Your questions answered: Will the war in Iran affect car prices?
With no sign of the conflict ending, it’s not just fuel that will cost moreCost crunches for car companies, smoky Toyotas and broken BMW bits this week in Your Questions Answered.
Got an automotive question but you don’t know where to find the information you need? Never fear, email us here at editor@carsales.com.au.
Why do Toyota HiLuxes blow white smoke?
I was recently remarking to my wife that we don't often see cars blowing excess exhaust smoke anymore. Ironically, just as I said that, I saw not one but three reasonably new Toyota HiLuxes in short order that were all blowing white smoke, and quite a lot of it.
As it happens, I was thinking about buying a second-hand HiLux to tow a boat, but now I wonder if that's a bad idea? Is there an issue that causes the white smoke in that particular car? – Geoff
Answer: Hey Geoff, what you’re seeing is a headache that’s plagued Toyota since the early part of this decade.
The issue is based around the car’s diesel particulate filter (DPF) which can block up, stop working and result in a white smoke cloud.
The DPF is designed to collect soot and other particles from the exhaust gases and burn them off when particular conditions are met. In most cases, the DPF burns up the collected contents – known as regenerating – and vents it to the atmosphere once a certain exhaust temperature and road speed have been reached.
Though, Toyota has had to take its lumps via a class action over the issue, it’s not entirely correct to blame the company for all the issues… even if it’s certainly not innocent.
To put it plainly, a small-capacity diesel engine isn’t meant for short-hop urban work. The DPF functions best at higher speeds and after a decent stretch of running time (typically 15–20 minutes), and repeated short runs, combined with poor DPF design and placement, resulted in a large number of failed DPFs.
I wouldn’t let it scare you away from buying a used HiLux, but I would be ruthless about checking the service manual to ensure all recalls were answered and that all work has been done properly.
Should I fix an old BMW’s iDrive?
My dad’s BMW 7-Series from 2006 is getting a bit tired but he loves it. Recently, the iDrive entertainment system has started to play up, and it’s hard to get a solid opinion on how to proceed. It could be $150 to fix, or it could be $5000 or anything in between.
What do you reckon… is it worth persisting? My dad is really attached to the car, but $5000 seems excessive if that’s what it’s going to take. – Mark
Answer: Hey Mark, I’ve heard this about the older iDrive systems in BMW 7-Series cars, and the prices you’ve been quoted don’t seem to be too far off the mark. It was a great system for its time, but we’re talking about a car that’s now the best part of 20 years old.
With any luck, a software update patch will restore your dad’s car to rude health, and that should only cost a couple of hundred bucks. But if the head unit has packed up, and you can’t source a decent replacement from a BMW wrecker, it may be time to make a hard call on whether a car now worth no more than $10,000 on a good day is worth spending half its value on repairs.
Will the Iran conflict hit car prices?
Hi – your article around price rises and the Iran war seemed pretty spot on. Will the ongoing conflict have an effect on new car prices, do you think? – Phil
Answer: Hey Phil, a betting person would say yes, though there are a couple of caveats
Firstly, the cost of moving anything and everything across Australia and the world is only going to increase in the coming months.
The shocking leap in the price of diesel, in particular, is crazy, and will directly affect consumer prices across the board.
It will likely hit new car prices down the track due to the inability of carmakers to access raw materials including aluminium, one of the big exports of the Gulf region. In fact, almost nine per cent of the world’s aluminium comes from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman. The EU imports 20 per cent of its aluminium – used for everything from exterior panels and brackets to seat frames and switchgear – from the region, while Japan counts on it for 25 per cent of its total imports.
The cost of securing shipping berths for new cars from Europe will also rise sharply, while currency and trade-market fluctuations are likely to create new headaches for product teams around the world.
On the flip side, there is a glut of new product already on the ground locally, and as Aussie consumers tighten their belts in the face of rising costs, car dealers will be feeling the pinch, likely making them more willing to cut deals to keep metal moving out the door.
The impending abolition of the Luxury Car Tax for European-sourced vehicles is also expected to have a positive impact on the sticker prices of brands such as Volkswagen, Audi and BMW.
If you’re in the market for a new car, however, there’s rarely a perfect time to buy. So do your homework, hold the dealers to the flame and get the car you want.
The views stated in this advice column are advisory only. Questions may be edited for clarity and length.
Got an automotive question but you don’t know where to find the information you need? Never fear, email us here at editor@carsales.com.au.
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