SATURDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER, 2015
Ticking time bombs Mitsubishi latest to recall thousands of older cars to fix deadly inflator ALWYN VILJOEN AS a car owner, you need to know two things about the massive and ongoing Takata airbag recall which is affecting over 50 million vehicles worldwide. If you are one of the 2 354 people who own an older Lancer 1,6 or Evo, know that Mitsubishi Motors SA (MMSA) this week announced a re call of these cars to replace the risky Takata airbag inflators in them. The affected model years cars are between 2003 and 2007. The second thing is that you can have the health of your car’s airbag checked for the price of two Stickeez at Pick n Pay — or R300. We strongly recommend you do so if you drive an older car. If you habitually sit close to the steering wheel due to petite build, we recommend totally dismantling the airbag’s triggers, for the same reasons manufacturers instruct you to turn off the airbag for a baby seat. (More on where to do so below.) Mitsubishi is one of 11 vehicle man ufacturers affected by the potentially defective airbag inflators manufac tured by Takata, an original equip ment manufacturer for especially Jap anese marques, but also BMW Ford, FCA Chrysler and Daimler. The latest estimate is that 54 mil lion vehicles are potentially affected worldwide. Wheels have long been preaching against airbags, which are as likely to prevent injury as cause it, and in the process causing more problems than it solves in injury prevention, not the least of which is the cost these explod ing devices add to the price of a car. We argue — alongside great designers like Gordon Murray — it is far more effective and cheaper to use roll cages and double the seat belts, for which
The latest Lambo to arrive in Umhlanga to a driver who prefers to be anonymous. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
SUPERCARS IN KZN
Even scrap yard workers are at risk of airbags exploding while they work on them. PHOTO: CNN airbags only provide supplemental re straint (the SRS on the airbag stands for Supplemental Restraint System). It has to be said with over 50 milk ion bombs ticking inches away from people’ faces, surprisingly few people have so far died from exploding Taka ta airbags. But hundreds have been injured by the very devise designed to keep them safe. The most recent death was in June, when the driver’s airbag in a rental car killed the driver. The problem is caused by an infla tor that is prone to rust and ammoni um nitrate — the trigger chemical in the airbag — that is highly sensitive to temperature changes and mois ture. These breaks down over time. If the ammonium nitrate combusts with
out cause, it destroys the housing of the airbag and shoot sharp bits of shrapnel into the car. Reuters report Takata documents, filed in May with the National High way Traffic Safety Administration, in the U.S., stated the main problem is
propellant wafers in driverside infla tors installed on 17,6 million U.S. vehi cles “may experience an alteration over time” which could lead to “over aggressive combustion,” particularly when exposed to “high absolute hu midity”.
Check your airbags here IN KwaZuluNatal, Wheels can recom mend the company Airbag Renew Durban, on 124 Whittaker Avenue in Reservoir Hills, as the only group to offer owners of older cars full SRS air bag support at affordable prices. The check on an airbag costs R300, and new airbags can be fitted from R2 000 a bag.
Call them at 082 740 5567 or 083 297 0239 • Lancer owners who want to check if their vehicles are affected can do so on mitsubishimotors.co.za/recall. • The full list of vehicles that were equipped with the problematic infla tor Takata airbags are on safercar.gov/ rs/takata
Future Toyotas won’t be designed for Camry drivers
THE Automobile Association can this week boast about helping not only a stranded motorist, but one with a very fast car. Cape Townbased luxury car dealership Cross ley & Webb delivered the Lamborghini Aventador LP 7504 Superveloce from Bloemfontein to a businessman in Umhlanga, who prefers to remain anonymous. The group transported the expensive car on one of the AA’s Iveco double cabs flatbed trucks, tied the Lambo down with exotic vehicle soft straps, and the driver doing an extensive in ventory before the vehicle was moved. “We are thrilled that Crossley & Webb entrust ed this job to us. The same care we have taken with this vehicle we take with all the vehicles we tow and this again proves we offer the best service to all motorists in South Africa,” said the AA in a statement. The Lambo arrives just in time for AIB Supercar Club’s ride from Umhlanga to St Ives in the Mid lands today. The IBV club currently boasts a mem bership base of over 700 supercar owners and aims to have 2 500 members nationally and 5 000 IBV Supercar Club members globally. It has a strong presence in Durban, Johannes burg and Cape Town, where the club runs popular track days and driveouts. Founder and CEO Ashok Sewnarain says with expansion to Dubai and London already in the works, IBV Supercar Club is set to go international with it’s combination of benefits and events. — Wheels Reporter.
• Optional - Two-year/unlimited km warranty • 80-point mechanical check • Terms and conditions apply. E & OE • Ownership guaranteed • 7-day exchange plan • Mileage certified • Full service history PRICE MILEAGE COLOUR Polo Vivo 2013 Polo Vivo 1,6 5-Door 22 000 km Blue R129 900 2014 Polo Vivo 1,6 Trendline 5-Door 12 000 km White R145 900 2014 Polo Vivo 1,6 GT 3d 31 000 km Red R129 900 2014 Polo Vivo 1,4 Trendline Sedan 22 000 km Silver R129 900 2013 Polo Vivo 1,4 5-Door 39 000 km Silver R119 900 2013 Polo Vivo 1,4 Tiptronic Sedan 31 000 km Silver R134 900 2013 Polo Vivo 1,6 GT 3d 52 000 km Silver R129 900 Polo
STILL think Toyota makes square Camrys and Corollas for unenthusi astic drivers who just want to get to point B in relative comfort and a lot of reliability? Then think again and take a sec ond look at Toyota’s reworked CHR Concept, which is now on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The CHR shows where the world’s top car sellers are steering design as part of its new global archi tecture programme, and all the square shapes have clearly been de leted from the computer aided de sign program. Instead, think “dia mond”. The second CHR Concept is the result of cooperation between To yota’s ED2 (European Design Devel opment Centre) and the company’s other design centres. In the words of the designers: “The lower bodywork has been sculpted to represent the faceted sur faces of a highlydurable, precision cut gemstone. “An exceptionally sleek cabin con
Toyota’s latest concept car looks like the designers took a diamond cutter to a block of pure excitement and then added 21inch wheels. It is the future of Toyota, and Camry drivers will hate it. PHOTO: QUICKPIC trasts with aggressively angular rear shoulders and muscular wheel arch es that feature unique 21inch wheels with ‘diamondcut’ machinedsur face spokes.” At the rear, the glasshouse tapers sharply to a pronounced diffuser, in tegrated fog lamps and distinctive floating rear lamp clusters that in
corporate diamondpattern lens de tailing. Piano black paint creates the impression that the roof is floating and patters on the openings create interesting shadows, or as the de signer states, a “play of light” in the CHR Concept’s cockpit. Despite those high shoulder lines, Toyota stated a very rigid body and
a low centre of gravity minimises body roll in the corners. “This allows for suspension set tings that deliver great ride comfort without compromising on driving dynamics, equipping the CHR Con cept with responsive handling, agili ty and straightline stability,” read the statement. — WR.
2014 Polo 1,4 Trendline Sedan 2014 Polo 1,4 Trendline Sedan 2015 Polo GP 1,2 TSi Highline 2015 Polo GP 1,2 TSi Comfortline 2014 Polo GP 1,2 TSi Highline 2014 Polo GP 1,2 TSi Trendline 2013 Polo 1,2 TDi B/Motion 2013 Polo 1,4 Trendline
18 000 km 19 000 km 15 000 km 9 000 km 27 000 km 29 000 km 112 000 km 35 000 km
White Silver Black Sunset Red Silver Blue White Pepper Grey
R159 900 R156 900 R219 900 R225 900 R229 900 R169 900 R138 900 R149 900
6 500 km 6 500 km 66 000 km
White Red Red
R269 000 R325 900 R309 900
7 500 km 40 000 km
White White
R399 900 R249 000
90 000 km 500 km 11 000 km 11 000 km 83 000 km
Foil Silver White Black Blue Silver
R185 900 R529 000 R119 900 R289 000 R209 900
White Gold
R439 900 R79 900
Golf
2015 Golf 7 1,4 TSi Comfortline 2015 Golf SV 2,0 TDi DSG 2011 Golf 6 2,0 TSi GTi R DSG Amarok
2015 Amarok Double Cab 2,0 TDi 4x2 132 Kw 2011 Amarok 2,0 TDi D/Cab 90 Kw Other VW
2011 Tiguan 1,4 TSi Trend/Fun 2015 VW Transporter 2,0 Bi TDi Crewbus 2015 Take Up! 2015 VW Beetle 1,4 TSi Sport DSG 2013 Tiguan 1,4 TSi Trend/Fun Other
2015 Isuzu KB300 DTEC Serengeti D/C A/T 16 000 km 2011 Ford Figo 1,4 Ambiente 140 000 km
Mastercars warranty not included in advertised price.
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