I purchased my BA XR6 ute last November and it had 35000 kms on it and started a whining noise from the diff at around 40000kms. Ford will not help even though it has low kms and it’s a common problem. It is out of warranty but being a common prob you would think they would come to the party in some kinda way!

My father also had a BA XR6 2003 and the diff had to be rebuilt at around 50000kms. I have had the run around from Ford saying it’s not a common problem but all the service managers say it is and everyone I have spoken to with similar utes have had the problem.

I am trying to find out how many other people this has happened to so if it has happened to you or someone you know I would love to hear from you.

Cheers Tracey

I wonder if anyone has had a problem with a Mazda 2 Maxx driver's seat?

About 6-12 months ago I felt something "give" in the driver's seat i.e. in the part one sits on (I weigh 55kg). One day when I got into the car, I felt something like a band had buckled or bent underneath me. It happened to a lesser degree a couple of times after that. I feel as though something is not quite right with the seat when I am driving but of course I could be imagining it.

A Mazda service man had a look and pressed the seat down with his hands, also sat in the seat. Said he could not find anything wrong but would make a note of it on their computer. I went back to Mazda last week and saw a senior person in service and he also said he could not feel anything wrong, plus he raised and lowered the seat and moved it forward and back.

As the 3 year warranty runs out in a few days, I want to be sure in case a problem develops. Any feedback on the seat problem would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

I visited a western Sydney Ford dealership recently for a fitting on the side of my fuel injection pump. After a long period of time and several diagrams later I was told by an older looking person that I needed to buy a new fuel injection pump when all I needed was a fitting. Not sure what he was on about but I noticed 3 empty Tooheys new longnecks in the bin in full view of the counter at 10am in the morning. He recommended I go aftermarket to a diesel specialist.

The next day I was out at Windsor and they said they could get the part I needed for $2.65! That’s a fair saving of $7,000! Not good parts interpreting.

We have a 2001 Nissan Patrol 4.2 turbo diesel.

We have a problem with vibration coming through the pedal. We have replaced the throttle cable but problem is still there.

Can anyone help?

Recently purchased new GU Nissan Wagon 3.0 lt. Had aftermarket snorkel fitted by ARB while car was under control of dealership i.e. aftermarket material fitted ready to go for me to pick up. Dealer went through check list to say vehicle passed there test before handing me the keys.

I drove vehicle home approx 900kms away (live in remote FNQ). I noticed the car lacked power in the lower rev range and that I had to drive the vehicle into the higher rev range before changing gears or the car seemed to have no grunt down low in the rev range. I assumed the car had a different gear ratio compared to my old Nissan 2.8lt GQ wagon.

I had driven the car from Weipa to Mackay where I noticed the problem got worse where as I could hardly get over 60-70 kph. I stopped the vehicle and removed the key then restarted and the car seemed fine?

I took the vehicle to Nissan in Mackay where the guys put the car on the computer and came back with a turbo fault. The serviceman notice 2 small vac hoses on the ducting running from the air filter back to the motor were back to front. Looks to have been fitted wrong when the snorkel was fitted? The hoses ran back to the turbo actuator (not sure on terminology) which control the gate that opens the flow for air to the turbo. He stated that the turbo would not have been working much at all. He changed the 2 small hoses around and I took the car for a drive and it was like driving a different vehicle, the acceleration was unbelievable.

So I had driven the car for 3000kms without the turbo working correctly ... So the dealerships check and test drive can only be a crock or this issue would have been picked up before I even received the keys. I am now concerned with what damaged may have occurred to the motor during the first 3000kms where the turbo has not be working as I had been driving the vehicle in the higher rev range before performing a gear change. So be warned!

I have no water leaks from my hard cover by fitting special rubber seals. Phone 0432544418 for details.

I am wondering why I hold onto to a car that is worth a little over $10,000 but has cost me that in repairs in the past year or two.

It has done 65k yet has had replacements to air conditioning unit, brakes (twice), timing belt, starter motor, and now to top it off, it requires a replacement of the steering rack.

This car is a money pit.

Purchased brand new in 2003 (Tynan Sutherland) sold me a 2001 model which I didn't realise until I went to trade the lemon in (paid $52K). I had told them it had to be the same year as I purchased it, but found out it was a 2001 model. Tynan are a disgrace as a dealership.

7 times the coils have gone (first time before I even clocked 10,000klms).
3 replacement flaps in the heater box.
1 new air-conditioning compressor because a rivet that held one of the brackets in place, snapped and caused permanent damage to the compressor.
2 new electric aerials
1 new stereo

5 times the car hasn't started at all leaving me stranded and time off work, and hiring a car. Problem still not fixed, if anyone out there has this same problem and has it fixed please let me know. The car just won't start and then all of the sudden it does. Three times I have had to get the car taken to a specialist to try and find the problem and they can't because when they have tried, the car starts, it's intermittent.

1 set of new shock absorbers.

I tried to trade it in and was offered $8K, it's now 4 and a half years old (cost me $52K).

There are only 4 places in Sydney that deal with Renault and where you purchase the parts.

My son is a mechanic, and when he went to do the rear brakes, he found they were drum. He just laughed at how antiquated the vehicle is. I need the rear brakes and the new shocks but Lincorp refuse to take credit card over the phone. I work 5 days a week and have to take a day off to order them personally, and you guessed it, they aren't open on Saturdays.

Renault is the absolute worst car I have ever purchased and I will never ever purchase from them again. They should be jailed for deceiving the public. I paid top dollar and got something that is worth virtually nothing now. Please anyone out there let me know of your problems.

My wife and I were informed that the Landrover was a great small family car, inexpensive to run but with the small inclusions that usually make life easy. We bought the car from a prestige auto yard with low kilometers for $15000.

As I now know the head gasket was the first to go, $1500. The IRD soon followed $2500. As we had spent a lot of money and it still had low kilometers we thought it would be a waste to sell it as we didn’t have extra funds. We were wrong. The rear door power window unit failed $1000. We didn’t have the funds to repair it so left it.

We then decided to sell the car but just prior to that (Murphy’s law) the motor seized dropping a valve after a 2k drive to my local beach $6000. Apparently a common fault that will break your heart. The car has always been serviced and cared for.

If you are thinking of buying one of these DONT!

My story is already on the web called 'what a disaster nobody will help' dated 13/10/2006. I would like to form a class action against Kia but I need other people to join me. Please email me or phone me on 03 54503909 or my mobile 0438097653.

Please contact me as we can't let Kia continue to get away with hurting people like this.

I would be interested in joining your group of dissatisfied Focus owners. CL 2002 Sedan with 68900km however, past experiences with a Festiva with 19 warranty defects has proven to me that Ford don't give a care about their product or customers. The problems you have experienced are similar to mine.

I have had the alternator replaced under warranty, 29,000km; however the problem with variable light levels still exists. Front headlight adjustment motor burnt out and replaced under warranty 31,000km. Fuel gauge, retains its pre fill position until after you turn the ignition on and off several times, sometimes it will work instantly, 47,000km. Find it don't grind it is the catch cry for reverse and first. It regularly jumps out of first when taking off. According to Ford this is how European cars are.

Air vents on the Dash - Centre ones have been replaced twice within warranty due to self closing. Failed for a 3rd time 2 months after warranty and Ford will not replace as 12 part warranty does not apply as the part was replaced during the warranty period.

Over-revving between gear shifts. Flares between 500-1000 rpm between gear changes. Happening since I have owned it. Ford could not find fault with it as apparently this is a normal behaviour for a Ford. I have worked out that it occurs when the Air con is on.
Oil leaks from the rear of the engine, appears to be from the oil filter, and between the engine and gear box, 48,000.

Knock in the steering / brakes when turning or going bumps. Ford admitted that there was a problem but could not find it within the warranty period. Strangely enough, the cause of the fault was found after the warranty period, by the same dealer, with a corresponding charge to fix it.

Roof lining started to fall during warranty, the dealer, QFORD Springwood, virtually destroyed the interior of the car when replacing it. They removed the old lining and tried to install a new one however they had ordered a roof lining for hatch. They then stuck the old lining back up with glue and told me that it had been replaced, as per the written service docket that I insisted I get a copy of. They were caught out by virtue of the stains on the new lining that happened to be in the exact same place as the stains on the old lining. The end result was that they had to replace the roof lining, panic handles, all of the plastic panels above the doors and remove several glue stains from the carpet and seats. I kept a photo record of the damage. To their credit they did rectify the damage, provided a loan car while mine was being repaired and repaired some damage to the bumper that I had caused.

I am going to dispose of the car before the next major repair is required as after reading some of the other forums, we are quite lucky considering some of the other major faults that these cars develop.

I recently purchased a Nissan Murano. I shopped it to death. In the end, I ended up buying the vehicle from City Nissan. The guys there were great and I didn't feel like I needed to get my lawyer to review the fine print before I signed. The car was ready on time, with all the accessories fitted, and it is fantastic. My wife loves it. They took care of my trade in for me without a drama, and I can't believe how smooth it all went.

Great car.

I bought this vehicle brand new from Holden Robina. I had it serviced there twice, I started getting it serviced at another registered mechanic, and the price was more competitive. I took the vehicle back to Holden to have them inspect the gear box as my new mechanic had instructed. They inspected it in January at approx 95,000km, said they would have to place an order for a replacement transmission, it may take 6-8 weeks but they'd call when it came in to organize the repair under warranty.

This month (July) I went in and purchased a secondhand VZ Commodore, while I was there I went over to the service department and inquired about the gear box for the Cruze as I still hadn't heard anything about it. They asked that I bring it in for another look and were surprised that it wasn't done, as they could see it had been ordered. I wasn't worried all this time as I thought it was going to be replaced under warranty.

A couple of days before a dropped it in, I received a letter saying if our vehicles are not serviced there (we now have 3, all bought within 2 years, a new Cruze 2005, new Combo 2005 and 2nd hand VZ 2005) they will not honour any warranty.

After they looked at the Cruze which is now close to 125,000km, they advised the following: the gear box is not covered under warranty because it is out of warranty being at 125,000kms and because you haven't had it service here. I told him it was noted at 95,000kms and they said they would call us when it was in. They said stiff, it was our faulty for not following it up before 120,000kms and we haven't been getting our car serviced there. I persisted and continued to tell them, we have been getting services done elsewhere by a registered mechanic just read the logbook, they honestly didn't care.

So I said what about the other 2 cars we have bought here? Will they be covered under warranty if something goes wrong with them? They said sure, if you bring them in here to be serviced, I was dumfounded.

If you are thinking of purchasing here, good luck, we won’t be. If you can help me with suggestions please do, everything above is true, and I have left nothing out.

Fuel gauge would only read from full to half then run out just under half.

Took to Nissan, after 6 days of testing they say it’s in the dash cluster and needs to be replaced $2700.00

Good one Nissan.

I have a second hand 1997 1.2 Barina City - and the Snow Mode is automatically turned on every morning when I start it up ... therefore the car is stuck in 'third' gear. The only way it turns off is if I drive around for 10 mins or so and turn the car off - and then on again.

Once it’s off - it won’t come back on again during the day until the next morning ... when I start it up again and drive off to work.

Is this a common problem for Barina - heard of before or happened to anyone else?

Dear Darren,
I have encountered a similar problem when I worked at a Volvo Workshop. The Volvos had a device called a Bulb Failure Warning Sensor, and it would trigger the warning lamp if it detected an imbalance in current flow between the left and right hand lamps (i.e. a blown RH side brake lamp would have no current flow and the LH side would, it was so sensitive it would even detect bulbs that were about to fail and also detect cheaper Asian bulbs compared to original German ones).

To correctly wire a tow bar up you would have to pull out all the carpet and trim and run the wiring loom up under the dash and wire it in before the sensor. That way the extra current running the trailer lamps would not affect the sensor. If a lazy technician wired it to the wiring loom at the rear lamps, as soon as you hooked up the trailer the BFWS would detect the imbalance in current and trigger the warning lamp. It may be that your vehicle has a similar system and it was wired incorrectly.

XR6 Manual that I love. Has developed a leak into the driver’s side. After heavy rain water can be felt dripping on my feet! Dealer says can't find anything! Help Please. Don't want to spend big $ looking for the problem if it is a common problem!

I too had a brake shudder issue at 50 000km. Had rotors machined and to date all is good. Mates who have AU XR6 as well have had same problem also in the BA.

Cheers

Dear Patrol fanboy, (aka Nissan Patrol 4 Ever)
Your claim of being in the industry for 18 years is interesting. Although not in the industry I have friends and relations who are. It is easy to confuse someone who has professional qualifications with someone who acts professionally.

You may be correct in assuming that some responsibility for worn clutches is due to abuse or misuse. A friend of ours had a GU clutch fail on a new vehicle at 14,000ks. That would take some kind of abuse but it may have been an isolated case.

Interesting you mention 45k as representing a reasonable amount of work for a clutch to endure. I had a Holden Commodore manual that broke a pressure plate spring at 40k. I knew this the minute it let go. The dealership I took it to said clutches were not a warranty item. I argued that the clutch plate and flywheel may not be but the pressure plate is to which they agreed. However they later contacted me and told me they had “checked” and found it wasn’t the pressure plate, it was the clutch plate and that if evidence of scoring on a clutch plate (40,000ks) appeared they would most likely not replace anything anyway.

I spoke to two of my mates. One who had worked at the same dealership as service manger and then on to run his own service shop and now lectures at Automotive TAFE and another who is service manager for another Holden dealership. The one from the dealership said that Holden would react that way but to pursue it. The other one argued my case about the fact that it was the pressure plate and that it was not related to scoring or other wear on clutch plates etc. He told the dealer to have the pressure plate pressure tested. The response came back that yes they agreed it was the pressure plate and that they would replace the whole thing under warranty.

Why were Holden so reluctant? Because to replace the pressure plate required a kit that consisted of everything. I got an entire new clutch! To make up for the fact that they do not supply individual items they impose strict restrictions on customers to save themselves.

So everything is not as clear cut as it always seems. The one piece of advice I do agree with you is to take it up further. Do not accept the word of dealerships or even manufacturers. Seek independent advice where you can. It is not always easy and if I did not have the contacts I had I may have possibly ended up forking out $1500 from my own pocket.

I actually came to this site looking for any problems with X-Trail clutches as a friend is looking to buy one and it has a stiff clutch. The dealer here has refused to fix it but has said it would cost $1,100 to fix. She contacted a Nissan dealer who said it sounded like the clutch would need replacing but they would do it with “genuine” (like Nissan manufacture their own clutches) parts but they only charged $900 and the other dealer was ripping her off. I phoned a clutch service and they said bring it by and they would check. They had one in recently and it was a jammed cable!

Regards Fox Mulder

I have to agree with "Good News".

We bought a Liberty in 2000, not without some tribulations on delivery schedule changes with the then dealership in Camberwell~ish, not sure if they're still there, hope not as they were ineffective and inept to put it mildly. The car however speaks for itself, one warranty issue with the power steering - I was being picky - but the country dealership performed the work under warranty, no quibbles. The car has done over 140kks and feels like the day we bought it.

I was so impressed by this car that when I needed a ute to do some wheelbarrow work in the paddock I bought a - you guessed it - Brumby. Although somewhat of a rust bucket, it floats in the mud, seldom requires 4WD, and only bridged once across its midriff - these cars are tough as they come even in rusted form.

Impressed by the years of service to date, I couldn't resist and bought a 2 Door STi (99 job) from my friend who had it from new. Although it had 100kks on the clock, it was not driven irresponsibly or molested with modifications or other add-ons - easy decision. From being a Toyota family - although good reliable cars - they just do not have the engaging drivability of their fellow compatriots.

Although that said, I am fanatical on the service front and the use of genuine parts, so don't expect any car to survive without regular maintenance, it all adds up to longevity.

The daily driver I have had for over 22 years is evidence of that, neither a Toyota nor Subaru, but a Honda Civic that has almost clocked 450kks on its original engine / tranny - no surgery yet touch wood. It’s a Honda Civic Shuttle (1984) that has been in equivalent distance - to the moon and is on its way back home. When it returns (distance wise), maybe the head office at Honda could serve as its new home to advertise how long its product can last with genuine parts and regular servicing.

Agree with complaint, I have a 2003 X-trail 72,000 klm non-machineable flywheel the same as pre 2006 Patrol, Navara, and Pathfinder. 2007 models in some of these have gone back to full metal assemblies. Vehicle has not been off road, driven by mid thirties female and not abused, clutch has failed and parts are $1600 with labour to be on top. Will now sell X-trail after lack of assistance from Nissan local dealer and Melbourne Customer relations and will never buy another Nissan.

I bought a brand new 2006 LX Ford Focus less than twelve months ago. A couple of days ago I was driving in wet weather and went through a puddle (as to be expected in wet weather). The engine shut down and I was towed to the closest Ford dealership. Nothing is under warranty of course and I am looking at 8 thousand dollars for a new motor as the air filter which is located down towards the front passenger wheel managed to suck water all through the engine.

After explaining what happened to the woman on the phone at Ford, her response was that not all Fords are designed for all weather conditions. How stupid is this, I would really have appreciated it if the dealership explained to me before I made the 25 thousand dollar purchase that I was not able to drive to work if it was raining!

My previous posting was a complaint about the problems I had with my Kia Carnival. Well, I just got it back last Saturday after 7 months and $5,500 after.

The problem I had (after the engine was replaced) consists of:

a) gasket blown - replaced, found out the o-rings inside was not replaced when the warranty work was done. This caused the coolant to seep into the cylinder 1 and 3.
b) cylinder head (both) were warped due to overheating. Machine shaved
c) replaced piston rings (for all 6) and later the pistons (3) after the overheating cracked 1
d) thermostat was replaced

All of the above plus time/material etc returned the engine back to life. The power has been restored, fixed the overheating, fixed the loss of coolant.

Now the only other thing to find out is if all were returned properly.

Not bad fix by Lasertune in Glandore, Adelaide. They've done well after Stillwell tried fixing for 3 years and failed!

I recently bought my new crewman from Suttons Chullora. After 6 months (approx 30k) my clutch was slipping so bad that I could not pull a simple trailer. The car went back to Holden as a warranty claim after a lot of arguing with the service dept. They finally decided to replace the clutch. Holden decided to call this a good will gesture.

Three days after getting the car back from Suttons the clutch was slipping again. On returning the car to Holden I was told to drive the car as the clutch needed to bed in. I took the car back to Holden twice a week for the next six weeks when the service dept finally decided to remove the gearbox again to see what the problem was. I was told that the clutch was burnt out due to driver abuse (they don’t seem to want to listen that the clutch had been slipping for six weeks as noted in service dept). I was made to pay for the new clutch and the cost of labour to fit it to my car.

I am now on the third clutch in 35k. Also the new LS2 6.0l uses so much oil that by the time a service is due there would be no oil left if it was not topped up regularly.

I would be very interested to hear if anybody else is going through the same kind of problems or if I have just been unlucky and ended up with a lemon.

I would love to get contact numbers of all Renault RX4 owners or past owners as I am extremely distressed about my vehicle and the way I am being treated by Renault Northcliff, especially Morne the service manager.

Took my car in for 60 000km service and from then it was a downward spiral. First the engine mountings breaking and asked to pay for the damage which I have subsequently found out is a regular occurrence! The petrol cap broke off at 40000km, then while driving in a deserted farm area with my 2 young boys the prop shaft / differential fell out! This car is Unsafe and Renault should remove them from the market totally knowing that this is a problem.

I randomly called dealers asking them about the car and they said "Dont Buy Problems With Differential/Propshaft, bad history, expensive after 70000km they are not reliable"! I hired AA to inspect the car only to find that they pushed the propshaft back into place! They blamed the tow company who has denied it So What Are They Hiding! I have several witnesses to verify that the propshaft dropped.

Morne's attitude is you have to pay R25000 otherwise come and tow your car away. The worst of it all is that they sold me an extended warranty and apparently it is not a reliable one on top of it ... not worth the paper it is written on.

I too had brake failure but was brief, not re-occurred but it was a concern as I just recently replaced my brakes. It just continues. I am fighting Renault and therefore need assistance to fight this case. Please contact me via email, I would love to chat to you. Thanks

In May 2007 I assisted a friend with regards to finance for a vehicle he had signed up to purchase through Gibbons Holden. Some upset happened between my friend and his girlfriend between signing the contract of sale for the vehicle and meeting to sign up for the finance. This ended with his girlfriend refusing to be a part of the finance deal for the car. This was explained in person on the night of sign up that finance would have to be re-assessed in my friend's name only and the girlfriend's name removed.

This simple situation erupted into an argument between the Manager of sales and myself as my friend's advocate. The Sales Manager stated that the girlfriend had signed a contract - this was a blatant lie, and when we advised him that she had signed a privacy form only, he aggressively thumped the desk whilst the trainee business manager looked on in shock. He repeatedly spoke over the top of me whilst leaning menacingly over the desk as I tried to calmly discuss the matter. He then shouted at the top of his lungs 'you don't dictate to me' and 'I'm not speaking to you anymore, you Will be in here tomorrow as soon as we've pulled strings to get this finance through, we have friends at St George Bank who can pull this through'.

We left Gibbons Holden rather shocked and feeling very bullied and awaited their next move. Their next move was to use contact details they had for the girlfriend to contact her father and verify the 'story' of the break up. This resulted in the girlfriend's father being insulted and hung up on by the sales manager, who promptly rang him back and gave him a piece of his mind. Then Gibbons kindly organised a full comprehensive insurance policy for the vehicle and an installment payment was promptly withdrawn from my friend's bank account Without verbal permission or a signed direct debit authority.

Approximately five phone calls later and another person to person meeting with a different business manager to resolve the situation resulted in the finance being declined. I have never seen such shocking behaviour from anyone who is A. a manager and B. works in the customer service industry. I will Never buy a car from Gibbons and I intend to tell everyone I cross paths with to stay away from them at all costs - their hard sale tactics border on the illegal.