Volkswagen Amarok Problems

You need to get this vehicle to a transmission specialist right away. There’s clearly something not right either mechanically or electronically with the gearbox, and continuing to drive it in its wounded state is a big chance to cause more damage than has already been done.

Any vibration in an automatic transmissions suggests either torque converter or internal problems. It may already be too late for your vehicle, and the damage may already be done. But the sooner you get to a specialist, the less expensive, permanent damage will be done.

The refusal to shift from four to two-wheel-drive could be any number of things from an electrical or switching fault to a mechanical failure within the transmission or transfer-case. So that needs to be checked out before you do any more damage to the vehicle.

In fact, the best advice would be to not drive the car any farther at all, because the jerkiness you describe is typical of a part-time all-wheel-drive vehicle that is locked in all-wheel-drive being driven on a normal, or grippy, surface. The need for the inside and outside wheels of a vehicle need to turn at different speeds when cornering, is over-ridden in a car like yours when low-range all-wheel-drive is selected. At which point, what you're feeling is the entire driveline fighting itself and loading up incredible stresses into the axles and differentials. Drive it any distance like that and you'll surely break something mechanical.

You’ll often find a bit of lash (movement) in the driveline of a car, and it’s hard to tell from where it’s originating. What feels like a bit of play in the universal joint can actually be lash in the differential. Ideally, there should be no discernible play in the joint itself.

If in doubt, have it checked out by a professional who will also look for signs of the universal joint deteriorating and give the whole driveline a once-over. It’s not a huge job, and shouldn’t cost too much, but it’s a vital piece of the driveline and a safety issue so don’t neglect it if you think there’s some wear starting to show.

The lifespan of a universal joint is usually directly related to how the vehicle gets used. If you go off-road and really stretch the driveline in terms of axle articulation, or you tow a big load or regularly launch a boat and dunk the rear of your vehicle into salt water, then the lifespan of components like universal joints will be drastically shortened.

For a few years from 2005, Nissan sold two types of Navaras in Australia - the all-new big D40 series and the old D22 that dated back from the latter 1990s. 

If you want an inexpensive, compact and hard-wearing truck that's reliable but not very refined nor comfortable, the old D22 is it. Its 3.0L turbo-diesel has proven strong and reliable in this application and the Nissan has a reputation for being as tough as nails.

The larger and newer D40, meanwhile, is the much better choice if space, safety and refinement are priorities, and remained a class-leading proposition right up until the current-generation Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50 and Volkswagen Amarok all moved the pick-up truck game on in 2011. The Spanish-built ST-X is the choice grade, especially in turbo-diesel and 4x4 guise.

The Navara is considered a reliable and dependable truck, but many are also workhorses that lead tough lives and are often neglected or mistreated. If you're after one, please consider having it checked out first by an experienced mechanic.

Known issues include fuel-injection failure, roof rust, premature clutch wear in manual  models, electronics issues, turbo-charger failures and sagging rear springs.

Such problems can apply to any similar truck, so don't be too put off by the D40 Navara. It's a firm used-truck favourite for good reason.

Every all-new MY21 Isuzu D-Max and select current versions of the Amarok and Ranger offer a 3500kg towing capacity maximum - namely all Amarok V6 autos and all Rangers EXCEPT the 4x2 XL Single Cab Chassis Low-Rider 2.2 Diesel at the bottom of the Ford range, and the 4x4 Raptor Double Cab Pick-Up 2.0L Diesel at the very top (they're both 2500kg).

Least torquey is the D-Max at 450Nm, followed by the Ranger (2.2L 4-cyl: 385Nm, 3.2L 5-cyl: 470Nm and 2.0L twin-turbo 4-cyl: 500Nm) and Amarok (550Nm to 580Nm), meaning the Amarok will probably be the least challenged towing a 2.8-tonne caravan. But all three should suffice.

Please note, however, that Gross Combined Mass (GCM) tallies means that there are other weight factors that need to be considered before safely towing a 2.8-tonne caravan, even with a 3500kg ute. These include things like the ute's payload, heavy bull bars, sports bars and side steps, canopies and even the number of people travelling inside. And of course, a fully-equipped and laden caravan can easily exceed the stated tare mass.

We hope this helps.   

You haven’t given me a lot to go on here, Matt. Is the vehicle a dual-cab, single-cab or cab-chassis? Is it two or four-wheel-drive? What trim level are we talking? Anyway, I’ll take an educated guess (based on the price) and suggest it’s a dual-cab all-wheel-drive. At which point, the price being asked seems about right for a vehicle with those kilometres. It does, however, sound like the licensed-dealer price, not a private-seller price. But again, I’m stabbing in the dark here.

Because some Volkswagen products from this era have a reliability cloud over them, the distance travelled is a big determinant of the asking price. More so than the year of manufacture, in fact.

Things to watch out for are gearbox problems and electronic glitches but, since the Amarok is an off-roader (and a pretty good one) you also need to learn how it’s been used by the previous owner. A heavily modified Amarok or one with a lift-kit, mud tyres and a dirty big winch bolted to the front of it is probably one to avoid when there are clean, never-been-off-road examples about for similar money.

None of the vehicles you’ve listed are exactly low-maintenance units. They all have complex all-wheel-drive drivelines (which will be appreciated when towing a heavy trailer across a wet showground) and they use the latest common-rail diesel technology which is fairly intolerant of poor servicing.

As for a power tailgate on a ute, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. But some of the wagon versions of these vehicles can be optioned with powered tailgates. The catch there is that these vehicles use coil sprung rear axles (as opposed to the leaf-sprung ute versions) so they’re not as adept at towing. The Toyota Fortuner, for instance can’t match the HiLux’s 3.5-tonne limit and makes do with 2800kg; not enough for your requirements. The Ford Everest (based on the Ranger) is a little better at 3000kg, but still trails the Ranger’s 3500kg towing capacity and is right on your self-imposed minimum.

It depends what your priorities are, but I’d be going for the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 version; it has good performance, decent fuel consumption, is well equipped, and comfortable on road.