Your Questions Answered: Is Chery and JLR’s new SUV coming to Australia?

Hi, just wondering if there is any way to obtain a 9700, now, in Australia? If you can guide me on a way to go about it, I would really appreciate it. I am based in Melbourne and would love to obtain one of these vehicles. The spec is amazing. - Peter

Answer: Hey Peter, the only ‘9700’ I can find is the long-gone Saab 9700 or a new Volvo 9700 bus. I am wondering if you mean the new Freelander 8, also known as Concept 97, shown at the recent Beijing motor show.

This is a large, seven-seat electrified SUV developed by Chery and JLR that pays homage to the Land Rover Freelander, originally launched in 1997 (hence the name Concept 97). The Freelander 8 is destined for Australia, but it won’t be until 2027 at the earliest.

Hi there, I purchased a Skoda Elroq a few months ago which, like many EV’s, came with a stock standard puncture repair kit rather than a spare wheel. I’ve been told that if I use the temporary repair kit, that tyre can no longer be properly repaired by a tyre retailer. I would thus have to purchase a new tyre, and EV tyres seem to be quite a bit more expensive than non-EV tyres. Is it true the use of a repair kit ultimately requires the purchase of a new tyre, or is this just an anti EV story doing the rounds? - Graeme

Answer: Hi Graeme, the short answer is whether the repair gel used is latex or water based will dictate if it can be patched. Latex, no, water-based, yes.

For those who don’t know what we’re talking about, the tyre repair kits commonly shoved in the boot of many new cars now (whether EV or not) consists of a viscous gel often delivered from a pressurised container that you fill a punctured tyre with (though the valve, as you would when pumping it up).

This gel fills the puncture and seals it so you can then re-inflate the tyre. It is meant to be temporary; a short-distance repair until you can get to a tyre shop for a proper long-term repair (if this can be done safely; certain punctures such as those on the sidewall cannot be repaired).

The tyre shop will have to take the tyre off the rim to fit the patch inside of the tyre. If the repair gel you use is latex based, it will be impossible to clean the goo off the inside of the tyre so the patch will stick.

If you have a water-based tyre repair gel, the tyre repairer might not like having to wash it all off the inside of the rim and tyre, but it can be done and the patch repair should be effective.

So check the repair kit goo can that came with your vehicle; many are now water-based, but if it contains latex, best to replace it with a water-based repair gel. Or even better, get a tyre plug repair kit (and learn how to use it).

You will still need an air compressor to re-inflate the tyre if you use plugs, and I still recommend that you regard the plug as a temporary repair and get the vehicle to a tyre shop as soon as you can.

Is there any way of stopping my wipers from screeching across the glass? Now it’s winter with dew on the glass in the morning and with a run of wet weather I am using my wipers more and it’s driving me crazy. It stops when I spray the washers or (mostly) when its bucketing rain but otherwise gets going again a few sweeps after. I end up using the wipers for just one sweep as much as possible. It does seem to wipe off the water without much smearing. I have tried glass cleaner, washing up detergent and swearing but none has worked. Even turning up the music doesn’t drown out the racket. What can I do? - Maddy

Answer: Maddy, many of us have endured windscreen wipers that squawk like a tree full of parrots. It gets old really quickly, can be dangerous and needs fixing for visibility, noise reduction and, frankly, one’s sense of sanity.

Firstly, please avoid what I did, which was to use a car wash solution that has wax in it on the windscreen.

It will make water bead nicely everywhere when it rains, but wiper blades seem to need a smooth surface of water build up to do their job and if the light wax has coated the windscreen, it will make the wipers judder, squeak, skip and generally seem hateful.

So if you notice water beading off the screen, it likely has a wax coating. You’ll need an automotive glass cleaner, or a worst-case scenario, a cerium oxide solution, to polish the wax off the screen.

Most times though, it is just the wiper blade rubbers have perished with heat and UV and need replacement, or the wiper arms need a slight bend in angle to operate properly.

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