POOR COVER
I recently bought a 2014 Nissan Qashqai from a dealer with three-year mechanical protection coverage. The limit per claim is $1000, up to a total of $3000, but to remain valid I need to service the car with the dealer every six months. It’s a 320km round trip plus a day off work to do so. Should I just service it locally and not worry about the dealer warranty?
Allan Albert, email
These used car dealer warranties often have so many disclaimers and rules they’re barely worth the paper they’re written on. Besides, on a bigticket item such as an engine or gearbox failure, that $1000 maximum will barely make a dent in the total bill. Service locally and save yourself time and drama. In 2014 the Qashqai’s service intervals changed to annual (or every 10,000km), so check if your model really needs to be serviced every six months.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Why are electric cars so expensive?
Sarah Moss, email
The battery packs. Each has hundreds of thousands of lithium-ion battery cells and are not cheap. Tech geniuses are working on a solution.
PAINFUL BILL
Our 2011 Audi Q5 has transmission and other faults, with repair quotes totalling $13,000. The car’s only worth about $18,000. I contacted Audi Australia to request goodwill assistance, then paid another $217 for an Audi service centre to confirm the transmission’s mechatronic unit failure. Subsequently, Audi said they were not willing to assist with costs. After nine years and 110,000km I feel the transmission should have lasted longer. Any guidance?
Katherine Di Clemente, email
Failures of these S-tronic auto transmissions have been all-too common I’m afraid. It’s a huge bill, and makes selling your car privately near impossible without first fixing it. At nine years old it was always unlikely Audi would assist, so your only real course now, if you’re up for a battle, is pursuing the matter under Australian Consumer Laws or the ACCC. Guidelines say the car must be free from defects “for an unspecified but reasonable time.” What is “reasonable” is, of course, ambiguous.
HALF FULL?
My 2013 Toyota HiLux’s fuel gauge has stopped going below halfway. It reads correctly when the tank is full and drops as normal, but never goes below half. An instrument repairer said it’s a common fault, they repair two or three each week, and quoted $297 to fix. If it’s a common fault shouldn’t Toyota pay for what must be a design flaw?
Martin Hinchy, email
In an ideal world, yes. Call Toyota customer care (1800 TOYOTA) and ask for goodwill assistance on what is a known problem. It’s a common issue as you say, and some HiLux owners have said it’s due to a soldering fault on the circuit board, and can be solder repaired in only a few minutes. Speak to a Toyota or HiLux specialist familiar with the issue and their quote may be cheaper.
WAGON PASSION
My wife and I are in our late 50s. Common sense says buy an SUV for higher seating, but we prefer wagons. Our budget’s up to $35,000, we’d accept an SUV if it’s not bland, and have looked at Subaru, VW Passat and Skoda Superb wagons. It must seat four adults comfortably and we don’t need all the latest gadgets.
Murray Saunders, email
For your budget, a used 2018 Skoda Superb or VW Passat wagon with low kilometres are excellent choices, but I’d be tempted by a new car for my $30,000+. Try the VW Golf and Skoda Octavia wagons to see if they’re large enough – both are rock solid choices. Non-dull SUVs to consider? New Toyota RAV4 GX (really), and if it’s big enough, the Kia Seltos Sport+. Wildcard? An exdemo Peugeot 3008: a styling masterclass and utterly comfy.
CRUSHING NEWS
I have a 1997 Mitsubishi 4WD. It’s a great car and I’ve spent over $25,000 for a new motor, re-spray and leather re-trim. I believe it’s been
recalled for destruction due to dangerous airbags, so I may not be able to re-register it. The person I spoke to on the recall number tried to help but said nothing could be done. Apparently, I’d be lucky to get $2000 compensation for it. Can you help?
Sue Phillips, email
Go to ismyairbagsafe.com.au and enter your registration to discover conclusively if your car has the most dangerous Takata ‘alpha’ airbags, or call Mitsubishi on 1800 931 811. Mitsubishi will buy back certain affected vehicles. Karl Gehling from Mitsubishi Australia said “the valuation takes into account mileage and vehicle condition.“Sadly, I’d
be surprised if this is close to what you deem a fair price. Mr Gehling said their team would contact you immediately to evaluate your vehicle ....
SAFETY FIRST
What’s the cheapest new car on sale? I want my daughter’s first car to be new with good safety rather than an older model.
James Lees, email
Cheapest are the Kia Picanto for $14,390 and Mitsubishi Mirage for $14,990. Go the Kia. It was crash tested more recently (2017) and was awarded a respectable 4 stars overall, scoring well for adult occupant protection.