Holden Problems

It honestly doesn’t sound too bad given the average dealership labour rate is usually something like $160 or even $200 per hour to the customer. Also, genuine Holden parts for this type of job will always be preferable to aftermarket parts, and if the quote is to drive the car in and drive it out again with a brand new turbocharger working perfectly, then the price is probably pretty good.

If you want to save money, you can always try to find an independent workshop, but make sure you use one that knows this type of car and this type of repair. And don’t be afraid to ask about where the new parts are coming from.

If the problem goes away when you restart the car, it’s reasonable to assume that there’s something electronic that’s responding to the rest, or there’s something like a crank angle sensor that is getting hot, delivering bad information to the computer and then working fine again once it’s cooled down.

Have you had the vehicle scanned for fault codes? This should probably be your next step rather than simply changing more components that don’t turn out to be the problem. Meantime, don’t rule out things like the spark-plug leads or even a failing fuel pump. How about something from left-field. I’ve personally seen a dirty fuel filter allow a car to run perfectly for the first 10 kilometres, until the gunk built up on the filter element and stopped the fuel flow. Switching the engine off and then back on again, allowed all the rubbish to fall away from the element and the car would be perfect for another 10km. Until it wasn’t.

This is not an uncommon problem with the head unit in a lot of makes and models. Like any other computer-driven piece of equipment, they have a finite lifespan and, once they’re done, they’re usually done for good. That’s why the dealer would be recommending to replace the unit rather than tyring to fix the one you have.

What a lot of people do is that this opportunity to upgrade to a newer, better head unit with better sound, better connectivity and more up to date apps. There’s loads of choice in the aftermarket and you can spend as little or as much as you want. Many owners also use this as a chance to upgrade speakers and perhaps add a sub-woofer or extra amplifier for much better sound. And you’re right; if the original unit died, a replacement of the same type may well have the same problems.

Noises are impossible to diagnose without actually hearing them. So you need to take the vehicle to a mechanic and get the car to produce the noise you’re reporting. That may involve leaving it overnight or otherwise reproducing the circumstances under which it misbehaves. Experienced mechanics can often tell whether a noise is important or just wear and tear, and act accordingly.

For the record, your mystery noise could be anything from a worn turbocharger, a sticking hydraulic lifter, piston slap, bearing knock or even something as weird as a loose baffle in the exhaust system. All these things can manifest as random and metallic noises, and they range from simple to catastrophic in magnitude.

This is really backwards, isn’t it? The ice warning is designed to alert the driver to road conditions cold enough for ice to form and cause a skidding risk. But in your case, the opposite is happening and the car thinks it’s freezing outside whenever the temperature creeps up to 28. This would make most mechanics think that the temperature sensor that reads the ambient temperature has gone haywire and is telling the onboard computer lies.

Either that, or the vehicle is selecting the ice and snow driving mode on its own behalf, and that’s what’s limiting your engine speed. That wouldn’t be dependent on the ambient temperature reaching 28 degrees, however. But if the ice and snow driving mode is part of the problem, you could have a faulty switch or even a problem with the car’s body computer. An auto electrician is your best bet.

Regardless of whether you use an additive, a car’s Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) will still need to be cleaned (or regenerated) periodically as soot builds up in it. Short trips where the engine doesn’t get a chance to warm up properly, as well as extended periods of idling in traffic and stop-start running will all hasten this requirement.

In the case of the Captiva diesel, the best way to manually force a regeneration is to put aside an hour and go for a decent drive. The advice from Holden in the day was to travel at more than 50km/h and at more than 2000rpm (which may mean locking the car out of overdrive) for a minimum of 25 minutes. During this process, you should not allow the speed or revs to fall below those two figures which suggests finding a decent strip of freeway to carry out this process. You should also not turn off the engine at any point in this procedure.

The broad idea is to get the engine and exhaust hot enough for the filter to regenerate and clean itself. Experience suggests a couple of attempts may be needed to get this to happen as it should, and in fact, the car’s computer will give you several chances to produce the desired effect before the workshop beckons.

If, after 100km of this type of treatment, the DPF light on the dashboard hasn’t disappeared, the solution is a trip to a workshop to have the filter investigated and, potentially, hand-cleaned. Also, a mechanic can initiate a DPF regeneration via a scanning tool.

Modern automatic transmissions are pretty complex things and there’s a lot that can go wrong from the simple low fluid level to the catastrophic like a broken torque converter or failed valve body, gearset, oil pump or clutch pack.

But mechanics know that the first sign of this transmission failing totally is a refusal to select Drive. Take the car to a transmission specialist who will have seen these symptoms before and will have a pretty good idea of what’s going on before they even lay a spanner on the car. And be prepared to replace the transmission as the only proper fix.

A second-hand transmission from a wrecked Commodore might be an option, but only if you can prove that the unit has done moderate mileage and, therefore, is probably not about to produce the same symptoms as yours already has.

Perhaps you’re looking in the wrong place for the answer. The ignition system is only part of the driveline that makes the whole thing work. A problem like this one could easily be caused by a problem in the fuel system.

In fact, the fact that the problem only happens in cold weather would make a lot of mechanics check the fuel system before fiddling with the ignition. That’s because, when an engine is cold, the fuel and air mixture needs more fuel and less air to get the thing started initially. If there’s a problem in the fuel system such as a clogged or dirty filter, an air leak or a slack fuel pump, you could potentially see the exact symptoms you have.

The problem could also lie in the injectors or any of the electronics that are supposed to tell the engine’s computer that it’s cold outside and a richer fuel:air mixture is required.

Have the car checked out by a mechanic who will be able to check all these parts for correct operation and then start replacing bits and pieces; not the other way around.

You have a few choices here, but all of them involve replacing the broken handles rather than trying to fix them. Your first option is to find one of the remaining Holden dealers out there and order genuine replacements. The second is to find a parts recycler (a wrecking yard as they were once known) and harvest a set of door handles from a wrecked Captiva.

The other option is to find an online seller with brand-new or second-hand replacements (lots of parts recyclers also have online stores). You can order them and have them delivered, usually within a few days if it’s an Australian-based seller. Just remember to specify the handles that incorporate the keyless-entry button.

Presumably the car makes this noise when you hit a bump or undulation. The Commodore’s front end is not particularly complex and is, in fact, a pretty standard MacPherson strut set-up.

With that in mind, there are only so many things that could cause the front end to bang or rattle, including a worn ball-joint, tie-rod end, or suspension bush. But don’t forget about the bushes in the steering rack, too, as these can contribute to a noise from the front end.

If all the suspension checks out, then you need to go a bit deeper into things like the cross-member mounts, engine mounts and even wheel bearings. Any wear or play in these components will cause a clunk in the right circumstance.

If none of that helps then you need to look beyond the suspension and into areas like a loose battery tray in the engine bay or even a loose piece of trim or sheet metal somewhere on the car. Exhaust heat shields are prime candidates for this, as are the metal shields at the back of each brake disc.