Car Servicing

My four-and-a-half year-old Volkswagen Tiguan has developed a vibrating issue when you accelerate. The dealer has had the car now for more than three weeks and has replaced the injectors and the diff without fixing the problem, but has called in VW to help. So far I am satisfied with what has been done, but what should I be paying for, given the length of time they have been working on the car and the parts they have replaced which haven't fixed the problem. Should I only be paying for the parts that have actually fixed the problem? Also what if they can't fix the problem or don't want to invest any more time in trying to resolve the issue, what options would be fair and reasonable in this instant.

Ever since new the suspension on my Holden Cruze has rattled, especially over corrugations. Is this normal for this model, and if so is there any easy fix? Would fitting more pliable 17-inch tyres help? I have not mentioned my concerns to my dealer, but as the car is coming to the end of its warranty period maybe I should get my concerns on record. What do you think?

We’ve all heard stories about unexpected extras being added to vehicle repair or service bills, about cars coming back from the workshop in worse condition than they were when they went in

My 2008 Nissan Navara STX needed injectors at 70,000 km and they were replaced under warranty. They needed replacing again at 104,000 km, but this time Nissan wanted the injectors sent to an independent company to be assessed. It was found that three injectors had excessive leakage, and all needed to be replaced. Nissan offered to pay for half the price of the injectors, which was $1354.64. That left me to pay the remainder, including the independent testing, which amounted to $2500. I think this is unfair and I am pursuing Nissan for the full payment. Are injector faults common with Nissan?

Once or twice a week my 2010 Hyundai ix35 seems to momentarily drop out of gear when accelerating from a stop. It seems to be near 2-3 shift point, and the engine jumps at least 2000 rpm before grabbing drive again. My dealer has been trying to solve problem without success, as they cannot re-create the event. I'm concerned that picking up drive again from an overspeed event will eventually damage the gearbox. What should I do?

Until recently I have not had any issues with my four-year-old Nissan X-Trail TL that is until February when it would not start after being left for two hours after a drive out of Melbourne. An on-site check of the battery and fuses by the RACV indicated they were fine, I was told it would have to be towed to a workshop for further checks. I arranged for it to be towed to my Nissan dealer. But for nearly four weeks now I have been getting the runaround by the dealer and Nissan and no progress is being made on getting my car fixed. What can I do?

With reference to Trevor Barton's problem with an intermittent vibration in his 2005 Ford Falcon XR6 MkII (Carsguide, March 29), I had a similar experience with my 2004 BA Futura. I had the master cylinder replaced because the brakes were dragging and causing shuddering, but this did not fix the problem totally. I found that by putting my foot under the brake pedal and pulling back that it would release the brakes completely and this would stop the immediate shuddering. I told the mechanics at my dealer, but they could not find the problem. The brakes still shudder when going down a step hill in the country, but I cannot find a quick fix to this problem.

Last month the engine management light on my 2009 VW Jetta 2.0-litre turbo auto came on. On checking the dealer found an error code suggesting there was a problem with the intake manifold sensor. Further checks found that everything was ok with the sensor, but they suspected there was a wiring issue. They checked and found everything was ok, and cleared the codes. Within 15 km the light came back on! ? They then carried out a diagnostic check and found an internal fault with manifold sensor assembly. That was replaced and everything was reported as being ok. ? I have since done 600 km and the light hasn't come back on. By the time the work had been finished I had paid more than $1000, and when I asked about the work being done under warranty seeing as though the car had only done around 14,000 km, I was told "tough luck". Is this a common fault with VW engines? Should I approach VW Australia about meeting some of the costs under warranty.

I also experienced the shuddering auto problem reported by Trevor Westhorpe (Carsguide, March 22, 2013) with my 2008 Toyota Aurion. Initially the dealer would not accept that what I was experiencing was abnormal compared to other Camrys I had driven, but eventually a young dealer mechanic understood the problem and the car was sent to a transmission specialist. The report stated that the torque converter had wrong parts fitted. Bingo, the problem was gone and fixed under warranty, but it took four months for it to be fixed.

Two years ago I bought a 1983 Daihatsu Rocky. It had 320,000 km on it and the previous owner told me that it was on its second petrol motor. Do I need to change the timing chain on it? Could you tell me where I might get a workshop manual for it?