Your Questions Answered: Is the new JAC Hunter worth buying?

I bought a new MG4 a few months ago and would like to keep the paint looking good. When I look closely at the panels in direct light, I can already see some slight scuff marks and a halo effect. I have been told using a bucket and sponge to wash it, and a chamois to dry it, as I have always done, can scratch the duco. Is that true? I enjoy spending time washing the car, it is not a chore for me, but how can I wash it without scratching the paint? – Kevin

Answer: Hey Kevin, there’s been a big change in car paint since the single-coat solvent-based paint of years ago. Modern water-based car paint typically has a urethane clear coat that gives a much better UV-resistant gloss (so it has a deeper gloss from the factory and sustains that for longer) but is also softer and thinner. That means, in some ways, the paint on modern cars is more prone to damage (such as road debris causing chips and abrasion scratching) and more likely to lose its shine from micro-scratching (through poor car-washing techniques).

There are improved washing techniques to help preserve paint. For a general article on how to maintain a car’s paint, have a look here.

Assuming you want to continue washing it yourself, there might be some problems you’re not aware of. Any grit on the paint stays on the surface of a sponge, meaning as you wipe the car the sponge is dragging that grit across the paint. Even if you are really careful to squeeze out the sponge, if you only have a bucket filled with car-wash solution and water, the grit is swirling around in the bucket and is more easily picked up by the sponge.

The same problem occurs with a chamois; the chamois is drawing water off the paint but is also dragging any loose grit across with it.

You can find numerous car product recommendations and car-washing guides online, so we’re not going to get into specific brands or types of car-wash materials, but there is a basic consensus on washing methods that are least damaging to modern paint.

Ideally, you would start by lifting any stuck-on dirt and debris from the paintwork with a thick spray foam, applied and rinsed off with a pressure washer. Then hand-wash using a microfibre wash mitt, which draws grit into the weave rather than holding it on the surface as a sponge does.

Most detailers recommend the ‘two-bucket’ method, where one is filled with pH-neutral car-wash solution (that is, don’t ever use washing detergent) mixed with water, while the other is filled with plain water. The idea is that you rinse the mitt in the clean water between applications of the wash solution to reduce the chances of grit remaining in the wash mitt.

Both buckets should be fitted with grit guards, which allow any larger grit to settle to the bottom of the bucket under the grit guard, so you’re not picking it up again as you continue washing.

Drying is best done with a large microfibre towel designed for that purpose, which again draws the water and any debris that may remain on the paint into the weave of the cloth. A leaf blower, or better still a dedicated car blow-dryer, is a touch-free alternative, which of course removes any risk of scratching and removes any trapped water between trims or panels, but can be more time-consuming.

I am interested in a hybrid dual-cab ute and have been thinking of a Shark 6. But I see the JAC Hunter has more than 1000Nm and is under $50k. Is it worth a go? – Vince

Answer: We’ve recently tested the JAC and yes, it starts at under $50k (plus on-road costs).

The JAC is about $8–10K cheaper than the competition, has a strong features list for the price, as well as very good after-sales provisions. With its local chassis tune, the Hunter rides and handles better on Aussie roads than some competitors.

But in our testing, we didn’t feel it was as quick as the figures suggest it should be – off the mark, at least – and when off-road the electronic-only connection between the front and rear axles meant the wheels weren’t spinning at the same rate in one instance.

The interior is not quite as well finished as some competitors, and the driver’s seat position is a bit high and a little too close to the pedals once the steering position was right.

Hi, I have a 2009 Ford Fiesta and the horn is quiet and sounds faintly ridiculous, sort of like in the Road Runner cartoon. I don’t want to scare other drivers with a truck horn but, in the rare instances I need to use the horn, I want others to hear it. Can you easily change the horn in a Fiesta, and what will it cost? – Josh

Answer: Hey Josh, having a ‘meep-meep’ Road Runner horn is not exactly aggressive, but provided it has not been damaged and is functioning as intended, it might be better for alerting other road users to your presence in a way that doesn’t scare the hell out of them.

The horn has been designed to meet decibel regulations, but space and cost constraints mean it’s probably a single, small disc horn.

If you’re more concerned about sound volume than pitch, you may just need to replace your single horn with a new one. If you want to beef up the note, you can add an additional horn of a different frequency.

The cost and complexity of that job really depends on your Fiesta’s wiring and how much you’re prepared to spend. If the factory wiring has a spare plug for dual horns (for upper trim levels of the same car that may come with dual horns), theoretically it could be as simple as sourcing a second horn, bolting it into an existing space and plugging it in.

Otherwise, you may need to invest in an aftermarket additional horn, or an entirely new dual-horn set-up, and wire it from the battery via a relay.

You should really get advice from an auto electrician if you have not done this kind of thing before, as more modern car electrics can be complex, and the new horn set-up has to meet maximum sound requirements (for example, in NSW there is a 120dB(A) maximum for a horn emitting noise at a single, non-varying loudness and pitch).

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