Holden Captiva Diesel Problems

If you can't reach a satisfactory solution to your problem going to VCAT is a way of resolving it. I couldn't predict the outcome, but as Holden has had the car for extensive periods of time trying, without success it seems, to fix it, you would seem to be justified in making a claim against them.

I agree. While the advertised fuel consumption figure is the result of a lab test and is intended only for comparison purposes I think it's reasonable to expect that the real life figure should be close to that figure. Given the size and weight of the Captiva a number of 9 L/100 km seems quite low, lower than I would expect. Don't expect it to improve much as the car is "run-in", that's something dealers say to out you off.

There has been an issue with the front seal on the diesel engine and the seal is being replaced. The problem seems to be that the engine has to be removed to replace it.

You have experienced the problem that is the fuel consumption guide. The fuel consumption in the ads and the guide are the results of tests done under laboratory conditions, and not necessarily an accurate guide to what might happen in real life. They are meant to be used to compare one make and model against others in the same class, they're not intended to be an outright measure of real life fuel consumption. That gives carmakers the wriggle room they need to get out of a problem when customers, like you, complain. I think you are within your rights to demand that the dealer/Holden thoroughly check your car instead of fobbing you off and make sure it is within the factory specifications. Once that is done you could test your false advertising allegation, but that's a legal question best answered by others. I do, however, have some sympathy for your view.

Both the CX-5 and the Tribeca are good choices; they're capable, well built and reliable. Others to consider are the Kia Sportage and Sorento. While they are Korean like the Captiva, unlike the Captiva they're very good cars, well built and reliable.

YOU'RE not alone in your concerns about the Captiva's fuel economy. We're getting lots of complaints from owners of diesel Captivas. We recently received a letter from an owner who claimed his Holden dealer had reflashed the memory in his car as a factory-endorsed fix for the problem, but that seems to be a little off the mark. Holden doesn't have a fix for the fuel consumption problem and hasn't been reflashing memories.

We have heard of issues with diesel engines in recent weeks, which are thought to have been caused by contaminated diesel fuel. Insiders are saying the fuel has been contaminated by a fungus during shipping, but little more is known at this stage. We are attempting to find out more.

6.7 L/100 km in country type driving. Now, they're the official numbers, which are best used to compare the fuel-efficiency of different makes and models. They're not necessarily the figures you would get in your particular driving conditions. You should get somewhere near them, but there are so many things that can affect fuel consumption that you should not expect the car to give you the consumption claimed.

I’m not a fan of these systems; I don’t believe they have been properly developed to a point where they are reliable. They work by substituting LPG for diesel and can damage engine if the amount of LPG is not properly controlled.

Some early Captivas fitted with the diesel engine may have experienced a condition whereby the camshaft rocker arm bearing could fail. In some instances this rocker arm failure was known to result in damage to the camshaft(s). A revised camshaft rocker arm assembly was released into vehicle/engine production to address this problem. These revised parts were also made available to service to replace any failed parts in the field. The service fix advice if presented with a 'Rocker arm failure', is to replace all the rocker arms with the revised parts.