Holden Captiva Engine Problems

It's got nothing to do with the fuel you're using; the Captiva is fine to run on regular unleaded. You need to have a mechanic experienced in diagnosing problems with modern engines check it out for you. Clearly the dealer's mechanics are not up to the task.

I can't comment on the Walkinshaw chip specifically, I don't have any experience of it, but I'm not a huge fan of the chips in general as you don't really know how they achieve the results they claim, and ultimately you don't know what effect they will have on the car down the track. If you can find someone who has fitted a Walkinshaw chip you could ask them, after all first hand knowledge is the best you can get.

$1000 does sound like a lot of money to fix an oil leak; I reckon a local mechanic could do it for less. The cost aside I would accept the deal, the car is out of warranty and an oil leak is not something I would spend time and energy fighting over.

It appears they haven't, but we will check. In the meantime religiously stick to the maintenance schedule and change oil and filters regularly.

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 to fix it, it's worth virtually nothing with a damaged engine, so there's no way around spending the money. But I would be very keen to find out what caused it to fail, and whether it's perhaps a manufacturing fault that has caused it.

Holden claims the fuel consumption of the petrol Captiva is 16.4 L/  100 km in urban, or city, driving conditions, but that drops to 8.9 L/100 km in extra urban, or country type driving. On average, the company claims, the Captiva would average 11.6 L/100 km. You say yours does 6.2 km/litre, which equates to 16.1 L/100 km, and that's in line with Holden's claims for urban driving. When you look at the labels on the windscreen you need to take in all of the information, not just the combined, or average, figures. The main thing they are there for is to allow you to compare one vehicle with another rather than give you an outright number that you will get from the vehicle yourself. Before complaining to the dealer I would do what has been suggested, that is to run it for the 15,000 km. You should see a reduced in the consumption as the vehicle beds in.

It needs to go to a mechanic who can properly diagnose it. It sounds like it could be a sensor problem, which should show up on a diagnostic check.

There would seem to be something amiss with your car to be getting 15-17 L/100 km average when the claimed average is less than 10 L/100 km, so you would appear to have grounds for complaint. Take them to the dealer and insist that the car be checked to make sure all is within specification, and if it is ask the dealer to do a supervised fuel consumption test on it to verify your assertions of poor economy. If you can't get any satisfaction at dealer level go direct to Holden and request the company's direct assistance.

Your car clearly has a problem and should be checked by a competent mechanic who can run a diagnostic check on it. The power loss is a result of it going into ‘limp home’ mode, not the other way round. The problem could be a faulty sensor, a dodgy connection, or any number of things really. Have it checked.