I have just purchased a used 2003 Mazda tribute V6 and the engine sometimes stutters or misfires. It doesn't do it all the time, but often enough to make me wonder if there is a problem. Is there a problem with the 2003 V6 Mazda Tribute, and if so do you know the cause found and possible solution?

03 May 2012

My factory 2011 dual-fuel Commodore V6 has cut out on me three times whilst turning left, quite frightening as I loose power steering and power breaking. The dealer hasn't been able to find the cause of the problem and told me to drive it carefully. Have you heard of any problems with this model?

26 April 2012

My 2006 Nissan Navara D40 is approaching 100,000 km, should the timing chain be changed?

26 April 2012

The safety recall relating to the Ford Ranger cruise control was announced on February 4, 2011 and Ford stated that replacement parts would not be available until early 2012. On March 19, 2012 I contacted Ford Customer Service and was advised that Ford is still working towards a replacement part with another manufacturer. Incidentally, the new Ranger has cruise control, so what is the problem in replacing the previous model's cruise. Ford has produced vehicles with automated parking and boast of their technical expertise and advances in the new Ranger, but after almost 14 months still cannot find a solution for this problem. If they can't develop a fix why couldn't they copy the aftermarket cruise that is available? Other manufacturers have recalls and seem to be able to address them in a short period of time. Could you please contact Ford on behalf of the many frustrated Ranger owners in the hope of getting something more positive from them rather than a rehearsed statement from their customer service person.

26 April 2012

Since I have had a new radiator fitted to my 1997 VS Holden it overheats and the air-conditioning doesn't work. I have had new relays put in and now I'm going to buy a new fan for it, as the old one doesn't seem to come in until it's really hot. Do you have any ideas that could help?

26 April 2012

I bought a 2005 VW Golf Sportline in February last year and all was good until I had a leaking radiator over Christmas. I had the radiator replaced by a mechanic close to my work, but the weekend I got it back an engine warning system code came on. The local mechanic had several attempts at fixing the car, but all to no avail, so I gave over to the VW where I had bought it. They said water had got into the wiring loom and there was corrosion at several points. The service manager told me it would cost $16,000 to fix, being $9000 for parts and $7000 for labour. Can a leaking radiator cause this damage, or have I been sold a lemon? I currently have the car at another mechanic, but he is saying he cannot fix it. Do you think VW should be able to do something other than wanting to charge outrageous amounts of money to help me?

26 April 2012

We recently came across an issue with our 2010 BMW X3. We live 190 km away from our nearest BMW dealership and have been having a local accredited mechanic change the oil. Recently, when a red light came on indicating problems with the oil we contacted BMW and they requested the car not be driven and be sent to them, which we did. We subsequently learnt that change BMW need to reset the computer after each oil change and our mechanic didn't do that. We were unaware of this, or of the consequences. BMW also informed us they would not give the information required to reset the computer and that we could only get the oil changed at a BMW dealership. We feel this is an unreasonable and wanted your opinion.

26 April 2012

When we recently took our 2007 Holden Epica to the dealer for a couple of issues the service technician found, and I quote from the invoice, that "Rubber transportation blocks were found to be still installed in the springs from when the vehicle was imported from overseas. These should have been removed during the pre-delivery check. Steering rack, driveshafts etc may need to be looked at replacing, these parts are very costly". What harm could have been done by having these rubber blocks left in the springs for the last five years? Is there an avenue I can go down to resolve this issue?

26 April 2012

Will the starter motor and the ring gear stand up to the new stop- start system we're seeing on new cars? It could be a very expensive repair job if they don't.

26 April 2012

I have a BF with the four-speed automatic and my car has a transmission cooler on the side of the engine block, on the passenger's side, roughly adjacent to cylinder no 4. I believe this is still a coolant-filled heat exchanger, but it is clearly not mounted in the radiator. Does this type of cooler still have the same problem as the radiator-mounted ones?

26 April 2012