Car Servicing

Are Nissan Qashqai parts expensive?

I have a 2011 Ford Focus Titanium that we bought six months ago. It recently came up with the warning 'Limited Transmission’ and went into limp mode. I've now seen there is an issue with the Powershift drive, but does this also include the diesel? I have booked it into a Ford service centre, but don't know what my rights are if they try to make me pay for it when it is really an issue they should be dealing with.

I have been quoted a price for my next service on a 2014 Hyundai Accent, which is $110 dearer than my capped price service fee despite this being a normal scheduled service as outlined in my owner's manual. As yet I have not heard back from Hyundai and I am wondering why they are not honouring their agreement. Capped price servicing and warranty provisions were deciding factors in my original purchase.

How can I fix the fuel pump on my '95 Toyota Tarago?

A dash light, which depicts a vehicle with squiggly lines. I had the mechanic clear the code c1406 and it came back two days later. I would turn off my 2014 Jeep Cherokee and it would reset. It is now back on and won't reset, the service 4WD warning has come up too and it won't let me engage cruise control and forward collision no longer activates.

My 1998 XH Falcon XR6 ute kicks over, but dies shortly with low revs. I was advised that it could be a sensor, but don’t know which one?

My 2010 VW CC was recently serviced (150,000 km) and I asked for an intermittent fault in the reversing camera to be diagnosed. I was asked if I wanted the emission update fitted, which I declined until legal action against VGA is finalised. The vehicle was returned with camera and park sensors disabled as diagnosis identified a damaged wire loom to the camera. The replacement cost was $1100. I’m not happy, as I asked for a diagnosis only, so after much back and forth between the dealer and VGA, a three-way cost share was agreed. VGA refused to warrant the wire harness due to the vehicle exceeding the presumed life (7years). After waiting for parts to arrive from Germany it turns out the camera control module was faulty. There was no offer from the dealer or VGA for assistance. I collected the car and the engine warning light came on. Exhaust manifold swirl control identified as culprit. Cost to replace was $1100 for full manifold. Item not sold individually by VGA. Find OEM part number for the item available on line and discussed with dealership re fitting. No worries, they said, we can do that for you as 'goodwill' due to camera costs. I wait for the component to arrive and delivered the vehicle to the dealer. I was then told that that was not the problem, that it’s the fan control module. Cost $1200. Faults cleared and let’s see what happens next. I discussed with the dealership the purchase of my own diagnostic unit to minimise visits to dealership to have warning lights turned off. Before it arrived the vehicle has displayed a variety of randoM faults including dash lights randomly going off, Cruise control difficult to engage, engine warning light coming and going. Seems to me that all these issues have occurred since I was given a false diagnosis of the original problem and that VW's solution is for me to continue to replace suspect items until they get it right. VGA accepts no responsibility. Now the dealer has offered a super
lowball price as a trade-in. As if I'll be buying another VW product. I’m extremely disappointed with this the third dealership I have used since purchasing the car, although I do have a good relationship with the service manager at this time. VGA have been uncooperative in all dealings I’ve had with them. Can you offer any suggestions to rectify these on going problems?

They’re the box of sparks which make your car work, but car batteries are filled with mystery for many people. Actually, they're a fairly basic piece of technology that you’ll probably have to work with at some point.In car nerd-speak they are a rechargeable 12-volt lead-acid battery made of six cells and are only designed to send a high-output charge to the starter motor to start the car’s engine, after which the alternator recharges the electrical system.A car battery also provides overflow power when the draw from running multiple electrical features at once, like radio, lights, wipers, and heater in poor weather at night, is high.Batteries were first fitted in the 1920s in six volt format, before stepping up to today’s 12-volt format in the 1950s with the rise in complexity and performance of the then-current vehicles.Just like smartphones and high-end electronics, the lithium car battery has now become a far more common fitment in late-model cars thanks to their improved life-cycle, power, compact size, light weight, better environmental efficiency, and cheaper production costs.Historically, batteries needed electrolyte refills but these days they don’t need to be topped up. Some cars also come with a thermal blanket around their battery to minimise maintenance, and promote longevity.Batteries are affected most by long periods of inactivity and also extreme cold conditions. This is why most manufacturers make a lot of noise about the Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) of each battery, as a quick reference to work out how much cranking power the battery has, which tells you how well it will start your car depending if it has a large or small engine.Batteries can be upgraded to take into account aftermarket accessories fitted to cars which draw more current, like spotlights, winches, or even large aftermarket stereos. Serious off-road 4x4s will often run a second battery to handle these accessories. While marine and truck batteries used to be the upgrade to handle heavy duty applications, those batteries are huge, expensive and very, very heavy. Today, high-tech aftermarket batteries are very compact, lightweight 'dry-cell' units from companies like Braille, or Odyssey. These units, which can even be mounted lying down, are also extremely expensive at four or five-times the price of a stock lead-acid battery. You can also get 'deep-cycle' batteries from companies like Optima, which are designed to handle long periods of inactivity or long periods of cranking. Again, cost is a significant drawback to these batteries.Car battery prices generally range from $75 up to $1500. Cost and cranking amps are only two factors to take into account when working out the best car battery for you – there is no specific best car battery to simply go and buy. Most auto parts stores will have a guide to suggest what specific battery your car needs, and then it is simply a job of swapping those batteries over.Some batteries will have their positive and negative terminals in different positions, and the terminals can range in size from small to large. This is why, for the average vehicle, it is best to go to auto parts store, who will have a specific battery listing for your vehicle.At some point we will all have to deal with a flat battery, when the car won’t even crank or have any lights on the dash. There are several options to getting your car restarted, depending on how the battery has lost its charge. The way most Aussies will be familiar with involves 'jumper leads', which you attach to another car’s battery terminals as well as your own flat battery. You do this by matching positive and negative terminals.It is important to read your car’s manual as some modern cars need to have the ground strap on the flat car attached to a special fitting in the engine bay. Some cars have special points under the engine bay to attach the jumper leads to, so read the manual to double-check how you should connect the jumper leads.With the other car running at above idle speed while connected you should be able to start the car with the flat battery. It is important to then drive the car for at least 30 minutes to allow the battery to recharge.If you have a car that spends a lot of time at home in the garage not driving you can buy what is called a trickle charger. Costing under $300 these units plug into a wall outlet and will gradually recharge or maintain the charge in your car’s battery. Again, you should read the manual to find out if you attach to the battery or an auxiliary point.Installation of a new battery is simple, taking under an hour, and requires only basic hand tools. Car battery replacement can even be done in the carpark of an auto parts store!1.    Check the manual for the location of your car’s battery. Most are in the engine bay but some are behind seats or in the luggage compartment.2.    Remove the battery blanket if the vehicle has one.3.    Most cars will need a spanner or socket to loosen the battery terminals. 4.    Once the terminals are able to be lifted off, tuck them aside.5.    You can then undo the battery clamp, or tie-down, and lift the battery out.6.    The new battery and tie-down can then be fitted, and terminals reconnected.

My 2010 BMW 120i coupe uses a lot of oil. It idles perfectly, runs without missing, has power, but smoke comes from the exhaust when I decelerate and when sitting at lights, or stationary, but not when I am accelerating. Any ideas please?

Tesla announced today that it would expand service capacity by 30 per cent globally and roll out a fleet of in-house roaming service vehicles.