Car Servicing

Mazda recommends maintenance at 10,000 km intervals, but what impact on my 2013 Mazda 2 engine could be expected from a gap in maintenance over a 2-year 4-month period from 18,000 km to 36,000 km?

Currently my 2013 Subaru XV engine lights are all flashing. The cruise control, hill assist and all other features have ceased to work. The car shudders upon take off and otherwise drives fine with no noise. I have seen two mechanics and have been told it needs a new transmission, is this correct?

Can I put the radiator and thermostat from a VX S pack into a V6 VZ Commodore?

I have been quoted $4000 to replace the clutch in my 2011 Renault Koleos. Is that right?

My 2010 Holden Cruze will not drive, it will only reverse. I was told that this is a common issue with the Cruze, and that I should contact Holden directly. What would you recommend? If fixing it myself is the best option, how much would it cost?

My 2010 Holden Cruze’s transmission was replaced in 2012, but it went again two weeks ago. The Holden Dealer assessed it, and has told me they would replace the transmission for free, but I would have to pay for the labour. Is it normal to pay for the labour, or should Holden be paying for this?

On a hot day, say high 30 degrees C and above, our daughter’s 2002 Holden Barina stops. You will be driving it and it just stops. I have been told it is the fuel with the heat. We keep the fuel topped up but it still breaks down. Once we let it sit for a few hours to cool down it will resume working. Can you make any suggestions please?

The steering on my 2011 Subaru Forster diesel becomes notchy with intermittent resistance and is very uncomfortable to drive when I drive long distances – 50 km or more – at a 100 km/h or more. This was first reported to my Subaru dealership in 2015 who couldn't fault the steering. It has recently happened again and much worse than before and like before, the Subaru service centre I took it to was unable to fault the steering. Any ideas?

I have a 2017 Ford Ranger XLT 3.2 with about 5660 km on the clock and having lots of issues with what I think is the transmission.

I am not a mechanic, but have driven 4x4 diesel autos for 30 years so know how they are supposed to work. My Ranger slides into gear with a slight vibration through floor.

I recently towed my 2 1/2 ton caravan with it; under load it is a lot rougher take your foot off the power after climbing a hill car is reluctant to change up to higher gear. Any ideas?

My brother and sister and I purchased a new 2013 Ford Focus Trend for our 65-year-old mother. The car was 18 months old when it encountered its first auto breakdown. At first they told her it was the way she was driving the car and made her look stupid. All up it has had four separate repairs including full transmission replacements, and after every time we were promised “the problem is definitely fixed this time”. It was in the workshop for weeks. The last and final straw for us was on Nov 11th 2017 when I got a phone call from my mother in tears, stuck in the middle of an intersection in Geelong with no gears. Long story short, the car is now at the dealership we bought it from (and who has done all the repairs). They have “repaired” the car for the fourth time and has been ready for pick up for two weeks but my mum, who is now 68-years-old, cannot and will not get back into that car! She is physically scared of the vehicle and gets visibly upset at the thought of it. The dealer has hand-balled it to Ford Australia and they have come back with an offer of an $8850 changeover cost to us to put her into a new car. Part of this equation was a trade-in valuation of a mere $5000 for her car, a Trend with 93,000 km and in great condition, apart from the obvious. I feel we are being kicked in the guts and aside from taking legal action we feel helpless with our options. We don't want this to drag out as mum’s state of health is a great concern. Do you have any advice on our next course of action?