Holden Viva Problems

No, Holden can't void your warranty should you use another service agent; just make sure they are going to do the logbook service as they claim.

Symptoms like this one are often traceable to a faulty stepper-motor which is a small electric motor that controls the position of the car’s throttle and, therefore, the speed at which it idles. If this little electric motor goes awry, the idle speed can stay too high, which is precisely the symptom you’re reporting.

The other likely culprit is a vacuum leak from somewhere on the inlet side of the engine which is allowing too much air into the engine and causing the idle speed to increase. Check for split hoses around the engine bay and don’t forget to check the plumbing associated with the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve which can also crack and allow excess air into the intake manifold.

The belt does need to be changed every 60,000 km, but it doesn’t end there, as the belt tensioner, idler and crank sprocket needs to be inspected.

I wouldn’t bother with the injector cleaner, that’s a real stab in the dark. It’s obviously an intermittent problem that doesn’t occur when it’s at the dealership, or show up on the diagnostic checks. Next time the engine malfunction light comes on take it straight to the mechanic and have it checked, if you wait for it to go off there is little chance of finding the problem.

Regardless of the engine work, the Viva is not a good car. For similar money, in a small wagon, I'd go every time for a Mitsubishi Lancer.

I couldn't recommend the Viva. It was made by Daewoo in Korea and rushed to Australia to plug holes in Holden's model line-up and the market shifted away from traditional big cars. Owners mostly slam it for its unreliability and problems with electrics and transmission. I would urge you to consider a small model from one of the Japanese manufacturers, or a later model from Hyundai or Kia.

You need to have a mechanic check it with a diagnostic tool to find the cause of the problem. It could be a number of things, including a failed catalytic converter that’s collapsed and partially blocking the exhaust.

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.

It could be a vacuum leak, a split vacuum hose or the like, that's causing the idle mixture to be too lean. It could also be a sensor that's gone on the blink and sending the wrong signals to the computer. You really need to have a mechanic check it for you.

The official fuel economy figure for your car is 8.8 L/100 km, which does suggest that there is something wrong with it. While the official figure is from a dynamometer test done in a laboratory and not necessarily representative of real life, it shouldn't be a long way off the mark as it seems it is in this case. Talk to the dealer and express your concerns to them and ask that they recheck your car and work out a course of action that will identify the cause of the problem, and consider going all the way back to Holden if necessary to get a resolution.