Ask The Guide

This looks like a classic case of a body computer that is in the process of dying. Any time you see random lights coming on, or the stereo switching itself on, suspicions are always that the body computer as the culprit.

This computer controls literally hundreds of functions from the wipers, climate control, lights, entertainment system, even stuff like the rear window demister and central locking. And when the computer starts to fail many of these functions can go haywire, which is pretty much what you’re seeing.

The tail-lights staying on and the stereo witching itself on are what’s draining your battery, but the body computer is very likely the root cause and probably needs to be replaced. But before you do that, try this: Disconnect the battery overnight and then reconnect it next morning. Sometimes (but not always) this swill reset the body computer and might stop it playing tricks. The fix might be temporary, but it’s definitely worth a shot.

No, by adding that much oil, you’ll almost certainly be overfilling the engine which is no good for it at all. It’s a fair bet that an engine that needed an extra seven litres of oil added has already blown up. Which means you can ignore the numbers; they’re probably a part number or batch number.

What you’re looking for are two holes at the very end of the dipstick. The oil level should be between those holes. For whatever reason, Mitsubishi used holes in the dipstick rather than a high and low mark stamped into it. But it works just the same. Keep the oil level between those holes and you’ll be fine.

This message will sometimes be seen in the Tank 300 when the battery charge drops below 12.5 volts. This can happen for a range of reasons, which can include that the key fob is too close to the car when it’s not being used (believe it or not). So don’t leave the key anywhere near the car when you’re not driving and see if that helps.

Other causes are accessories like dashcams that are either wired incorrectly or are not playing nice with the Tank’s body computer. You could try to disconnect the car’s battery overnight which may reset the computer to factory settings, but this seems like a pretty common fault with the Tank 300.

Being such a new car, the problem should not be the battery itself, but it would still be worth having it checked as well as the charging system to make sure there’s no problem there.

This sounds more like a gearbox that isn’t selecting fifth gear properly, rather than one where it’s leaping out of fifth. For it to pop out of gear when cruising along suggests it’s not getting into gear fully in the first place. You might be able to adjust the shifter’s position and alignment and therefore get fifth gear to engage more fully.

There’s also a chance that this refusal to select fifth gear is the result of bent or worn selector forks within the transmission itself, and that’s a gearbox-out job unfortunately. So the first step is to get underneath with a torch while somebody inside attempts to select fifth gear. If the selector linkage runs out of range of motion, you might just have an adjustment problem which can be pretty easily sorted.

Noises like this are mostly temporary and are caused by a small rock or some other foreign object becoming jammed between the brake disc and the brake pad. Often, a sharp jab of the brake pedal (when it’s safe to do so) will dislodge the object and peace will be restored.

But if you’ve replaced the wheel bearings, then you’ve already had to remove the brakes. So unless the stone or whatever is lodged deep in the brake pad material, that’s probably not the cause here. Which means you need to look more closely.

The ABS sensor is an interesting theory, but I’d imagine if the clip had broken and dived into the front end anywhere, you’d have an ABS warning light on the dashboard by now. Perhaps it’s something to do with the front hub or the front driveshaft assembly. Perhaps a CV joint? Check for damage to the CV joints’ rubber boots. Don’t rule out a pothole having wrecked your wheel alignment, at which point what you’re hearing is a front tyre being torn to shred.

And what about the power steering system. These can squeal when they’re low on fluid, have air in the system, the belt is slipping or the pump itself is worn out.

This version of the Ford 5.4-litre V8 is not universally admired by mechanics. It can tend to run hot, and it’s quite common for this unit to suffer from stretched timing chains, worn chain tensioners and guides. Any problem in the area of the timing chains can lead to a misfire or stumble, and it can be worse when the engine is hot and the oil pressure that powers the timing chain mechanisms starts to fall away.

The best advice is to have the car electronically scanned. This might pinpoint the problem by throwing up a fault code that a mechanic can decipher (including the camshaft timing fault we’re talking about). Don’t continue to throw new parts at the engine; that’s a great way to waste time and money and still not fix the problem.

This is precisely why we warn consumers about the worthlessness of extended second-hand car warranties sold through car yards. It’s amazing how many get-out clauses these contracts (for that is what they are) contain and the vast majority of them are designed to take your money and then refuse any costly claims you may have. If the warranty called for a vehicle service in 10,000km, but the transmission didn’t quite make it that far, you’d reckon you’d have a pretty good case for a warranty claim. But experience shows otherwise.

But before you do anything else, have the car inspected by a transmission specialist. It could be something less catastrophic than a completely torched transmission and the fix may be a lot cheaper than the $5000 you’re being quoted. Even if it does need a new transmission, we’d be going through the same specialist rather than a workshop suggested by the car yard that’s already dudded you.

The recommended coolant for this model Holden Cruze is the common, red OAT (Organic Acid Technology) coolant. This is actually really important to get right as the wrong type of coolant can damage the engine over time. The red OAT coolant is also a long-life product, so it’s the one to use.

As far as engine oil goes, the recommended grade is a fully-synthetic 5W30. Don’t forget to change the oil filter, too, as putting clean oil back through a dirty filter makes no sense at all.

All these products should be readily available at any decent auto part store, or you can buy them online form a variety of outlets.

The four-cylinder engine in your car is fitted with a timing chain which should be good for the life of the engine. Other Kia engines including the V6 used a rubber timing belt which requires periodical replacement. However, it’s not that simple and some owners have found that even engines with timing chains need these replaced long before the engine has worn out.

It’s sometimes a case of flawed design or poor quality parts that causes this, but in the majority of cases, timing chain failure is caused by a lack of proper maintenance on the part of the car’s owner.

You’re right that most mid-sized vehicles are SUVs which means they won’t go properly off-road. Your requirement for wading abilities and a sunroof are a little mutually exclusive, while your size restriction rules out pretty much any dual-cab ute with four-wheel-drive.

About the smallest proper off-road four-wheel-drive would be the Suzuki Jimny, but whether it can be specified up to your luxury standards is another matter altogether. The driving experience may not match your refinement requirements, either.

The problem is that the market for true off-road vehicles has switched to either full-sized wagons, dual-cabs, or SUVs with the looks, but not the drivelines, suspension or gearing to be proper off-roaders. Models that were formerly great off-roaders like the original Nissan Pathfinder and Suzuki Vitara now exist only as watered-down SUVs with no off-road capacity whatsoever.

That said, two vehicles to look at would be the Land Rover Defender 90 which amounts to the short-wheelbase version of the Defender. Although it’s now a luxurious SUV, it still has the off-road smarts to be a weekend warrior. The other prospect would be the GWM Tank 300. Available in hybrid and non-hybrid forms, the Tank 300 is relatively compact and is extremely good off-road. It’s also pretty good value.