Ask The Guide

I’d definitely be talking to Holden’s customer service department. I agree that 92,000km is a long way short of what I’d consider to be the lifespan of a modern motor vehicle, even if it has taken you more than five years to reach that mileage. In any case, nobody will be buying new Holdens any longer as the brand no longer exists.

Meanwhile, you’re right, transmission failures are a well known fault with this make and model and Holden did extend the factory warranty on them to 130,000km. Unfortunately, the five-year limit also applied which is where you’ve run out of time. I would hate to think that Holden’s demise as a brand will leave existing owners high and dry, but I can imagine that’s just how you’re feeling. Without an active factory presence in Australia, though, it might be difficult to get much joy from Holden.

According to my specifications, the MK Triton, depending on its specification (engine type, body layout and drive system) has a towing capacity (of a braked trailer) of between 1500kg and 2200kg. At the lower end of that, your caravan when fully loaded would exceed that limit. Older utes like the MK Triton also – generally – have smaller payload and towing ratings than their newer relatives, but it’s also important to take into account the Gross Combination Mass limit which amounts to the total weight of the vehicle and whatever it’s towing. Again, in some cases, the Triton has a low GVM limit of just 4010kg which, even with your caravan at its lightest (unladen) would take your combination very close to that limit. At that point you also need to consider what you carry, including all your gear and even the weight of passengers on board. Fill the fuel tank or the van’s water tank and you could be in legal trouble if anything goes wrong. A visit to a weighbridge (some council tips have them) might be a good idea to see how close to the edge you really are.

The Fiat coupes of the 1970s that most people remember are the sleek little 124 in its various forms. But although it’s largely overlooked today, the Fiat 128 was available in 1972 as a coupe and in SL specification. That got you a somewhat boxy little two-door with a 1.3-litre engine making 56kW, and a four-speed manual transmission. These cars were sold officially in Australia and, yes, they were right-hand-drive.

It’s unlikely that Toyota Australia would introduce the Crown down under. That car is more or less a Japanese domestic-market vehicle and is considered too narrow for Australian (and North American) tastes. But plenty of Aussies have imported their own Toyota Crowns in recent years and, in fact, there are businesses in many locations devoted to importing these vehicles and selling them here. With that in mind, there’s less risk in buying an imported Crown than in owning some parallel (unofficial) imports because there’s a whole industry out there involved in parts and service for the model.

Perhaps another way to go would be to have the seats in your car re-padded to better suit your requirements. Maybe even a set of plush seat covers would provide the extra layer of comfort you’re after. If not, test drive the current-model Toyota Camry; it’s very Lexus-like in its refinement and comfort and, thanks to modern packaging, it’s huge inside. The hybrid version is excellent value and if more people test-drove the Camry, we reckon there’d be a few less SUVs sold.

Because the central locking system in your Captiva has been designed specifically for that car, it’s unlikely there would be a workable aftermarket solution. Which means you either need to hope that Holden still sells these parts or that you can find a system pulled from a wrecked Captiva.

We have seen 'universal' central locking kits advertised, but they all require a fair bit of fiddling and modifying to get them to fit and work properly. In any case, it’s possible that only one part of the system in your car is giving trouble, as opposed to the whole locking system. In turn, that means that you might be able to get away with just replacing that faulty part. The remote-control key-fob unit, for instance, can be replaced relatively cheaply.

Bear in mind the Holden Captiva has a terrible track record in terms of its electrical fittings and fixtures, including the body computer which controls many functions including the central locking. If the body computer is the problem, you might find that the cost of repairs will outweigh the car’s actual market value.

It’s important to give Nissan (or any other manufacturer) the opportunity to put things right. While ever that process is ongoing, you need to be patient and allow Nissan to try to find a fix. Your car is still covered by the manufacturer’s new-car warranty, so that’s the process by which it should be tackled.

If Nissan were to give up on the problem (and you) then you’d have cause to seek recourse according to Australian Consumer Law. I’d also be talking to Nissan Australia’s customer service division to see what else can be done.

When Toyota launched the facelifted HiLux late last year, much was made of the fact that consumer concerns had been noted and that the DPF problems experienced by many owners had been addressed. The problem is that until these new versions of the HiLux have done their share of kilometres, we won’t be in a position to know for sure whether Toyota has, indeed, cured the problem.

Meantime, it remains that unless your driving habits include a 30-minute drive at highway speeds every two or three weeks, a modern turbo-diesel with a DPF may not be the best choice. It is worth noting, though, that HiLuxes (and Prados and Fortuners) built after June 2018 have been fitted with a manual regeneration function for the DPF which means the driver can manually force a DPF burn-off without waiting for the car to do so itself. Toyota has also announced that the worst affected versions of the HiLux will now be covered by an extended, 10-year warranty on any DPF issues going forward. More information can be found here.

A good multi-grade oil is what you’re after; one that is thin enough to circulate and protect quickly in cold conditions, but also able to cope with the heat and stress inferred by a turbocharged engine in hot conditions. Options include a 5W30 oil or even a 10W40, but make sure that the API rating is suitable for your car. The correct API rating ensures that the oil is of a sophistication in keeping with the technology in your engine.

The other critical piece of advice is to use a quality oil from a reputable brand. Ignore the supermarket-shelf stuff and, if you’re having the car serviced at a workshop, don’t forget to ask what brand and grade of oil it intends to use. A fully synthetic oil will cost more but will offer more protection for an engine such as the hard-working turbomotor in an XR6T.

Yes, you should be. In most cases, an illuminated engine or air-bag light is an automatic fail for any roadworthy inspection. The problem could be as simple as a broken clock-spring (a spring in the steering column that allows the steering wheel to turn but still maintain electrical contact between the air-bag and the rest of the car) or a dud oxygen sensor (which will trigger a check-engine light) but equally, there could be a major fault or malfunction which will cost lots of dollars to put right.

Electronically scanning the vehicle will give you a better idea of what the problem is, but I wouldn’t be handing over the cash until the problem has been diagnosed and a repair-cost estimate figured out (and subtracted from the asking price).

Aftermarket extended warranties are an absolute minefield for the consumer. Some are cleverly written in such a way as to rule out covering common problems, others are simply not worth bothering with at any level, About the only thing they have in common is to give the car dealer selling them a nice little earner in terms of a commission from the warranty provider. Some extended warranties continue to cover the vehicle if it changes hands, but that’s certainly not a universal expectation, and many of them are not transferable to a car’s new owner, even though the warranty period may not yet have expired. So it may well be that your car’s warranty is worth less than the paper on which it’s printed. Checking the fine print is the best way to determine what the deal is.