I purchased a used 2008 Mazda6 Luxury Sports last year with extended warranty that expires in 2013. I was getting vibration during braking and Mazda service advised that the front discs were warped and they needed to be machined, which was not covered under warranty. It's done 85,000 km and they commented that it was pretty impressive that they have done that many. The logbook shows front discs were previously warped and machined at 20,000 km under warranty at that time as well. Mazda customer support also advised me that parts like discs and brake pads are not covered under warranty. I can understand the brake pads, but shouldn't the discs on the cars last more than the brake pads? I owned European cars and Mazdas before and none of them had their discs warped until they had done at least 200,000 km. Clearly there is a quality issue or maybe another underlying problem here. Is it normal that discs have warped twice in this mileage?

19 April 2012

I have just had the engine in my VT Holden Calais replaced and have had to take it back to the mechanic three times to have oil leaks fixed. The last time I took it back they found that the rocker cover gaskets need replacing, which they say that I have to pay $150 to have them fixed. Each time I took the car back they said that all is fine and nothing should go wrong, but then something else does. Could you advise if I am in the right in saying that I should not have to pay for these to be replaced as I expect that the engine that I got should not have to have anything done to it?

19 April 2012

The paint on my red 2006 Honda Accord Euro faded so badly it cannot be fixed and needs to be re-sprayed. It's mainly faded on bonnet, roof and boot. It's been happening since it was a year old. I have been told this is a Honda fault from the factory. Is Honda responsible for this, and should they cover full costs to have it re-sprayed? They have offered me partial costs for re-spray, they will cover 45 percent of costs and I have to pay the remaining 55 percent. I am not happy with their offer.

19 April 2012

My 2000 AU Ford Falcon has a rattling noise under the car on driver's side of the engine bay; it vibrates at a certain speed, and overheats, especially when air con is operating. I have replaced the exhaust system and the catalytic converter. Could it be the pulley making the noise?

19 April 2012

I have recently started hearing a grinding, knocking noise from the diff in my 2009 XR6 Falcon Turbo Ute. I have owned it from new and it's now done 35,000 km. Have there been any other reports about the diffs in the FG Falcon?

19 April 2012

My VS V6 Holden Calais has started to backfire occasionally through the Air Filter Box. The installer told me to fit new spark plugs and leads, which I have done, but it is still happening. Could it be bad or dirty LPG?

19 April 2012

When my son arrived home from the dealer after having his Nissan Navara serviced he noticed that the car had been damaged. It looked like it had been backed into a pole or something of that nature. He took the car straight back to the dealership and they took pictures of the damage and told him he would have to speak to the service manager, who wasn't in at the time. When we were able to talk to him the service manager told us that they would be responsible if the damaged occurred in the workshop, but as the damage did not look like it occurred in the workshop they were not responsible. He then told me that any damage that occurred in their car park was the owner's responsibility. At no time did they deny the damage was done while they had the car. Are they not responsible for the car from the time you hand over the keys till you pick up the car? What course of action can we take?

19 April 2012

My grandpa left me his 2004 dedicated LPG BA Falcon to drive when he went overseas, but I was shocked at how much fuel it was consuming. According to the trip computer it was doing 24-25 L/100km, but I managed to get that down to 22 L/100km after a few days of 'nanny' driving, which is still outrageous. I don't know what the problem might be.

19 April 2012

What kind of fuel consumption should I be getting from my 2004 Falcon BA MkII XR6? I got just 400 km from the last tank of fuel. Also, would it take E10 without doing any harm? My husband wants to use it, but I say over my dead body.

12 April 2012

For three weeks after I took my Toyota Corolla in for its first 1000 km service I was feeling quite ill, my speech was slurred; I was tired and sleepy all day, nauseous and had severe headaches. Then, two weeks ago the car caught fire when my husband was driving. There was smoke everywhere. My husband looked under the bonnet to find the cap had been left off when they checked the oil. There was burning oil everywhere, all over the engine. When I called the service centre, they played it down. They told me to take the car to them, which I refused, so they sent a mechanic to take it away. They brought it back a couple of hours later and said it was ok; they cleaned the engine and replaced the plastic cover. I would like to know if this has caused long-term damage to my new car. I also went to the doctor and he took blood tests and said I have lung damage and that I was very lucky to be alive, as I have been inhaling carbon monoxide.

12 April 2012