Car Servicing

I had a small mishap with my 2015 Holden Trax and damaged the tailgate. When I went to repair it I discovered that the "fold-over" is not metal but a form of white filler, which is soft if you dig into it with a fingernail. I bought this car new. It would seem to be a fruitless exercise for a maker to lay on a non-supportive bit of gunk like that. Is this normal in the manufacture of this car, or have I been bunged a rebuild of some kind?

Do you have any information on a horizontal vibration in the 2015/2016 Toyota Landcruiser 200 series automatic at about 103km/h? I believe Toyota have had technicians from Japan in Australia testing cars but have no fix at this time, and they are not much interested in disclosing this problem normally, saying it a tyre issue, or some other excuse. I believe this fault maybe much more common but it seems that Toyota are not talking about it much. Have other readers asked similar questions previously?

I want to get the specifications for a 2008 Toyota Corolla Aurion.

My 2014 Hyundai Accent has a whirring noise under the dashboard near the steering column. When I had my first 12-month service at 9582 km at an authorised Hyundai dealer they said that the noise was the power steering motor and that it was normal. Now I have a clicking noise when turning the steering wheel in either direction. I wasn't happy with previous Hyundai dealer, so I went to another one and they said it was a faulty indicator stalk assembly and they would order said part in. After three weeks and me chasing them they replaced the indicator stalk assembly, but the noise is still there. The workshop foreman took me for a test drive and he said there is nothing to worry about. I sent an email to Hyundai head office reporting the fault to no avail. In my opinion the noise is not right, I don't know what to do next, could you help me in any way please?

I recently purchased a 2012 Kia Sportage Platinum. When we test-drove the car it seemed to veer off to the left. The sales person explained that it probably needed a wheel alignment as new tyres had been put on. We agreed to purchase the car on the proviso the steering would be fixed. Upon picking up the car, the steering was still veering strongly to the left. We took it back. After six weeks of the dealership investigating and tweaking the car's adjustments, checking alignments, cambers they have advised that there is nothing wrong with the car and that the steering to the left was a characteristic of the 2012 Sportage. Personally, I don't feel safe driving it as I feel I am constantly correcting the steering wheel. It feels like I am driving the car on its side. The steering also feels a little 'loose' and doesn't respond well. They advised that the car has an EPS system and that's what they are like. The steering also feels heavy, but I'm assuming this is because of the AWD. I have never experienced such steering and am worried. Surely this is not right? Are there any known steering issues with these cars?

When I select maps in my 2007 Toyota Kluger Grande it displays a message "DVD door open, shut door and re select", but it doesn't have a DVD player and nothing I do will allow me access to maps. Any suggestions how to fix this?

I bought a new 2016 Ford Ranger PK11 in March and replaced the tub with an alloy tray. In June I noticed it was listing to the left and the suspension was flat. The dealer said they could do nothing because I changed the tray, but the tray was probably lighter than the tub and used the same contact points on the back. Ford's customer care also told me nothing could be done and they blatantly refused to deal with the problem. I emailed complaining about their complaints shut down. I was then advised to take the car in a second time and they would download all computer specs and get back to me. Nearly five weeks later I have received no information, and again I was advised to take it to Ford and at my cost have the tray removed and the original tub restored. No reasons were given, except it would be about $900. I have sent another email to Ford customer care asking why the tub needed to be refitted. My thinking is if the tray is alloy, and it has not been overloaded – and it hasn't – then why not fix the suspension regardless of what tub/tray is on the back. Where do you suggest we go now?

My 2013 Toyota RAV4 has been burning an excessive amount of engine oil since around the 10,000km mark. I have been back to Toyota every 5000 km to have the numbers measured in line with the Toyota standard protocol. The dealership also had the vehicle for a week to replace the pistons and rings under warranty, but I still have the issue. I am now going to sell the vehicle because I am fed up with the issue, but do not feel comfortable selling the vehicle's problem onto someone else. I have logged a case with Toyota Australia and have hounded the dealership to fix the problem. This has been a very bad experience and now I am being financially impacted due to the vehicle being a lemon and the lack of urgency on taking action by the dealership. What do I need to do to get some light on the issue? Who can help me raise this further up the tree?

I own one of those Powershift-gearboxed Focus models. At the weekend I was investigating buying a new car when a Ford salesman told me that the Ford engineers have come up with a permanent resolution to these failing gearboxes. He claims that the Ford engineers have worked out a way to adapt the currently faultless wet-clutch clutch plates fitted to the diesel models to somehow fit them in place of the dry clutch clutch plates. He claims this fixes the Powershift gearbox issues permanently. I don't know if this is meant to be a secret. Could you confirm through your contacts whether what he is saying is true and correct and get the exact details?

I have a 2009 Hyundai i30 manual diesel wagon that I have owned since 50,000 km. At 55,000 km the turbo developed the distinct whine, which I found out was a sign of an imminent failure. I fought with Hyundai to have the turbo replaced for months and finally had it replaced at 95,000 km. I have now done 155,000 km and the turbo is starting to make the same noise again. I have read that turbo failures are often caused by other problems with the engine. Hyundai only replaced the turbo under warranty and didn't do any investigation. I've been told I would need to spend up to $4000 to have a full inspection and replacement done to determine what is causing the turbo to fail. The car is well out of warranty. What should I do from here?