ROADSIDE ASSIST DEAL BREAKER

IAIN CURRY GETS ANSWERS WRITE TO MOTORING AT CARS@NEWS.COM.AU OR PO BOX 2808, GPO SYDNEY, 2001

Your review of the Honda HR-V Hybrid was disappointing. There was no mention it only has seat belts for four passengers – a deal breaker for many. There were also no stars lost for its ridiculous pricing. Is Honda really interested in the Australian marketplace with such basic errors?

John Stefanatos, email

The HR-V e: HEV Hybrid isn’t a cheap small SUV at $45,000 drive-away, but if shoppers think it too expensive, they’ll not buy it. Same with only two rear seat belts – I’d argue most small SUV buyers won’t ever use all three rear seats. It’ll be a deal breaker for a few, but not many. Honda says it’s committed to the local market but its pricing strategy is unlikely to deliver any sales growth.

POWER LOSS

I don’t understand why electric car manufacturers aren’t making it clear how much batteries will fail over time. It should be compulsory to advise the percentage of battery charge lost annually. I don’t want to pay $20-30,000 to replace batteries after four to six years, or won’t this happen? Tobin Clarke, email

This is a very real fear for potential EV buyers but car companies do guarantee battery life. A Tesla

Model 3 SR has an eight year/160,000km warranty guaranteeing a minimum 70 per cent battery capacity retention. If it dips below that it’s repaired or replaced under warranty. Mercedes and Jaguar guarantee 80 per cent after eight years/160,000km; Nissan 75 per cent after eight years/200,000km and MG 70 per cent after seven years/unlimited km. Unlike a smartphone battery, an EV’S expensive batteries have very durable cells, temperature control and smart software to promote long life. I agree with you, though. EV brands should make it explicitly clear what percentage battery loss is permissible during the warranty period.

NAILED IT

Your comment: “These days flat tyres are very uncommon for those only using sealed roads,” is not my experience. My last two new cars, and my wife’s car, were twice punctured with nails on sealed roads. The nails were in or near sidewalls meaning new tyres were required. I’d like to know if others have shared my experience.

Norm Warren, email

Motoring editor Richard Blackburn has changed four flat tyres in four years, blaming stray builders’ nails. I’ve had two in the past five years – both builders’ nails – and one of those needed a new tyre. A straw poll of the office suggests punctures are rare but not unheard of.

CANNOT BE SERIOUS

My daughter wants a bike rack to carry her sixyear-old twins’ bicycles. Mazda has advised they don’t approve a tow bar for her CX-8 to carry bike racks as the bikes’ weight will cause the tow bar to flex and may split the chassis. Are they serious? The bikes’ combined weight would be no more than 60kg?

Peter Burls, email

However unlikely it sounds, if that’s Mazda’s stance, don’t risk your warranty. A child’s bike is typically closer to 10kg, so the combined weight is likely only 20kg. If the CX-8 doesn’t already have a tow bar, don’t go to the expense of fitting one. It’s a big SUV so two child bikes should fit in the back with the third row folded down and perhaps one of the middle-row seats down as well. Removing bike front wheels will buy you more space. I have friends who use boot bike racks where straps hook around the tailgate lip. No tow bar required. I’d recommend a reputable brand such as Thule, which has a decent range from about $350-600.

NOISE POLICE

We have speed, red light, phone and seatbelt cameras, why not ones for noise monitoring? Problem areas could get cameras/sound level meters and offending drivers would need their cars tested. I’m sure law-abiding citizens would be happy with the outcome.

Peter Hanson, email

Loud cars and motorbikes are infuriating but it’s the Environment Protection Authority that enforces the rule, not the police. Personally, I’ve never seen noise testing of cars aside from at race tracks.

LIMITING FACTORS

Re: car speed limiters, I see no problem limiting all vehicles to, say, 30km/h above the state/national speed limit. It should be easy to have this limit removed for a track day or race with appropriate authorisation. It’s not Big Brother at all. Why would it be necessary to travel faster than 140km/h on public roads? Paul Merhulik, email

Sounds sensible on paper, but why 30km/h? Some would argue it shouldn’t be more than 110km/h. Britain’s Automobile Association (AA) has weighed into the argument suggesting there are times, such as overtaking, when temporarily exceeding the speed limit may be safer. It’s hard to argue with that.