Holden Problems

There’s no reason to think the Hybrid will not last as long as a regular petrol vehicle.

Toyota has been making hybrids for many, many years and they have never shown any sign of being less durable or reliable then the company’s petrol models. The batteries are said to last the lifetime of the vehicle, so there’s reason to be concerned about that either. The thing with the hybrid is the higher purchase price. That’s offset by the lower fuel consumption, so the longer you keep the vehicles the greater the chance to recoup the extra initial cost.

The other thing to consider is that hybrids work at their best in stop-start city traffic, they are not so good out on country roads where the petrol engine comes into play more of the time.

Without hearing the car firsthand it’s impossible to speculate on what might be wrong with your car, but I would suggest that it’s unlikely to be the spark plugs. Your best course of action would be to get a mechanic to check it for you.

They are probably blocked. Clean the nozzles out and make sure they are clear and flowing freely.

The GMC (and Holden) Acadia is built in the Spring Hill assembly plant, in Tennessee, USA.

Holden is at least showing a desire to fix your car, and getting the engineers to look at it would be worthwhile, but it must getting to the point that the car should be called a ‘lemon’ even though we don’t have such laws in this country. If this had happened in the US there is little doubt that the car would have been replaced or you would have had your money refunded. I would be looking to come to an agreement with Holden to get out of the car.

The GMC Acadia is 4917mm.

The cost including a new alternator should be $1000 to $1200.

If it is the well-known transmission issue then you could have a claim against Holden to repair or replace it, but if it isn’t you have no claim. You need to establish what the problem is, and you can then contact Holden, but until you actually know what the problem is you are in limbo.

The best source of that sort of information is the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI). You could also ask Ford and Holden.

Never let things slide if you feel your car has a problem. Pursue a solution until you are satisfied you have the answer. It’s not a good idea to miss services, particularly on cars with turbochargers. Keeping a fresh supply of oil is the key to trouble-free motoring with turbos. There’s every chance the turbo was faulty when you first noticed it, and having missed a service you probably contributed to the failure. There’s probably not a lot you can do, except to pay for the repairs.