Holden Problems

There are a number of LPG systems available for diesels, but they’re different from those we’re used to on petrol engines. In the case of the diesel system an amount of LPG is substituted for diesel, the engine never runs on LPG alone, and the effect of that is to increase power. The idea is then that you back off the throttle and save on fuel, but some people make full use of the extra power and can suffer engine failures as a result. I would urge caution and certainly urge you to talk to other owners who have done the same conversion you are considering to get their experience. It’s also crucial to have an experienced installer do the work on your car.

It's the first time I have heard of "Croak" and I would be asking the dealer to explain what they mean by the term. It could be as simple as a valve lifter needing to be replaced, or it could be serious like piston slap, which is what affected the 5.7-litre V8 engine used before your engine. Have an experienced engine man listen to the engine during the warm-up phase to tell you what part of the engine the noise is coming from. Because your warranty is about to expire I would recommend you place your concerns on the record with the dealer and with Holden. You should also be aware that Holden's responsibility for the product it sells does not end when the warranty ends, there is no time limit on the company's responsibility under our consumer laws.

On the basis that you're doing 12,000 km per year I would have the car serviced every six months, and have the timing belt changed every four years.

It should tow your trailer without a problem, as long as the trailer is braked, and you are sure it weighs less than 1000 kg when loaded with all of your gear. In addition to the cars you are looking at there are plenty of other cars that could also tow your camper, like the Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan X-Trail, Honda CR-V etc.

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.

Sounds like a no-brainer, stick with the mechanic you know and trust. If he's as good as you believe he will be able to service your car without a problem. If a problem arises that is beyond him I'm sure he would know to whom he could refer for a solution.

Change it. Holden reduced the service interval on the Astra timing belt because of a raft of failures of the belt and tensioner. The history of failure on this model, and the potential consequences of not changing it are too dire to risk.

This is a hobbyhorse of mine, as I think the designers in this case have put form before function, and I agree with you the instruments are hard to read. Putting the low beam lights on makes it a little easier, but doesn't fix the problem. Having the digital speed readout on, as you have done, is about the only solution for you, but if like me you don't like digital speed readouts you're out of luck. I urge people to check things like this when they test drive a car before purchase, that's the time to identify issues you might have with a car later on.

The idle mixture would appear to be incorrect. Check first for any possible vacuum leaks that might cause it to be lean and unstable at idle, also check the oxygen sensors and makes sure they are working correctly.

It would seem either the ignition switch or the neutral/park safety switch is faulty. I would guess it's the former. A mechanic or an auto electrician should be able to fix it for you.