Holden Hatchback Range

This engine has a reputation for failed EGR valves which are part of the emissions control system and live within the rocker cover. Without this valve working properly, the car’s tailpipe emissions can be higher than they should be, as well as causing the oil leak you’ve noted. And any time you have oil hitting a hot exhaust system, there’s the potential for a fire.

In some cases you can simply change the EGR valve, but experience suggests that with some engines, the solution is to replace the entire rocker cover which will incorporate a new EGR valve. The parts can usually be bought online.

The answer to this will depend on exactly which model Barina you have. In some models (typically earlier ones) the code is simply a servicing reminder to make sure the owner knows maintenance is due.

But in some versions of the Barina of this era, fault code 89 usually relates to a problem with the car’s thermostat. So don’t drive it any farther as the faulty thermostat could cause the engine to overheat with catastrophic results. Have a mechanic check things out and see if the thermostat is indeed faulty. If it is, it’s a relatively cheap fix, certainly compared with the cost of a new engine.

Sometimes the code relates to a switch in the thermostat that is responsible for switching on the car’s electric fans, but either way, it could lead to overheating. Don’t ignore it in any case.

Unless the water has come up through the floor and somehow got into the seatbelt mechanism or parts of it, the most logical answer is that rainwater has entered through an open window, run down the seatbelt webbing and into the mechanism under the seat. Failing that, if the floor and carpet has somehow got wet in the past, some water may have leached into the mechanism.

The question is: how do you know this has happened? The pretensioners only ever fire in the case of a collision, so their condition is pretty much an unknown until you need them. If, however, you’re referring to the inertia-reel mechanism that locks the seatbelt when you pull on it suddenly, then I’m sticking with the open-window-rainstorm theory, as water could definitely run down the belt webbing and into this part of the seatbelt assembly. Failing that, the moisture could be condensation that collected if the vehicle had been stored in a damp environment for some time.