Ask The Guide

Try a Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, or Subaru Forester. Any of them would be good choices.

The AWD versions have 7-speed dual-clutch transmissions, the FWD ones have 6-speed automatics, and there is a manual gearbox option. I don’t see any reason for the dual-clutch transmission to have issues in traffic; it won’t have any adverse impact on inner city driving.

Call back and ask what was done to ensure nothing else was affected. I would want them to tear the gearbox down, flush everything out, and check the internals before putting it back together and installing the new torque convertor.

It should be covered under Kia’s warranty, so take it back to your dealer and have it fixed.

Both would be good buys; it really comes down to which one you like better. Test drive each one and look how they fit your needs and wants.

The Jeeps are perfectly capable of doing the trip you are planning, and if anything did go wrong while you were away there are dealers all around the country who cold fix it for you. At 2000 kg your caravan is not particularly heavy and shouldn’t stress the Jeep at all. The Prado is the other obvious choice, and it too will do the job with ease. Others to look at are the Kia Sorento and Isuzu MU-X.

If the mechanic/repairer is a qualified and registered company they should have some guarantee on the quality of their work. Take the car back and show them what your are unhappy about and ask for the work to be done again, or compensation. If they are not qualified or registered with a trade organisation you have little comeback.

For starters it’s not a new car; it’s six years old. But if as you say it has only done 61,000 km and has been properly serviced by a Hyundai dealer I would approach the company and seek a good will deal that would cover some or all of the cost of repairs. It does seem like a catastrophic failure, so if dealing with Hyundai doesn’t prove successful, try your state’s consumer affairs people.

Holden has in the past replaced faulty transmissions without cost to the owner, but I would guess they won’t offer to replace yours free of charge, as your car is seven years old. But until it is assessed you can only speculate that the transmission is at fault.

The clicking sound could be a sign of a weak battery, which is having difficulty coping with the cold weather. Don’t pump the accelerator; that does nothing on a fuel-injected car. Have the battery tested.