PODCAST · leisure
AutoExpert
by John Cadogan
AutoExpert is all about cars from Australian automotive expert, journalist and engineer John Cadogan
Episodes
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Hyundai Palisade Recall: The Deadly Cost Of Half-baked Luxury Tech
I will get you a great deal on home solar (or add a quality battery to your existing setup): https://autoexpert.com.au/solarI can also save you thousands on a new car: https://autoexpert.com.au/contactThis is a report on the recent Hyundai Palisade recall in North America, following a fatal...
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The oil shock is real. The 'fuel crisis' is fake.
I will get you a great deal on home solar (or add a quality battery to your existing setup): https://autoexpert.com.au/solarI can also save you thousands on a new car: https://autoexpert.com.au/contactThis is a real oil shock.But it is not the end of oil.And it is not yet the kind of consumer…
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Chinese Cars: The Nightmare Scenario Just Happened
I will get you a great deal on home solar (or add a quality battery to your existing setup): https://autoexpert.com.au/solarI can also save you thousands on a new car: https://autoexpert.com.au/contactBuying a car from an unknown brand is not just about the car.It’s about who backs it locally…
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3.5 Years. No Servicing. Then This Happened
I will get you a great deal on home solar (or add a quality battery to your existing setup): https://autoexpert.com.au/solarI can also save you thousands on a new car: https://autoexpert.com.au/contactA recent Mercedes-AMG E53 consumer law case is a warning for every car owner.A NSW tribunal...
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The Fuel Panic Is Real. The Diesel Apocalypse Isn’t
I will get you a great deal on home solar (or add a quality battery to your existing setup): https://autoexpert.com.au/solarI can also save you thousands on a new car: https://autoexpert.com.au/contactAustralia’s fuel panic is real. But the so-called “dirty diesel apocalypse” all over social…
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Ford’s F-150 Lightning Disaster Has Claimed 100 Jobs In Brisbane
A Brisbane vehicle remanufacturing company called BossCap has collapsed — and up to 100 jobs now appear to be at risk.BossCap’s AusEV division built its business around converting the Ford F-150 Lightning to right-hand drive for Australia. But when Ford ended production of the current-generation...
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Taxpayers Paid $1.5 Million For The Dumbest EV Charging System I’ve Seen
This is what “the future” looks like when governments, green lobbyists and EV true believers get together with your wallet.At Sierra in Hawthorn, Melbourne, taxpayers helped fund a $1.5 million EV charging retrofit for an upscale apartment complex. The headline sounds impressive. The reality? A...
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Game over: What I saw inside Hyundai's China factory
I will get you a great deal on home solar (or add a quality battery to your existing setup): https://autoexpert.com.au/solarI can also save you thousands on a new car: https://autoexpert.com.au/contactThe new Hyundai Elexio is the first Hyundai designed and engineered in China to be sold in...
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Europe said 'no'. Australia: 'G'day mate' - Chinese Hyundai is here
I will get you a great deal on home solar (or add a quality battery to your existing setup): https://autoexpert.com.au/solarI can also save you thousands on a new car: https://autoexpert.com.au/contactHyundai has just launched the Elexio — a new electric SUV designed in China and built in China....
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Diesel PHEV: Chery KP31 is the ute Toyota should've built years ago
Chery has officially revealed the KP31 concept ute for Australia — and the headline is a 2.5L turbo-diesel PHEV with a claimed 47% thermal efficiency.That’s not just another me-too dual-cab. If Chery executes this properly, it could be a genuinely disruptive ute: diesel torque + towing…
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How To Hot Blue Mild Steel With A Blowtorch And Oil
If you’ve ever wanted to give low-carbon steel a tougher, darker, more interesting finish in the home workshop, this video shows you how to hot-blue steel with a blowtorch and linseed oil. This is a simple, old-school workshop finish that can look fantastic when done properly. It’s not magic, and...
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Blow Torch Science: Propane vs Butane vs MAP-Pro vs Oxy-Fuel Explained
If you want to understand how blow torches actually work, this video is a technical deep-dive into the combustion chemistry and physics of torch design — including the differences between butane, propane, Trade MAP / MAP-Pro, and the role of air vs oxygen as the oxidiser. This is not just a…
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Which Blow Torch Is Right For You? Butane vs Propane vs MAP-Pro vs Oxy
Trying to choose the right blow torch for your shed? In this video, I compare butane, propane, Trade MAP / MAP-Pro, and the difference between using air or oxygen as the oxidiser — because the “best” torch depends entirely on what you’re actually trying to do. If you just want to heat something…
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Weld Less - build better
Are you over- or under-welding your DIY projects? Here's how to know for real.
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Mythbusting your 'efficiency' claims: Charging an electric bus with a diesel generator is definitely nuts
In this episode: Applied physics and engineering versus nutbag net zero apologists
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This is not 'zero emissions' - it's extreme hypocrisy
Greenwashing doesn't get more blatant than hooking an electric bus to a diesel generator on a mine site in the Pilbara... Another victory for net zero integrity.
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Hot to tow legally: You MUST crunch these numbers
A huge proportion of people who tow 2 tonnes+ are doing so illegally - unwittingly, perhaps, but still illegally. I suspect the percentage of illegality grows considerably with the weight of the trailer, too. This has obvious legal and safety implications. And of course manufacturers are in an...
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EV Vs Hybrid: I ran the numbers - for Australia
The '$75,000: Do the "right" thing' problem: You can buy a Tesla Model Y, or a RAV4 Hybrid + rooftop solar. One of these options will leave you 4 tonnes of CO2 better off. And it's not the option many people want it to be.
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Everything you’ve been told about EV battery failures is wrong (there's a major complexity problem)
A viewer asked me recently an innocent, and seemingly simple, question: Why are EV fires in the news all the time, and yet power tool batteries (which use the same fundamental tech) are so ubiquitous and seemingly safe? The answer opens a wormhole into the non-linearity of complex systems and...
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So, you bought an EV for the range - then the carmaker slashed it
Volvo is recalling almost 35,000 EX-30 battery EVs globally (almost 3000 here in Australia) because the batteries mught just catch fire without warning. All you have to do to enter this lottery is charge to 100%, and see what happens. They don't actually have a fix. The 'fix' (if you can call it...
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EV sales were a joke in 2025 - despite massive government cash
We all paid $600 million in 2025 for EV sales to remain, essentially, stagnant. (Up 1.1 per cent over two years.) Unincentivised hybrids are selling their ta-tas off, however, and likewise unincentivised PHEVs are 'boom town'...
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Kia Tasman is a cash incinerator, commercially!
Kia's sales apocalypse with the Tasman continues - which is awesome news for you if you want a massive discount.
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Make this hyper-useful brass hammer with only simple tools - for under $100
Brass hammers are A) more dense than steel, B) don't damage steel parts you're working on, C) don't spark (in combustible environments) and D) have excellent impact kinematics. They're a superpower in the home workshop, basically. Proving a point here: I made one in under a day, for under $100,...
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Toyota front diff drain plug design deficiency
Toyota has a reputation for never putting a foot wrong on mechanical design. Unfortunately that's a total myth - and here's just one glaring example...
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New Kia Seltos: good little vehicle, but absurdly over-hyped
Kia recently unveiled the new Seltos, which we'll see later this year. Decent little SUV - like its predecessor, only more modern. But the hype surrounding it: reputation-destroying trash (personal opinion).
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DIYer's guide to drilling, tapping and machining at home
Basically I think you should have a crack at metalwork - so satisfying. Plus, it's not that hard, or dangerous - provided you observe a few simple guidelines.
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Kia responds officially to Tasman's heavy towing 'bump stop engagement' issue
In the previous episode, my web editor, Scott Murray, uncovered the fact that the Tasman's bump stops seemed engaged during heavy towing he did (2.3 tonnes, with a download of 270kg - well within the towing envelope of the vehicle). I checked the setup in person, and the bump stops were…
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Kia Tasman 1800km 2.3-tonne tow test - and the results might shock you
Auto Expert web editor Scott Murray recently towed 2.3 tonnes from his place in Melbourne to my workshop in Sydney, return. (He was towing his Shitbox Rally Falcon up here so we could do some work on it.) One of the really interesting things about it was that with a towball download of less than...
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The EVCX throttle controller can help protect your Toyota from the current epidemic of car theft
With the EVCX installed the hi-tech thief can get in and spoof your car ... and the throttle will not work. Bonus. Huge bonus. He won't be expecting that.
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The easiest way to level up your caravan or motor home
This Oricom smart leveller for caravans and motor homes gets the job done fast and easily - and it might even save your marriage, dude.
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Ranger Super Duty: Pay $35k more to go slower
Ford would say the Ranger Super Duty is the ultimate Ranger. I would agree, except for the price, the additional mass and the fact that they've taken 30kW away from the 3.0V6's maximum power...
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How strong are your welds?
Most DIYers over-weld their projects, and all that additional heat tends to warp the job - sometimes catastrophically. It's better if a balance is drawn so that adequate strength is achieved without excess distortion. In this video, I give you some rules of thumb and perspective into how strong...
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This kei truck beats a conventional ute!
Kei trucks are compact, cheap and fun - but they can do things (including carry things) conventional dual-cab utes cannot. I took Brett Davis from Driving Enthusiast for a drive in my new Daihatsu Hijet to pick up a welding table that wouldn't fit into my dual-cab.
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The 2026 Nissan Navara is actually a Mitsubishi Triton
Nissan bangs on about Navara's rich heritage, but they've really just killed it. The 2026 model is actually just a rebadged Mitsubishi Triton. (Nissan is in the dumps financially - it's their only option.)
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Make this today - a brilliant home workshop hack
Have you ever spilled cutting fluid in an open container, all over the workshop floor? Make this spill-proof container today, and it'll never happen again.
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The new EV ute (it's not Chinese)
KGM - the South Korean carmaker formerly known as Ssangyong - will launch a new battery-electric Musso in Australia. Here are the details.
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Worst car of 2025? The 'zero accountability' MG3 is finally recalled.
After more than eight weeks of doing nothing, the 'death trap' MG gets officially recalled - with more than 10,000 people at risk, owing to a glaring design deficiency.
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Mitsubishi: Stop doing this!
Mitsubishi's implementation of so-called 'driver assistance' technology is among the worst - in the latest models - and there is STIFF competition. I'm talking about ADAS - 'Advanced Driver Assistance Systems'. Although the first 'A' should more rightly be changed to 'annoying'. This is what...
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The truth about oil and fuel additives
I recently had the chance to catch up with the top engineer at Nulon (which used to be wholly Australian but is now owned by German chemical giant, Fuchs). What I learned at their headquarters in south-western Sydney basically inverted everything I thought I knew about additives - I even started...
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Polestar is a joke in Australia now
Polestar erected a glorified plywood box inside the Volvo dealership in Penrith the other day. (Next to a floodway and snake swamp.) Apparently it's all part of saving the planet, of course. And - obviously - s-o-o-o-o incredibly newsworthy.
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Here's why you don't trust car reviews any more
Vested interest is a conflict of interest, right? When a publisher is in bed with a carmaker, their review does (at best) quite a poor job serving the interests of you, the potential car buyer, in the audience. Thus, trust evaporates (but the publisher cops a big, fat earn).
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Kia Tasman sales are a disaster - who knew that would happen?
Kia Tasman drives really well, has great powertrain integration, a classy interior, a great rear seat, a big tray, and heaps of cabin space. Unfortunately, that's insufficient to overcome its rampant ugliness, its mediocre engine and its sky-high pricetag, so people aren't buying it. Good news…
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Hyundai EV glut means major price reductions
Hyundai cannot (seemingly) successfully sell, in particular the IONIQ 6 - so they've slashed the price. This is good for you if you're in the market for one, but of course it's bad for you if you already paid the full price for one.
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Kia Tasman - engineering assessment on the hoist
Kia Tasman is - let's be kind - one of the most distinctive utes launched in 2025. Its aesthetics are contentious, the price is high, and the engine is ... mediocre. But in this video I take a look at how it's actually screwed, bolted and welded together. Did they do a decent job sticking the...
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Stop beach rust easily & protect your 4X4
Here's how you clean out your chassis and underbody components generally - after a thrash through the salt and mud.
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'Net Zero' fire trucks - next-level absurdity
The ACT (Australian Capital Territory) has a 'net zero' fire truck. Predictably enough, it's prohibitively expensive, and it doesn't work. Therefore, it lives up to its name, offering net-zero capability. Apart from that, though - it's all good.
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Ford Ranger Super Duty ute: It's not all good news
Ford has released price and specs for the Ranger Super Duty - but it's not all good news.
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There's a new 2.2-litre 'poverty' diesel engine in Isuzu D-MAX
The government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard has forced Isuzu to up it's game ... a little
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Some people still don't understand service intervals
It really is pretty simple - get you car serviced on time, or when it clocks the distance, whichever occurs first - but some people continue to wilfully misunderstand...
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ANCAP just proved MG3 is a death trap - but they say it's a "step forward'...
During a recent crash test, the driver's seat in the MG3 just started to snap off - the first such failure in decades of crash testing. This basically answers every conceivable question about quality with respect to that car, and also all the questions regarding whether or not buying one is a…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
AutoExpert is all about cars from Australian automotive expert, journalist and engineer John Cadogan
HOSTED BY
John Cadogan
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How many episodes does AutoExpert have?
AutoExpert currently has 940 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is AutoExpert about?
AutoExpert is all about cars from Australian automotive expert, journalist and engineer John Cadogan
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AutoExpert releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 940 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
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Who hosts AutoExpert?
AutoExpert is created and hosted by John Cadogan.
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