Ask The Guide

Relatively modern, computerised cars like the Territory absolutely loathe low battery voltage. Without enough electricity to power all the fuel-injection and electronic ignition systems (not to mention the electric fuel pump and the on-board computers) the car will never run properly and is a good bet to enter limp-home mode as you've described. Other symptoms include the dazzling array of warning lights on the dashboard as the various on-board computer systems are left high and dry by a lack of voltage.

You're possibly on the right track with a replacement alternator as the 12.6 volts it's outputting is nowhere near enough to power the Territory successfully. Closer to 14 volts (at least about 13.7) checked at the battery terminal with the engine running and all lights and accessories switched off is where you should be.

Unfortunately, you've already replaced a whole bunch of parts that were probably okay. This approach of random replacement can ultimately cost you a lot of money you didn't need to spend, and a much better way is to have the car scanned to see if there's any electronic fault codes to give you a clue on what's wrong. But even if the alternator is not the sole cause of your problems, at 12.6 volts it is, indeed, worn out and should be replaced or reconditioned.

After 100,000 hard off-road kilometres, you'd be wise to check pretty much every system and component of your car, including the wheel bearings. Bush tracks and rough regional roads put all sorts of stresses and strains on mechanical bits like bearings, suspension, brakes, bushes and the whole driveline.

If you read most owner's manuals closely, you'll see that the recommended servicing schedule is based on normal or moderate use, not hard-core off-road work like you've been doing. With that in mind, the advice is to shrink the service intervals and the distances at which major parts like wheel bearing are checked and/or replaced. Give some thought to changing out the vehicle's fluids, too, including the front and rear differentials, as contamination from water crossings can destroy the lubricant and lead to extensive internal wear.

It seems a little odd that a new bulb hasn't fixed your problem, especially as the other tail-light is working properly. If both tail-lights had failed, the first thing to check would be the fuse or relay that controls that circuit. But since it's only the light on one side that's affected, that probably won't be the case (both the BF Falcon's tail-lights share a single fuse).

The BF Falcon launched in 2008 was the first local Ford to use CAN BUS electronic technology and that could be the cause of your problem. If the computer isn't sending the correct, coded signal (as opposed of just a stream of volts) to the component in question (in this case the tail-light) then the light may not work. A scan of the vehicle might throw up some more clues.

If it's not that, that leaves you with a bad connection (possibly a bad earth) within the wiring for the troublesome light or perhaps even a problem with the bayonet mount into which the globe clips. Don't rule out something as unlikely as the new globe being faulty, either. It's happened before. Spray some terminal cleaner into the globe mount and see if that restores power to the light.

Fords of this era are notorious for electrical problems, including brake-light switches that fail and even body computers that crash, taking many functions including the central locking with them.

With the recent flooding across so much of Australia, there's a serious push by the government to convince people that they shouldn't drive through floodwater of any depth, let alone water that is a deep as the patch you've tackled.

The first thing to do is not drive the car any further. If there really is an oil pressure or level problem, permanent damage may already have been done. This needs to be checked by a workshop. However, since you seem to have already driven the car with the oil light flashing, here's the reality.

If the car still runs and drives as it did before, it's unlikely that the water has damaged the engine per se. The problem is more likely to involve the pressure of the water damaging a sensor or switch (or the wiring associated with it) that is designed to warn you of low oil pressure or low oil level. If the engine is running properly and there's oil on the dipstick, the next thing to do is have the vehicle scanned which should throw up a fault code that will lead you to the cause of the problem.

Floodwater is terrible stuff. It's full of silt and contaminants and as well as damaging an engine that ingests it, it can also destroy the gearbox or differential (by entering through the breather) and ruin electronics if it gets inside the cabin. The silt content can even act as an abrasive and wear out wheel bearings in short order.

That said, you could have a legitimate oil-pressure problem that happened to coincide with the water crossing. Stranger things have happened. A scan is the answer.

Sadly, Aussie cars like the Ford Fairmont just aren't being made any longer. As you've correctly identified over many years and almost 300,000km, this big, rugged, relaxed type of vehicle was perfect for travelling in Australia, but the onslaught of SUVs and the death of the local car-making industry put an end to these big sedans.

There's nothing wrong with a Kia Sportage (in fact, it's a good choice) and you might find the effortless turbo-diesel version suits your needs and preferences quite well. You may also appreciate the higher ride height and easier entry and egress. But what you won't find in any mid-sized SUV is the same dynamic feel of a conventional sedan like your current Ford. This is not to say modern SUVs don't drive well; they do, and improved fuel efficiency and different packaging is all part of where the Australia car-park is going.

If you're not venturing off the bitumen, however, there are a few alternatives to an SUV in the form of some very accomplished medium-sized sedans. The Hyundai i30 Sedan would be one and, if you want to retain the rear-wheel-drive feel and big performance, then the Kia Stinger is another alternative to an SUV.

The other alternative would be to take the time and effort to seek out a later-model Ford Fairmont with fewer kilometres on its odometer and start over again with the packaging you clearly already enjoy.

Kia introduced the fifth-generation Sportage in 2021, so there won't be any wholesale changes to the car for a while yet. Kia – like most car-makers – is constantly fine-tuning specifications of its vehicles, so there may be a mild facelift of the car due in 2023 or soon thereafter, but it's unlikely to involve much in the way of engineering.

The biggest news for the Sportage range in 2023 is likely to be the introduction of a hybrid model. Kia isn't saying when that will be, however, and it could even be 2024 before we see it. The other new Sportage variant is likely to be a plug-in hybrid version which has been slated for the North American market, but not confirmed for Australia. Yet.

I'm with you, Allan; I much prefer a hardcopy book I can lay out in the engine bay with me while I'm working on a car, rather than an e-book that requires an electronic device to access it.

A quick online search revealed that while the official Holden manual is, indeed, most commonly available as an electronic document, there are plenty of hardcopy workshop manuals from other companies available to buy. Another possibility would be to try a Holden service centre to see if it still sells workshop manuals for its cars. Some public libraries also keep a selection of workshop manual to borrow.

The best place to find workshop manual is a swap meet where some vendors have literally hundreds of titles to choose from. A second-hand workshop manual is not only a great form of recycling, the pages with the most greasy fingerprints will give you a good hint on the major problem areas of the vehicle.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a non-Haval workshop service your vehicle and, provided the workshop is qualified, there will be no problems with any warranty claims down the track. In fact, the relative scarcity of Haval dealers in Australia means that many owners living in regional or remote areas have very little choice but to use a non-Haval service centre.

As far as the service reminder message goes, the solution is not so simple. While many makes and models have a simple method of cancelling this reminder (usually via the infotainment system and a series of menus) it appears the Haval H2 requires the Haval factory computer to achieve this. The message cancellation appears to be performed via the car's diagnostic port, rather than any simple method you could do at home. So, next time you're near a Haval dealer, drop in and have the message erased.

Many car owners who try heated seats for the first time will come to regard them as a make-or-break feature. Others couldn’t care less whether their car has them or not. Obviously, heated seats will be of more benefit in the snowfields than in the tropics, but even then, not everybody can see the point.

Getting heated seats in a new car often means ramping up to the most expensive model as they’re not usually offered as an option on lower-spec cars. Or, if they are, they’re often included as part of a comfort and convenience package that might incorporate other gear you don’t want or need.

Perhaps the biggest downside to heated seats (in my experience) is a passenger with an annoying sense of humour who thinks switching on your heated seat in February is a great laugh.

You’re right, Michael. Toyota Australia tells me that the current model Camry is Euro 6 certified (for emissions). Because 91 RON fuel won't support Toyota's Euro 6  technology, 95 RON is recommended. Since most readily available E10 fuel is rated at 94RON, Toyota doesn't recommend that for the Camry, either.

However, even with the extra cost of the 95RON fuel, the Camry Hybrid's official combined fuel consumption number of 4.2 litres per 100km suggests it would still be cheaper to run than many other cars using 91RON.