Honda Problems

I FEEL dealers are being mischievous in telling customers that they will get these fuel consumption numbers. The explanation given to you about them being achieved on a specific test cycle is correct. It's also correct that they should be used for comparison purposes. All manufacturers test to the same procedure and get results that are comparable so you can use them to compare one make to another, or one model to another. On top of that there are many factors that affect fuel consumption, so it's hard to pin down the actual fuel consumption you could expect in your situation. If you're unhappy with the Honda, contact the company direct and express your displeasure.

THE only value is for comparison purposes. Because all cars are tested to the same standard, the figures mean you can compare one model with the previous one to see if it has been improved, or one make to another to see which is the more fuel-efficient. In real life, fuel consumption varies depending on driving style, traffic density, tyre pressures and the number of passengers you carry. Even so, I would expect you to be able to get within 10 per cent of the figure claimed.

MY CHOICE would be the X-Trail, but there's not a lot to choose between the two. I would expect a dealer would offer you about $6000 on a trade-in for your Vectra assuming its in good sound condition. The kilometres are about average, so it seems like a car in the sort of condition you would expect for its age.

The trade would pay about $7000 at auction. You'd get about $7500 if you traded it in on a new car, and the dealer would retail it for about $10,500 with the usual taxes paid and with a warranty. You could aim for a similar figure, but you might find you'll be bartered down to between $8000 and $9000.

YES, I do think this is unacceptable. It is common practice by car companies in situations like yours to offer to pay for the parts and sometimes part of the labour, but as your car has done only 43,000km I think Honda should cover the entire cost of the repair. For a gearbox to fail at such a low mileage is most unusual and you would suspect it is because of a manufacturing fault. Forget about the dealer, go straight to Honda and ask for a better deal.

THE mileage is very low, which throws the value out somewhat. A Tacuma with average kilometres on it will get about $12,000, but you may get $500 more because of the very low odometer reading.

THE Civic is generally a reliable and well-built car that should be cheap to run. As far as your trade-in goes I would think you would be offered about $2500 for the Magna.

ASSUMING you aren't a tyre-burning petrolhead, I don't think you have been fairly treated at all and would recommend you pursue Honda for a resolution. Though tyres are a consumable and not covered by the warranty, you should have confidence you will have much longer tyre life than 8000km. Honda should come to the party with part-payment at the very least. Not only that, they should also check the alignment and make sure there isn't a problem that will affect the life of the new tyres.

THE kilometres are higher than average for a 2005 model, which will hold the value down a little, but I would try for about $30,000. A dealer would probably pay you about $25,000 or trade it in at $30,000, which is what I would try to get for it. You might get a few bucks more if you are patient.

HAVE you ever hit a kerb while cornering or parking? You might have damaged a constant velocity joint. Take it to Adam Kovarik of In-N-Out Motors. He's a Honda specialist and should be able to help.