Car Servicing

As requested by Mitsubishi we took the Triton with the sagging springs to our nearest dealer to have it inspected by a company rep. The dealer service manager told us that the vehicle was within Mitsubishi Aust specs and suggested that we contacted Mitsubishi customer service to lodge our concerns. The dealer also offered to assist us if we wished to repair the rear suspension our own cost. The vehicle was loaded when we took it in and there was no comment regarding the way it was loaded or the load it was carrying, but we never got to meet the Mitsubishi rep. Subsequently I had a phone call from Customer Service at Mitsubishi Adelaide who told me their Regional Service Manager had inspected the vehicle and that his decision was final, which was that the vehicle wasn't designed to carry the loads we carry, and that there was ill distribution of the load. She went on to say that Mitsubishi has appointed a new CEO and that things were tight and that they were not prepared to share some of the cost, as everybody would want them to do the same for them. I told her that we had purchased the vehicles in good faith from a dealer who was told what we wanted to carry and the type of work the vehicle would be doing. I asked what would happen to our vehicle warranty if we fitted aftermarket springs, and she said it would not affect the overall vehicle warranty, only the springs. We plane to pursue this issue and will keep the pressure on from our end.

We recently purchased at auction a four-year-old ex-government Toyota Aurion with apparently a poor service history and 75,000 km on the clock. First inspection of the oil filler cap revealed a congealed glug of old oil. The motor began to spew white smoke out of the exhaust after standing for some time, but more embarrassingly we can hear a very tinny clatter, clatter, clatter coming from the motor, and there's a plume of smoke that completely engulfs the car behind. The Toyota dealer recommended taking it on a long run and to then change the oil and oil filter. Did that and no change, no improvement, so off to another mechanic with diagnostic equipment and he changes the oil again and puts in engine flush. Still no improvement. On the long trip the motor used four litres over the 800 km.

My 1998 Honda CRV seems to be misfiring. I have replaced the ignition coil and the ignition module, the spark plugs and fuel injection cleaner, but the engine still misfires and shakes. Other than this it seems to perform normally. The service workshop believed the problem could be solved by "R&R cylinder head for reconditioning" which would cost about $2000. I am very reluctant to spend such money on a 15-year-old car. What do you think is causing the misfiring and whether I can ignore the misfiring and continue using the car?

My 1984 VK Holden Berlina EFI runs well in a straight line, but when I go around a corner it cuts out and stutters! What do you think the problem is?

I recently had my 2010 Toyota Hilux SR5 diesel in for the 40,000 km service and was asked to bring it in the night before, as they needed to check valve clearances while cold. The following morning I got a call telling me the shims and buckets needed re-shimming/ replacing. I was then told that this was a wear-and-tear item and wouldn't be covered by their fixed price servicing or warranty. They have quoted two to three days to do the work at a cost of approx. $800. I can't believe an internal part on a diesel engine could be considered a wear item and especially after 40,000 km. Do you think it is reasonable that it's not covered under the warranty or standard servicing?

The speedo in my 2011 Holden Colorado shows 110 km/h when the actual speed is 102 km/h. Apparently this is within the law, but makes it very annoying to drive. According to the dealer nothing can be done to correct the problem, and, as they have parted ways with Isuzu, Isuzu have washed their hands of it. Can the speedo be adjusted at all, or do I have to just put up with it? I have read that some owners are fitting larger diameter tyres to minimise the problem, but this seems an expensive option for a small gain. As a side to this, it could lead to road rage problems, where a driver thinks they are doing the speed limit, but is actually doing well under the shown speed.

Ten days after our 2009 Mazda 3 ran out of warranty on the 21st of October 2012 we took it back to the dealer as it was hard to take the auto transmission shift lever out of park to select reverse. The gear lever kept locking into park. Mazda fixed the problem stating that it was a poor electrical connection. I asked if they would consider this under warranty, but the service manager flatly refused my request and they refused to let us take the car until the bill was paid. I thought that a bit of give and take on this was warranted, and I thought it was a harsh call by the service manager. He would not budge on the issue. Where can we go to complain?

I've been told the cam-timing belt on my 2005 2.0-litre Subaru Liberty, which has done 100,000 km needs to be changed at the next service. I've also been told when that's being done I also need to change the water pump as it's a sealed unit, and if not done it could cause big trouble later on. I've been quoted about $400 for the water pump, is this correct?

When I took my 2011 Hyundai iX35 in for its 45,000 km service I was told that the brakes only had 1-1.5 mm left on the pads and the discs had a lip and that they could not guarantee they could machine and leave sufficient disc thickness. This makes the car just about unroadworthy. The dealer sent a warranty repair request to Hyundai and their response is that this is normal wear and not their problem. At no time when I took the car in for its 15,000 and 30,000 km services did the dealer say that the brakes were wearing and would need to be replaced before the 45,000 km service. After paying $531 for the service, they wanted another $860 for the replacement of the front pads and discs. I've a quote for $540 from Brakes Plus and I'll be going there for the work and they assure me I'll get better than 45,000 km out of them. I'll also be looking to get the car serviced elsewhere from now on, and I'll certainly not be recommending Hyundai to friends and family in the future.

I was travelling home from work last week in my 2008 ML Mitsubishi Triton 4 x4 and when I applied the brakes it sounded like I needed new brake pads. When I checked I noticed that the casting had snapped around each mounting bolt for the caliper. I have owned this car from new, it has been regularly serviced by a Mitsubishi dealer, has never been involved in an accident and has been well looked after. The car has just come out of warranty and to replace this caliper will set me back around $650 for a new one. I would expect a brake caliper to last the life of the car, so am I being unreasonable to approach Mitsubishi and ask them to cough up some of the replacement cost if not all?