Ask The Guide

That’s pretty outrageous fuel consumption and equates to about 30 litres per 100km when 10 to 15 litres per 100km is a more realistic expectation from a vehicle like this. And that points to something seriously wrong with the way the on-bard computer is supplying the fuel to the engine.

You need to start by running some checks including the fuel delivery pressure, as well as the various sensors around the engine that determine the fuel mixture. It could be as simple as a dud engine temperature sensor which is telling the computer the engine is stone cold, even though it’s not. But equally, you could have a problem with an oxygen sensor, a throttle position sensor or even a simple vacuum leak. Even a throttle body that is not adjusted properly or a dirty mass-air-flow sensor can throw things out of kilter and cause over-fuelling.

The danger is that, if you continue to drive the vehicle as it is, you’ll not only go broke putting petrol in it, but you might also damage the engine through the excess fuel causing damage to the cylinder bores.

A quick test will tell you whether the alternator is sending charge to the battery. If it isn’t, then you need to start checking the wiring and things like the whether the car is earthed properly. Perhaps there’s a blown fuse of circuit breaker that is preventing the flow of charge from the alternator to the battery.

If the alternator is, in fact, charging the battery when the engine is running, then you’re looking for a problem such as an aftermarket alarm or a boot light or some other electrical gremlin that is draining the battery overnight. It would also be worth checking that the new battery and alternator for correct operation and capacity. It wouldn’t be the first time a brand-new component has been faulty, fitted to a car and then confounded the mechanic responsible.

Your mechanic is spot on. As far as the warranty laws in this country are concerned, there’s no difference in having the vehicle serviced by a Ford dealer or by a qualified independent mechanic. If there’s a problem down the track, it won’t matter who serviced the vehicle; a warranty claim is a warranty claim. Your peace of mind should be no different either way.

The only difference might be if Ford looks more favourably upon your case considering you’ve been a loyal customer and had the servicing done by your dealer. But don’t go to the bank on that, as it’s by no means a legal requirement, nor a widespread occurrence.

The only recall I could find for a Chery Tiggo (specifically the Tiggo 4 in this case) was for almost 2000 examples where the audible alarm for the autonomous emergency braking system was not activated and may not have sounded to warn the driver. The cars in question were, indeed, made in 2024, so your vehicle may well be one of the affected ones.

There's a list of affected VINs (Vehicle identification numbers) listed on the recalls site for you to cross-check, or a check with your Chery dealer will reveal all.

It’s not uncommon for owners of new vehicles with dual-clutch transmissions and throttle-by-wire to technology to feel a bit at odds with the way the car behaves. The feeling of a stilted, hesitant operation mirrors your experience to some degree. Over time, this sensation can be reduced. But it sounds as though your experience is a bit more dramatic than the norm.

In the first instance, give the dealer the opportunity to check the car out and make it right if there’s a problem. Modern vehicles like this can be scanned and the operation of their major functions graphed to show whether they’re within tolerance or not. There may be a software 'patch' in the works at Haval to address this.

If that doesn’t satisfy you, you can contact Haval Australia’s customer service department and lodge a complaint. Finally, if none of that does any good, you can contact the ACCC as a car sold brand-new that is not fit for purpose falls within the commission’s sphere of influence. You may find an independent test report of the vehicle’s behaviour would be a handy thing to have if you go down this route.

A $200 aftermarket throttle controller may, indeed, produce a vehicle you are happier to drive, but you should definitely check with Haval first to see if there are any warranty concerns in fitting such a device. Some advertisers of these devices claim there is no warranty issue, given that Haval would need to prove the throttle controller was the cause of any mechanical issues in the future. We’d still check with Haval before committing, however.

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.