Car Servicing

I own a 2013 Nissan Pulsar ST-S with the same engine as the Juke. When this car was new it had service intervals of 6 months/10,000km. The books that came with it also showed six-monthly servicing. But it's now 12 months/10,000km across Australia as Nissan has matched other brands. Just check and make sure the service sticker is correct, as I had to request another one this week as my local dealership had put the wrong date on it, still showing six-month servicing.

Is it normal for a mechanic to take a car home hoping it breaks down on the way so he can analyse what caused it to do so? That's what is happening with my Holden Cruze. I thought with the cars of today it could be done with a computer.

Having recently bought a new Nissan Juke (build date February 2015 so it's the refreshed update version), I took the car in for its checkover and then the fun began. "See you in six months," says the service guy. "Probably be longer," says I, a low-kilometre driver, and it could be closer to a year based on the service schedule. My pre-purchase research showed Nissan Australia had it at 10,000 kilometres or 12 months. "No," says the service guy, "Jukes are six months." We agreed to disagree and check our sources, then later he called to advise it was definitely six-month servicing. I've checked 20 dealers and it's a 50-50 split for warranty services. If dealers are split on what is correct, what hope do consumers have of knowing what's right?

I am the second owner of a 2011 VW Golf with 60,000km on the clock. I loved it until a couple of weeks ago when the catalytic converter light came on. Now, after two rounds of investigation the dealer can't explain the issue other than to advise the motor will need to be stripped to check the bores. Failing this it will need a brand new motor. It seems that for a luxury brand the VW vehicle range has some inherent issues. Have you ever heard of this catalytic converter issue with the Golf?

I’ve got a 1999 Holden Astra 1.6 16v 1999 and was wondering when should I change the cam belt? I have only driven 30,000km since last cam belt change, but it has been five years since it was changed. Should I change the belt since it is overdue even though I have such a low mileage?

It seems brands such as Subaru and Toyota, for instance, need to update their thinking regarding service intervals. Even Mazda now has 12 months/10,000km intervals and some European brands go as far as two years/24,000km. Do the brands sticking to 6 months/10,000km have a case, or is it just a policy to improve their dealers' profits?

It seems I am another member of the 2010 Cruze club for owners with a dodgy transmission. I purchased the car secondhand in 2014; it had complete Holden dealership logbook servicing and was immaculate. Since owning it I have continued to have it serviced at the Holden dealership, the most recent service was two weeks ago. Now my car will not engage drive or forward gears, reverse still engages, but no drive. After seeing other reports of the same problem, I contacted Holden’s head office and raised a case. I have a case manager, but at this stage they have not promised anything. I have to tow it to my Holden dealer for assessment and pay to have it assessed, with possible reimbursement pending what they find. What is the likelihood of Holden fixing this problem? It’s really disappointing to have a car fully serviced at the Holden dealership, relatively new, and in seemingly great condition to now have this issue.

I have just bought a new 2015 Nissan Pathfinder Ti 4WD, which is covered by a three-year warranty. I am keen on taking out extended warranty for peace of mind. What are your thoughts on extended warranty on vehicles in general and with Nissan in particular?

We bought two new Subarus, an Outback and Impreza, after retiring — to discover the capped servicing is every 12,000km or six months. We have only 2000km on these vehicles after six months but have had a letter from the dealer to service them. Is this necessary or can we wait until we have done the kilometres or maybe once a year as we don't drive many kilometres now?