Ask The Guide

The one of those three that seems most suitable for towing would be the petrol-engined Tiggo 8 Pro. It’s rated to tow up to 1300kg with a braked trailer, and 750kg without brakes. The post-update Tiggo 7 (either ICE or hybrid) is also rated to two up to 750kg, but the Tiggo 4 in any of its forms is not rated for towing by the manufacturer.

Car makers have responsibilities in this scenario, but so do car owners. In a nutshell, the law says that you have to give car maker ample opportunity to make things right when there’s a catastrophic failure like yours. And, to be honest, it sounds like that’s what’s happening here with Haval agreeing to replace the entire engine, presumably at its own cost as a warranty job.

The tricky part is making everybody happy and, sometimes, that is difficult if there are not enough loan cars to go around. Perhaps you could approach Haval Australia’s customer service department and suggest a hire car until yours is fixed, but in most cases, there’s no specific warranty-claim allowance for this.

Perhaps you’re looking in the wrong place for the answer. The ignition system is only part of the driveline that makes the whole thing work. A problem like this one could easily be caused by a problem in the fuel system.

In fact, the fact that the problem only happens in cold weather would make a lot of mechanics check the fuel system before fiddling with the ignition. That’s because, when an engine is cold, the fuel and air mixture needs more fuel and less air to get the thing started initially. If there’s a problem in the fuel system such as a clogged or dirty filter, an air leak or a slack fuel pump, you could potentially see the exact symptoms you have.

The problem could also lie in the injectors or any of the electronics that are supposed to tell the engine’s computer that it’s cold outside and a richer fuel:air mixture is required.

Have the car checked out by a mechanic who will be able to check all these parts for correct operation and then start replacing bits and pieces; not the other way around.

From what I can gather, some newer cars (and the LDV may be one of them) play the indicator and reverse buzzer wounds through the car’s stereo. If, then, you have accidentally muted the sound system, those noises will also be muted.

Find your car’s owner’s manual which should have a section on muting and unmuting the stereo system. That’s the first thing to try. You could also dive into the menus on the touch-screen to see if there’s a function there for muting the indicator and other sounds. The other function to look for is a 'restore factory settings' button which should take the vehicle back to how it was delivered brand-new.

If none of that works, you could always try an LDV dealership which has probably seen this a hundred times before and will be able to quickly reinstate these functions for you. If you’re a regular servicing customer, they may not even charge you for the five minutes it will take. And if they can’t fix it, it then becomes a warranty issue anyway.

Unfortunately, the only simple solution to your problem is find the little circuitboard (chip) that went missing when you did the battery replacement. Without that, the key can’t talk to the car’s computer and let it now that it’s okay to allow the engine to start.

The alternative is to find a car locksmith and have a new key programmed to talk to the car. Exactly what else this will involve will depend on the car itself and how the security system is configured. You may need to change other components on the car and it could get pretty expensive. You may also need to trailer the car to the technician.

If that doesn’t pan out, perhaps try a Mercedes-Benz dealership which should be able to sort it out and get the car running. But you’ll be paying full price for that service.

If you previously owned large capacity non-turbo cars (such as a V8 or large six-cylinder) you might notice that some newer, smaller-engined cars with turbochargers don’t always have the urgency you remember when pulling into traffic or leaving a green light. That said, turbo motors are less laggy than they’ve ever been thanks to new technology and lighter turbocharger internals, but they can still feel as though they’re taking a second to really get going when you put your foot down. But they shouldn’t make you feel like you’re putting your life in danger every time you try to merge into traffic.

Which means you may have a problem with your car or, depending on your expectations, maybe not. Car dealers have a bit of a reputation of delivering the old “they all do that, sir” line when confronting dissatisfied owners, but you don’t need to leave it at that.

You can ask for a written report showing the car’s boost graph and compare that with what the factory says the car should deliver. But an even simpler way is to find somebody else with the same make and model and ask if you can drive the two back-to-back. Perhaps the dealer has a mechanically identical car on their used-car lot that you could take for a test drive. If your car is noticeably slower to launch than the other, then you may have a mechanical or even a software fault that is affecting performance.

The other thing to remember here is that (unless you bought a manual version) your car has a dual-clutch transmission and these can also sometimes feel a bit slow to get cracking when you launch them. Again, the performance of the transmission should be able to be electronically checked and verified, so don’t rule that out, either.

Most Hyundai engines with a rubber timing belt require belt changes every 100,000km. Stretching this interval is pushing your luck as a failed belt will destroy the rest of the engine. With that in mind, you’re already over that limit by about 10,000km, so a change sooner rather than later is in order.

The car will, indeed, drive perfectly even with an old timing belt. Until it doesn’t. At which point you have an engine bay full of junk and a big engine replacement bill coming your way.

Modern automatic transmissions are pretty complex things and there’s a lot that can go wrong from the simple low fluid level to the catastrophic like a broken torque converter or failed valve body, gearset, oil pump or clutch pack.

But mechanics know that the first sign of this transmission failing totally is a refusal to select Drive. Take the car to a transmission specialist who will have seen these symptoms before and will have a pretty good idea of what’s going on before they even lay a spanner on the car. And be prepared to replace the transmission as the only proper fix.

A second-hand transmission from a wrecked Commodore might be an option, but only if you can prove that the unit has done moderate mileage and, therefore, is probably not about to produce the same symptoms as yours already has.

It honestly doesn’t sound too bad given the average dealership labour rate is usually something like $160 or even $200 per hour to the customer. Also, genuine Holden parts for this type of job will always be preferable to aftermarket parts, and if the quote is to drive the car in and drive it out again with a brand new turbocharger working perfectly, then the price is probably pretty good.

If you want to save money, you can always try to find an independent workshop, but make sure you use one that knows this type of car and this type of repair. And don’t be afraid to ask about where the new parts are coming from.

Presumably the car makes this noise when you hit a bump or undulation. The Commodore’s front end is not particularly complex and is, in fact, a pretty standard MacPherson strut set-up.

With that in mind, there are only so many things that could cause the front end to bang or rattle, including a worn ball-joint, tie-rod end, or suspension bush. But don’t forget about the bushes in the steering rack, too, as these can contribute to a noise from the front end.

If all the suspension checks out, then you need to go a bit deeper into things like the cross-member mounts, engine mounts and even wheel bearings. Any wear or play in these components will cause a clunk in the right circumstance.

If none of that helps then you need to look beyond the suspension and into areas like a loose battery tray in the engine bay or even a loose piece of trim or sheet metal somewhere on the car. Exhaust heat shields are prime candidates for this, as are the metal shields at the back of each brake disc.