Holden Commodore Problems

THE VL Commodore is a popular model and you should find plenty of willing buyers. The odometer reading is very low and provided it has been well serviced and is roadworthy, any new owner should need to do little to it. It would be worth contacting Holden car clubs in your area. An average VL Commodore has a value of about $5000, but yours could be worth $8000-$10,000 if it is as good as you say.

I WOULD run it on regular unleaded all the time. That's what it was developed to run on and it does it without any problem. You can use PULP, but in my view that's a waste of money in the VS Commodore. I can't say one unleaded is better than another, except that I would make sure the one you use has no more than the 10 per cent ethanol allowed under the law. Some small outlets have been known to use up to 20 per cent ethanol, which can have an adverse effect on fuel system components. I would recommend you use one of the well-known brands.

YOU are permitted to lower your car, provided the distance between the suspension bump stop and the component making contact with the bump stop is not reduced by more than one third. And you must not go below the minimum 100mm ground-clearance requirement. When it comes to fitting larger-diameter wheels, the overall diameter of the replacement tyre and wheel must not be more than 15mm greater than the largest diameter tyre specified for the VX. You also have to take into account that changing the overall diameter of the wheel and tyre will affect the accuracy of the speedo and odo. The changes you're talking about sound fine, and not too radical. But talk to a tyre and wheel specialist such as Russell Stuckey at Stuckey Tyre Services and a suspension specialist such as Pedders for the best advice. You'll have to talk to your insurer to determine the effect on your cover. Some companies are not interested in taking on modified cars. If that's the case, you could try specialist insurers such as Just Car Insurance, Shannons or Torque Underwriting.

YOURS is a well-known problem with the Gen III V8, one that Holden has been good at recognising and fixing. Go through the dealer check as they have requested. At the same time, register your concern that you have a problem that needs to be fixed. I'm sure Holden will take care of you, regardless of the warranty having run out. If you aren't happy, contact the company's customer-relations people and tell them your concerns.

THE dedicated E-gas option on the Falcon costs $1400, which is what you need to recoup before you start saving money. My calculations, done after driving a dedicated LPG Falcon against a petrol one, suggest you will be in front after 20,000km, which I estimate to be a little more than a year's driving. That's a new Falcon, but it's going to be less with a used car because the market doesn't value the E-gas option, so you should be able to pick up a BA E-gas car for the same price as a petrol one. You're saving money from the start that way. Holden didn't have an LPG option in the VY, so any you find on theused-car market will be an aftermarket installation.

AN AVERAGE VX II Executive is worth about $15,000 on the retail market. What it's worth with the additional body kit, wheels and tyres is hard to estimate. It often comes down to what the buyer is prepared to pay. An Executive that looks like a HSV R8 is likely to be hot property to a young driver who wants the looks but can't afford the real thing, so I'd guess $18,000-$20,000. For tyres I wouldn't go past the Bridgestones.

ACCORDING to Geoff Clay of CPA Automatics, Holden fixed the fault with the valve body that was the root cause of the VS problem and it hasn't been a worry with the VT Commodore. If you plan to tow, it's best to have your transmission serviced.

THE Camira was heavily criticised when it was new, and the criticism was justified. They rusted badly, burned oil and fell to bits. Early models should be avoided at all costs, but by the time Holden turned out the JE, most of the problems had been fixed. The problem is they are now at least 15 years old so should be approached with caution.

THE problem is related to Holden's independent rear suspension. A compromise set-up, it goes through some pretty severe geometry changes as the wheel moves up and down. Lowering the suspension may have made the problem worse. The wear is more severe on high-performance cars, which tend to be driven harder. Pedders has a camber and toe change kit that will help the problem. It takes about half a day to fit and adjust and costs about $380.