Car Servicing

A year after buying my 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara I noticed a noise coming from the front suspension, so I took it back to where I bought it from to have it checked and rectified. Although they told me that they had fixed the problem, the noise was still there. I took it back a second time, and again they told me that they had fixed it, but hadn't. Unhappy, I went to another dealer where I actually took a mechanic with me in the car so he could hear the noise himself. He told me he did, but the noise was still there the next day. I went back again and this time they told me the problem was that the strut top bearings needed replacing. It was fine for a while, but the noise soon returned. I next took my car to Pedder's Suspension where they carried out a Tech Check & Report and identified the problem. Is it worth approaching Suzuki to see if they will fix the problem, which has been an ongoing problem since I bought the vehicle new, or do you think there is no point?

With reference to the problem with the 2009 Kia Sorento in Carsguide on November 30 I had a similar sounding problem with a new Suzuki Grand Vitara a few years back. It would lose power at regular intervals, which was dangerous as well as frustrating. The dealer couldn't find the cause, but after a while I came to realise that it only happened when the radio was on. The service tech took the car for a drive with me and we put the radio on. When he tried to pull out into traffic the power dropped. He got the fright of his life. Turned out it was a wiring issue behind the dash.

My understanding as a mechanic is that the use of excess silicon sealant in the assembly of engines and automatic transmissions is an absolute no-no, because particles of sealant can contaminate the oil, lead to the blockage of oil galleries and cause the demise of said engines and transmissions. Well, I purchased a new Ford Ranger PX 4WD utility in July and have noticed that excessive sealant has been used in the assembly of the diff. While this may not be as critical as with engines and transmissions, if the amount of sealant on the outside of the diff is any indication of what is inside, do I have a problem? Is my ute the victim of a bad bonding job and what should I do?

My 2012 VE SV6 Z series manual ute is having trouble with second gear, and has been from new. It is very notchy when going from first to second and hard to engage. It seems to get worse as the engine warms up. The dealer's mechanic admitted there was a problem with engaging second gear when he went for a drive in it. I left it with them to check it out, but when I picked it up I was told it was normal. I can't imagine that every single gearbox in all the VE SV6s out there would have the same trouble with second gear. What are your thoughts?

Ever since the 30,000 km service on our Ford Escape it has been dripping oil. The dealer told me the engine seal had probably hardened and he recommended using an additive to soften it, which I did, but it is still leaking. I checked the oil level today and it is showing about 15 mm above the full line. Is it possible that the car could have been over-filled and is spilling oil?

At 120,000 km knock has developed in my 2008 Toyota Kluger on turning the steering wheel. It is not consistent and cannot be produced by oscillating the wheel. It is most annoying and I'm wondering if you have heard of this? My Dealer said it may be the steering shaft and I would have to leave the car with them. A new shaft is about $600, so I'm wondering how often this may happen again and the dealer says they can't help because it's out of warranty. What do I do?

My wife's 2011 Subaru Impreza has done just 30,000 km and we were told at the 30,000 km service that the front discs were warped and needed to be machined. When I asked if this was covered by warranty we were told it wasn't. I think this is amazing, as the car has only been driven on country roads. Is this reasonable?

You may be interested to know about the pinging we encountered in one of our previous vehicles, a Nissan Bluebird, which started running roughly and pinging after we filled it with fuel from a cheap outlet. By diluting the tank fairly rapidly we eventually rectified the problem and began running well again.

Why don't you tell the truth about clutches? Clutches are put into cars/trucks to be there for the life of the car, they should never wear out. It's the driver that slips the clutch that generates the excessive heat, which in turn destroys the spring clamping ability of the pressure plate and the clutch starts slipping.

We bought a PK Ford Ranger manual diesel new in 2009, and use it to tow a 1500kg caravan on holidays. Lately we have experienced a shuddering in the clutch while towing. Is this normal or should we have it checked out, and what sort of things should the mechanic be looking for as a starting point?