GWM Problems

The Haval product has only been on sale in Australia since 2015, so it’s a bit hard to gauge its long-term reliability prospects. Even more so when it’s a model like the Jolion which hasn’t been on local roads for anything like seven years (it was launched here in 2021).

Based on the experiences of CarsGuide readers, the Jolion has been responsible for some electronic woes and the odd build-quality issue. These, however, could be isolated problems rather than a general assessment of the model. At least with a 2024 model, you’ll have at least six years of warranty, so you could use that time to assess the car’s reliability and quality for yourself before making a decision to hold on to it beyond the warranty period.

The best advice here is to disconnect the battery and contact the dealership. Any time there’s odd electrical behaviour combined with a burning smell, there’s a decent chance you have an electrical short-circuit on your hands. And that can easily lead to a fire that could destroy the car and anything near it.

By disconnecting the battery, you’re removing the power source that is making something hot enough to produce the burning smell. The constant beeping, meanwhile could be a symptom of the same thing as the shorted or damaged wiring allows the warning beeper to continue blaring away even though the ignition is turned off.

There could be any number of reasons for this from an electrical or a mechanical point of view. Since the car is under warranty, why not tackle your Haval dealership with the problem as, legally, it’s their responsibility to put right.

But on another level, are you sure the vehicle is not using its electric motor to help power the vehicle? The transition between petrol, electric and a combination of the two can be pretty hard to pick sometimes, especially in newer vehicles with smoother engines and better sound-proofing. In fact, the Jolion Hybrid has been praised in road tests for the seamless way it transitions between petrol and electric power, so maybe because you’re not feeling or hearing this transition, it appears to be not happening, even when it is.

The GWM Tank 300 and 500 models are built by GWM in China.

The Ora is produced by Great Wall Motor, or GWM, a Chinese automaker based in Hebei, China.

From what I can gather, this is a standard feature of the Tank 500. The beep is to let you know the car has been locked, even if you’re in a position where you can’t see the lights flash (also to confirm locking).

It’s probably possible to turn this feature off via the menus on the infotainment screen. If you don’t like this beeping feature, it’s a fair bet your neighbours don’t either.

There’s only one solution you need to worry about here and that’s taking the vehicle back to GWM and insisting that this important safety gear is made to work properly and that the problem with the shifting is sorted out permanently and completely.

This is why we have new-vehicle warranties, and the consumer law in this country is quite simple when it comes to manufacturers’ responsibilities in situations like yours. In the case of safety gear not working properly, the vehicle is technically unroadworthy, so you wouldn’t even be able to sell it.

Live wires don’t like to be short-circuited which, I’m guessing, is exactly what you’ve done by touching something you shouldn’t have with your screwdriver. The good news is that modern cars have protection against this sort of mishap in the form of fuses and circuit-breakers.

So the first job is to find the fuse or fuses that have blown (sacrificing themselves to protect the rest of the car’s electrical system). These will be identifiable by their broken filament (if you hold them up to the light) but often, finding them is the hardest part.

Some vehicles have their fuse-box located somewhere under the dashboard or in the kick panels and others locate the fuse-box under the bonnet. Many cars have one of each, so take some time with the owner’s manual and find the fuses and then identify the blown ones. With luck, you’ll simply need to replace these fuses with new ones of the correct rating and you should restore everything to working order. Given the scope of the mayhem you’ve created, it’s a fair bet there is more than one fuse involved here.

If the fuses don’t check out, you might also find there’s a fusible link on the positive battery terminal. This can also blow as a defence mechanism but is also easy to replace. If none of that works, it’s off to an auto electrician to find out what you’ve inadvertently fried and what needs to be replaced.

Although it’s an inconvenience to lose your car for any length of time, it might be the only way the service team can diagnose the problem and attempt a fix. We like to remind each other that car makers have obligations under consumer law, but it also pays to remember that, as the consumer, you also need to give the manufacturer the opportunity to put things right if it can.

The best solution would be for the dealer to provide a courtesy car while yours is in dry dock.