NOT SOLD ON STOP-START
Fuel-saving tecthnology takes some getting used to
My wife has had her new Mazda2 Genki for a week. I find the i-Stop annoying, not to mention distracting. The i-Stop requires considerably more brake pressure applied than I normally must have used when stopped at traffic lights. Using light pedal pressure apparently doesn’t activate the motor cut out and causes the warning light to flash, indicating a fault. After having a minor panic and pulling to the side of the road, I ascertained from the 538-page owner’s handbook that I needed to push much, much harder on the brake pedal. Does this gadget really save petrol? I was schooled that starting and stopping an engine used more petrol and battery power. Driving in the suburbs and shutting down the engine at every third or fourth set of traffic lights doesn’t seem fuel saving and on interurban driving, there being few stops, is there any point having the gimmick? Does it qualify as just another of modern technologies, ‘because you can’, not because it actually does anything? And this feature is on the CX-5 too. Chris Jones, email Car brands claim stop-start saves 5-10 per cent on fuel, without adverse effects on components.
SHOULD’VE GONE TO SPACE-SAVERS
Re motorcyclist Wes Fields’ take on spacesaver spares and inflation kits. I have ridden motorcycles for 25 years and also own a latemodel Porsche Boxster S, which is equipped with an inflation kit, and no way would I risk a long trip without a spare in that. I had a Nissan 350Z which got a stake in the sidewall and at least I could drive home with the space-saver spare. A neighbour had to put his BMW M6 on a flatbed truck on a trip up the east coast when the inflation kit wouldn’t repair a large hole in his tyre. I have been caught out with a flat on a motorcycle several times but have been able to slowly ride to help, owing to the much lighter weight of the motorcycle. Not sure about Wes’s BMW, though. Geoff Taylor, email It seems like everyone has a story and an opinion on space-savers.
TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT
Despite what the Volkswagen and Subaru executives might say about 80km/h towing, the limits are a published unqualified figure specified in the vehicle operating manual. The test for this would be if a vehicle had an accident while towing above those speeds. I bet that an insurance company would argue the case that the vehicle insurance policy is void as the vehicle has been operated outside its specified limits. Respective owner’s manuals should be amended to qualify the limit if what the companies say is true. Jon Dolan, email The companies say the 80km/h figure is only advisory, not mandatory, and the owner’s manuals are developed and published overseas.
PERILS OF UPSELLING
At a recent scheduled service a Kia main dealer attempted to upsell me with two new tyres. I declined the dealer’s recommendation. A local Bob Jane T-Mart shop reported that the tyres were in fine shape and good for many thousands of kilometres. A similar upselling incident occurred a while back when a Honda dealer tried to get me to buy a new battery to replace the original battery, which went on to last another 18 months. This type of behaviour from so-called reputable main dealers leads me to recommend to all customers, particularly the less astute, to double check before they part with their hard-earned cash. I’ve found a small garage with a great reputation and less overheads to carry out log book services at more competitive prices. Julian Minnekeer, email Dealers who definitely deserve The Kick.
SERVICE AGENT COMES CLEAN
Rob of Geelong wrote to you about his windscreen washers failing and some years ago, when my car was being serviced at Kmart, I also mentioned washers were not working and was quoted something like $230 for a new pump. I was quite happy to have the work done but when I came back to collect the car the bill was much less than the quote. So I spoke to the mechanic who reported the same thing as Rob, the tube had come loose. They hooked it up at no charge and it’s still going strong years later. As a mature single female I had not checked under the bonnet and would have had no idea if pump had been replaced or not. Gwen Kelly, email And there’s someone worthy of praise.
POP MUSIC
The radio in my Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander gives an occasional “pop” and the radio signal drops out for about 3-5 seconds. The rear speakers keep working but not the front ones. The workshop at the dealership that sold me the vehicle reckoned high frequency signals were affecting the aerial. I wasn’t satisfied with that explanation, as I have been places well away from interference. I contacted Hyundai head office and this was explained as a problem with the particular model radio fitted to these cars and no fix is available. Are any other readers are having the same problem? Glenn Rodda, email It will be good to know if it’s a widespread problem. I’ve also contacted Hyundai and had this reply from spokesman Guido Schenken: “We have contacted the dealer involved who have advised that the only times they have experienced the concern is when the vehicle is driven near high-frequency power lines or train tracks. It is a multi-franchise dealer and advise they also have some Toyota Camrys, which have the same concern in the same areas. The dealer is happy to go for a drive with the customer to see if they can replicate the concerns away from areas of high-frequency power lines.”
WARRANTY STARTS ... NOW
On May 29, two years ago I bought a Hyundai i30 that was manufactured in November 2014. The records at the dealer’s service department show the start of the warranty period as April 30, 2015. I queried this and the reply was that the warranty period starts on the date that the car is owned by the dealership. Is this correct? I would have expected that the start date would have been the date I took delivery of the car. John Fitzpatrick, email The warranty generally begins on the day the car is first registered, which can be a surprise for some people buying a dealer demonstrator vehicle. In the case of Hyundai, spokesman Guido Schenken says: “Confirming that the warranty period starts from the date the customer takes ownership of the vehicle.”
SIMPLE SLEUTHING
Re the Ford Territory that drops into limp mode. I had a similar problem with my 2009 model, which I bought secondhand with about 80,000km on the clock from a dealer in Melbourne. It happened to my wife on two occasions and they could not fix it. In the end, I got it towed to the Ford dealer — and the probable cause was identified as a faulty battery, which was not keeping the electronics of the transmission up to requirements. I have had no problems since fitting the new battery more than three years ago. David Englefield, email Thanks for the feedback, as many times one reader has been able to help another.
BELATED QUALITY CONTROL
I’m seeking your help regarding my rear-view mirror on my 2008 Audi A4, where the plastic housing has become loose at the join. The dealer tells me Audi will not cover the replacement cost of this poor quality and not fit-for-purpose plastic component. I informed him that I have never driven my car on unsealed roads and that clearly it has is a laser cut fault. I am asking Audi to replace my faulty rear view mirror housing as an act of good will, as clearly this is a quality control problem. Marios Alexandrou, email If the plastic part has just become a problem then it’s much more likely to be age, ultraviolet exposure and other wear-and-tear factors on a car which is more than nine years old.