Great Wall Problems

You were poorly advised to drive a car that has a damaged turbocharger, that it broke down is not a surprise. I would take it back to the dealer who gave you the advice and sort it with them. It is possible that a rubber hose could have split by being over- tightened and caused the problem you talk of. If you want to pursue it further contact the head office of Great Wall and put your concerns directly to them.

Sales have nosedived because people have realised the quality problems. You're extremely unlikely to get any help from Great Wall on items that should have been fixed under warranty.

As you say the Great Wall utes are new to this country, and so far too few have made it on to the market to give us a good picture of what they're like. Having driven them when they were launched last year I can say they are at least one generation behind the current market leaders in that segment, but they seem reasonably well built and they're made from parts that are mostly hand-me-downs from other makes and models, so they should be well tried. At the end of the day you would be a pioneer if you bought one, going where few have gone before, but given your budget it's probably worth a punt.

It's always good to get a result. If you win, Carsguide wins.

There's no reason to give you continuing warranty, the company has seemingly repaired your car when it has given trouble and on that basis is likely to continue to do so. If a part regularly gives trouble, as you say the inlet air temperature sensor does, you have good justification for Great Wall to make repairs as and when needed, at their cost. Remember also that you have recourse through the consumer affairs laws that protect you rights under our laws.

I don't believe there have been any changes to the drivetrain.

None of the owners we have spoken to have had any trouble with the drivetrain, the issues they have had have been fairly minor build quality things rather than major mechanical problems.

I would contact the Great Wall Customer Service in 1800 114 672 to find out why the dealer would not do the warranty work, and ask their advice on how to get the work done.

There's no doubt in my mind that you are up for the service charge; you asked them to service it and they did. You are correct that your car isn’t worth a lot of money, but it’s worth almost nothing with a cracked head. You could perhaps talk to the dealer about getting a second hand engine from a wrecker and having that fitted. It might be a cheaper option to get the car going.