsguide you advised a reader that there was no need to replace the timing chains on D40 Nissan Navaras. Well, we have just got our back from the dealer after having both chains replaced after they got noisy. Ours is a diesel and has done 125,000km. Apparently it is an increasingly common problem, and some have not been so lucky and when the chain has jumped one tooth on the sprocket it has junked the engine. The dealer quoted us $2800 for the job, but when we complained Nissan agreed to pay the full cost, despite the car being well out of warranty. When I went to pick up the car they had another three queued up for the same job - and this is not a big dealership. Normally the lower one is the problem, stretching before finally breaking.

17 May 2012