Holden Problems

It's not an unusual requirement with a diesel with a DPF. The DPF normally cleans itself automatically without you even knowing, you don't have to do anything. But if you don't do the sort of driving that invokes the automatic regeneration you then have to take action as recommended by Holdens to do it. Diesels don't work at their best when tooling around the ‘burbs at low speed, and anyone buying one with that sort of driving routine should ask their dealer about the suitability of the vehicle for them.

The starting problem could be the result of an alternator that's not charging the battery. Have an auto electrician check it.

Trying to find the cause of the engine warning lights coming on is a tough one.

If they are on all the time then take it to a dealer or a mechanic with diagnostic gear to check the system. It must be either a wiring problem or a sensor malfunction.

It won't be a leak of visible damage; it does sound like an internal gearbox problem. It could be a worn bearing. Get another mechanic to check it for you.

It's probably easier to eliminate those that don't stack up, those being the VW Golf, Holden Cruze and Ford Focus.

All have transmission questions over them.

The best options would be the Mazda 3 and the Hyundai i30.

Does it crank over when you turn the key? If it doesn't I would suspect a problem with the cam timing chains that has caused serious internal damage. If it cranks over, but doesn't fire I would be looking at an engine sensor that has failed. Take it to a dealer and have them check it on their diagnostic gear.

If only we had a crystal ball. Unfortunately it's impossible to say with any certainty if the foreign variants of the Monaro will become classics. If any do I would guess it would be the Pontiac with its connections to the GTO, Vauxhall's image in Australia is one of a cardigan wearing, pipe-puffing old timer, and the Chevrolet Lumina doesn't get the pulse racing.

They are very different cars, the Viva is small, the Falcon big, so it comes down to what you want from them. The Viva is newer and will have done fewer kilometres, the Falcon is getting old and is likely to have done lots of kilometres. That said, Falcons tend to be relatively reliable at high kilometres, so if you are after reliability that's probably the better bet for you.

You don't say what your typical driving day is, so I can only guess on that front, but driving short distances without regularly getting out on the highway for a reasonable drive at higher speeds is a DPF killer. If that's the sort of driving you do then that could be the underlying cause of the problem. You can't fix that. To resolve the problem take it back to Holden and ask them to tell you what they think is causing it and try and work out a plan of action. You would appear to have a good case to put to them to fix the car.

By your description it's a ute or a van rather than a Statesman or Caprice, but you don't tell us anything about its condition. Is it a good original jigger, an old clunker, or a fully restored beauty? The value would vary enormously on the condition, anything from $2000 to $10,000. You're best to contact an insurance company for a valuation.

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