Ask an expert

I have owned this car for 5 years with next to no problems then in the last 6 months have had numerous difficulties. I recently had new drive belts put in, the air flow meter repaired and now front and rear shocks replaced.
I had been experiencing a loud creaking from the car whenever people got in/out of the car, excessive road shock/noise, even felt like the car was going to break in two going over cats eyes or speed bumps! I regulary go over rail tracks 3x a week and it feels like the car is going to fall to bits!
I was advised that my shocks were in a bad state & urgently needed replacing, after having a wheel balance & alignment done. I was told that I would notice an immediate difference in the stability & comfort driving wise.
I paid $1129 to have this done & it has made NO difference. I have gone back & had another alignment done. NO difference. I was then told that my tyres are nearly 6 years old (but still with excellent tread) & due to aging the rubber has hardened & that could be what is causing the excessive road noise/shock. The only solution is to fit new tyres. Does that sound right? Why wouldn't the shocks have made a difference? Am not prepared to back down with a job I'm not happy with esp @ such a high cost.
Also the wiring from the air flow repair have not been soldered or shrink wrapped & are only covered with insulation tape. Some of the tape has come away & wires are exposed. Have been told by another mechanic that moisture will get in & will cause corrosion. Is this right? The mechanic who did this job refuses to acknowledge this & won't carry out the work when I pointed this out to him. I paid him $603 back in March 2013. What can I do? Am @ my wit's end with 3 mechanics telling me different things. Help!!

Firstly, it must be remembered that this vehicle is now 16 years old and maintenance will be required. Drive belts are just normal maintenance and it is highly likely that the shock absorbers had failed at this age, so I can accept these things are just normal wear and tear, in keeping with maintenance required on a 16 year old car.
Identifying a single cause of road noise is not always possible without going through a process as there are numerous mounts, joints, bushes etc that can cause noises, and a small amount of wear in all these things can contribute to a noise. As your mechanic has suggested, road noise is very often caused by the tyres, so this could also be true, although New Zealand course chip roads are fairly unforgiving when it comes to intrusive noise.
As far as the noise when people get in and out of the car is concerned, this can often be the handbrake, so with the car in park, on a flat surface, release the handbrake and see if the noise is still there.
With regards to the wiring work, I always prefer to see shrink sleeve used instrad of insulation tape, but without knowing exactly what was repaired, it's difficult to say it is not a good repair.
I'm surprised that you are dealing with 3 different mechanics. The best thing is to find one mechanic you trust, and get him to go through the process of identifying the problems step by step. Introducing a different mechanic when part of a job has been done can be an issue, as the new guy may start from a different perspective, hence you're getting mixed messages.

Thank you for your feedback. I have only recently shifted to Tauranga & have been seeking a new mechanic without success, hence why I have dealt with 3 so far. I realise it's a process of elimination so will persevere & hope to come across a good one. Can you please advise me on the shocks? Is it common to still have such a rough ride with new shocks? It does feel unsafe at times. I have had the mechanic who put them in check the suspension again. He said he couldn't find anything. Have tried the handbrake suggestion but the creak continues. A friend has suggested that it could be an unbalanced propshaft, a creaking mount, dry bushes or damaged ball joints?
Also is it worth me paying an auto electrical to have the air flow meter wires soldered & shrink wrapped? I know the car is aging but it has only started having big problems since I started dealing with new mechanics.
Thank you again, appreciate the advice.

The shocks will not generally cause a rough ride unless they are too hard. So as long as the correct ones have been installed, it's unlikely to be a shock issue.
Your friends suggestions are in keeping with the things I mentioned previously, but it could still be tyres. If there is a vibration through the car, it could even be a damaged wheel rim, tyre problem or driveline problem.
Without seeing the wiring repair, it's difficult to comment, but it wouldn't hurt to have an auto-electrician take a look at it and give you an opinion.

Might I suggest a different approach.

You could take the vehicle to the AA for a pre-purchase appraisal. From my experience, the AA report is so detailed and they don't miss anything. I've done this myself when my car was coming out of warranty and wanted to check that there was nothing wrong with the car.

You also get to talk with the inspector and ask their advice which, from my experience, is worth its weight in gold.

Many thanks for your suggestion. Will be making a booking ASAP.