Holden Problems

If neither the key nor the central locking will lock the hard-tonneau, it’s likely the latch is not engaging properly. Which in turn means you most likely have an alignment problem between the tonneau and the rest of the tray.

I’m not sure if you have the factory tonneau (probably) or an aftermarket one, but these are big, fibreglass panels that can sometimes shift a little on their hinges and fixing points, leading to the misalignment that won’t allow the latches to line up and engage.

The factory HSV tonneau for this car has a quick-release hinging system allowing it to be removed easily for carrying higher loads. Perhaps removing and refitting the tonneau via this feature will return everything to its correct alignment.

An automatic gearbox relies on fluid pressure as well as volume to make everything work as it should. So, if the level of fluid is correct, you then need to move on to the pump and accumulators involved to ensure that the correct hydraulic pressure is being applied to the bands and clutches that actually apply drive to the gears and physically move the car.

Your problem could be something as simple as a worn pump, but it could also indicate internal wear and tear that requires a complete transmission rebuild. A transmission specialist is your best bet. The good news is that this is a common and well understood transmission, so finding an expert shouldn’t be difficult.

Technically, the Captiva operates in all-wheel-drive all the time. But there’s a centre differential that apportions the drive between the front and rear axles to allow individual wheels to rotate at different speeds. If that centre coupling isn’t working properly it could cause the noise you’re hearing, possibly from the tyres that are skidding or skipping as they turn, or mechanical noises caused by what’s known as 'axle wind up'.

The Captiva normally operates much as a front-wheel drive vehicle and only engages the rear axle when the computer detects any wheel slip or loss of traction.

It sounds like the new head gasket isn’t working properly and the car is still overheating. Or, the root problem wasn’t the head gasket in the first place, or that the mechanic missed something crucial that allowed the new head gasket to fail almost straight away.

Was the cylinder head checked for straightness? Was the cylinder block checked for cracks? A warped cylinder head or cracked block or bore can give symptoms just like a failed head gasket, but replacing the gasket won’t fix them. I think you need to have a deep and meaningful conversation with your mechanic and work out a plan to either dig further into the engine or replace it with a second-hand unit that’s been tested. The latter is probably the smarter, cheaper way to go. Either way, though, you risk spending more on the car than it’s actually worth. Maybe it’s time for something newer, more efficient and safer, not to mention more reliable.

I believe the part number you need is GM96683849. That’s what shows up for the 2003 Cruze, anyway. But if you can’t find one, then maybe try a Suzuki parts specialist. Because the Cruze was heavily based on the Suzuki Ignis of the time, there’s a good chance the clutch cables will be interchangeable.

If you still can’t locate one, there are specialist businesses out there that can make you a clutch cable to any specification from scratch. This might be more expensive, but if it keeps you on the road, then it’s worth the extra. By the way, the cable for your Cruze, through a parts store, shouldn’t cost more than $100.

You haven’t told me which engine is fitted to your car, but if it’s the turbo-diesel engine, then the cause may be a pretty simple one. This engine has a habit of splitting the plastic trunking that takes the pressurised intake air from the turbocharger to the engine’s inlet manifold. If that happens, the air is free to escape to the atmosphere, and doesn’t make it’s way into the engine.

That’s why you’ll hear a noise like air escaping (because that’s precisely what it is) as well as a lack of power, because the engine is not receiving all the boost from the turbo. You’ll probably also notice that the car is blowing more black smoke than it should.

The fix is a new piece of plastic pipe that should be well within the abilities of any workshop to fit.

The fact that the scan doesn’t throw up a fault code could be an indication that it’s something pretty fundamental at fault here. Have you checked the car’s earth points and the tightness and cleanliness of the battery terminals? Apparently simple things like this can easily cause a random misfire. How is the condition of the battery and the charging rate? Modern engines hate low operating voltages.

But don’t rule out a problem with the fuel system, either. You might have a faulty fuel pump or a dirty fuel filter or even a dud injector that’s causing the glitch. Don’t forget to check the wiring to these components, either as a simple loose wire could be the problem.

If you do need to dig deeper, you could try checking the engine’s compression and the clearances of the engine valves. Even something like a cracked cylinder head or faulty head gasket can cause a misfire that shows up at, say, a particular engine temperature, but not at other times.

A clunk during gear changes often indicates wear in the transmission’s internals or even the torque converter. But you might also find it’s not the gearbox at all, but something elsewhere in the drivetrain such as a universal joint on the driveshaft or even the differential.

A transmission specialists is likely to have either seen this exact problem before, or will be able to quickly diagnose where the noise is coming from. That’s the first step, as you’re otherwise flying blind. Clunks and noises can move along the length of the driveline, making them very hard to track down precisely.

This is the problem with just replacing parts without knowing the actual cause of the problem. If the third alternator and third battery haven’t solved the charging problem, obviously you need to look elsewhere. If a brand new alternator and a brand new battery aren’t talking to each other, you clearly have a break in communication somewhere in the middle.

Start with the battery terminals and cables. Are they tightly connected to the battery and not frayed or broken beneath the plastic insulation? Sometimes there’s a fusible link (a fuse, basically) built into the battery terminal that will break to protect the electrical system if there’s a short circuit somewhere. That’s worth a check too. The fusible link is usually contained within the battery terminal itself.

The next step is the check all the fuses and relays that connect the battery and alternator with the rest of the car. These can accessed via the fuse-box which is usually located under the glovebox or behind the kick-panel in the footwell, but there’s often also a second fuse-box under the bonnet. Sometimes the cause of non-charging can even be as simple as the little red warning light on the dashboard that has blown its globe, although that’s not often the case with more modern cars like yours.

If you still can’t figure it out, an auto electrician is your next stop, rather than simply throwing more new parts at the car which may or may not fix it.

It’s certainly strange behaviour and your theory that because it works perfectly some of the time, it’s probably not terminal is a decent one. If something internal was broken or worn out, the transmission wouldn’t work at all. Which leads any mechanic to suspect you have either a gear selection problem or an electrical glitch.

Scan the car electronically to see if any fault codes are thrown up. But also check for things like bad earths or blown fuses and relays. You can’t rule out a major internal failure until you get inside the gearbox itself, but starting with these simple things can help eliminate other possibilities. You may find the ECU (the computer than controls the driveline) is the culprit, and is having random melt-downs.