6 NT NEWS. CARSguide www.ntnews.com.au

.1%,100.5%

2013 Corolla Hatch Ascent Sport Manual

16" Alloy Wheels • 6.1" LCD Touch Screen Display Audio

$130 Capped Price Servicing^

2013Asce

16" AlTouch

$130$130 CC

2013 Kluger KX-R 7 Seater

2WD • Smooth 201kW 3.5 litre V6 Engine

$170 Capped Price Servicing^

2013 Yaris YR 5 Door

5 Star ANCAP Safety 5 Speed Manual

$130 Capped Price Servicing^

la Hatch ort Manual

eels • 6.1" LCDDisplay Audio

ricrice See Servicrvicinging^

2013 K

2WD • S3.5 litre

$17$170 C0 Caa

$15,490[A]

Driveaway

$39,990[A]

Driveaway

Toyota Dealers are going all out to give you great driveaway deals

[A] Driveaway pricing is applicable for Private, Bronze and Silver fl eet customers, & primary producers on selected models purchased and delivered on or before 31 December 2013 at participating Toyota Dealers. HiLux models up to July 2013 production only. RAV4 models up to September 2013 production only. While stocks last. Toyota reserves the right to extend any off er. Excludes demos. Off er not available in conjunction with other registered fl eet discounts or off ers. Recommended driveaway price shown includes 12 months registration,

$21,990[A]

Driveaway

$26,990[A]

Driveaway

2013 Camry Altise

NOW

All Out ClearanceCar problems? Graham Smith can helpEmail asksmithy@carsguide.com.au

Tiresome troublewithmyTouaregQ: In April this year I pur-chased a current modelVW Touareg V8 TDI R Line4.2-litre with Dunlop275/40x21 tyres. In July, at4354km, I noticed bothfront tyres were wearingexcessively on the outeredges. A local tyre retailerchecked the alignment andtold me it was within speci-fication, but said the fronttyres were wearing exces-sively, that there must besomething wrong with thevehicle, and to take it backto a dealership. The dealerchecked the alignment andconfirmed that it was with-in specs and that I shouldtry that. A short time laterI noticed it had a slight pullto the left. I took it back inAugust for the alignmentto be checked and rectified.I was informed that threealignments were done withVW’s involvement. I wasasked to try that and thesettings were all withinspec. In November I took itback to the same dealer forthe same problem, only

this time both front tyreshad worn excessively onthe outer edges and wereclose to unroadworthy.Both the rear tyres arewearing excessively on theouter edges as well after8631km. I was informedagain all settings are with-in specs and the dealer sug-gested I contact VW cus-tomer service, and I wasgiven the number. I did,and received a call fromthem to discuss the prob-lem. The explanation I wasgiven was that ‘‘it is aheavy car with big rimsand low-profile tyres andthe settings were as perspecs, so there is nothingVW could do’’. After pay-ing in excess of $120,000 Icannot accept I have to rep-lace a set of tyres before itsfirst service. I am a64-year-old gent who takespride in his vehicle and itis only driven on suburbanroads and freeways. I hopeyou can help me or lead mein the right direction.

Des Brown, email.

A: The guy from VW is cor-rect, it is a big, heavy andpowerful vehicle set up tohandle like a sports car withbig wheels and low-profiletyres, and aggressive wheelalignment. I have no doubtthat the alignment has beenchecked and found to be with-in specification. You couldperhaps go to an independentsuspension specialist andhave them attempt to adjustthe alignment to give you bet-ter tyre life. You could buysmaller wheels and higherprofile tyres, which are likelyto improve your tyre life.

Q: My 2009 ToyotaKluger makes a whiningsound like a jet taking offwhen accelerating around60km/h and 100km/h andstops or is not as noticeablewhen my foot lifts off. Myservice provider said thetransmission needs to betaken out and sent awayfor testing on parts andcould cost $5000. Other fo-rums state it happens a lotbut usually under war-ranty. It has always been

serviced since new. ShouldToyota or the dealershiphelp if this is the problem?

Wayne,Hervey Bay, Qld.A: Take it to another mech-

anic who knows Toyotas andhave it assessed. I have seenreports of a whining noisecoming from the front differ-ential and transfer case. Idoubt that it is the automatictransmission itself.

Q: I recently read in yourcolumn about someonewho had problems withcreaking noises from therear of their Subaru For-ester. I had similar noisesin my 2007 model a fewyears ago, which my help-ful local dealer fixed byclosing the cargo blind. Ifelt a bit silly but was re-lieved that there was no ex-pensive repair bill.

Bill Dickenson,Adelaide, SA.A: It’s always a good idea to

check for a simple answer be-fore assuming its going tobe an expensive fix. Cansave red faces all round.