GWM Problems

The short answer is very good. It never fails to amaze first-timers just how capable modern 4X4s really are. With decent tyres, and a transfer-case with low-ratio gears, the GWM ute is likely to have more off-road capability than most owners will have brave pills.

Of course there are limitations, but for the average weekend away camping in the bush, the GWM will absolutely make it there and back. The good news is that you don’t even have to modify a vehicle like the GWM to be capable off road. Even in its stock standard form, it will amaze you where it will go. That said, throw some proper tyres on it, and it’ll be even more capable.

Of course, the counter-point here is that even the best off-road vehicle will run into trouble if it’s being driven by somebody who has no idea what they’re doing. So an off-roading course is a good idea, as is joining a club that takes newbies out to teach them the ropes in the field.

This occurs more often than you think and it’s often caused by overtightening of the sump plug when the old oil has been drained out and the new stuff is ready to go in. Generally speaking, the sump plug will be screwing into either a thin metal oil pan or a rather soft alloy sump. Either way, too much torque on the spanner that tightens it can easily strip the treads and leave you stranded. This is far from just a Haval problem – many makes and models have suffered the same fate.

The fix is usually to get the vehicle to a workshop where the mechanic can either drill out the messed up threads and cut a new thread to take an oversized sump plug. Done carefully, this can often be achieved without removing the sump.

Any time you have a burning smell in a car, you have a potential fire. If something is hot enough that you can smell it, it’s possibly hot enough to burst into flames, especially if it contacts a fuel or oil leak somewhere on the car.

The fact that the smell occurs when going uphill suggests that it’s something in the driveline (engine or transmission) that’s getting hot because it’s working hard. It could also be a cable or hose that’s incorrectly routed too close to something that’s getting hot (like the exhaust) and causing the smell. In any case, the answer to your question is no, it’s not normal and it needs investigating.

Sometimes, a new exhaust system will create the odd strange smell as it heats up the first couple of times this shouldn’t be happening after 9000km. You need to take the car back to where you bought it from and have the dealership fix this before a real fire takes hold, or something important melts and stops working.

The law is pretty clear when it comes to problems like this. It is the manufacturer’s responsibility during the warranty period to make everything that’s standard on the vehicle (and not an aftermarket accessory) work again at no cost to the owner. But, the owner must give the manufacturer a reasonable chance to do that. Often, that process will take time and everybody has to be patient. You could ask for a replacement car while yours is being investigated if the dealership needs to keep it for an extended period.

Also, battery failure is not normally covered by a new-car warranty as, like tyres and brake pads, the battery is considered a wear and tear item. However, if it’s the faulty alarm or something wrong with the vehicle that’s constantly flattening the battery and causing it to fail, I’d be pushing for the warranty to cover that as well.

Unfortunately, modern cars are very complex machines and your experience is far from uncommon, with many owners of various makes and models reporting multiple problems in the one brand-new vehicle.

It’s possible that all these faults happened at the same time from different causes. But you’d have to agree, it’s much more likely that there’s a single cause for all this stuff happening at once. In which case, suspicions are always drawn to the car’s body computer. This controls a huge range of functions including the lights, climate control, dashboard, entertainment, central locking and much more.

Like any computer, they can be faulty from new or sometimes just need a reboot to put them right. I’d start by disconnecting the battery overnight to see if the car comes good after you’ve reconnected it. But even if it does, a trip to the dealer is in order, to log the problem for future warranty claims.

If you jump online and do a search for this very thing, you’ll find a heap of distributors and manufacturers offering just what you’re after. Tonneaus for the Cannon are available in soft and hard formats, made from fibreglass or aluminium, and even versions that offer a roller-top function. If you can’t find what you’re after online, tackle one of the many off-road and ute stores that also stock a range of stuff like this.

If you go down the hard-tonneau route, consider one with central locking that can be paired with the locks on the rest of the vehicle. That way, you’ll have one-button unlocking of the cabin and the tray. It’s a lot less messing around than having a separate set of keys to unlock the cover.

Straight back to the dealer with this one. You either have a problem with the actual stereo unit, the screen that controls it or perhaps even the body computer which has the final say over functions like this one. Either way, it’s a warranty job for sure.

The dealer may be able to reboot the system to return it to normal operation, but whatever happens make sure the dealership logs and records the problem in case it comes back in the future. Sometimes even a problem that returns after the vehicle is out of warranty, if it was first detected when the vehicle was still under that warranty, may mean the problem is what’s called a pre-existing condition and the manufacturer is still obliged to fix it.

The GWM Ora is actually a cool piece of gear. It looks great (if you’re into that kind of thing) and it drives pretty well, too. The interior is different enough to be interesting, yet it still works properly.

The big question is whether your lifestyle meshes with the constraints imposed by going fully electric. You need to have access to appropriate charging infrastructure and, if you can charge at home from solar panels, then you’re a long way in front.

But range is also an issue, so you need to know that the Ora’s range will be sufficient. Perhaps spending a bit extra on the extended range model is worthwhile. Keep in mind its claimed range on paper will also be difficult to reach in the real world, you can shave as much as 30 per cent off depending on driving style and environment.

Ultimately, the Ora is a city car and that’s where it works best thanks to its size and its ability to regenerate power in stop-start driving. That doesn’t mean it won’t work for you, but you need to assess it carefully.

The fact that it sometimes runs perfectly means there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the engine’s intrinsic bits and pieces. If there was, it would never run perfectly at all. Which means you’re probably chasing a sensor, fuel supply or electrical problem.

Cars like this have sensors all over them to inform the computer of what conditions demand, what the driver is asking for and what it should do about all of that. Scanning the car electronically might provide the answer via a fault code. But we’d also take a look at the engine’s stepper motor which is a small electric actuator that controls the throttle position. If this component is not working properly, it can lead to the exact symptoms you’re seeing.

It sounds as though the material the dashboard structure or skin is made from has started to collapse or degrade in some other way. If the structure beneath the vinyl skin of the dashboard fails, you could conceivably wind up with a mis-shapen dash.

While that might sound trivial, it’s important that this gets fixed as this part of the dashboard houses the airbag. And if the opening for the airbag is not the right shape or is compromised somehow, it could affect the correct deployment of the airbag in a crash. And the consequences of that aren’t hard to imagine.