"Now that I have traded my 2000 Freelander (for $10,000 or $3,800 net - after repairs) I would like to add my story to the long list of outraged Freelander owners. Firstly I would say to any prospective Landrover buyers...Don't ! For any Freelander owners ... get rid of it NOW! My 1.8lt petrol Freelander blew its head gasket right on queue at 60000kms. I was told by a mechanic that the problem was a design fault in the cylinder linings, and there is no repair procedure. My only option was an engine replacement. The car was "off road" for 6 weeks and the ordeal cost me $6,200 in repairs and I lost another
$17,000 in depreciation over 5 years. The re-sale value of this car is appalling. I asked a Landrover dealership mechanic if this is a common fault with this car..he said "no more common than any other car". I then spoke to a salesman in the same dealership and asked for a trade figure on my Freelander in it's current state and he said.."The trade value will be low because the engine in this model has some reliability issues". Landrover Australia washed their hands of the problem saying that the car is out of warranty and they will not cover ANY repair costs. I have been told by several mechanics that the 1.8lt engine fitted to Freelanders has a life span of between 50000 and 100000 km's. Because of the design flaw they will ALL fail and the only option is replacement. Landrover should face reality and take responsibility for this poorly built motor car. I am now rid of my Freelander, but I had to take a personal loan of $10,000 which will now take me years to pay off ….. all thanks to Landrover !! I recommend anyone with the same Freelander story should contact the ACCC. They are building a profile for this issue. If they receive sufficient complaints indicating a pattern, they will take action.

I would like to add that after further investigation it seems the replacement engines supplied by Land Rover Australia to their dealerships at a cost of over $5,000 (to the vehicle owner) are exactly the same engines as fitted at the time of vehicle manufacture. This means that even repaired Freelanders will suffer the same fate at between 50,000 and 100,000 kms. I called Land Rover Australia and asked if the engines they were selling as replacements have had and modification to overcome the cylinder lining problem. The representative said there was no product recall in place and there is “no problem with this engine”. This is despite mounting documented evidence to the contrary, including Land Rover’s technical own bulletin 0036 issued 18 June 04 which was distributed to its dealerships worldwide. This trading practice is incredibly dishonest given that the problem is widely known. Land Rover is the only winner in this whole mess, as they get to sell even more of these engines to the unsuspecting public. If you are living the “Freelander nightmare” right now, I urge you to bring your story to the attention of the ACCC. Those affected by the Freelander Head Gasket problem should visit http://freelander.webhop.net/ and http://home.austarnet.com.au/edwardsonline/freelanderheadgasket for more information and advice. Let Land Rover know how you feel by writing to The General Manager, Land Rover Australia, Locked Bag 2214 North Ryde NSW 1670. You should also complain to the ACCC and the Office of Fair Trading in your state.

08/08/05: It is widely accepted by 4WD mechanics that Freelander K-series 1.8lt engines are known to drop the cylinder liners into the block. Because the liners are steel and the block is alloy, the liners being harder, work their way into the block. The bad news is; If the liners are too low, the engine needs to be replaced - this is fact, confirmed by Land Rover. In some cases engines have been replaced several times, at average intervals of only 50000 km. That's not just bad luck, that's a design fault. Just a reminder to all "Land Rover Freelander Head Gasket Failure" victims in Australia. If you have made a claim against Land Rover Australia and are unhappy with the response, you should put your concerns in writing to the ACCC office in your state. Go to http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/54229/fromItemId/3634 for postal addresses. The ACCC is now collecting data on this issue and will pursue the case if there are sufficient complaints indicating a pattern." T Edwards

"Holden VY UTE 2002/2003 purchased 31/3/2003. It was a demo model with 1500Ks and I paid $37000.00. It has been returned 17 times for problems; water leaks (unresolved), a diff has been replaced, the car has had three alternators, it has had a clutch replaced, it has had a new console put in the car due to peeling paint, and numerous other problems. I have been to the Dept. of Fair Trading and I am now waiting to present my problems to the Consumer Trader and Tenancy Tribunal in New South Wales. The stress and inconvenience and costs associated with this type of problem are unacceptable. The Dealer does not want to know about the problems. Holden have the standard line "we will fix the problem" and the problems still occur. My car is a safety issue and I believe that Holden are waiting till my warrenty runs out and they will be well rid of me. There is no transparency when dealing with Holden...they will not admit to any common problems they have with certain makes and models... protectionism is the name of the game and never admit liability. How about a fair deal for your consumers Holden. The Holden Customers who purchase cars with problems should be entitled to an outcome which does not impact on the customers financial position or on his health. As tax payers we finance Government Depts. which have the responsibility to investigate and resolve complaints regarding faulty goods and services.....does this include cars!!!! How do Holden users who have issues regarding quality, collectively approach Holden? Maybe we could do this via the media and ask the general public to register there complaints with a central contact address. It will only be when the consumer is not in isolation but part of a concerned group that the mighty Holden Company may have some respect for its consumers." contact email: abrookes@ozemail.com.au

"Holden Vectra - gotta tell ya ... bought a used (less than one year old) Vectra in 98 with 18000ks and in seven years this vehicle has cost more in repairs to keep it on the road than it has in fuel! The car has been serviced by the book and on time.
* Camshaft position indicating sensor for Computer replaced at 50k (cost $550)
* Front brake pad sensors and rotors at 80k ($800 parts $250 labour)
* Snapped timing belt at 93k (recommended replacement 120k in original handbook) four bent valves (cost $1200). Also amazing how Holden now   recommends replacement at 100k. How about facing up that you had a problem Holden.
* Squeaky pulleys replaced 97k ($400)
* The car continually stalls now which we believe is a faulty computer ($700 plus labour)
* Airbag sensor faulty (replacement $270)
* Exhaust replaced at 92k ($320) and I've never replaced an exhaust in a car so young
These problems are fairly common it seems from these pages here. Holden can hardly give the new model away because most people are smart enough not to be bitten twice by poor quality vehicles. The dealers hate it when you point out its basically a Camira motor in them and we all know how good they were. Me ....I'm buying a Toyota. Good luck Holden.You want to know why you're number 2. You build rubbish." M Nelson

"I own a nissan patrol 3.0 litre turbo intercooler that has done 51,000kms now and is about to have a 3rd serpeco drive belt fitted to the car because it has a high pitch squealing noise and the belt cuts out. The car ran out of power and ran off the road with the engine shut down and a flat battery. I have since found out that the car alternator has a plug that can if fitted tight when made will intermittently stop charging the battery and the motor will shut down under lack of power to run the computer for the motor. The dealer knew straight away what to look for as he had fixed the problem in other patrols but Nissan did not put a warning out to let people know under their duty of care. I also have found out that there are confidential memos sent within the dealer ships regards faults that fits my trouble stated as can happen and the later models have been rectified. They describe the problem and the parts to fix it and state that they will rectify it if it happens within the warranty but do not let the owners know.

This is now going to cost me over $1400.00 to repair because my car is now out of warranty but I had the 2nd belt changed at 37,000km and I was not informed at that stage nor did they rectify the damage which is a new main crank pulley, complete water pump assembly plus a new hydraulic belt tensioning pulley. I was wondering if anyone out there could help me on this as they are saying that they Nissan Australia and the dealer Mandurah nissan in W.A are not responsible for what has happened about when my wife nearly had an accident by being forced of the road by an engine malfunction and failure that they had a safety confidential bulletin on the fault and they had serviced my car at 37,000km and again at 40,000km and said nothing and now they are telling me I have to pay for their failure to disclose the safety news that would have prevented this. I have the dates and number of the confidential nissan release and will take it to the press if I can get support on this matter." I Johnson

"Ive had my ute for about 18 months, and during that time the diff has been replaced FOUR times, the power steering twice, and the gearbox once, although it is almost "buggered" again. After ringing GMH head office, off the record I was told it would be a good idea to trade it in before the warranty expired. Good advice I'm going back to Hiluxs from now on." C Mason

"My company bought an Audi A4 in 2002, but the car has been changed; the whole part of the engine after one and half years. But I have not received any Warranty documents for the new engine after having been told by one of Audi Australia's manager, that I will have an extra one and half years warranty after 3 years original warranty expires. Now I have received a letter stating that the Warranty for the car will expire this year." B Wu

"We purchased a Ford Falcon Classic BA 2004 just over 3 weeks ago. It has been back to the Dealership 3 times. Here are the problems
1) Shuddering through the steering wheel.
2) Shuddering when turning sharply at zero revs. (They have fixed it! For now!)
3) Intermittent High pitched grinding sound around the wheels of the car. (Dealership didn’t hear it, told me to bring it back when it happens again!) Has anyone else had this problem?? Please help.
4) Auto/manual gearbox sometimes thumps up gear, and you feel it.
5) When starting the car for cold the engine rocks at the beginning.
We had a Mit. Magna 2001 model and we never had any problems. Some $30,000+ later only 3 weeks old and problems already. I wish I could take it back. Very upset new buyer." P Connell

"Kia mentor slx ... leaking slave cylinder, vibrating brakes and handbrake not adjusted properly. The leaking slave cylinder is no worries, all you have to do is top up the fluid every six months. Vibrating brakes disappeared after installing new pads at volvo and the handbrake works despite yanking it all the way. Have done 127000 km with no engine trouble and still using original battery. Pretty cheap car to maintain too." G Farrow

"Thrilled with my Ford Transit 2.8 Diesel. at 30,000 km started having problems with the Auto transmission. The vehicle went back to Ford on numerous occasions but the fault continued until 105,000 km where they had the vehicle in for 4 weeeks. They had the vehicle in their shop for almost 12 weeks in total. In the end they said they rebuilt the transmission gearbox. Now they say this only has a 20,000 km warranty. I naturally say this is not good enough for such a major item. I'd like a full 100,0000 km warranty on the gearbox, as without it I will have to sell this vehicle. If Ford don't have much faith in this new/rebuilt gearbox, how can I ?" skypilot

"All started when we, my wife and I (but very more "I") decided to buy another Renault - another because I had already owned three in Europe. And as we wanted and needed a car we thought Renault looked like what we wanted. We bought our NEW Renault Scenic 4x4, on paper a strong car and nice to see. It costs a lot of money and because of this anyone would expect a very good car a very very good treatment and a very very very good post sale
treatment. Instead ...from the start the problems ... read in full " L Ferrari

"My name is Peter Murray from Algester in Brisbane, I write this because I have had enough of Holden so called warranty service for my Holden Rodeo Sports 3.0Lt Turbo intercooled diesel extracab, yes the top of the range. Where do I start, currently the vehicle has travelled 40.000 km in 2yrs 2months. Let's go back to the time around the 10,000 km service, I advised the large holden dealer (ZUPPS) in our area that there was oil coming from the intake pipe from the intercooler to the engine at the top of the engine, (oil leak), the dealers response was the oil filter was loose. Nothing done to rectify oil leak. Also in the handbook the valve clearence was to be checked, no bolts were loosened around engine, asked if they checked the clearences, advised we listened to the engine. The front wheel bearing are greased at the 10,000 km service for some reason, maybe they do not fully grease them from new and the cost of gaskets are charged to the customer.

20,000 km service: advised the dealer again about oil leak, again told oil filter was loose. I complained that the oil can only come from one place, turbo charger oil seal, would not accept my knowledge of engines. The dealer removed the intake pipe and hose, "STAG" sealed the unions to stop the oil leak. Advised about water leak at thermostat housing and gasket, they never removed housing to check, only pressure tested & cleaned coolant leak.
30,000 km service: again responded to the turbo seal fault to the dealer only to be given a piece of paper from HOLDEN REPAC (Holden returned parts assessment centre) Notice TL0731-0408 Turbo charger oil leak diagnoses RA Rodeo 4JH1 Diesel engines, that this is a normal characteristic and should not be misdiagnosed as a leaking turbine shaft seal. B*******, the definition of "SEAL" means the same, I have worked in the auto electrical and mechanical field for 33 yrs on all diesel engines of all sizes. This piece of paper is so they can wipe their hands of all the faulty turbos away easily at no cost to them, for when the seal gets really bad, the vehicle will be out of warranty. Other inline faults can occur from burning the oil, gumming up the top ring, loss of power, bore glazing etc. The dealer understood what I said about the seal and commented "That their hands are tied". Another inspection for the water leak was carried out again, with no outcome. I also tightened the oil filter so as not to leak in any situation. Advised the dealer of a noise in the driveline but where unable to find. (Hoist tested not drive tested).
40,000 km service: the list gets bigger, mentioned turbo, "No" was the reply. Water leak again, finally replaced the thermostat housing and gasket, hooray, no more leak. Advised noise in Diffential when changing direction, Axle seals leaking, advised the fault in the differential is possible making metal and have damaged axle seals. Replaced seals and advised me no noise in driveline but the body was loose. I told the workshop foreperson to get in the car and I will demonstrate when the noise occurs. Outcome, replaced 1 wheel bearing not 2. Told car is ready to pickup, I test drove the car with the foreperson only to get peeved of more because the noise was still there, again they would not believe me about the diff. Lost and out of ideas (also I said they can have the car until the noise is gone) the finally received the go ahead from the holden representive to remove the differential. From the parts that they fitted a full service was not done, again cutting corners, the pinnion / flange assy had not been removed to check the pinnion bearing (if metal caused the seals to leak), replaced 1 bearing and shims. The total time for this repair was 16 days, that I was with out a service vehicle. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER HOLDEN PRODUCT EVER !" P Murray

"Just a quick note on the service department of Moorabbin Nissan (formally Ken Morgan Nissan.) My wife and I purchased a 2000 model Nissan Pulsar Plus which overall was a great car. Our problem were with a money hungry service department. When we had the car in for it's 60,000 service we reported that the clutch pedal had a clicking sound when it was depressed, this was a common fault with the car as we had the same problem at 20,000. The remedy was to fit a new clutch cable, no problems?

I received a phone call from the service manager to say that the clutch was excessivly worn and since they are replacing the cable that they should replace the clutch.(not that replacing the cable requires the gearbox to be removed) I told the service manager that the clutch was fine and to just replace the cable. The car now has just completed 120,000 on that same clutch that needed replacing.....these guys will tell you anything to make a buck. PS on the same service I was also told the front brakes needed replacing.....it was another two 12,000 services before I had the parts replaced..." D Blogg

"I purchased a used 2000 Holden Astra City Sedan in August 2004 which had done 80,000KM and have had quite a few problems. The problems represented are all common faults with the Holden Astra which I find very annoying. When I first test drove the car from the used car lot, it drove very well and I was quite impressed and proceeded to purchase the vehicle. After about 87,000KM the car started to make a severe grinding sound from the brakes. I took the car to a brake repairer who said the pads were worn and so were the rotors and would require an $800 replacement. I took this on the chin as the car was second hand. A few weeks later I spoke with a friend who works for Holden and he informed me that the brake pads provided with the Astra’s are absolutely terrible. The pads are so hard he said, they will ware the rotors before the pads even feel it. He warned me to have the cam belt in the car checked as the manual with my model is so wrong about the maintenance schedule. I was sort of over it by this stage and let it go and didn’t pay any attention to the cam belt story .... read in full " J Mackay

"In December 2003 I purchased a Citroen C5 V6 which had been used by a Citroen executive for the first 7,000km. Shortly after purchase the gear changes became very noticeable, both jarring and loud. After persistant complaining over several weeks and a second opinion, the transmission was replaced, they also replaced the exhaust system to eliminate some vibration and noise. I now have squealing brakes, and the workshop has had 2 goes at the problem. In the 2nd try the brakes seized and could not be made to release which resulted in a 3 week wait for new callipers. I still have the squeal. During Easter 2005 the electric windows have malfunctioned, the front passenger window will not close and the driver window will not stay open. All this in 37,000km." R Huntley

FURTHER COMMENTS: "Re my Citroen C5, my previous gripes have been fixed, now the anti polution gear is malfunctioning with 2 breakdowns in 2000kms with the car coming to a dead stop on peak hour traffic. The steering wheel had to be replaced due to blistering. The radio has been replaced once and will now have to be replaced again." R Huntley

"Excessive wear on black leather seats. Has any one had a problem with the surface of the leather seats. After just five months the surface of the leather has worn away completely in a few places and Holden's response is that it is considerd to be normal wear and tear. I hope not!!" A Galipo

"I have a 2003 BA XR6 in the "love-it-or-hate-it" colour, Citric Acid - I love it. Brake shudder is my issue as one other person on your great site. The front brakes were machined at 10,000kms, and now at 45,000kms service, I was billed for a new set of rotors $230ish on top of the service costs. Clearly, there wasn't enough meat on the rotor to machine it, but it isn't my problem that they appear to construct the brakes from inferior alloys, whether or not the lack of asbestos in pads is an issue I don't know. I was told by the Service Manager (who I don't hold to blame) that the Premium Brakes don't shudder - guess what....better quality material?! Many discussion forums are full of these issues, and not just Ford. How on earth are they able to construct these $40,000+ vehicles with known poorer quality materials. What else is there apart from these obvious problems? Disintegrating bodies on impact?" A Cooper, TAS

"My first new car - 2005 BA FALCON XL UTE TRAY BACK. 2 hours after taking car I take it back with a few "minor problems" as when I was shown car it was raining and didnt really check it too well:
*hail damaged ; *scratches on windows ; *scratches on front bumper ; *hydrolic lift don't work ; *tray not welded properly
*tray not made to specifications (noticed at start but was happy to take it to tray builder myself)
*scuff marks on interior in more than 1 place ; *cob webs and decomposing leaves in between rubbers and body as well as under hydrolic lift tray
****** Oh I almost forgot its a July 04 model not a new 05 *******" P Ardill

"We bought a new Ford BA Wagon from Peter Warren Ford, Liverpool. We are extremely disappointed with the seat trims. The back seat trim has been replaced twice due to splitting at the seams. Both front seat trims have been replaced and the driver's seat needs to be replaced again. Ford Motor Company tell us that there is no problem with the quality of the seat trims. Does this mean we keep having the trims replaced? It's all under warranty but it is still a very big inconvenience. Has anyone else had this problem with the seats in this model or any other Ford Falcon?" Kerrie, NSW

"The closest dealer to me is Corban in Nowra, half and hour away, so when there is a recall it's at my cost to either get it there or have them leave their courtesy car and drive the X-Trail in and back. When I suggested Nissan should pay for my fuel since it was a manufacturer's fault, I was scoffed at by Corban's employee. Well, now I don't have enough petrol to last me until pay day and I don't see why I should have to pay for the fuel to get the car to the dealer for a recall. The other thing is when I bought the car I was told it could pull 2000kg. Well, my horse and float combined is much less than that, but still it burnt the clutch out and when Corban replaced it at a cost of over $1,200 there was a terrible rattle. I was told they had to take the engine out to replace the clutch. I went in time and time again to say no, you still haven't fixed the rattle. In the end the manager took it for a drive and yes, he could hear it, but was assured the engine mountings were tightened last time. After my many complaints and trips back and forth he checked it himself and lo and behold, the mechanic had not replaced the WASHERS!!
Also, how can Nissan (or any car company I'd guess) say they offer customer care? There is no place on their website to send a complaint to Nissan and to call Melbourne not only costs money but you are left waiting or you leave a message for someone to get back to you in 24 hours or never. Don't these people do courses in customer service? My bet is they do courses to learn to avoid customers like the plague.
I'll a) never buy another Nissan and b) never buy a new car ever again." Leone Britt, NSW

"My name is Christian McCarty and I am a Business Development Manager, and a Director of a very successful company based in Brisbane. A year ago, I was proud to say I leased a brand new Holden Astra Sri Turbo. The Arden Blue paint gleamed in the sunlight and it looked stunning. I had a grin from ear to ear. Upon receiving the vehicle, I planned a trip down to Sydney to pay a visit to my girlfriends family, and to show off my car (as you want to do with a new one). I got down there without a hassle. The car drove beautifully on the highway and I loved every second of the trip.

Whilst driving around Sydney, I had clocked up 3000km only. Driving home one night after dinner, I took off from a set of lights under normal driving conditions, and as I depressed the clutch and tried to grab 2nd gear, I realized there was none. I had nothing except 3rd gear. As I was only a few seconds from home, I drove it back in 3rd and parked it and immediately called NRMA roadside assist. They were really good to me. But the Astra, that was another matter. The whole gearbox cable assembly had to be replaced, and quickly. I needed to get back to Brisbane for a wedding. I rang the Holden dealer in Sydney, and told them of my woes. He proceeded to tell me that I should forget about the wedding and pass my groomsman honor to someone else. I flew back. After receiving the car once more from the same Holden dealership, I found it to be as it was. A good car to drive, although I had my suspicions about the quality of the car. I drove it around for the next few months and everything seemed fine, until I started having computer problems. The ABS, Traction Control and Power Steering turned off in the middle of moving traffic. The warning lights lit up like a Christmas tree. I took it back to the dealer, they said they found nothing wrong with it. They reset what the needed to and sent me on my way. Then I had 3 tires go mysteriously flat. All top of the line Bridgestone’s that came with the car. No holes. No damage. Just flat.

Another month or so went by, and I clocked up 14,000km. The leather started to wear on both seats. I had one replaced, and one left as is due to different “wear patterns”. The principal of the company received a call from the State Service Manager, during which, he asked for a copy of the customer service policy. He was kindly told where to go, and hung up on. This was a top Holden executive? After being quite upset as I couldn’t see the difference between wear, I stormed off, knowing this would decrease the resale value of the car whence it came to selling after the lease period was up. 5000km later, the gearbox began to make funny noises when changing down. I thought maybe I did something wrong, but it kept happening. I took it down to the dealer I purchased it off. At this point in time, the noises were quite severe. I was extremely enlightened by the service managers explanation (and this is word for word quote) “maybe it’s supposed to do that”. I told him quite kindly that he must have been out of his mind, and they took it in to fix it. I got a call 2 days later saying the problem was fixed to I picked it up. 30 seconds down the road, I changed down and it happened again. I was fuming at this point in time, so I went over to one of Brisbane’s leading Holden repairers. They quickly took the car and stripped the box. I needed to new gearbox, at 22,000km. I wasn’t the only one either. They had a black Sri Turbo there for the same problem. Holden were quick to reply with not one, but 2 wrong model gearboxes. The outcome of which meant 3 weeks without a car for me. I applied for a rental car through Holden, but was told that I wasn’t able to get one as I wasn’t 25. This was just the icing on the cake. Too bad for the young people who buy brand new cars and have to do without them for repairs. I wonder how they are supposed to handle their work commitments?

The next problem arose when the car started to sound like it ran on diesel. 27,000km and I had to take it in again. The diagnosis was that the timing gear and belt needed to be replaced, and they had to strip the block down to see if it had damaged anything else. Another week and a half without a car. I was overjoyed. My car was a wreck. My car has now done 31,000km and I now have the Engine Management System warning light come on as of today, the boot mechanism doesn’t work and the carbon fibre inserts in the doors are peeling off. The leather is still wearing (tried to use seat covers to minimize it, but what’s the use of leather then?), the temp and fuel guage only works when it wants to and Holden can’t find the problem, and I’m just about to be diagnosed as clinically insane because of this. All I’m waiting for now, is for the car to explode.

To add to the great customer service, Holden recently sent out a survey to me. It was great. They were more interested with the layout of the service centre with plants and uniforms than actual service. Am I missing something here? Are the consumers continually getting the raw end of the deal? I’m not sure what to do, or where to go. I’m about to ring the media to be honest. I’ve had enough of my car (if you can call it that). It was my pride and joy, but now it’s just a useless piece of machinery. If I can get my hands on a print out of the history of what this car has had done to it, I shall forward that also." Christian McCarty, QLD

"I am writing about my woes about Subaru 2005 Forester model. I own a Subaru 2.5 XS Luxury 2005 compliance plate car. I took delivery of that car on 10th October 2004 (Friday) from a dealership based in Sydney and my problems started the next day onwards.
A: There was excessive jarring noise from the steering column, tried in different positions, but the noise was there.
B: The entire car (all five doors plus the sunroof) rattled.
C: The wipers did not work. i.e. the wipers left a thin film of water when they moved across (wiped) the wind screen leaving my practically blind when ever it rained.

Took the car back to the dealership on Monday (their service centre was closed on weekends). And the said the rattles is due to couple of dongles attached to the towbar (I know, they thought I was stupid). But I noticed that the odometer reading did not change (between the time I left the car and I picking up the car after the so called rectification). The dealership claimed that they did a road test (without changes to the electronic odometer... load of bulxhxx). Since, I had pressing engagements, I had to drive my car to my home (I was not given a courtesy/standby car) and noticed that the problems existed as it was reported. Called the dealership next week and left it with them for rectification... This cycle continued for four more times. During this period, the car developed more problems:
D: The car leaked liquid and it still does... (the dealer reckons it is the a/c fluid... surprise! Surprise!!).
E: The front passenger side airbag is coming off (peeling away) dealer says the binding glue is coming off (unbelievable)
F: During my ride back from Blue Mountains a screw fell on my leg (from the steering column area).

During my last couple of visits the dealer gave me a courtesy car (one was a liberty and another forester). I noticed there were no such problems associated with the forester: However, All the problems I experienced in my Subaru XS luxury are present in this car (another brand new car did only 573 kms). After five attempts over six months my problems still exist. I have reported this problem/s to Subaru Australia and they haven't done a thing. I am now left with no other options than to let the people know of the perils of buying a Subaru: don't fall for their ads showing driveability in rain. What good is a four wheel drive if the wipers can't wipe off water during rain and you are practically blind? While the Subaru captions may say this provides "Rough road luxury". In reality you will not get your money worth. I fell in love with the test drive I had on the test model. It must be noted that I am not a first time buyer of car. My previous Toyota camry had no such problems (I wish I listened to my wife)." S Swaminathan

" I purchased a Holden Acclaim Wagon in February 2003 from Preston Motors, Essendon Victoria. The Car has had a leak in both rear doors for this time and has been back for repairs approx 10 times. The last time was for a period of 3 days. They have had it for 2day and 3 day periods before. Is it fixed? I'll have to wait till we get some heavy rain. The car currently has a broken Lumbar support in the front seat and a clunk in the front end. Were these problems fixed on my cars last 3 day visit to Preston Motors? "Sorry we forgot." I asked to be sent a service report for the last work done and am still waiting. I was told at various times by their "engineers" that they were not tooled up to fix the leaks. One worker told me that if Holden got involved they would do a better job? Great. I have no confidence in the car and no confidence in the dealership. What do I do? The car was purchased with a 5 year warrantee (Looks like I'll need it) If I take it to another dealer I lose my warrantee. On the advice of Consumer Affairs I tried to negotiate a trade in deal on a new car taking into consideration the dealer's inability to fix the problems and the fact that Holden had manufactured a Lemon. (The coil burnt out in the first month or so and the doors would never close properly, tailgate included, The mechanics and service people would say "They all do that") You pay $40,000 for a car you think it would work 100%. On the trade in deal they offered me a ridiculous change over price. I asked what Holden was contributing to the deal. The Dealer principal told me that Holden wasn't interested. I asked Holden customer service and also had a meeting with the District Manager. They had no record of any conversation about the deal, had he even spoken to Holden? Was I lied to??? I again tried to negotiate a trade in deal in February. Once again they offered me a ridiculous changeover on a 2004 plated model which already has depreciated . I again asked what Holden was contributing to the deal? On road costs I was told. That night on the TV, Holden are offering Everybody Free on road costs for 2004 cars. Thank you Holden!

At no stage has anyone from the dealership offered any compensation. "Great Customer Service" Preston Motors and Holden. If you lose one customer you lose many. What a fool I have been for being nice and polite putting up with this for 2 years. I should have screamed and shouted ages ago but I didn't believe that was the way to solve the problem. I am shouting now. " Paul O'Donohue

"In October last year I purchased a Nissan Pulsar ST L. When we were fist washing our new car we noticed a slight bulge on both sides of the vehicle where the bumper attaches to the body. We thought it may be part of the design . This gradually became more obvious. About five weeks ago I went to the Shepparton service centre at Thomson Nissan where I had purchased the car the service manager took photos and said he would contact Nissan about what he should do. I waited about two weeks then rang him. I should not have had to chase this up I believe it is poor customer service. He fobbed me off again. I believe the manufacturer and the dealer must have been in dispute over who was to pay to rectify the matter of an imperfect new car. I then went to see the manager but he was unavailable but he rang home later and my partner told him of the problem with the pulsar. I was then contacted by the service manager to bring the car in . So I took it and it was put on a hoist to be studied. I was told I would need to bring it back on Wednesday 9th March to be attended to .I thought it was just for the afternoon ,when I arrived I was told they would need the car overnight as the part hadn't been ordered.When I got home I rang and asked for a courtesy car but was told there was none available.So I had to make my own way to work on Thursday. . During Thursday morning I rang to see how my car was progressing and was told it wouldn't be ready till friday. I asked for a car and was told they would bring me one at work when I finished at 1:30pm but none arrived. So I walked 35 min's home My whole afternoon wasted. I finally got a call and was picked up from my Mooroopna home and taken to Shepparton Nissan to get a car to drive whilst mine was being fixed. I rang at 11:00 today and have been told that the part has arrived. So I am hoping I can pick it up this afternoon. I have been very disappointed by the way I have been treated with poor communication , lack of care, and been given a very old filthy car to drive for the day.The customer service has been appalling. Do others find it the same or is it because I'm a woman? I would like to know what I should do about poor after sales service? " J Taylor

" I run an Aid organisation called Care Outreach, we work with Rural families through western Qld and NSW in crissis situations. After doing much research on what was the best vehical for our work we purchased a Nissan Patrol 3.0 Litre turbo diesel. I was very proud of our purchase thinking this would do every thing that we need it to do. But it has turned out to be a nightmare, It has spent more time in getting repairs than it has getting our teams out helping people. So far we have spent well over $7000.00 in repairs on things like Clutch, fly wheel,air cond, vibration through the drive system,Intercooler, Auto locking hubs and the list goes on. Even now we have a leak coming out of the front of the motor, We get a huge vibration through the steering at around 80 Ks which no one seems to be able to fix. This vehical is used in life and death situations at times, I dont know what we can do with this vehical, Our service is run by mainly volunteers and we do not have big finance behind us, We need Help" Bill Close