TIME TO UPGRADE

CARS@NEWS.COM.AU OR PO BOX 2808, GPO SYDNEY, 2001

I love my dependable 2008 Toyota Corolla hatch, but it’s time to replace it with a compact SUV of similar size and equivalent 1.8-litre feel. The Corolla Cross hybrid sounds great but is extremely uninspiring to look at. I fancy Toyota’s Yaris Cross or C-HR, but what else should I consider? The Hyundai Kona? I’ll mostly be the only occupant.

Audrey MacMillan, email

Don’t get the Corolla Cross. Life’s too short to partner with a car you find boring. If you enjoy engine oomph, the C-HR’s 1.8-litre hybrid trumps the Yaris Cross’ 1.5-litre hybrid; it’s a larger SUV, only $2000 pricier and more visually striking. It’s closer in size to your Corolla, too, so it would be my pick. Hybrid Toyotas are in a league of their own for frugality and cost of ownership but do test key rivals. My shortlist would include the Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30 and Kia Seltos. Your biggest enemy is the waiting list on all these cars.

THE WAITING GAME

Where do you and car websites get information on car delivery times? We ordered a Toyota Corolla Hatch Hybrid in January 2022 and have no information on when it’ll be delivered. Yet I’ve read Corolla wait times are estimated at 267 days? We were originally advised there’s a three- to six-month wait, but it’s now over a year with no updates from the selling dealer. A very poor customer experience to say the least.

M Simpson, email

Visit pricemycar.com.au for estimated delivery dates on new cars. It’s only a guide, but is based on solid car quotes and orders data. It states Corolla delivery times are now down to 187 days, but that’s for all Corollas – hybrids are more in-demand and the data doesn’t go into grade/powertrain details. Regardless, your dealer should be more communicative, even if just to apologise for the ongoing delay. Toyota head office advises customers to check with their dealers, but that’s worthless advice if the dealer refuses to communicate.

RED MEANS GO Re: your statement regarding left turns on a red light after stopping, it’s been legal in NSW for years. It certainly keeps traffic flowing. Robert Adamthwaite, email

You’re right. You can turn right but only when there’s a sign saying: “Left turn on red permitted after stopping”. They’re very rare in Australia, while turning on red is possible at most American intersections. Brisbane, for example, trialled it at 50 intersections from 2013 but by 2021 had scrapped all “left turn on red” sites. Pedestrian and cyclist safety were listed as reasons why.

RISKY REFUEL

I have a 20-litre jerry can full of unleaded that’s been stored in my garage for over 10 years. Would it be okay to use it in my Kia Cerato or does it “go off” after a certain length of time? Ken Wain

I’ve had a few letters about old fuel recently – seems current inflated fuel prices have us digging around for our old stockpiles. My reply is always the same. BP’s website says: “The storage life of petrol is one year when stored under shelter in a sealed container.” Your engine and fuel system could corrode using stale petrol. Yours is a decade old at least: it’s simply not worth the risk to save $40 of fuel. Chances are it cost only $20 when you bought it anyway.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

My 2021 Toyota RAV4 is excellent in many ways, bar dull interior lighting. Are there aftermarket LED kits available and who’d install them? The Toyota dealer wasn’t helpful with an answer.

Peter Mulcahy, email

Careful, if you go overboard the interior will look cheap, nasty and a bit Pimp My Ride. Most auto stores sell rigid and flexible LED light strips – white or multi-colour – and if hidden away (under the dash, for example) they can look good and will brighten your cabin. Ideally, they need to be hardwired by an auto electrician. It’s hard to replicate the look of integrated factory-fit ambient lighting, but if you’ve got the dollars, car audio specialists are ubiquitous and often do LED interior light upgrades.

READ THE SIGN

Re: luxury car thefts, like all criminals, home invaders look for easy targets. Posting a fence sign such as: “All car keys are placed in a 30minute time-delay safe” should be enough dissuasion. Most thieves wouldn’t test this and would move on to another house.

Peter Kelly, email

Angry Dog Lives Here signs do a similar job. As for time-delay safes, they’re great until you urgently need to get your car keys out. If the sign’s just a bluff, I agree, it should be effective, although your neighbours won’t be happy their car got pinched instead of yours!

KEY POINTS

Re: luxury car thefts, just hide the keys. I keep some old keys hanging on hooks in the hallway: that should fool them if they break in.

David Bishop, email

Hiding keys sometimes isn’t enough. Thieves can use range-extender or repeater devices to mimic your car’s “keyless entry” key. It’s also important to remember that if they break in and can’t find the keys, their next move may be to threaten the occupants to hand them over. It’s just not worth it.