BAGGING DELAYS
My 66,000km BMW X6 suffered faulty air suspension. I couldn’t get an appointment at my BMW dealer to diagnose it for three weeks, then the parts needed to repair would be (maybe) delivered from Germany in another six weeks. I’ll be without a vehicle for nine weeks. As it’s five years old and out of warranty I’m not offered a loan vehicle. The service department is understaffed and blamed Covid and supply chains.
Greg Dalton, email
We must have sympathy and patience with all businesses. Covid has caused staffing problems in all manner of workplaces and supply chain delays are very real. Even so, your frustration is understandable. I’d suggest checking with a BMW specialist to see if they have air suspension parts in stock, OEM or quality alternatives. Nine weeks is a huge amount of time to be without your car.
SHOULDN’T BE HARD
I own a 2019 Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport. The mytoyota app says some Corollas can have Android Auto retrofitted for $199. I’ve contacted Toyota and two dealerships and none can tell me if my model is suitable for the retrofit. One dealer wanted to charge me to analyse the car for suitability. I’m happy to pay a $199 fitting fee, but not to check suitability.
Gavin O’toole, email
It’s mystifying why Toyota and its dealers can’t tell you this once they have your VIN. If yours is a Corolla Hatch sold between 15 August 2018 and 13 October 2019, Apple Carplay and Android Auto can be retrofitted for $199. Cars sold after this had it fitted as standard. If your Ascent Sport is the sedan version it can’t be retrofitted as it has the older infotainment system. When the updated Corolla sedan arrived in late 2019 it finally offered Carplay and Android.
UNFIT FOR PURPOSE
The speedo needle fell off our Suzuki Vitara. We had our mechanic, who we’ve known for years, tack it back on. He charged a small fortune for dismantling then refitting the dashboard but the speedo now reads 20km/h below the correct road speed. Should he re-do the job to correct this at no charge? And is the car currently roadworthy?
Sandra Wood, email
Absolutely the mechanic should re-do the work for free. It’s not really been repaired, has it? Speedo gauges are sensitive things and the needle may have been fitted incorrectly or there’s been some damage somewhere. Without a correctly working speedometer your car wouldn’t pass a roadworthy test, and you certainly wouldn’t evade a speeding fine by claiming it was due to a faulty speedo.
REVS ME UP
Re Daryl Rowe’s Ford Everest frustrations, we love our 2020 model but my gripe is with the tachometer’s miniature size and that it’s not permanently on display. A digital speedo, trip and fuel information, power dispersion and vehicle angles are available at the cost of not displaying the tacho. Most of these things should be available all the time rather than having to fiddle with menus while driving. Peter Ireland, email
Sadly, I reckon most modern drivers don’t care how fast their engine is spinning. Modern digital dashboards can be customised to show the information a driver deems most relevant. For many, a tacho won’t be it. With most people driving ‘set and forget’ auto gearboxes, knowing your rpm for good economy or maximising power isn’t as important as in a manual. For those preferring to see a needle flirt with a tachometer’s redline rather than monitoring an ‘eco gauge’ it’s a depressing evolution.
SEEING IS BELIEVING
Re Toyota RAV4 full-size spare wheels, I bought a used RAV4 full-size 18-inch spare for $150. It and the tools to change it easily fit in the wheel well with no impact to boot floor height. Maybe floor height is lost with the larger 19-inch wheel.
Jim Gannon, email
Re Toyota RAV4 full-size spare wheels, Mazda CX-5 owners may like to know I replaced the space-saver with one in my 2016 model. I bought a full-size spare and tyre from a wreckers and installed it using a long-threaded bolt of suitable diameter. Apart from raising the floor level slightly no problems have arisen.
Max Page, email
There you go. If manufacturers won’t provide us with full-size spares, the great Australian Diy-ers will find a way. Great work.
NEW MATS PLEASE
Re dash mats for a Haval H6, if Haval won’t sell you one try fitmycar.com.au. I bought one from them for my Kia Cerato and it fitted perfectly.
Doug Kennon, email
Re legality of dashboard mats, both Kia and Hyundai offer OEM ones. I had dealers fit them to my Kia Cerato and Hyundai Palisade last year.
Vin Pavincich, email