Holden Problems

That it can't be cancelled suggests that there could be a problem with then ESP system, so before you attempt to turn the light off you should have a dealer check it for you. If there's no problem the dealer will be able to reset the warning light for you.

Not very confident I'm afraid. It's a well known problem, but the car is five years old and has done 90,000km. You should try to get some compensation, but the best I reckon you might get would be if Holden paid for part of the cost of repairs.

The police pack should make no difference to reliability as, even though they are driven hard, the cars are well maintained. So there is at least another 100,000km in it. As for Lang Lang, security is as tight as ever and it's not closing when the factory closes.

Yes, you could approach Holden and present to them a case for reimbursement of the cost of repairs. Transmission problems are common with the Cruze, we have reported numerous in CarsGuide and it’s not an unknown to Holden. The company has in many cases replaced the transmission free of charge, so I think you would have a good case for getting your money back. Having had the repairs done by a Holden dealer should help you with your case. I doubt that you would be successful in getting any extra costs back, such as the hire car, but you could try.

The VF Commodore is the best-ever Australian car and my pick. It gets a Big Tick. Neither will give you problems with servicing or parts suppies, even after the local factories close.

I agree that it is frustrating for such a new car to be troubled in such a way, but I expect Holden will fix it. The company has been pretty good at repairing or replacing faulty transmissions in the Cruze once it has been established that the transmission is the problem. Do as Holden requests, have it towed to your dealer for assessment. I am confident it will work out for you.

It would be wise to change the belt given that it’s five years since it was last changed. The consequences of it breaking are too dire to risk. Should it break it is most likely to result in extensive and expensive internal damage to the engine.

We're also expecting the power boost for the Commodore tweak, which is happening in October.

It sounds like you want permission to get the Skoda, so go right ahead.

If there is no error code showing on the computer — and that's common — you're probably getting better service if they're prepared to drive it in search of the fault instead of waiting for it to break down