Ask The Guide

It’s likely to be the CVT transmission, that’s obviously what the dealer thought. You could pursue it further with dealer/Mitsubishi, but I reckon you’re stuck with it.

Every car has to meet the Australian safety standards before it can be sold here. It doesn’t matter whether it’s made in France, Japan, Korea, or Outer Mongolia. If it doesn’t meet our standards it doesn’t get in. It is possible to get the approval to sell here based on testing that has been done overseas, in places such as Europe, which is where the Koleos was tested. There is no reason to fear that the Koleos doesn’t meet our standards, or that it is unsafe in any way.

The difference between 4WD and AWD has become blurred as some AWD cars have become more capable of use offroad. It used to be that a 4WD were part-time four-wheel drives with high and low range, which could be locked in for off-road use. An AWD was really an on-demand system, which was front-wheel drive for most of the time, and drive as sent to the rear wheels when needed for traction. A lot of AWD SUVS now have quite sophisticated electronic systems that give them greater ability to go down bush tracks. One of the big issues for AWDs vehicles off-road is usually their ground clearance, so you have to assess the roads you want to use and drive accordingly.

The transmission in the Astra is a conventional torque convertor unit, the one that gave the trouble in the Cruze was dual-clutch manual/auto, a different ’box altogether.

It’s not something that has come to our attention. It’s a cosmetic issue; one I’m guessing VW is not going to be terribly interested in.

There were a number of owners reporting problems with the torque convertor shuddering back in 2012 and requiring the convertor to be changed.

It’s not likely to be in the next 12 months is the word we’ve been given.

It’s against the law to tamper with an odometer, but I’m sure it does go on. If you’re going to buy a car like this you need to have it thoroughly checked by a mechanic who knows them well. An experienced mechanic should be able to tell if a car’s odometer doesn’t appear correct.

It’s not unusual for a car to do that on a cold start. That’s the way it has been calibrated and it won’t affect the life of the engine.

No, there is no warranty or cooling-off period that goes along with a private sale. It’s a case of buyer beware. If they were concerned they should have had it checked before buying it. It seems to me that they have changed their mind about the car and want to get out of it.