Car Servicing

A friend of ours recently purchased a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Today she showed my wife how the roof of the Jeep has virtually exploded outward and also inward. In other words, it's gone completely out of shape. It did it all at once with a loud bang. Have you ever heard of this before? Just trying to help a friend.

 

I have a 2005 Nissan Navara D40 that is unable to shift gears when vehicle is travelling above 80 km/hr. I recently had the clutch master and slave cylinder replaced. How can I fix it?

I have a 1996 Mitsubishi Magna V6 Altera Sports sedan, and I need to replace the broken horn with a new working one. Problem is I can't find the thing under the bonnet. Can you tell me where to look and how do I replace the horn, and do I need a doctorate in economics to do it myself? Please note, I am not a mechanic or enjoy fiddling with my car, but sometimes needs must.

I have a 1996 Mitsubishi Magna V6 Altera Sports sedan, and I need to replace the broken horn with a new working one. Problem is I can't find the thing under the bonnet. Can you tell me where to look and how do I replace the horn, and do I need a doctorate in economics to do it myself? Please note, I am not a mechanic or enjoy fiddling with my car, but sometimes needs must.

I have a 2012 VW Polo 1.6 TDI and the gearbox has failed. I have been advised that the linkages have ceased and require a gearbox rebuild. The car has travelled 94,000 km. Is this a common, or an abnormal fault?

Ignore them at your peril, you could miss important pointers to a problem, ones that if left to develop could develop into serious problems and possibly cost you thousands of dollars in repairs.Checking your car's vitals doesn't take long, so spend a minute or two each week to check the engine oil and the coolant level, it could literally save thousands of dollars in the long term.Before you open the bonnet open the owner's manual and read up on the things the manufacturer recommends you should check on a regular basis.Most owner's manuals will contain a diagram of the engine compartment pointing out the main things you need to find. It will not only show you where to find them, it will also show you what they look like.First park your car on a flat spot, don't attempt to check the oil when the car is parked on a slope, up or down, or side-to-side.The engine shouldn't be running while you do your check.The best time to check your engine oil is when the engine is cold. That way the oil will have drained back from the top of the engine into the sump and you will get the most accurate reading of the amount of oil in your engine.If you check it after the engine has warmed-up turn the engine off and wait a few minutes so the oil has a chance to run back into the sump. Checking after you've paid for fuel at the servo is a realistic scenario.The oil level should always be between the two linesAfter locating the engine oil dipstick remove it, wipe it clean, reinsert it, and remove it again.There are two lines scribed on the dipstick. The higher one shows the level the oil should be when the engine is full. The lower one is shows when oil needs to be added. The oil level should always be between the two lines.The gap between the two lines usually represents one litre of oil. This is worth double checking in your owner's manual though, as this figure can vary.Check your owner's manual to find out where you should add oil, do not try to add it through the dipstick tube. You will find a cap on the top of the engine; remove it and add the oil through that.Add oil once the level has dropped to the lower line, do not let it drop any lower. Do not add more oil than is needed to reach the full line.Use the gap between the two lines as a guide to know how much to put in. Do not use the lines as a measure while pouring, as it takes some time for oil to drain down to the sump and can easily result in overfilling and cause expensive damage.To find out what oil is recommended by your carmaker refer to the owner's manual, which will give you the appropriate grade of oil.There are many brands of oil you could use; the important thing is to use the correct grade.If you are unsure ask for help from your mechanic, or at your local auto store.Most cars today use a separate coolant reservoir located alongside the radiator. Refer to your owner's manual to find out where it is on your car.Before you actually check the coolant, check the markings on the reservoir.The coolant should only be checked when the engine has cooled down, checking when the engine is hot is dangerous, and can result in severe burns.With the engine cooled down the coolant should come up to the line on the reservoir marked COLD. If it's below that line add enough coolant to bring it up to the line. Don't add more than that, it will only be lost through the overflow.It's very important that you use the correct coolant as recommended by your carmaker. To find out what that is refer to your owner's manual.Do not add water alone. Coolant is a mix of water, anti-freeze and corrosion inhibitor. Adding water alone could lead to freezing in low temperatures, such as when you go to the snowfields in winter, and it could cause corrosion in the alloy parts of your engine.You can buy coolant at your local service station or auto store and mix it yourself, or you can buy pre-mixed coolant that doesn't need to be mixed.While you've got the bonnet open check the level of fluid in the windscreen washer reservoir.Refer to your owner's manual to find out where the reservoir is situated.Fill the reservoir with a mix of water and anti-freeze or windscreen cleaning solution as per the carmaker's recommendations. Refer to the owner's manual if you're unsure of what they are.Anti-freeze is used to prevent the windscreen washers from freezing in cold conditions, so never add water alone.

In days of yore, when vehicles were simple, it was quite common for men, and women, who liked the feeling of oil on their skin and tools in their hands to do simple car maintenance, like changing oil and filters, themselves.In the modern world, however, this has become something of an anachronism, partly because oil changes just aren’t required quite as often, and partly because we all just tend to get out cars serviced regularly by professionals.If you want to change the oil yourself in your Toyota Corolla, however, because you’re a DIY kind of person, you’ll need to know how often to change the oil and the oil filter. You might not want to try and do the whole service yourself, because a mechanic at a service centre is going to be better equipped and know more about your car’s specifications.As far as changing Toyota Corolla oil goes, however, you’ll need to know what type of oil it needs, and how often to change that oil. Our helpful tables will allow you to work this out, because there are an awful lot of Corollas and things do change over the years and model changes.What we can tell you in simple terms is that you need to change oil on a Toyota Corolla every six months, or 10,000km, whichever one comes first, and that the instructions for doing so will be in the manual included with your car.That was the case with Corollas sold right up until last year, and if you’ve got a 2018 model Corolla hatch, you can take it easy, because your oil only needs changing every 12 months or 15,000km.Your 2018 Toyota Corolla will require 4.6 litres of oil if you’re also changing the oil filter, or 4.3 litres if you’re not.If you have a 2018 or 2019 Corolla Hybrid you also get the 12 months/15,000km change period, and you’ll need 4.2 litres with the filter or 3.9 litres without.All Corollas of model years up to and including 2017 will need 4.2 litres of oil with the filter change, or 3.9 litres without.Obviously Toyota gives you both of those figures because you can choose to replace the filter or not, but it is recommended that you change the oil filter with each oil change.  If I want to change the oil myself, how do I do it?Here are the details, from our own resident mechanical expert, Iain Kelly:As with any maintenance task, if you're unsure of completing it successfully, our best advice is to use the services of a professional mechanic. If an oil change isn't done correctly, you risk significant mechanical and financial damage, along with serious safety concerns.If you're hell bent on giving it a go yourself, the process for changing the oil in a Corolla is the same as pretty much any other car. Look up what grade of oil your car needs and how much oil capacity it has, all of which is listed in your owner's manual, and purchase a brand new oil filter. Drive the car for approximately 10 minutes to ensure the oil is warm as this makes it easier to drain. Park the car on a level surface, open the bonnet and loosen the oil filler cap so it is just resting on top of the filler tube, then slide a drain tray underneath your engine. There will be a small flap in the undertray to be undone so you can access the oil drain plug with a ring spanner or socket. Undo the sump plug with a wrench, being careful not to burn yourself as the hot oil rushes out into the drain tray. Let it drain for 10 minutes, then do up the sump plug with a new washer and being careful not to over-tighten the plug - do it snug, then turn it another quarter-turn. Slide the drain pan under the oil filter and remove this again being cautious to not splash hot oil on yourself. Before installing the new oil filter check the rubber seal came off with the old filter, then smear a little fresh oil on the new filter's rubber seal before winding it on and doing it up a quarter-turn past snug. Fill the engine with fresh oil as per the owner's manual. Once you have replaced the oil filler cap and confirmed there is no oil leaking out, start the engine, let it warm up and then check the oil level as per the above procedure. If you cannot reach under your car to undo the oil filter or sump drain plug, use the factory jacking points recommended in the owner's manual to lift the car off the ground at the front and rear, lifting the front first, and use four weight-rated chassis stands to support the car at the factory recommended support points. Do not use the scissor jack in the boot for this job. What do I do if the engine oil-pressure-warning light comes on?This is bad. Not just “oh, there’s a warning light” bad, but quite worryingly bad. Do not pass Go, do not drive until you find a Toyota dealer. Pull over, stop your car in a safe place and call your roadside assistance provider, Toyota dealer, or your mechanic, for advice, because if the oil pressure is too low you could be about to destroy your engine. And that’s expensive.  Checking the oil level1. Park the vehicle on level ground. After turning off the engine, wait more than five minutes for the oil to drain back into the bottom of the engine. 2. Hold a rag under the end and pull the dipstick out. 3. Wipe the dipstick clean. 4. Flat dipstick: Reinsert the dipstick fully. Non flat dipstick: Reinsert the non-flat dipstick fully with its protruding areas pointing towards the engine. 5. Holding a rag under the end, pull the dipstick out and check the oil level. 6. Wipe the dipstick and reinsert it fully. N.B. There are two oil level markings, the one near the end is the 'low' indicator, the one further up the dipstick is the 'full' indicator.  2007 to 2013 Sedan / 2010 to 2013 Hatch and Sedan 2010 - 2013 Sedan / 2012 - 2017 Hatch, Sedan 2010 to current Hatch 2013 to current Sedan† If you use SAE 10W-30 or a higher viscosity engine oil in extremely low temperatures, the engine may become difficult to start, so SAE 5W-30 or lower viscosity engine oil is recommended. 2015 to 2018 Corolla Hybrid 2016 to current Hatch* Recommended viscosity (SAE): If you use SAE 10W-30 or a higher viscosity engine oil in extremely low temperatures, the engine may become difficult to start, so SAE 0W-20, 5W-20 or 5W-30 engine oil is recommended. Oil viscosity (0W-20 is explained here as an example):The 0W portion of the oil viscosity rating indicates the characteristic of the oil which allows cold startability. Oils with a lower value before the W allow for easier starting of the engine in cold weather. The 20 in 0W-20 indicates the viscosity characteristic of the oil when the oil is at high temperature. An oil with a higher viscosity (one with a higher value) may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions. 

I have a 2003 Holden Astra. I've owned the car since new when purchased from a dealer. The temp gauge is always running at a ¼, but would increase to 1/2 on a hot day or sitting in traffic on a hot day. Would cool driving on freeway. Recently the timing belt and water pump were replaced. Nothing wrong with water pump, but mechanic insisted on replacing it. Temp gauge now at 1/2 in normal operation, and increases to 3/4 when sitting in traffic. Mechanic tells me this is normal, but after my 15 years of owner operating experience, I don't think it is normal.

My 2010 Holden Barina Spark runs rough due to piston misfire. I've had various mechanics (including a Holden dealer) try to fix the problem. They've replaced all four ignition coils twice and individual ones two or three times (11 new coils in less than 3 years at least). They've replaced spark plugs, fuel injectors and who knows what else. Now they want to replace more coils. The typical scenario is they do the computer scan, say cylinder four is misfiring, replace the coil and then say cylinder three (even though that did not come up on the original scan) is misfiring and needs to be replaced, and so it goes. Is it possible that there is an underlying problem and that they are only treating the symptoms? Is there an advice line where you can refer these specific problems? This has cost thousands and they are just guessing. The current mechanic has had my car in his shop for over two weeks. One mechanic said it would cost them a million dollars to find the problem. Would it be better to take the car to the scrapyard?

The transmission warning light in my 2008 Mitsubishi Triton is flashing. What does it mean?