Your questions answered: How should Ford fix the rattle in my Ranger?

There’s a curly one to kick off with this week regarding a rattle in a Ranger. And while the fix appears radical, there’s a bit more to it.

We’re also looking at affordable small cars for younger drivers. The shortlist ranges from the head-turning to the sensible.

Plus one home owner is preparing for an EV arrival years down the track. Exactly what wiring is required to ensure the yet-to-be-decided electric car will be easily charged?

And one EV buyer is close to making a decision, with two recent newcomers from mainstream brands on the consideration list.

Got a question but don’t know where to find the information you need? Email us at editor@carsales.com.au

Question: I have a 2024 Ranger Wildtrak 3.0-litre V6, bought in December 2024.

I have rattles from both B-pillars. Apparently failed welds at the factory. Many people have had the same issue with their Rangers.

Ford had a fix for this involving drilling and riveting the steel together. This fix was cancelled and has now recently been replaced with a similar fix using heavier-duty rivets.

Have you heard of this?

Surely drilling into the steel B-pillar would be a structural integrity issue?

I have tried to reject the car under Australian Consumer Law.

Ford declined and have offered the new fix as an alternative.

What is your opinion on this? – David

Answer: Apologies for taking a while to get back to you on this, but we were awaiting a response from Ford.

They assure us there is no structural integrity issue with the repair they’ve offered.

In stressing the B-pillar rattling was only “on a limited number of vehicles”, they added that it “relates to an incorrectly placed weld in the B-pillar sheet-metal structure that has no effect on structural rigidity”.

Ford says the “weld is purely to improve NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) and reduce squeaks and rattles”.

As for the fix, Ford says “the procedure for fixing this involves affixing six permanent mechanical fasteners to non-structural plates located within the B-Pillar, which eliminate the symptoms the customer mentioned”.

The company also says it has made running changes to the production process to ensure new vehicles rolling off the line don’t have the same issue.

Question: My recently-returned-from-LA daughter is very interested in purchasing a 2017 Jeep Renegade having done only 44,380km.

Can you provide a few reasons why she shouldn’t consider the Renegade, which I can pass on to her? I’m inclined toward a BMW 2 Series but she’s interested otherwise.

She’s not interested in EVs yet. – Greg

Answer: The way the Renegade looks is the most appealing part of it. It’s got that classic Jeep look with a seven-slot grille and chunky(ish) looks.

The muscular appearance flows through to the compact cabin, which has a tiny centre screen but is generally functional.

But as you probably know the Renegade is more Fiat than Jeep beneath the skin. It shares its architecture with other cars such as the Fiat 500X and is even built in Italy.

Despite the Jeep badges it’s also very much an on-road car; most of them were front-wheel drive, although they also offered an all-wheel-drive model.

The 1.4-litre turbo engine was okay, but the six-speed twin-clutch auto could be laggy and inconsistent in its take up.

For a small SUV the Renegade wasn’t very cheap when it arrived but subdued used-car prices have made it more appealing now.

If she’s after a great compact SUV there are options we’d stick ahead of the Renegade.

A Toyota C-HR would likely be more reliable and also has some coolness to its design.

There are loads of Mazda CX-3s around, which will also be a nicer car all round.

If she’s after something a little different check out a Mini Countryman.

Question: I’m considering purchasing a 2022 Hyundai i30 Active with 20,000km for my daughter. What is your advice on this model? – Paulo

Answer: The i30 is solid used car buying in a market segment that’s lost some popularity in recent years. As buyers have gravitated to small SUVs, the traditional small cars that once dominated at the entry point of the market aren’t quite as popular.

In some ways as a used buy that makes them more appealing. They’re still great cars and there aren’t quite as many people with their elbows out trying to get into them as there are fighting over small SUVs such as the Hyundai Kona.

The 2.0-litre engine in the Active is ho-hum in its performance but thoroughly acceptable for suburban running.

Don’t ignore some of its rivals, though. Top of that list is the Kia Cerato, which uses a lot of the same running gear (Kia and Hyundai are part of the same group).

The Cerato gets a seven-year warranty versus five for the i30.

A Mazda3 is also great buying from that era, with a tad more class to its cabin.

Question: I'm doing a new build and planning on getting an EV in five years. Is it worth getting a 32A junction box put in the garage, or waiting until I get the EV as technology might change in that time? – Luke

Answer: I wouldn’t worry about the technology changing regarding EV charging. Like the powerpoints in your home, I think what we’ve got now with Type 2 charging plugs is locked and loaded for many years to come.

And as for how much power we deliver to buildings – 10 amps from a regular powerpoint or up to 32A per phase of electricity (up to three) – I can’t see that changing in a hurry either.

If you’re doing a new build, it’d definitely be worth getting a 32A cable to the garage to prepare for your EV arrival.

That single phase of electricity will be able to provide 7.4kW to an EV charger (like plugging in to three-and-a-half standard powerpoints at the same time), which will suit most people fine. For an average EV it’ll complete a full charge in around 10 hours.

Obviously most people will only need to add 20 or 50km of range per night, so maybe an hour or two plugged in will top it up.

If you’re driving an EV with a really big battery – upwards of 100kWh – and you will need to do a full charge regularly overnight (covering upwards of 500km a day, or heavy-duty towing regularly, for example), then three-phase charging could be handy. Depending on your house that could add a bit to the electrical wiring.

But the vast majority of EV drivers will be fine with that single-phase 32A power supply.

Question: I am currently driving a Mazda CX-5 and want to move into the EV space.

I have driven a Tesla Model Y owned by my husband but find it a heavy vehicle and the electronic display functions a bit weird and not so user-friendly.

I recently viewed the new(ish) Volkswagen ID electric range and was excited by the GTX version. It seems the Volkswagen ID.4 is really just a Cupra Born.

I am a Volkswagen loyalist and have waited years for this market release. However, I am a bit concerned about the lack of connectivity in the ID.5: no wireless function, head-up display, traffic speed sign recognition or navigation feature.

I don’t love Kia. I have no loyalty to Kia. I test drove the EV3 GT-Line. Who knew it could be so good? Smooth, good vision, tight turning circle and easy parking. It’s got a lot of bells and whistles for the price.

What is your opinion on each of these cars – have you put them through their paces and reviewed them?

Also, do you know what is happening at VW and the Australian market? I was expecting great things out of Volkswagen with this, but it seems they have sent us an EV that is five years behind the pack.

It is like when your favourite footy team constantly loses – it’s hard to stay loyal when every other team keeps moving forward. – Trish and Peter

Answer: Volkswagen has been slow to the market with EVs and the ones that have arrived haven’t quite set the electric world on fire.

Yes, the ID.4 has been around for many years but the one we’re getting is an updated version with longer range and improvements elsewhere.

You’re right in that the Cupra Born and ID.4 share plenty beneath the skin.

That’s common in the car world, with platform and component sharing within brands and across different brands; the Volkswagen Amarok, for example, is essentially a Ford Ranger under the skin.

The ID.4 and Born are very different cars to look at and sit in, which is ultimately what differentiates them.

And, as you’ve worked out, perceptions are being shattered within the car world with EVs. The Kia EV3 is indeed a great little car.

Kia has big aspirations for its electric cars locally, including the larger EV5.

We haven’t back-to-backed them yet, but the ID.4 is larger than the EV3 and in some ways better competes with the EV5.

So, if you need space, then the ID.4 will win.

But the EV3 is great to drive and packs in plenty of features.

Don’t ignore alternatives, either, including the updated Tesla Model Y. It’s the top-selling EV for good reason.

There are also some newcomers that surprise, including the XPeng G6.

Re the lack of navigation in the Volkswagen, it’s obviously got Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which for most cars works better than the native sat-nav.

So I wouldn’t be too fussed with that.

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