Holden Commodore Engine Problems

In the old days I might have said it was due to fuel surge, but that doesn’t happen with fuel injection. It could perhaps be a connection in the wiring that is separating when the car swings to the left. It needs investigation.

Holden made a change to the chain in May 2007, which is claimed to have fixed the problem.

They say the problem is fixed, and by your own measure it appears to be. All you can do is to monitor the oil consumption and keep careful records so you can show your dealer if the problem returns.

Check the air/fuel ratio to see if it’s running rich. I would guess it thinks it’s running cold, but as you’ve changed the oxygen sensors and the temperature sensor I would focus on the ECU.

All of the cars you name meet your criteria of size, economy, performance and handling.

You could also add the Mazda3 and 6 to the list.

Of all of those I would nominate the Camry as the great all-rounder.

The problem with the timing chain is well documented, and would have come to your attention had you researched that model before you bought it. It's not a safety issue, hence no recall, but Holden did revise the timing chain in an attempt to fix it. Call Holden directly and lodge your complaint, but I doubt that you would have any success on a car that is now seven years old.

There have been problems with the HVAC system in the VF, and it's not just a noisy minority. Holden issued a service bulletin (13-SU-02) in 2103 for a software update for the VAC control module, but the jury is out on whether it really did fix the problem.

No, we haven't had this reported to us before, and being so random it's unlikely to be a common problem for Commodore owners. It sounds like a computer glitch, perhaps a faulty signal from a sender, or a poor connection. Unfortunately, until it happens regularly your mechanic will have trouble finding the cause.

The VE sounds like a good car that's been well looked after and would be a good car for a growing family such as yours. I will assume it's a V6, in which case the main thing to be concerned about is wear to the camshaft timing chains. They're a known problem and cost $2000 or so to replace if they do wear. You can tell if they're worn as the engine runs poorly because the cam timing is thrown out. Other than that the VE is quite sound.

If you want the V8 then you should have it. The economy will be good enough on highway work but remember it will suck fuel down on short trips or if you uncork the performance away from the traffic lights.