NO PLEASURE CRUISE

I bought a Haval H6 believing it had adaptive cruise control. I’m amazed it aggressively brakes in the slightest of bends. Twice the dealership has applied an update without any change, then I took the Haval service manager for a drive to show him the issue. A written response stated: “The dealership claims the cruise control system is functioning correctly and meets the requirements.” I’ve never driven a car that brakes for no reason in bends, which I deem dangerous to following vehicles not expecting aggressive braking.

Leslie Guy, email

I and other car journalists have endured similar issues with Haval’s adaptive cruise control. It’s so disruptive I chose to stop using it. A Haval spokesman said like all technologies there are teething troubles, and updates have been made available. Hopefully there’ll be further updates because I agree with you, it’s not been rectified to make it comparable to rival brands’ offerings. Keep asking your dealer when the next update becomes available, and fingers crossed it improves things.

WAIT IN VAIN

I’m frustrated with the wait when trying to book a repair on my Kia Sportage. The air con has stopped working just in time for the Queensland summer. I’ve contacted various Kia dealers and the earliest I could have it inspected is six weeks – that’s just to investigate, not source parts and repair. I find the situation absurd. I understand not being able to keep every spare part, but how about allocating one from the service team to carry out quick inspections and speed up the process?

Kev Warmington, Brisbane

I took this to industry experts VACC (Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce) and was told: “You might call this a perfect storm. Parts delays are well documented, but there’s also the auto industry’s labour shortage. There are 38,000 unfilled jobs across the country, most in mechanical repair.” Your idea is sound, but it appears dealerships don’t have enough people to go around. Have the problem diagnosed at an air con specialist. If it needs new refrigerant, that’s not covered under Kia’s warranty (after the first year). The specialist will check for leaks and re-gas it – it’ll probably be cheaper than the dealer would charge. If it’s an air con failure, call Kia Australia, explain your dilemma, and ask if you can use a third party to fix the air con and if it’s a warranty repair, that they refund you.

BLIND SIDED

Re Sun Block, Bob Mayes’ letter was spot on. Bright sunlight makes indicators on certain vehicles very difficult to see from some angles. How do they pass Australian Design Rules? Stewart Eldridge, email

Following Mr Mayes’ letter, over the weekend I watched cars going through a roundabout (weird hobby, I know) – it was midday and sunny. Not only was I shocked at how few drivers were indicating correctly, but activated slim, LED indicators were really hard to spot. Older cars with large, solid indicators? Much better.

LEVELLING UP

Re dazzling ute and 4WD lights, not having the headlight beam level adjusted for the load or towing is part of the issue. My Nissan Navara D40 had a switch to change the level. David Podger, email

Same if you’re carrying lots of passengers – the extra weight changes the level of your headlights. Beam levelling switches should have numerous levels – consult your owner’s manual to find your switch’s location.

NO JOY OF SIX

David McCowen’s (four-cylinder) Toyota HiLux review stated some would prefer the “effortless punch of six-cylinder rivals.” There are gives and takes for all models, but reliability outweighs everything. I’ve been travelling Australia the past six years in my old four-cylinder Isuzu D-Max, and seen more sixcylinder rivals on the back of tow trucks, hands down. Countless mechanics don’t want to touch them, either.

It’s hard to question anecdotal findings of someone who is regularly out in the wilds. Playing devil’s advocate, the HiLux’s four-cylinder diesel hasn’t been a reliability benchmark, while the much-reported defective diesel particulate filter (DPF) has tarnished the model. While you’ll find the occasional owner who’s had dramas with Isuzu’s 3.0-litre four-cylinder, its truck-like nature has made it a darling of the Aussie adventurer. Long may yours keep serving you well.

GLARING ISSUE

My new Suzuki Vitara suffers air vent reflections in the front windows, right in line with the side mirrors. It’s very distracting. At night the whole driver instrument display is brightly projected in the windows. What can I do? The dealer’s not interested.

Fred Cubitt, email

The photo you sent shows how very bright the driver’s display is in your driver’s window at night. Check your owner’s manual and it’ll show where your driver’s instruments dimming switch is. This should mitigate the problem. Short of trying something like 3M anti-glare film (typically used on electronic screens) I can’t see what else could work, short of driving with windows down. Anyone else know a solution?