Car Servicing

Since new I have had to check the oil level in my 2010 Holden Commodore VE SV6 weekly because it is evaporating and the mechanics at my dealership cannot explain to me why it's happening. I have had my own mechanic explain to me that this should not be occurring on such a new car and one that has only done a small number of kilometres. A 2010 model Holden Commodore with 26,000 km on the clock should not under any circumstances be needing at least 8 litres of oil in the motor because it's evaporating.

The interval between oil changes on my son's VW GTi is 15,000 km, but he has to keep topping up the oil between changes. I can't believe he has to do that on a brand new car. Why does it burn the oil?

I have found the reports on the oil usage of the Commodore V6 interesting as I am experiencing the same issue on my 2011 Series 2 SV6. I've recently had what was supposedly a new motor fitted due to a high excessive oil consumption after eight long months of battling with Holden and telling them that there was an issue. I had to write in because the motor that was fitted wasn't a brand new one like Holden told me, in fact they just changed the engine block. Much to my dissatisfaction they never actually fixed the issue. I could say that it seems that there maybe a few issues with this motor that Holden are not aware of and I'm fighting to have my money refunded to me. This is not what I paid for. My advice to others is to take the fight to Holden because there are lots of others in the same situation.

After recently seeing your story about the oil burning issue in the V6 Commodore and I can tell you from personal experience that after bringing it to the attention of my Holden Dealer at the 15,000 km service, the 30,000 km service and recently at the 45,000 service, and after 3 oil consumption tests, they continue to argue that it is in the normal range for the engine to burn through 5-7 litres of oil per 15,000 km. I have run Commodores for 20 years and have never had to top up between services. I believe it is a widespread problem that is being delayed/ignored by Holden and its dealer network. I also feel that the new Commodore is far less fuel efficient than my VY Series II Commodore by a big margin. I used to get roughly 400km for $40 dollars, now I battle to get 200-250km with my 2011 Commodore. Please highlight the problem so Holden know it isn't going away.

"Computer says no" is my favourite line from the wickedly clever Little Britain television series, because it's such a telling reflection of modern life.Computers rule the world and if you cannot get along with the little black boxes, or at least arrange some sort of non-aggression pact, life is not fun.My time on the road over the past 25 years has been riddled and riled by computer problems of all sorts, from recalcitrant cars through to laptops that needed major intervention by a manchild named Nick at the other end of an international telephone line.The power of the PC is rammed home to me, once again, as Volkswagen flails and fights against the surging tide of bad news in Australia about its Golfs and DSG gearboxes.I should point out that those dramas are nothing new to anyone on the Carsguide crew. We've been fielding complaints and trying to help people for years, usually battling the arrogance and denial which has led Volkswagen Australia to where it is today.But, as I face a fresh tide of incoming emails this week, I get to thinking about the power of the computer and how it could - quite easily - have contributed to the Volkswagen dramas.There was a time, not so long ago, when a quality mechanic was worth their weight in Sidchrome.These days, new-age technicians have flooded workshops across the country and old-fashioned experience and intuition has been replaced by plug-and-play computer analysis.No-one really wants to waste time on a test drive or hands-on diagnosis when it's so easy to plug the 'diagnostic tool' into a socket, interrogate the car and see if there are any of the telltale 'error codes' popping up.The first time I saw one of these devices, a combined effort by BMW and Bosch, it was a revelation. It was obviously a key to the future.But that future has arrived and 'error codes' have become both the objective and the excuse for far too many of the people on the service side of a workshop counter.Every week I get dozens of disgruntled emails and the power of the computer diagnosis is reflected in the number of people who are dissatisfied with their workshop outcome. Often they report being dismissed because their complaint or concern does not match the printout from their car's Electronic Control Unit.I'm hearing "Computer says no" almost every day. Even when a real person takes a car for a real-world test drive, it often ends in tears and tangles when the complaint is dismissed as 'within tolerance'.Is that just another version of "Computer says no"?Doctors are taught that bedside manner is as important as any diagnosis of illness, because it honours the concerns of their patient and makes them feel they are part of the solution and not just creating a problem.Perhaps that's a lesson that now also needs to be taught in the world of motoring, before the rise of the computer becomes totally irreversible.I, for one, don't enjoy the prospect of a world where - to twist another line from Little Britain - you arrive at a workshop to hear "I'm the only mechanic in the village".This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover 

I haven't had any real issues with my 2008 Hyundai i30 diesel until the last 18 months to two years when I have had it back to the dealer numerous times for a fairly consistent puff of smoke and a "can of marbles" rattle for five or so minutes on the first start for the day. First it was the turbocharger, then injector seals, but that didn't fix it, now they say they have found metallic shavings in the injector pump and that it would need replacing along with the fuel rail, lines, injectors etc, and that it would be a warranty repair and that they had done this repair a fair few times and not to worry. But Hyundai knocked back warranty claim on the grounds of "contaminated fuel". I think it is faulty pump. Your advice would be much appreciated.

The dreadful noise, shaking and rock hard bouncing was so bad in my new Ford Territory that I had to stop at the nearest Ford dealer. They said there was nothing they could do. It was so bad my wife had to rent a car to get the children home. The tyre noise is deafening and might be fixed with better quality tyres, but could you please recommend a solution for the serious shaking and solid bouncing urgently please?

I read with interest the complaint about the shift shudder in a Nissan Navara, as I too have the same complaint about my 2012 Navara Dual-Cab 2.5 auto five-speed. When I first contacted Nissan about I was told that it was tuned to international specs, whatever that means. After reading about the other report I went back to Nissan and was this time told that they had only one other complaint and they said that it was a "characteristic of the car"! I'm not happy.

The Jeep Wrangler 2-door 3.8-litre in 2010 has been using on average three litres of oil between services. Each time I have the vehicle serviced I have to purchase an additional 3.6 litres to top it up. I have been in constant touch with the dealer I bought it from, Jeep Australia and the NSW Department of Fair Trading. Jeep Australia has told me that this is a normal amount of oil usage per 1000 km, which I find difficult to accept. My daughter has a 2010 Jeep Wrangler 2-door 3.8-litre and her vehicle uses between 100 to 200 ml of oil between services. The warranty expired in March this year and the problem from my view is getting worse. What can you suggest I do?

My 2009 Toyota Camry Altise 2.4 has just blown a head gasket after 130,000 km. Just prior to its 30,000 km service it had a complete cooling system failure at highway speed and had to be towed to the nearest dealer. The motor has never been the same since. I advised the dealer that this was the case in documented service notes, and that the motor had developed a ping, but we were assured everything was ok. It was raised again at 60,000 km and they suggested a fuel-injection service without success. The only thing that helped was the expensive option of running the car on high-octane petrol. In a nutshell both the dealer and Toyota have backed away from the prospect of any assistance and we have a quote for $3500 to fix the car. We believe that Toyota should be making some kind of goodwill gesture towards the cost of getting this car back on the road and any suggestions or advice you may have would be greatly appreciated.