TIME TO CHANGE
I own a 2016 VW Golf GTI 40. Because of Covid, it’s been doing far fewer kilometres. The manual says to change oil annually or every 15,000km, but I’ve only done 4000km in the past year. I do oil changes myself, and as I use the recommended synthetic oil, does it not degrade with time? It still looks very clean. Can I push it further, say to 10,000km? Paul Baker
The Golf GTI 40 is a brilliant car and deserves fresh oil. Synthetic oil breaks down more slowly over time, but will still deteriorate. If you can do it yourself, the oil and filter cost about $100 and the job takes only an hour. Very much worth doing for the sake of your engine, peace of mind, and the next buyer may (smartly) insist on the service schedule being adhered to.
PERFECT PRESSURE
Re Subaru XV tyre wear, we have a 2014 model and our current set of Michelin Primacy 4 tyres have 28,000km on them with very little wear. On the advice of the tyre dealer, they’re 2 psi over the manufacturer’s recommended pressures. We have them rotated, balanced and aligned every 10,000km. Proper tyre maintenance is key.
Noel Semler, email
The importance of regularly checking tyre pressures can’t be overstated. It takes two minutes, and doing so after refuelling is a good habit to get into.
WARNING SIGNS
My 2008 Toyota Aurion intermittently displays the VSC warning light but after a few
days it just disappears. How can I stop this happening?
Robert van Tilburg, email
That’s your Vehicle Stability Control light, and when illuminated, means your traction and stability control system isn’t operational. Not good news when on a wet roundabout. You need to have the problem diagnosed by a mechanic with a scan tool. I’ve had the same thing on my 20 yearold BMW and it turned out to be a bad wheelspeed sensor. There are numerous other potential causes and it could be a reasonably simple fix.
RAM IT HOME
Re: engines and towing, I subscribe to the view that cubic capacity and torque figures are key in determining towing ability. I bought a 556Nm RAM 1500 with tow capacity of 4500kg and it easily tows my 2500kg caravan. Economy is 12-13L/100km normally, or 22L/100km when towing. Definitely the way to go.
Peter Wotherspoon, email
The RAM certainly seems to suit you Peter, and they are competent and comfy big brutes. Their size makes them a pain to manoeuvre and park in town, plus the $80-140,000 before on-roads price put them out of reach to many. But what brilliant tow vehicles with plenty of room to stash the numerous petrol-filled Jerry cans you’ll need!
OLD BOOTS
Re: Jim Stanfield’s Toyota reliability doubts, my 2004 HiLux Workmate 2.7-litre ute has
over 535,000km on the clock. Apart from brake and tyre replacements, it’s only needed a couple of clutches and recently a new radiator. That’s after half-a-million kilometres of carrying some crazy heavy loads. It still runs like a dream. Unbreakable HiLux.
Wes Reynolds, email
For balance, I know not everyone’s had an “Unbreakable HiLux” experience but many, like you, certainly have. It’s been Australia’s best-selling vehicle for the past five years. They must be doing something right.
NANNY STRIKES AGAIN
My wife bought a 2021 Mazda BT-50 GT because it’s lovely looking, but I’m extremely disappointed. The driver assist alarms drive me mad to the point where I will not drive it. I know they’re meant for safety but can I disable them by cutting wires or removing fuses? I find the alarms extremely distracting. Am I destined to sell it prematurely?
Shaun Curtis, email
I feel your pain. Most new cars have nannying beeps that drive you to distraction, meaning we turn them off, defeating their very purpose. Please don’t cut wires or remove fuses. You can turn off most of the driver assist tech (owner’s handbook explains how), but it defaults to everything on again when you restart. Just make turning them off as routine as doing up your seatbelt. Utes are big things, so things like emergency lane keeping is forever going off as it’s hard to keep between the lines on some roads. A wise safety engineer once told me these systems “only have to save you once” to prove their worth. Hard to argue.
DRIVES ME NUTS
Why does Ford insist on fitting the Ranger with inferior wheel nuts? It’s well documented their cheap alloy capping becomes distorted and renders the wheel brace useless. Not ideal when you’re stranded in a remote place with a flat and can’t remove the nuts. My local tyre fitter sells many replacement wheel nut sets for the Ranger.
John Newton, email
It is a well-reported issue, and the problem’s shared with the previous generation Mazda BT-50, which used the same wheel nuts. It’s disappointing and a hassle, but about $60 buys a complete set of better, non-deforming wheel nuts. Buy through a tyre shop and they may do the swap for free.