Holden Problems

You shouldn’t need to replace the entire roof lining in your car, but it will need to be removed to have the replacement foam and cloth covering applied. Any roof lining repair will involve getting rid of the old foam that has broken down and caused the delamination of the backing board and the cloth or vinyl. From there, the new foam and cloth can be applied to your original backing board and the assembly refitted to the car.

Another alternative is to have a new headliner installed, sometimes a reconditioned unit that some motor trimmers have on the shelf, ready to go. Some companies will even come to you and replace the roof lining in your driveway or work car-park. You can also source or buy a second-hand roof lining from a wrecked car which, in the case of a common model like a Holden VE Commodore shouldn’t be hard to find. You’ll still need to remove the old one and fit the new one, however. In some instances, you may still be able to buy a brand-new roof lining from the manufacturer, but that’s a long shot and will cost a lot more.

Meanwhile, a VE Commodore roof lining replacement cost will be roughly anywhere from $300 to $600 depending on whether you want the repairer to come to you, you’re happy with a standard (not custom) covering and the car is a standard model. A car with a sunroof fitted will add to that total as it’s a fiddlier job with more to remove and replace.

Repairing the roof lining yourself is not a simple job, as it requires the removal of a bunch of fittings such as interior lights, sun-visors, interior mirrors and that’s before you can even try to manoeuvre the single-piece roof lining out through one of the car’s doors. That’s the reason you see a lot of cars getting around with their roof lining patched up and held in place with everything from thumb tacks to staples.

This all goes back to the 1990s when car-makers discovered that a single-piece, structural-cardboard backing board covered in foam and then cloth or vinyl was a much cheaper alternative than the traditional metal-bow roof lining. The new system was also much faster to fit on an assembly line. But with time and heat cycles, the foam that many car-makers used breaks down into a fine, powdery dust at which point the adhesion between the layers is lost and the cloth sags down and billows into the cabin. Replacing the degraded foam and fitting new cloth or vinyl is the best solution and will return the roof lining to as-new.

There’s more information on what’s involved here.

Based on the symptoms, it sounds like something is getting hot and shutting down. When you leave it to cool for those 10 minutes, it fires up again. This could be something in the ignition system becoming too hot, or the fuel system (fuel pump) or perhaps even fuel vaporisation.

However, the V6 engine in your Commodore is very well known – notorious, even – for a crank-angle sensor that can stop working when it becomes too hot. This is a condition that seems to set in with age and, as the sensor becomes less tolerant of heat, will simply shut own the engine with no warning. Here’s something to try next time it happens: Identify the sensor in question (it’s located down by the front pulley of the engine’s crankshaft. Keep a bottle of tap-water in the car boot. When the engine stops next time, open the bonnet and pour the cool water on to the sensor. In many cases, the water is enough to cool the sensor and the engine starts right up. Definitely worth a shot before you start replacing other bits and pieces.

Let’s start with what made a 2017 Holden Commodore an SV6. Over and above the standard Commodore specification, ordering an SV6 also got you the higher-spec V6 engine with 210kW, 18-inch alloy wheels, FE2 (firmer) suspension, LED daytime running lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a body kit.

The Black Edition package, meanwhile, was a visual enhancement package that could be specified with either a Commodore SV6 or SS (the V8 model) and, in the case of the SV6, added specific black alloy wheels (still 18 inches) a blacked-out grille, black rear lip spoiler, Black Edition badging, satellite navigation, an improved info-screen, red stitching on the seats and specific floor mats.

It used to be the case that you could simply, quickly and easily check a car’s transmission fluid by looking at the transmission dipstick. In the case of the Holden Cruze, that’s not the case and clearly, the manufacturer doesn’t want anybody unauthorised attempting to check the fluid level. That and the fact that a transmission without a dipstick is cheaper to make.

Without a dipstick, the fluid level is set when the transmission fluid is changed as part of a service. The transmission when refilled is then warmed to a pre-determined temperature and a small bung removed from the side of the transmission near the driveshaft. If the level is correct, there should be a drop of two of fluid leak from this hole. Clearly, this is not a job for the home mechanic, but that’s how a workshop does it.

On the diesel-engined Cruze, the fuel filter is located in front of the driver’s side rear wheel, under the floor and next to the fuel tank. You may have to remove the plastic under-floor panels to gain access to the filter. In the petrol version of the Cruze, the filter is located in the driver’s-side rear wheel arch and, in either case, you’ll need to get under the car to change them, so make sure the car is safely supported.

Holden Astras of this vintage have been known to suffer false alarms from the security system, and it seems as though a re-flash or replacement of the ECU (on-board computer) is the ultimate fix. In many other cases, false alarms are the result of faulty switches and sensors, but the Astra’s track record suggests the computer will be the culprit. At which point you have a decision to make which may involve disabling the alarm system altogether (make sure you advise your insurance company if you go down this road).

This model Astra was also infamous for a radio that could turn itself on (independent of the ignition system) and flatten the battery.

There are two possibilities here and it will all depend on whether your car is a 2005 model (that was first sold in 2006) or a post-facelift model and also whether it’s a TS Astra or an AH model Astra. If it’s the earlier car, then you might be in luck. The process involves taking the new key, placing it in the ignition and turning the ignition on (without starting the engine). Then, when all the dashboard lights are lit up, you press one of the remote buttons on the key. And that’s about it. You should hear the car lock and then unlock itself to let you know the process is complete and you’re good to go.

For post-2005 models, however, things are not so simple. In this case, you need to either visit a locksmith or a workshop that has the Holden diagnostic gear, as the new key needs to be coded to the car via the diagnostic port. That said, I’d give the first method a try before spending money at a workshop. Who knows, you might just get lucky.

This is an ongoing concern for owners of cars that were built in places that simply don’t have the UV radiation levels we experience in Australia. And, yes, I know your car is a Holden Calais, but the ZB model you own was actually built in Europe and is a fully imported car. That said, even local car-makers have had an awful time over the years trying to get their paint to last in the Aussie sun.

However, I don’t believe that a 2018 car should be showing signs of paint degradation this early, so I think you’d have a very chance of making a warranty claim to have the problem put right. Even though Holden no longer exists as a brand, its parent company still has an obligation to provide parts and service (and warranty) for the next few years. That said, there’s not much in it for General Motors to keep you happy as you won’t be a repeat Holden customer (since the brand is gone).

But it’s definitely worth a try and if you don’t get any satisfaction from head office’s customer service division, I’d be talking to the ACCC (what used to be Consumer Affairs) to see if a resolution can be found. It’s difficult to diagnose problems by remote control, but if the paint is peeling in a very specific section (the drain channels) rather than randomly on the roof, then it would seem as though there might have been a production problem when the roof was painted. If that’s the case, what’s left of Holden should put it right.

Yes, your Commodore is suitable to run on either E5 or E10 ethanol-blended fuel. Switching to E10 would definitely save you a few dollars per week versus filling up with 95-octane unleaded.

There’s a chance that the battery is old enough that it won’t hold charge for long, so a check of the battery’s general health would be the first step here. Beyond that, conventional wisdom holds that there’s something in the car that’s staying on even though the ignition switch is off, and that’s what’s draining the battery.

But before drawing the latter conclusion, attend to the basics: Make sure the battery terminals are clean and tight and test the vehicle with the engine running to make sure the alternator is, in fact, charging the battery at the correct rate. Most tradesmen agree that something between 13.5 and 14.5 volts at a fast idle is about right for the alternator. While the voltmeter is hooked up, turn on the headlights and make sure that the alternator keeps up. If the voltage drops during this stress test, you could have a dodgy regulator.

If that all checks out, the usual suspects here become a stereo (particularly an aftermarket one) or an alarm system (ditto) that is draining the battery. Make sure that the ignition switch is, indeed, turning everything off and then go back and check the car in the dark to see if there’s a courtesy light or underbonnet light that’s still on and slowly sending the battery flat.

If nothing sticks out as being wrong, the next step would be to take to the car to an auto electrician who can use a multi-meter to check each circuit in the car individually until they find the one that’s energised when it shouldn’t be. It doesn’t take a huge current draw to flatten a battery or at least take it to the point where it will no longer start the car.

Ignoring this will not only eventually leave you stranded, it will send your battery to an early grave as batteries don’t appreciate being flattened over and over again.

The short answer is that home servicing is, indeed, possible. The expanded version of the same answer is that you need to know not only the basics of the mechanical bits and pieces you’ll be dealing with, but also have a clear idea of what’s involved in each service.

We think of servicing as changing the oil and spinning on a new oil filter. But it’s not that simple. Modern cars (and I’ll put a 2010 Cruze in that category) have a strict regime of things that need to be attended to at each service interval, and that list changes as the car covers more kilometres. Ignoring any one of the prescribed servicing tasks means you run the risk of having something fail, wear out or somehow go wrong at the least convenient time.

Depending on the distance your car has travelled, the next scheduled service could include things such as changing the air filter, pollen filter, rotating the tyres, changing the automatic transmission fluid, replacing the park plugs and leads, flushing the cooling system, replacing the timing belt, checking brake rotor and pad thickness, and checking dozens more things like the car’s bulbs, drive-belt condition and wiper-blade condition.