Car Servicing

My 6 months old Suzuki Swift is a great drive, but it wanders. I've had it wheel aligned and adjusted the tyre pressures, but it made no difference. Any ideas?

We purchased a new Suzuki SX4 in 2013 as a city car for my wife. It is a great car, absolutely reliable, easy to drive and comfortable. In just over two years it has done 10,000 km and my only gripe is Suzuki's 6-monthly capped price service intervals, which in our case has meant four services in 10,000 km. The dealer has only advised us that it is important to observe service intervals despite low km with vague references to warranty matters. We plan to keep the car for many years, what would you recommend for our long term service needs based on 5000-6000 km per year.

The automatic transmission in my 2011 Holden Cruze CD, which has 86,000 km on the clock, has failed and I have had it diagnosed by my Holden dealer who informed me the problem was the gearbox and needs replacing. Total cost for parts and labor is $6000. My car is out of warranty, but I want Holden to shoulder the expenses as it is just unbelievable for a car to have a problem with its gearbox considering its age and the km it has run. My service advisor e-mailed Holden, so too have I, but so far they haven't replied. I can't pay $6000 for that problem. What can I do?

What's the problem, or should I say problems with my 2006 Holden Barina when the engine light comes on, the engine revs drop and the engine stalls, there's reduced engine power, it smells like something is burning and sometimes doesn't start? Please help!

For the past 12 months I have had trouble with the emissions light coming on, staying on, and then losing all power in my 2007 Holden Epica CDX. Different mechanics have checked it and come up with different answers, now I am being told that it could be a computer problem and have been quoted over $1500 to repair it. Has anyone else had similar problems?

My 2014 VF Commodore SSV ute has given nothing but trouble. So far there’s been a new auto transmission, the bluetooth unit has been replaced, so too has the navigation unit and the steering lock module. Are these common problems, or have I bought a lemon?

The auto in my 2013 Ford Fiesta started shuddering between the 15,000 km and 30,000 km services. I have so far taken it in twice and both times I've been told that no issues were found and that it is the way I drive the car. It shudders and takes a few seconds to change gears and also makes a strange metallic rattling noise heard loudest near the left front passenger wheel. It almost sounds like something is coming loose.

I purchased a new 2013 Ford Fiesta automatic in 2013. Ever since I purchased it I've had experienced with oil leaking and shuddering. It's been in and out of the Ford dealer’s five times and all they seem to do is replace seals/rocker cover gaskets and reset the computer. They have replaced the clutch twice, but that hasn't helped. The car will be three years old in March and it's still leaking oil and shuddering. The shuddering is now really bad and there is also a really loud scratching noise when changing gears. I understand that Ford has extended the warranty on the transmission system for another two years, but I can't keep taking the car back every six months for the same problem. What can I do?

I have been told that I need new brake pads for my 2011 Holden Cruze at 55,000 km, which is acceptable, but I have also been told that it is standard to have to replace the rotors every time the pads are done. Is this advice correct or just a money grab from Holden? They have quoted me $715 to replace both. They also quoted me $79 to replace the headlamp bulb, which I also thought was ridiculous.

I have a 2009 FG Falcon with only 61,000km on the clock. I bought the car from a dealer and have always had it serviced by the dealer. The other day it started making strange sounds and the revs started jumping. I took it to the dealer where the foreman mechanic gave a wry smile and said "I don't even need to take this for a test drive, I know what it will be." He lifted the bonnet and checked the transmission fluid and showed me that it was milky. He explained that the oil cooler had ruptured contaminating all my fluids and trashing my 6-speed auto gearbox. They are charging me $7300 for repairs, which includes an "exchange" gearbox and presumably a new oil cooler – but most likely in the same configuration. I've since come to realize that this is a design fault that was never recalled. I am really quite upset this has been a known issue for many years, and I feel cheated. I look after my car, I don't drive many kilometres, I don't hoon around, and the car is always in a lock-up garage. Having to fork out $7k+ in repairs due to a design fault regardless of warranty periods fails my pub test. The trade-in value is around the same as the repair cost. After all these years of the oil cooler being a well documented and well known fault, I would like to know where it has got up to in terms of consumer complaints/or class actions. What options have others pursued on this matter? Do I just smile and hand over my hard-earned?