Cruisingtoget fueleconomy · K (308) 1006183v5 toyota.com.au A great deal today Enduring Quality...
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8 NT NEWS. CARSguide Saturday, March 3, 2012 www.ntnews.com.au www.ntnews.com.au NT NEWS. CARSguide Saturday, March 3, 2012. 9 PUB: SUNDAY DATE: 3-MAR-2012 PAGE: 308 COLOR: C (308) M (308) Y (308) K (308) 1006183v5 toyota.com.au A great deal today Enduring Quality Low cost, capped price servicing Lower running costs Flexible low-rate f inance Nationwide Dealer coverage Renowned for re-sale value A lifetime of Toyota advantages Factory bonus offers applicable for private and ABN buyers on select 2011 build vehicles purchased and delivered between 1 March and 31 March 2012. For model applicability and other conditions go to toyota.com.au/specialoffers. Toyota reserves the right to extend any offer. Excludes demos. While stocks last. Offers not available in conjunction with other registered fleet discounts or offers. VALID X2963 R09498/DN/HDP Don’t miss Toyota Buyer’s Advantage 2011 Model Clearance. You’ll get amazing value on runout models and factory bonuses on a range of Australia’s favourite 2011 cars. So get a great deal today and start enjoying a Lifetime of Toyota Advantages. See your local Toyota dealer during March. While stocks last. 2011 Model Clearance. Cruising to get fuel economy I could imagine that you could get better fuel economy when the cruise control is not engaged but it would depend on the calibration of the cruise, how aggressive it is, the specific vehicle and the way it is driven normally when the cruise is not in use Q: The water pump in my Holden Astra has failed and now the engine sounds like shaking a bag of spanners when it starts. I have not driven the car since this happened as I am unsure as to what harm this will do. Can it be driven to the near- est garage and roughly how much is it to change the water pump? Yvette Destefano, e-mail. A: Whatever you do, don’t drive it. Don’t even start it. It is likely you have done seri- ous internal damage already and driving it, or even start- ing it, would only damage it further. Have it towed to a mechanic and have the en- gine checked. I fear the dam- age extends well beyond the water pump. Q: Our 2008 Nissan Navara STX Diesel makes a ticking noise and my hubby is worried that it could be a timing chain. Our Nissan mechanic says it is just the diesel sound and not to worry, but with stories be- ing told about such things, we are a bit worried. What could it be? Lisa Romano, e-mail. A: I would be inclined to take the advice of your mech- anic, but if you are still con- cerned, get the opinion of an- other mechanic. It should be easy. Simply by listening to it and determin- ing where the noise is coming from, the mechanic should be able to tell if it is a timing chain or not. Q: I recently read where a person claimed he got bet- ter fuel economy from his 4WD when he did not use the cruise control. While his vehicle was different to mine, which is a 2010 Navara dual-cab D40 diesel manual, I thought that I would check this out. Have you heard anything about this? Brian Thompson, e-mail. A: I could imagine that you could get better fuel economy when the cruise control is not engaged but it would depend on the calibration of the cruise, how aggressive it is, the specific vehicle and the way it is driven normally when the cruise is not in use. I doubt you could draw a gen- eral conclusion that fuel econ- omy is always better when you don’t use cruise. Perhaps you should try it for yourself and see if it does work for you. Q: In 2009 I purchased a BA Ford Falcon with only 49,000km on the clock and at the 75,000km service it was diagnosed as having a misfire at idle which may have been caused by a burnt valve on number eight cylinder. The dealer’s service adviser told me that there was a problem with the Boss 260 motor with im- perfections in that cylinder head and a modified head fixed the problem. I have not heard of this problem and am concerned that I should have had One reader had problems with the timing chain on their Audi A4 sedan problems at such a low mileage. Should Ford have dealt with this problem un- der warranty? Ken Smith, e-mail. A: The BA is well out of warranty, so the issue of be- ing fixed under warranty does not come up, and it’s doubtful that Ford would have auto- matically changed the head on the basis of a maybe. The best thing to do now is to re- pair the head. Q: The timing chain ten- sioner in the engine in my 2008 Audi A4 B8 sedan has broken, with the result that the engine needs new valves, new camshaft and repairs to the head etc. The repair cost is around $6000 and Audi is prepared to share the cost, but are not going to cover the full cost. The car has only done 58,000km and is only five months out of warranty, and I was hoping for some goodwill due to the nature of what happened and the fact that car has low km. Is that asking too much? Crocky John, e-mail. A: No, I don’t think it is ask- ing too much given its age and low km. What Audi has done by covering part of the cost is pretty much industry prac- tice, but I would press your case, even consider taking it to the consumer affairs people in your state. Q: Our 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander V6 has done 55,000km and I have no- ticed by the service receipts that the brakes have never been done. Is this odd? Mark, e-mail. A: Not really. The brakes should have been inspected during the services, but the wear rate on Japanese cars in general, and Mitsubishis in particular, is lower than you would expect on European cars, for instance. I would ex- pect you should get 80,000km or so out of yours before they need replacing. Q: Each month I check my wife’s 2005 Toyota Camry four-cylinder and there is always a build-up of corros- ive material on the nega- tive terminal of the battery. On advice I have removed this build-up with boiling water, a rinse, and then I dry everything off with compressed air. I have also been advised to apply pet- roleum jelly to the ter- minal. Why does this build- up develop on the terminal and how is it best managed? Greg Hopwood, Currawang, NSW. A: Electrolyte evaporates as the battery warms up when being used and the vapour es- capes from the vents and finds its way to the battery terminals where it becomes the crystalline deposit you see. The best way to clean the deposit off is to use boiling water, as you are doing, and then apply a smear of pet- roleum jelly over the outside of the terminal and clamp once the clamp is tightened on the terminal to provide a pro- tective shield.
Transcript of Cruisingtoget fueleconomy · K (308) 1006183v5 toyota.com.au A great deal today Enduring Quality...
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1006183v5
toyota.com.au
A great deal today
EnduringQuality
Low cost, capped price servicing
Lower running costs
Flexible low-rate f inance
Nationwide Dealer coverage
Renowned for re-sale value
A lifetime of Toyotaadvantages
Factory bonus offers applicable for private and ABN buyers on select 2011 build vehicles purchased and delivered between 1 March and 31 March 2012. For model applicability and other conditions go to toyota.com.au/specialoffers. Toyota reserves the right to extend any offer. Excludes demos. While stocks last. Offers not available in conjunction with other registered fleet discounts or offers. VALID X2963 R09498/DN/HDP
Don’t miss Toyota Buyer’s Advantage 2011 Model Clearance. You’ll get amazing value on runout models
and factory bonuses on a range of Australia’s favourite 2011 cars. So get a great deal today and start
enjoying a Lifetime of Toyota Advantages. See your local Toyota dealer during March.
While stocks last.
2011 Model Clearance.
Cruising to getfuel economy
I could imagine that you could get better fuel economywhen the
cruise control is not engaged but itwould depend on the calibration
of the cruise, howaggressive it is, the specific vehicle and the
way it is driven normallywhen the cruise is not in use
Q: The water pump in myHolden Astra has failed andnow the engine sounds likeshaking a bag of spannerswhen it starts. I have notdriven the car since thishappened as I am unsure asto what harm this will do.Can it be driven to the near-est garage and roughly howmuch is it to change thewater pump?
Yvette Destefano, e-mail.A: Whatever you do, don’t
drive it. Don’t even start it. Itis likely you have done seri-ous internal damage alreadyand driving it, or even start-ing it, would only damage itfurther. Have it towed to amechanic and have the en-gine checked. I fear the dam-age extends well beyond thewater pump.
Q: Our 2008 NissanNavara STX Diesel makes aticking noise and my hubbyis worried that it could be atiming chain. Our Nissanmechanic says it is just thediesel sound and not toworry, but with stories be-ing told about such things,
we are a bit worried. Whatcould it be?
Lisa Romano, e-mail.A: I would be inclined to
take the advice of your mech-anic, but if you are still con-cerned, get the opinion of an-other mechanic.
It should be easy. Simply bylistening to it and determin-ing where the noise is comingfrom, the mechanic should beable to tell if it is a timingchain or not.
Q: I recently read where aperson claimed he got bet-ter fuel economy from his4WD when he did not usethe cruise control. Whilehis vehicle was different to
mine, which is a 2010Navara dual-cab D40 dieselmanual, I thought that Iwould check this out.
Have you heard anythingabout this?
Brian Thompson, e-mail.A: I could imagine that you
could get better fuel economywhen the cruise control is notengaged but it would dependon the calibration of thecruise, how aggressive it is,the specific vehicle and theway it is driven normallywhen the cruise is not in use. Idoubt you could draw a gen-eral conclusion that fuel econ-omy is always better whenyou don’t use cruise. Perhaps
you should try it for yourselfand see if it does work for you.
Q: In 2009 I purchased aBA Ford Falcon with only49,000km on the clock andat the 75,000km service itwas diagnosed as having amisfire at idle which mayhave been caused by aburnt valve on numbereight cylinder. The dealer’sservice adviser told me thatthere was a problem withthe Boss 260 motor with im-perfections in that cylinderhead and a modified headfixed the problem. I havenot heard of this problemand am concerned that Ishould have had
One reader had problems with the timing chain on their Audi A4 sedan
problems at such a lowmileage. Should Ford havedealt with this problem un-der warranty?
Ken Smith, e-mail.A: The BA is well out of
warranty, so the issue of be-ing fixed under warranty doesnot come up, and it’s doubtfulthat Ford would have auto-matically changed the headon the basis of a maybe. Thebest thing to do now is to re-pair the head.
Q: The timing chain ten-sioner in the engine in my2008 Audi A4 B8 sedan hasbroken, with the result thatthe engine needs newvalves, new camshaft andrepairs to the head etc. Therepair cost is around $6000and Audi is prepared toshare the cost, but are notgoing to cover the full cost.
The car has only done58,000km and is only fivemonths out of warranty,and I was hoping for somegoodwill due to the natureof what happened and thefact that car has low km. Isthat asking too much?
Crocky John, e-mail.A: No, I don’t think it is ask-
ing too much given its age andlow km. What Audi has doneby covering part of the cost ispretty much industry prac-tice, but I would press yourcase, even consider taking itto the consumer affairs peoplein your state.
Q: Our 2008 MitsubishiOutlander V6 has done55,000km and I have no-ticed by the service receiptsthat the brakes have neverbeen done. Is this odd?
Mark, e-mail.
A: Not really. The brakesshould have been inspectedduring the services, but thewear rate on Japanese cars ingeneral, and Mitsubishis inparticular, is lower than youwould expect on Europeancars, for instance. I would ex-pect you should get 80,000km
or so out of yours before theyneed replacing.
Q: Each month I check mywife’s 2005 Toyota Camryfour-cylinder and there isalways a build-up of corros-ive material on the nega-tive terminal of the battery.On advice I have removed
this build-up with boilingwater, a rinse, and then Idry everything off withcompressed air. I have alsobeen advised to apply pet-roleum jelly to the ter-minal. Why does this build-up develop on the terminaland how is it best managed?
Greg Hopwood,Currawang, NSW.A: Electrolyte evaporates as
the battery warms up whenbeing used and the vapour es-capes from the vents andfinds its way to the batteryterminals where it becomesthe crystalline deposit you
see. The best way to clean thedeposit off is to use boilingwater, as you are doing, andthen apply a smear of pet-roleum jelly over the outsideof the terminal and clamponce the clamp is tightened onthe terminal to provide a pro-tective shield.
