Roadside Assist

FAILED ESCAPE PLAN

Following Ford’s ridiculous decision to drop its Escape SUV from Australia, are there other torquey larger small to medium SUVS with traditional torque converter automatic transmissions? My budget’s up to $60,000. I’m single with no kids or dogs.

Ben Ryan, email

Old-school torque converter autos have lost favour this past decade. Single-speed CVT and dual-clutch gearboxes are more in vogue, but aren’t welcomed by all drivers. The former typically dulls the drive and can be whiney, the latter is sometimes jerky at low speeds. I reckon a Kia Seltos or Hyundai Kona would best suit your needs. They’re spacious and share a 146kw/265nm (ample torque) and 1.6litre turbo four-cylinder, mated to an eightspeed auto. It’s an impressively smooth gearbox, and your budget easily gets you in spec-rich models, the Kona Premium N Line ($46,500) or Seltos Gt-line ($45,180).

LACK OF PROTECTION

I’ve just returned from a WA loop in my 2022 Isuzu D-max. Its diff lock light came on 900km north of Broome. I managed to do a roadside repair, taping the plug on the sensor/actuator back together. On inspection, Isuzu said a stone must have struck the plug, causing it to break. The plug’s fully exposed on the front of the rear diff, so I’d be more surprised if it wasn’t hit by stones! I’ve been quoted $1471 to replace the sensor. I understand Isuzu now sells a protector plate for less than $100. Why weren’t we offered one at the last service?

Brian Thomas, email

Impressive field mechanics Brian – getting a tow truck out there wouldn’t have been fun. I spoke to Isuzu about your issue, and they confirm for the model year 2023 (MY23) DMax, a diff sensor protective guard became standard fitment, no doubt due to instances like yours on earlier models. Isuzu says there’s no warranty repair as the part broke due to impact damage rather than a manufacturing defect. I suppose we could say the same about a cracked windscreen – sometimes you get unlucky with impact damage. But clearly this sensor should have been better protected from the outset. I’d keep badgering Isuzu’s customer care about assisting with the cost.

EXPIRY DATE

My daughter bought a 90,000km 2015 Hyundai ix35 with full service history. She’s had it serviced correctly since, but last week the motor died with 120,000km showing. She’d checked the oil two weeks ago – it didn’t need topping up – so in a fortnight it went from full to empty! Hyundai’s refused responsibility, citing the car’s age. Where do we go now?

Sharon Prior, email

These ones are hard to answer. Australian Consumer Law affords some rights when there’s a major failure “within a reasonable time frame”. This ambiguity’s problematic. Speak again with Hyundai Australia and see if they’ll help cover some of the costs. If no joy, contact Fair Trading in your state or the ACCC.

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