Car Servicing

Just recently I took my Commodore back to the dealer because it had a pinging problem. The result after it was checked was not good. It seems was that Holden has relaxed the tolerances on the pistons in the late model Commodores with the SIDI engine, which allows oil to get past the rings and gum up the motor with carbon. I'm concerned now that as the motor gets older the problem will get worse. I would love some feedback and I know lots of other Commodore owners who have had the same problem.

I would like to know why the battery warning light flashes on and off on my 2000 Toyota Camry. I have no trouble starting the car, the alternator belts appear to be okay, and the lights shine brightly. What could be causing the warning light to flicker?

I have taken my new Kia Cerato coupe back to my dealer because it has developed excessive lifter noise. The dealer has acknowledged there is a problem, but are unsure how to rectify it with Kia as apparently it is a common problem. Have you heard of this?

My mechanic recently noticed red stains on the block below the water pump on my 2008 Toyota Aurion AT-X, which has only done 21,306 km. He advised me to contact Toyota and to make a claim because of the low kilometres even though the warranty had expired. I did and Toyota offered to cover half of the $303 cost of parts leaving me to pay for the eight hours of labour, which would be approximately $1000. I contacted Toyota customer relations and was told that they would review the claim, but they haven't replied yet. Should I accept their offer?

My 1998 Holden Vectra has been plagued with a problem ever since it first broke down in 2010 when a faulty camshaft sensor was replaced. Three different mechanics have not been able to rectify it. The first day after the repair, in 2010 the car would stall at the lights unless the air conditioning was left on. I was told by the mechanic that the car just needed to 'get used to the new device', but over time the problem has become worse. The car now occasionally stalls while stationary regardless, but just as frustrating, the revving on the tachometer is inconsistently high, which is making it harder to brake as it feels like the car is pulling against me. Usually after freeway driving but also uphill driving, the revs sit around just over 1000 when stationary and the car sounds loud and shakes a bit. In neutral it climbs between 1500-2000 revs, again, far too high. Finally, on the freeway the revs tend to drop away sharply rather than smoothly when I take my foot off the acceleration pedal, leading to a sharp loss of speed and problems trying to keep a consistent speed. Do you have any ideas on what the problem might be?

If my 2003 BA Ford Fairmont Ghia is left unused for about five days, the battery goes flat. I have disconnected the electric brake controller, checked for a drain from the alternator, also the glove box and boot lights. My auto electrician has checked it over and also replaced the battery, but all to no avail. Do you have any ideas?

It appears that the timing chains fitted to Nissan Navaras and Pathfinders with YD25 engines are week and stretch, and in most cases break with the valves hitting the pistons. The result is usually a replacement engine costing $7000-$12,000. Two friends I know have had this happen and many more I know of as well. I have phoned Nissan and have been told that it does occur, but it depends on whom you talk to at Nissan as to how bad it is. The thing is that my Navara has less than 12 months warranty left and if it blows after that I have no leg to stand on when it comes to warranty. I have only done 32,000 km, but my friend's Navara only did 28,000 km when the chain broke and totally destroyed the engine. Chains should last the life of the car, don't you think?

A squeak developed in the front suspension of my new Holden Colorado soon after I took delivery of it in early October. I asked them to fix it at the 3000 km service and they did manage to quieten it for a short time, but it returned soon after and gradually worsened. I took it in again late in November and was informed that the top shocker retainer plate and the shocker were damaged. No big deal I thought, but the service manager informed me that there were none of these components in Australia, and it would be late December before they even arrived in the country. Meanwhile my 4wd sits in their workshop for at least a month. They did give me a car to drive, but I need a vehicle with a tow bar, and they informed me that they have no vehicle with a towbar, inconveniencing me greatly. Later I spoke to a guy in the know about the Colorado and he said it was widespread, and that Holden had 30 new shockers imported, and they were all used up the same day. Have you heard anything about this problem before?

We bought our first big family car about a year ago, a Kia Sorento V6 auto. It just had its first service and the service man told me a big service once a year is all fine, but if we don't do a oil and filter change every six months there would be serious problems with build-up of thick oil in the engine and it would probably need a new engine just after the 5-year warranty was up. He said it was a fault with the way the engine was designed. Is this a ploy for extra income, or are his facts incorrect? Could you please put my mind at rest?

The auto transmission in my 2012 Nissan Navara ST dual-cab 4WD diesel doesn't like to change down gears easily, and gets to the stage where the car starts to shudder before it will change. It is worse when towing a load; the extra load really makes it shudder. Sometimes it will get down to about 1200 rpm before it changes. This is starting to cause rattles in the car. The dealer said to control the gear changes myself using the semi-auto shift feature, but I shouldn't need to. What do you think?