Holden Captiva 2015 Problems

Air-conditioning systems are designed with various interlocks to prevent them being damaged by extreme conditions. For instance, if the refrigerant gas in the system starts to become depleted, it will also get hotter and hotter the harder you work the system. Eventually, the temperature of the system becomes too high and the interlock will step in and shut the air-conditioning down to prevent it becoming permanently damaged.

You need to take the car to an air-conditioning specialist who will have the tools and equipment to safely test the system to determine the problem. Then whatever is wrong can be fixed according to strict environmental regulations, which is why air-conditioning is not a DIY job.

This is something that confounds a lot of car owners. For whatever reason, many cars seem determined to blow their headlight globes at fairly regular intervals. This can be caused by voltage spikes (via a faulty regulator) cheap globes, vibration or moisture in the headlight unit. It's also important when changing globes that you don't touch any part of the glass bulb with your fingers. This can leave dirt or oil on the glass which can then cause a hot spot and lead to early failure.

But sometimes there just seems to be no explanation for the early demise of headlight globes. A more permanent fix is to switch to an LED replacement globe which is expensive (at something like $200 for the globes) but seems to eradicate the problem. Make sure you buy an LED kit that complies with the law on such matters (brightness and colour range) and fit it correctly, but in most cases, it's a simple one-for-one replacement deal.

As an aside, I've seen plenty of headlight globes that have died young and it's always been the low-beam filament that has failed. I'm yet to see a high-beam filament blow first.

If you’re referring to the little light in the shape of an engine, or a `check-engine’ light, then you have at least one problem that the computer is identifying and warning you about. It’s the vehicle’s way of letting you know that something needs to be attended to.

But what exactly? Well, the best way to find out what’s wrong is to have the vehicle scanned electronically, at which point the computer should give up all the car’s dirty little secrets. Sometimes the fix will be very simple, at other times it can be a result of a major system failures. Either way, it needs to be checked before the damage becomes more extensive and/or the car becomes unroadworthy.

Take it to a Holden dealer or an auto electrician and have the sensor replaced.

I'm afraid I can't say with any certainty that Holden has solved the Captiva's reliability issues.

Also worth considering is that even in 2015 the Captiva was a very old design, and well behind its competition in most areas.

If you're after a value buy of that vintage, I'd be looking at the Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail as two key options.

By negotiation. There's no hard and fast rule when it comes to getting out of a car you're unhappy with, you just need to stick to your guns and be determined to see it through to the bitter end whatever that may be.

You might like your Captiva but we need to compare it with its direct size and price rivals. On that basis, the Captiva runs a very poor third to the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe in many areas, including ride and handling, quietness, quality and warranty.

I would not recommend a Captiva. At the moment, the CX-5 is best in class but the Tucson also gets The Tick.

Definitely not the Captiva. The Kluger will cost more because of the Toyota badge. I'd favour a Territory — but make sure it's had necessary upgrades to the ball joints. As an alternative, a Hyundai Santa Fe would be a good choice.