Car Servicing

The dealership from which I purchased my 2023 Mahindra Scorpio ex-demo is no longer a Mahindra dealer and neglected to fill in the owner details in my service book. I sent Mahindra Australia three emails with no reply, rang them once (got told to contact a dealer). For 10 weeks now, I have been trying to find out the warranty start date and whether my roadside assistance is still valid. I am very happy with the vehicle and it has no faults, but I’m beginning to think I have made a big mistake. If the company cannot be bothered with this enquiry what will happen if I do have a problem?

Q: How to dispose of engine oil?A: Changing your car’s engine oil at home is a great way to save a few dollars, develop a little knowledge of how things work as well as establishing a closer relationship with your car. The latter might sound a bit corny, but 'knowing' your car means you’ll get more from it, even if that’s as simple as the dollars you save each time it needs an oil change.Beyond the actual method of changing a car’s engine oil, the big question is what the heck you do with the four or five litres of used oil that is drained from the engine and replaced. Knowing how to dispose of car oil is something you need to figure out before you reach for the jack stands and spanners and dump the old oil into a drain pan.In the days before environmental awareness, this was not such an issue. And while it would make the average Gen-Zer cringe, the conventional wisdom was to pour the used oil along the fence-line of your backyard paling fence.This had three results. It stopped the weeds growing along the fence-line, it stopped the timber palings form rotting or being eaten by termites, and it got rid of the old oil. I’m not making this up.In rural areas, many farmers would change the engine oil in the family car with the old oil finding its way into the tractor or farm truck as a means of giving the used oil a second life. Then it would often find its way along the fence-line. Obviously, in Australia in 2025, this form of engine oil disposal is going to get you in big trouble.These days, of course, our greater respect for the environment means you simply can’t perform such acts of enviro-terrorism and there are some pretty hefty penalties if you were to try it.The same goes for tipping oil down a drain or gully trap. It’s just not a thing any more. Don’t forget, used engine oil can be quite acidic or contaminated in other ways, so it can be a pretty harmful commodity by the time it’s been in your engine for 10,000km. So what is the solution for getting rid of used engine oil?The simple answer is that you have to dispose of the stuff in a way that ensures it can’t find its way into waterways or into the soil, or anywhere else where it could harm flora, fauna or contaminate anything. Fundamentally, that’s pretty limiting (in a good way) but even so, there are choices to be made.Choice number one is to take the car to a workshop where the mechanic will have a bulk waste oil drum that is taken away and recycled back into useable oil. In fact, recycling old engine oil is the best outcome, because it means it gets several more chances at life and, as a finite – and expensive – resource, that’s got to be a good thing.But if you still want to change your own oil at home, you can sometimes talk to your local mechanic who may allow you to dump your oil in his or her bulk drum. Obviously, not every workshop is going to be happy with that arrangement, but if you have a relationship with the workshop and it has a deal where it gets paid for used oil to recycle, you might get the green light. Just don’t abuse the privilege by dumping all your mates’ used oil at the same time.Local councils and waste transfer stations (formerly known as the local tip) will often have recycling programs, too. You need to carefully pour the old oil into a clean plastic container and present that at the tip at the appropriate station where you will be charged a fee per litre (some councils will take it for free) for the waste oil you want to get rid of.Sometimes, you’ll need to pour the oil into a bulk drum by yourself, and you may also be able to leave oily rags at the same place. But check first. The same goes for the used oil filter. This is also contaminated with the same oil (and the metal casing can be recycled, too) and needs to be disposed of professionally, not just placed in a plastic bag and put out on bin night.Aside from your local council, there are commercial oil collection and recycling depots that will take your old oil and recycle it. Some will charge for this service, while others will take the oil for free because it’s a valuable commodity. If you have your phone handy, you can also search for “used engine oil disposal near me”.Don’t forget the auto parts store from which you purchased the new oil for your oil change. Many of these offer a collection service where you simply leave your old oil in clean containers and the shop will take care of it at no cost. But check first, and make sure you follow the rules for collection.As well as the obvious engine oil recycling (to be used again in an engine) your old oil may have a very interesting life beyond the engine in your car.Some used oil is turned into different grades of lubricating oil, some is refined into diesel fuel, while other batches can be used in commercial boilers and even burned to create industrial heating.It’s reckoned that just eight litres of waste engine oil could power the average household for a full 24 hours, so tipping it along a fence is not only environmental vandalism, it’s also super wasteful.

BMW buyers don't have the option of a capped-price servicing plan, but the company does offer owners a different way of ensuring the costs are kept under control when it comes to maintenance.

Nissan offers a capped-price servicing program for all of its current models.According to the Japanese brand, as of January 1, 2025, Nissan Flat Price Service gives you the confidence of knowing that your vehicle is being serviced by "Nissan-trained technicians using only Nissan Genuine Parts".Nissan's capped-price servicing program covers its new vehicles for a total of five years, no matter if it's a Juke small SUV, Navara ute or V8 petrol Patrol 4WD. The costs change depending on the model, with electric vehicles typically the most affordable to own and run.The service intervals are dictated by model, too. The worst Nissans to own from a maintenance perspective are the Z sports car and Qashqai e-Power, X-Trail, Pathfinder and Patrol SUVs, with servicing needed every 12 months or 10,000km. The best are the Juke, Leaf EV and Navara, with maintenance every 12 months or 20,000km - very tradie-friendly, then. Check out the table below for your model's specific service intervals.Nissan is leading from the front, offering a 10-year/300,000-kilometre warranty. MG and Mitsubishi also offer decade-long terms, with the latter's also conditional on the vehicle being serviced at an authorised dealership.Additionally, Nissan includes a one-year roadside assist plan at the time of purchase.See the table below for the average cost per service for each model in the Nissan range, plus the service intervals applicable to each of them.

There are few more frustrating feelings than coming out in the morning to find the battery in your car has gone flat.

What oil is best for my car?

Every time I take my 2017 Mazda CX-3 for a service, it comes back with higher fuel consumption. At the moment, the consumption is 7.9 litres per 100km. I'm spending a lot of money putting petrol in the tank.

At the last service of my 2019 Subaru XV, the dealership advised "front lower control arm bushes are split will need to be replaced". Subaru has so far refused to do repairs under warranty which expires at the end of March 2024. The car was bought new in March 2019. It had done (at the time of service) 45,778km. It has never been off road. It has never towed anything and doesn't have a tow bar. Subaru is claiming normal wear and tear and driving style are responsible and therefore not a warranty matter. They refuse to say what driving style would do the damage.

Is the number three cylinder blowing in my 2017 Ford Ranger Wildtrak covered under warranty?

The outside temperature gauge in my 2015 Holden Captiva was showing high numbers, then the air-con stopped working. Was this because of the weather conditions?