CROWD SPEAKS VOLUMES
The Bathurst hype didn’t keep the punters away
Re: the Commodore at Bathurst. No matter how much hype there is about the race, it will never repeat past glories. It doesn’t relate to the car-buying public any more. I am not sad to see the demise of the closed-shop Bathurst 1000. For years it’s been the engineered playground for GM and Ford.
Guy Huntley, email
It’s mostly about entertainment these days, which is why the crowd for 2017 was the second biggest on record.
KEY INFORMATION
I have lost a key for a 2006 Holden Commodore and believe it is expensive to replace. I was hoping you or one of your regular readers might know of someone who does replacements cheaper than going through a Holden dealer.
Rob, email Lots of local shopping centres have key cutting kiosks that can do a Commodore key easily and far cheaper than a Holden dealership. It won’t take you long to find one. Mr Minit is now moving heavily into that field.
MILKING IT
The government brought in the luxury car tax some years ago on imported vehicles to protect Australian car makers. So now we don’t have a car assembly industry in Australia, will the LCT be scrapped? Or, is it another cash cow for the federal government? Warren, email
You can almost hear the moos from Canberra.
NEITHER HERE NOR THERE
I have a 2013 Subaru Liberty and in June I upgraded my GPS through Here maps, entered my model and other details, and was informed I would get speed zones in the package. I paid my hard-earned and upgraded, got mobile cameras and school zones, but no speed zones. I contacted Here and, after sending numerous screen shots and copies of my SD card, they said it should work. Then they referred me to Subaru, which referred me to Here, which referred me to Subaru. It turns out I have a Generation 1 car and the upgrade is not compatible.
Robert Coffey, email
Subaru Australia has a positive outcome for you, as spokesman David Rowley reports: “Customer Relations have confirmed the proposed updates are inapplicable to Mr Coffey’s car and they are contacting him to arrange a full refund of the map upgrade costs.”
AIR SWING
My wife bought her Hyundai i30 in July 2012 and, when she had it serviced last week, she was told the airconditioning filter needed replacing. When she picked up the car she asked how long the filter usually lasted and was told five to 10 years. She told them this was the third replacement filter since she had bought the car, to which the customer service representative said, “Sometimes they only last one year.” To me it seems strange.
Bruce Hutton, email
Three filter changes in three years is well beyond an acceptable situation and this looks like a case for The Kick. Hyundai Australia is investigating.
HIRE LEARNING
Re: preparing to drive in Europe. I’m wondering
whether a computer simulation game with steering wheel accessory could help someone to learn to drive on the other side of the road. I’m not a gamer but those among your readers could assist.
Kim Horsnell, email
That’s a good idea and it will be passed along.
BACK IN CONTROL
I bought my 2011 Ford Mondeo Titanium wagon second-hand but still under warranty in 2013. Overall it’s been a great car. I’m very happy with it but there’s been a recurring problem with the radar cruise control that the dealer has not been able to fix despite numerous attempts. This important safety feature — a key reason I chose the premium model — works for a time, then suddenly refuses to engage, without warning. I’ve had it back to Titan Ford at Brookvale, NSW, six times to have the problem fixed but they have not been able to remedy it. I have contacted Ford Australia more than once, each time being advised to go back to the dealer to have the matter resolved. At the last service, the dealer said the problem seems to be the electronic module for the cruise control, which they could replace for $1100 or so.
Paul Hogan, email
Ford Australia has come to the party and customer service boss Stephen Kruk replies: “It has been identified as a component issue and Ford will cover 100 per cent of the costs for the customer. The company appreciates Mr Hogan’s patience.”