Ask The Guide

The dual-clutch transmission in your Touareg is a wet-clutch design and, therefore, much more robust than the dry-clutch version that caused VW so much angst when it was introduced many years ago. However, even the wet-clutch unit has been known to have its problems, and the symptoms you’ve described tend to point towards worn clutch packs or the electronics that control them.

Any time a dual-clutch transmission shudders or thumps, is cause to have it scanned to check the operation of these clutch packs. It’s also likely that a cold transmission will amplify these symptoms. A VW dealer can carry out this test and the results will give you a much better idea of what’s going on inside the transmission.

If it is a fault with the transmission, it should be covered by the new-car warranty. But make sure the dealer logs it with head office. That makes it a pre-existing condition so that, even if the warranty runs out, it’s still VW’s problem to fix as the problem first occurred during the warranty period.

There’s a bit to unpack here. The first is that the D-Max is rated to safely tow 3.5 tonnes, so it’s not as if you constantly have the vehicle overloaded in terms of what it’s towing.

But if you also have the tray full of gear as well as 2.3 tonnes of caravan on the hitch, you might find that you’ve been inadvertently running overloaded for most of the time. It happens more than you think. At which point, the Pedders specialist is right; you need a suspension upgrade.

Even then, however, you still need to stay within the manufacturer’s maximum GCM (Gross Combination Mass) and the GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) to stay legal. You can sometimes officially upgrade the GVM with a suspension upgrade that’s been properly engineered, tested and approved (which Pedders is a specialist in) but the GCM is generally not able to be upgraded according to the law in each state and territory.

But none of this explains why a vehicle designed to two 3.5 tonnes is wearing out its rear springs with 2.3 tonnes hitched up. Is the tow-ball down-weight within the legal limit (usually 10 per cent of the weight of the towed load)? Incorrect loading in this manner could affect the springs. Perhaps a fully-loaded visit to an accredited weighbridge might net more answers.

However, if it’s a simple case of the springs wearing out prematurely, then it’s possibly Isuzu’s problem to fix under warranty. Perhaps there was a bad batch of springs fitted at the factory that is affecting your vehicle and others built at the same time. Stranger things have happened.

You could be looking at an engine that has a fuel-system problem. A lack of fuel pressure or volume (or worn injectors) can play havoc with a turbo-diesel engine at higher speeds thanks to the higher loads being placed on it. You may also have a worn or damaged turbocharger or perhaps an inlet manifold that is partially blocked from fumes and soot that are part of the vehicle’s emissions system. The problem could even be due to a blocked DPF in the exhaust system which could require manual cleaning or even replacement.

But this is another example of a car that’s still under warranty being the responsibility of the manufacturer to put right (provided the vehicle has been serviced correctly). Give the dealer very chance to fix things, but if they throw their hands in the air, then Kia Australia’s customer service department is your next stop.

Here’s the simple test. Does the vehicle have a body coloured front bumper-bar and chrome exterior door handles and mirrors? If it does, it’s an XTR. If not, it’s an XT.

This type of thing is certainly not an uncommon fault, but whether it’s more common in Toyotas is another question altogether. Certainly, Toyota has not recalled the vehicle to fix this problem, nor am I aware of a service bulletin (much more likely than a safety recall for a dud head unit).

But the good news is that there are specialist companies out there that fix problems like this one. You remove your head unit, send it away and it returns fully functioning and tested, ready to reinstall. Flickering and dropping out are both common faults in modern head units, but both can be fixed by the right specialist.

The law is pretty clear when it comes to problems like this. It is the manufacturer’s responsibility during the warranty period to make everything that’s standard on the vehicle (and not an aftermarket accessory) work again at no cost to the owner. But, the owner must give the manufacturer a reasonable chance to do that. Often, that process will take time and everybody has to be patient. You could ask for a replacement car while yours is being investigated if the dealership needs to keep it for an extended period.

Also, battery failure is not normally covered by a new-car warranty as, like tyres and brake pads, the battery is considered a wear and tear item. However, if it’s the faulty alarm or something wrong with the vehicle that’s constantly flattening the battery and causing it to fail, I’d be pushing for the warranty to cover that as well.

Unfortunately, modern cars are very complex machines and your experience is far from uncommon, with many owners of various makes and models reporting multiple problems in the one brand-new vehicle.

Toyota and other car-makers had a terrible patch of quality problems with paint finishes around this time. White cars seemed to be the worst, but some other colours also started peeling for no apparent reason. When it happens, the paint can come adrift in huge sheets.

I believe the problem was eventually traced to a problem in the chemistry of the paint applied at the factory, so it would be worth checking with Toyota to see if your car was one of the affected one.

If an automatic car-wash has caused this damage, then the operator of the car-wash is the body you need to be talking to. If you’re not happy with the response form Toyota or anybody else, you can have the car independently inspected to determine whether your car has bad paint or has been somehow damaged.

I’m not sure that this is a common fault, but it’s certainly not unheard of. The stereo in a modern car is like any other electrical appliance; it has the potential to just up and die for no good reason.

But rather than simply replace the unit you have, why not shop around for an improvement. There are many, many, aftermarket stereo systems that will fit your car and will have superior Bluetooth functionality and more features than the stock head unit from 2015. You might find they’re cheaper, too.

If you look at the market for Holden’s long-wheelbase Statesman and Caprice models historically, it seems they do experience an uptick in value as they become older and rarer. But, then, that goes for a lot of makes and models, too.

The really collectible modern Holden models are more likely to be anything with a HSV badge or a Commodore SS with the V8 engine. The very last SS Commodores with the SS-V option (with better brakes) have already proved collectible, as has the super-rare HSV W427. That said, even these models have suffered the same value drop as many other cars post-Covid.

So will a late Caprice ever be collectible and valuable? Possibly, but you’ll be waiting a while. In reality, values of them could have a way to fall yet, before prices start heading upwards as collectability calls.

It’s hard to say whether this is normal, Sam, because you haven’t told me the make and model of your ute. But generally speaking, a cooling fan that runs after the ignition is switched off is completely normal and recognises the fact that the cooling system, ideally, still has some heat to shed.

Some cars also have electric coolant pumps that continue to run after the engine has been turned off., This ensures that coolant continues to circulate through out the engine to help cool the internal bits and pieces that can actually continue to heat up even after switching off. These electric pumps don’t usually make as much noise as a cooling fan, however.