Ask The Guide

The symptoms you’re experiencing all sound like they have something to do with the body computer(s) on the car. So it’s conceivable that a bad batch of computers on Mazda’s production line could affect more than one car. And if that’s the case, you’ve just been unlucky. That said, Mazda is not exactly a stranger to body computer glitches, and Mazda 3 built between 2015 and 2017 were, in fact, recalled to fix just such a problem that was affecting the operation of the windscreen wipers.

If you’re unhappy with Mazda’s approach, you can contact the ACCC to try to organise a resolution. But if the second car is only throwing up bogus tyre-pressure alerts and hasn’t started having other problems yet, then you should give Mazda the chance to put it right. The other problems may never develop, but if they do, I reckon you’d have a decent moral case for getting your money back. That said, Australia doesn’t have the `lemon laws’ that, say, the USA, has so getting a refund is not a simple matter.

It would seem very strange to me that an almost-new Toyota V6 engine would be burning oil to the extent that a new short motor would be required. And it seems that wasn’t the problem anyway, but I agree that more than a litre per 1500km is too much. Had the short motor (pistons and piston-rings) been the problem, the new short motor should have fixed it, but a leak-down and compression test should have given a few clues, too. In any case, the dealer should now be looking for the real source of the problem. I’d be starting with the valve-stem seals or valve guides which are part of the cylinder head and aren’t replaced when a new short motor is fitted (because the original cylinder heads are retained). I’d also be checking the operation of the PCV (crankcase ventilation valve) which can also make oil disappear if it’s faulty.

As for your next step, well, thank goodness for new-car warranties, eh? Basically, you’re covered whatever happens because that’s how warranties work. It’s up to the dealer to decide what steps it takes from here, but while ever the dealer is trying to fix the problem, you need to give them the chance to do so. It would be nice if you were provided with a replacement vehicle while yours is being assessed or fixed, and I’d definitely be asking for that much. Have you contacted Toyota Australia’s customer service number? Sometimes you’ll have a quicker resolution if head office gets involved. The other option if you’re really unhappy with how things are progressing is to contact the ACCC.

Sending you a USB stick in the mail with the updated mapping sounds like a great way for the dealership to make its problem your problem. Why not ask for the update to be done when your new car gets its first service? Dealerships have policies to cope with Covid-19 safely and protect you and their employees. A trip to the dealership to get the sat-nav (which you’ve paid for) working properly isn’t too much of a stretch.

Also, accepting a USB stick in the mail and a set of instructions leaves you open to claims that you’ve done something wrong when the system still doesn’t work properly. Under Australian consumer law and Nissan’s own factory warranty, it’s Nissan’s problem. Don’t let the dealer sidestep you or create an environment where you could be held responsible for a bungle.

There are two main reasons to service a car. The first is to keep the vehicle running in an efficient, clean, safe and comfortable way. The second is so that you maintain your factory warranty. A car-maker is not obliged to honour some aspects of a new-car warranty if the vehicle hasn’t been serviced correctly, so it’s important, especially since the Kia warranty is such a good one at seven-years/unlimited kilometres. In fact, the Kia warranty is the best in the business in Australia.

With that in mind, provided you use a properly accredited workshop that is authorised to stamp your service book, yes you can use a non-Kia workshop or dealership to have your car serviced and retain your factory warranty. That said, the Kia isn’t an especially expensive vehicle to have serviced with 12 month or 15,000km service intervals.

Have you investigated Kia’s seven-year capped price servicing deal? It stacks up very well over the full seven years and, in fact, a Seltos is really no more expensive to service than the little Kia Picanto under the capped-price schedule. Definitely talk to the dealer about capped price servicing if you go ahead and buy a Kia, you might be surprised how cost-effective it is.

Engines like the Honda four-cylinder have lots and lots of electronic sensors scattered around the engine bay to keep them running sweetly and efficiently. High-pressure water can definitely get into places it shouldn’t be and send things haywire. Next time you get the engine up to temperature, park the car somewhere dry and leave the bonnet open to see if whatever is wet will dry out naturally.

Of course, that’s dependent on the burning-plastic smell not being something that’s about to catch fire. In fact, this is the more serious problem as a small piece of trim or soundproofing could also have moved during the high-pressure washing process and could be touching a hot component such as the exhaust system. If that’s the case, it can easily catch fire with predictable results. I would definitely be having somebody who knows what they’re looking at take a look to identify the source of the smell. Keep a fire extinguisher handy while you’re doing so, too.

This is a really common concern, Raj, especially among people like you who are considering their first diesel-powered vehicle. Modern diesels are very efficient and powerful (compared with old-school diesel engines) but those benefits come with some compromises including higher maintenance costs and potential glitches such as the DPF problems you’ve noted.

DPF problems are usually the result of the filter becoming clogged with the soot from the diesel’s exhaust. There’s not much you can do about a diesel engine producing soot (apart from making sure it’s tuned properly to minimise the soot) so the filter is designed to regenerate when it starts to get full. That process requires heat and that’s where the problems start. A vehicle that is only driven around the suburbs often won’t create enough heat in the exhaust system to allow this regeneration to take place. At that point, the filter becomes clogged and requires either manually cleaning or, in some cases, replacing. Neither is a cheap process.

So, what you need to do is to take the vehicle for a drive at highway speeds to allow things to get hot enough for DPF regeneration to take place. This drive needs to be at least about 20 minutes and it needs to happen at least once a month. So the answer to your question is not really how many kilometres you need to drive, but what sort of kilometres. Even if your four-times-a-week trip to work is, indeed, 50km, if it’s all done in stop-start, low-speed traffic, then it won’t be enough.

The bottom line is that a turbo-diesel isn’t really the right vehicle for a lot of urban-based people. The catch there, is that a lot of vehicles that were once available with a choice of petrol or diesel power are now diesel-only propositions. That includes the Pajero Sport, of course.

Many owners of Suzukis of this era are shifting from the original green-coloured coolant to the long-life blue type (believe it or not, engine coolants are broadly identifiable by colour these days). Make sure that whatever brand you buy is borate and silicate-free, as this is important for Japanese engines (European engines, in comparison, need Phosphate-free coolant).

If you’re still unsure, you can buy coolant form a Suzuki dealership spare parts department and know that you’re getting the right product. One other tip; don’t mix coolants. Like oils, coolants are a sophisticated blend of base-product and additives and these formulations, when mixed, can cancel out some of the protection you’re paying for.

The real wild card you’ve thrown at me here is the must-have manual transmission caveat. Not all manufacturers still offer a manual gearbox option, and if they do, it’s nearly always on the very base model which will often be two-wheel-drive when the all-wheel-drive models are better for towing. The Toyota RAV4, generally thought to be the pick of the current mid-sized SUVs, is a great example. While there is a six-speed manual option, it’s only available on the entry level car which is also front-drive and has a towing limit of 800kg. Move up to the bigger Toyota Kluger SUV and you can suddenly tow 2000kg, but there’s no manual-gearbox option.

Speaking of which, it’s generally agreed that an automatic transmission is better for towing these days anyway. The way the automatic delivers its power and torque more smoothly, makes for better towing and less mechanical stress on the whole car.

Mitsubishi’s base-model Outlander ES is available with a manual and can tow 1600kg. Mazda’s CX-5 Maxx front-drive can also be had with a manual (six gears versus the Outlander’s five) and can tow 1800kg. Either of those should do the job, but insisting on a manual transmission will be the thing that really limits your choices.

If you’re happy with the Kia, Marissa, then I’d say you might be wise to stick with the brand you know. As you would know, your 2017 model Cerato still has at least three or maybe even four years of factory warranty to run. That’s great peace of mind and one of the reasons people keep buying Kias. You’re also a chance to do a better deal as a repeat buyer at your local dealership.

While not wishing to suggest that being 60 years of age makes somebody an `older person’ these days, the one design feature you might want to consider going forward is the option of a vehicle with a slightly higher ride height. That makes getting in and out of the car easier and the whole day-to-day experience just that little bit nicer. With that in mind, take a look at the

. It’s not the newest of designs, but it does represent a solid, reliable platform. On the bass that your mother does mainly suburban driving, the pick would be the Si front-wheel-drive version with the petrol engine and six-speed automatic transmission.

There’s no difference between the petrol engines in the 2011 Fiesta compared with the 2012 model. So, yes, they both require the same timing-belt changes. And yes, the interval is determined by which comes first, the 160,000km or the eight years.