All Fords from 94 to 2007 have coil packs and computers and the coil packs are the common cause of most of the problems these cars are having. Ford knows they are a problem but still won't change their new cars back to old system they had before because they're making too much money on spare parts. The computers are the same, windows keep on breaking their cables - I had 3 cables in two years. Front steering wearing tyres out - I have paid 12 tyres in 2years. Replaced all pulleys twice.

Ford should look at their ED Falcon again because I didn't have any problems like I do now when I owned my ED Falcon. I just think that if you buy a new car today you're wasting your money.

I've got a HX Holden now and it's one of the best cars I have ever had. No coil packs or computers and its fuel consumption are better than some of these new cars.

Just wanted to spread the word. I own a 2000 GU 3.0ltr TDI Nissan Patrol, have always serviced it at 5000kms intervals and never towed. Have travelled 150,000kms and had the engine blow in No.4 cylinder, likely due to a coolant leak from the head.

In replacing the engine, also discovered that the gearbox spline was about to go BANG too. Cost a damn fortune to get fixed. My advice to everyone out there is to Stay Away from Nissan Patrols - buy something else.

The diesel Jackaroos have a problem with the injector pump that Holden has acknowledged, and a safety recall was issued and they replace the pump. No cost. What they don't pay for is the $800 wiring harness that floods with oil and diesel as a result of the dodgy injector pump. I argued against this but they'd heard it all before (from every other Jackaroo owner) and really didn't couldn't have cared less.

Not happy with the cost. Not happy with the attitude.

In my instance the pump did its damage before they replaced it causing the vehicle to accelerate on its own. Not funny as you approach the intersection.

This car was left idle for 6 months the battery went completely flat. We charged the battery fully, when we started the engine, and the choke cut out, the engine began to surge, 1000-1700 rpms. Put in gear the surge cut out but the rpms stayed at about 1500 rpms.

Ran the car for a good 100 ks on the highway at about 100 kph. When put in neutral the surge came back the same as before. Disconnected the battery for about half an hour, reconnected, started up and had the same results of surging. The car has 56,000 km and runs like new.

I just want to say that the service that I got from buying a car from Steve at Waneroo Autos was the best of any of the previous sales person I have dealt with in the past at any yard in Perth. I think you need to build a bridge and get over it T Wegwermer, Rockingham WA. You can't slander a sales person without knowing both sides.

All calls to this sales person were answered in a timely fashion. I never had a single issue with Steve or anyone else at this yard. Everyone was polite to me and acted in a professional manner. The car that I purchased needed the air con regassing. The car yard proceeded to install a new air con at no cost to me.

I would strongly recommend anyone looking to buy a car should definitely go to this yard and ask for Steve. If T Wegwermer, Rockingham WA has no idea what buying a second hand car is about and should have read the fine print on the warranty to see what was and was not covered. If you were so worried about your wife getting a flat tyre then you should join the RAC or something of the like.

Have taken car to local dealership approximately 4 times now with the radio turning on by itself when the switch is off. Locked without any keys in the ignition. Not a big problem only that if it switches on and is left unnoticed you'll find that it runs the battery flat.

So after ringing Holden roadside assist and after all the **** questions, they'll send the RACQ around for a jump start about an hour later. If that's not enough of an inconvenience try getting told from the local dealership that they cannot find a problem with the radio as they are not getting any fault codes from the computer.

Well if they were to come out and jump start outside work hours they could see that there was a problem. The wife has even resorted to taking the radio fuse out to maintain reliable transport, not anymore. We'll just keep ringing up Holden assist for a jump start until some Holden bean counter wakes up and realizes that there is a problem and it is costing them money.

First I would like to address Lou's problem if I may (see below). Lou my man, it sounds that you will be needing a lawyer to resolve your problem with Nissan and the crack leather on your dashboard. I have 2000 Maxima too and it has never been housed in shade since it was purchased by me. I have approximately 86,000 miles on it now. This car sits not in a garage but out in the open. When the sun shines it's shining on the dash and so far there are no visible cracks.

The problems I have are with my front brakes, in which they became warped, so I took the car back to the dealership to be diagnosed concerning my problem. The service manager knew right away what the problem was. He made me to know that Nissan had issued a policy to the dealership maintenance shop to make repairs free of charge to the customer.

You may say that this was great, well, let me tell you, that once rotors warp it's time to get new ones. Nissan chose to just machine or turn the old ones instead. I ask and pleaded with the service manager to put new rotors on and he refused, unless I would be paying for it.

The problem reoccurred and they refused to make free repairs altogether. So I did the work myself after I purchased the parts. I am consulting a lawyer. And now the bearings on the cooling fan are rattling and making loud noise. I have an extended warranty that was purchased at Nissan Dealership when car was purchased. And it seems that they will make me consult lawyer on this situation too before they will do anything binding.

RE: Mazda Warranty, T QUINN - MELBOURNE(see below)

I don't think you can blame Mazda on this one. If you failed to keep up the servicing then it's your fault if a problem arises. Its sound like your car ran out of oil causing internal engine damage. At the end of the day its up to the car owner to check oil and water levels at least once a week or have it checked by someone if your aren't able to do it yourself.

P.S the little sticker usually located on the upper right hand side of the windscreen is called a service sticker. Its there to remind you to get your car serviced. If you're wondering, I have no connection with Mazda either.

I have a 1998 VT Commodore SS V6 supercharged. When pulling up to a stop I can sometimes hear a thump and feel same thru the floor. It appears to be coming from the back. I have had this vehicle since 104000ks, over two years, and it has always done this.

I have read that the VT had some problems with the diff, and apparently the computer controlling the auto gearbox was not flash. The problem doesn't appear to have altered over the time I have owned it - it's a bloody nice car. Any info will be appreciated. Stewart

I am wanting to purchase a Mini Cooper S and was wondering if they have any faults ...

I have owned my 2002 Astra CD for about 3 years. I bought it when it was at 18,000kms and it is now at 75,00kms. I have been very happy with my car especially on long distance drives as it has gone return from Adelaide to Ayers Rock at least 4 times now and once return from Adelaide to Perth. I have found the fuel consumption to be terrific when the cruise control is being used.

The only problems I have had in the past with my car is the regulators in the electric windows. They have both broken in both the rear windows on their own. I've been told this is common for regulators to break in electric windows? Pretty expensive little parts to replace though at around $265 a pop!

As I was backing out my car the other day I heard an unusual clunking noise as if something was loose. I got my friend to have a look and he said my alternator may need replacing as it is making a bit of noise. Is this a common for the alternator to go at 75,000kms? And how much is it to replace an alternator?

I would appreciate any advice on this matter that anyone would have as I feel at times I've had the wool pulled over my eyes by not knowing my stuff (my 60,000km service left me $1,350 out of pocket - is this usual?) Thanks!

Read the fine print of your car warranty's guys or you will get no assistance from Mazda I can assure you!

My car had done 103,000 km only to begin making a shocking noise! After Mazda inspected the vehicle they blamed me and were very rude to me about the situation. I also had extended warranty on the vehicle and they told me don't bother.

Make sure your cars are serviced every 10,000 km or you will get no help. They were happy to take my hard earned money but didn't give a damn and sent my car back with a parts on the floor and a box of bolts.

I was going to upgrade my car very soon but I will never purchase another one and word of mouth hurts so I have made an effort to let everyone know also. Hope they are happy with themselves coz I am NOT.

RE: HONDA CR-V SPORT 2000: VALVES BURNING, EXPENSIVE REPAIRS (see below)

Kurt, that is a real eye opener. Just wondering if you had the CRV serviced at a Honda dealership? You have just given me a job to do on my son's CRV next week. It has 110,000 kms on it and luckily is running well.

RE: DAIHATSU CHARADE 1985: 21 YEAR OLD CAR MORE RELIABLE THAN MANY NEW CARS (see below)

If we lobbied our government about "lemon laws" we will have no Australian car manufacturing industry. The 3 manufacturers would go broke. I think that we will never see it here in Australia.

My ignition seized on what was the hottest day of December 2006. It had been baking in the sun for about one hour until I got to it to try and turn the key.

Hot and flustered I called the NRMA. I was lucky enough to have an NRMA guy who actually knew what he was doing. He told me that the barrel fails on really hot days and that it is an exceeding common problem. At some point ever Astra's ignition will seize. It is a matter of when not if. Mine went at roughly 69,000 kms.

He also told me if I had it towed to Holden it'd cost me a grand, they would replace it and I would have this problem again in a few years. The part is faulty. So a new part = a new fault. Instead he referred me to City Wide Locksmiths (Sydney). Unfortunately they were busy and couldn't get out for 4 hours.

When they did arrive, it took them all of about 10 minutes. They said they had done 20 odd in the last two months and were now such experts they could do it in their sleep. One of the guys told me he was going to manipulate the barrel I had so it wouldn't happen again. He said to replace would mean this problem yet again (as the NRMA told me).

A cheap $120 later I had the same barrel as before with one minor difference.When I turn the key to the off position it pops out a little instead of staying there. In other words I can't listen to the radio when the ignition is completely off. If I turn to accessories I can... No big deal right.

Since then I have found that the key turns easier in the lock and my car baked in the heat all day today and it didn't seize at all.

The moral of this story ... don't go to Holden ... they are not locksmiths, they're mechanics. If you have a lock problem see a locksmith.

Honda CRV engines have a serious valve problem. Unlike other cars, valve clearance of the CRV must be adjusted at 40000km intervals (RAV 4 and Nissan X trail: 160000km). But obviously even these short intervals are not good enough.

After 103000km of soft driving, a valve burnt in my CRV. The fix took 5 days and $2000 to fix it. Research on the Internet shows that this failure is known. The car is out of warranty and Honda states: "Repairs are the responsibility of the owners." As a gesture of good will, Honda donated the valve of a value of $150.

I am wondering if anyone has had a noise in the gearbox? I have done 60,000ks, have it serviced every 5,000ks and have had my car for 3 years and 22 days so yes I am out of warranty and am worried they may charge me to fix this noise. I have been told it could be a bearing? I would like to hear from people before I book it in.

Thanks, Carolyn.

Vehicle jumped out of top gear while coasting down a hill. Vehicle was 2.5 yrs old and 80,000km. Luckily it was still under warranty and the dealer repaired it no problem (complete rebuild). I quickly bought the extended warranty to take it out to six years and 160,000km.

Some colleagues who drive Mazda Bravos for Telstra in some tough conditions say it's common for their vehicles to have transmission problems.

Seeking assistance in fixing an air conditioning fault in my Ford XH Panel Van.

Water (clear) dripping down under the glove box area. We are sure it is from the A/C Evaporator. Sometimes the water flows from the pipe outside the vehicle (Firewall). Other times flows inside the vehicle.

Air con is working OK and the drain seems to be clear. Prior to pulling the complete dash out I thought it maybe a good idea to ask has anyone else suffered this problem.
Look forward to any response.

Amazing, I have had less trouble with a 21 year old econo box than so many of you have had with new or near new cars.

Although I can't say I'm surprised when anyone complains that their Kia, Holden or Ford has problems. A couple of buying tips.

1. Cheap brand new cars are cheap for a reason.

2. Be wary of any model car which is available in large quantities secondhand or have been traded in only a few years after their introduction year.

3. Only the good models survive the years, so hang back when a new model comes out, and buy it further into its lifecycle.

4. Rentals are a great way to see how well a vehicle has held up or what it's like after heavy use. Plus if it's not in a rental yard it probably didn't last the distance.

Also lobby your government for the American style "Lemon Laws" to give consumers a bit more piece of mind.

I have installed an after market LPG kit of Italy to my car having MPFI. I have some doubt:

1) will the gasket of the engine, ring and valve clearance get damaged due to LPG gas as the heat produced while riding in LPG mode is much higher than that of petrol as the car has been made for petrol fuel only.

2) If the car is driven in AC will it affect the life of the engine?

3) I am riding the car with the LPG of kitchen by filling it with the pump illegally and not an auto gas as there is no pumping station near around. Will it affect the engine life due to use of LPG of kitchen?

I was of the belief that the strongest component in a car was the transmission. I have a VX Executive wagon that I purchased from Holden National Leasing after having it as my company vehicle. I purchased it after the 3 year lease period had expired; it had travelled 89,000 kilometres, and was only driven by myself.

I looked after the vehicle as if it was my own; I had the tyres replaced after 75,000 klm, still on the original brakes (98,000 klm). The 90,000 klm service and all other services were carried out by Metro Motors, but at 97,000 klm the transmission failed.

I had the vehicle towed to a company that the dealership takes some of their repairs to, notified the dealership and their response was it is out of warranty. I understand the warranty is 100,000 klm or 3 years. As the vehicle was four and a half years old I knew it was out of warranty but I rang GMH who said they would get the service history and review the case. The result was the vehicle was out of the warranty period and that I didn't take it back to a GMH dealership - they were not prepared to do anything. If I had driven the vehicle the way most company vehicles get driven, this would have failed under the warranty period.

$2147 later and a lot of wasted time my next vehicle will be a FORD! By the way I have told all my friends and acquaintances of the experience.

We have two Astra SRI's both 2002. Both have similar ignition lock problems, with the key not being able to be turned and key being withdrawn without locking the ignition. They must be pretty **** locks. I will try hitting Holden up.

Just posting in response to the the FORD FOCUS Transmission problem (see below).

I had this car since new, and in the early thousands of km's it came up with a transmission problem.

Now it's only done 57,000kms and it can last a week without going back into repairs (apparently a new transmission wont fix the fault). Transmission fault light goes on, gets locked in third gear. The gears did jerk prior to this as well. It is a pain, would not recommend Ford or a Focus to potential buyers. Does anyone that owns a Focus have a same problem?

Four wheel SUV started wandering. Had tie rod joint replaced. No fix. Had front end aligned to GM spec. no fix. I am now told the steering box bearing has failed. Steering column has a "clunking" sound on rough terrain.

I have been driving for 54 years and never heard of such a thing, even before power steering. Vehicle has 85,000 miles, all by me. No off road usage.