Holden Captiva Problems
No car is perfect, but we've gathered everything relating to the Holden Captiva reliability here to help you decide if it's a smart buy.
Holden Captiva 2009: Should I replace a leaking turbo?
My friend, if I could find somebody to give me $5000 for a 2009 Captiva with a dodgy turbocharger, I’d be taking that deal in a heartbeat. The reality is that your car is worth about $5000 in decent working order, and nowhere near the $8000 you’ve calculated. That’s because you never really get back the money you spend in repairs; even if you spend $3000 on fixing a $5000 car, it will still only be worth about $5000. That’s the cruel reality of the used-car industry.
A cheaper, second-hand turbocharger is one way to go, but then you open yourself up to the risk of having bought, and paid to have installed, a turbo that is almost as worn out as the one that has failed on you. There’s no nice way to put this, but I’d be getting rid of that Captiva for the best price I could and not looking back.
Holden Captiva 2007: Why is the engine smoking?
As a rule of thumb, white smoke from a diesel engine suggests the fuel is not burning properly. If your engine only blew smoke when you first started it up each morning, I’d suggest the glow-plugs weren’t working properly and heating up the combustion chambers to gain a complete burn of the fuel.
But since it’s blowing smoke all the time, I think you could be looking at a fuel-injection problem. The injectors themselves could be bad (and it only takes one dud to make gales of smoke) or the system is mis-timed and not injecting the fuel precisely when it should be. These engines self-analyse themselves as you drive and it seems the car knows it has a problem, because it has turned on the check-engine light as a warning to you that something is amiss. Your first move should be to have the injectors checked as well as the injection timing
Holden Captiva 2015: Amber light on the dashboard
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.
Holden Captiva 2011: Why is it stalling?
It sounds like the entire car is shutting down. And if that happens at speed, or just as you’re preparing to pull out into moving traffic, that’s an incredibly dangerous thing to be happening. The best advice is to have the car scanned electronically, at which point the real problem might raise its head.
Beyond that, you’re clutching at straws, because whatever is going on is a fairly serious problem. Scanning the on-board computer doesn’t take long, and diagnosing the problem this way will save you time and money in the long run. It might even save you from a crash.
Holden Captiva 2009: Engine dying
Check the fuel pump and the turbocharger.
Holden Captiva LX: ANCAP rating
The 2012 Holden Captiva LX was AWD and had a 4-star ANCAP rating.
Holden Captiva 2011: Stretched timing chain
It needs to be fixed, it’s worth very little if you don’t repair it. There’s no reason to believe that you won’t get many more years out of it if you do have it repaired.
Holden Captiva 2015: Headlights stuck in dim mode
Take it to a Holden dealer or an auto electrician and have the sensor replaced.
Holden Captiva 2007: Central locking system not working
It’s most likely the battery in the key needs replacing. Have you tried the spare key?
