Holden Statesman 2004 Problems

I'm not sure how an electric piece of equipment continues to function when its fuse or relay has ben removed, so maybe you need to check that you're pulling the correct fuse. The car's owner's manual should contain a list of fuses, their location and what circuit they relate to.

In any case, problems like this one are often the fault of the car's body computer which can fail, allowing all sorts of random errors to crop up in anything from the climate-control stuff to the central locking. If that's the case, a new body computer may be required, but these can be obtained second-hand to keep costs down.

But before you do any of that, try these simple tricks: Using the key fob, press the door lock button and hold it down for at least a minute. Sometimes, this is enough to reboot the computer and restore normal settings. The second thing to try is to park the car and disconnect the negative battery terminal. Wait at least an hour (overnight is better) and then reconnect the battery and see if the car's computer has reset itself. It doesn't always work, but it's free and definitely worth a shot. Just make sure you have access to the radio's security code to restart it after disconnecting the battery.

Both those models of Holden used the same engine; the L36 (Holden's internal code) Ecotec V6. As such, you should be able to fit the engine from the VT Commodore into the Statesman with very few other changes. The biggest hurdle will be if the Commodore donor car was a manual-transmission vehicle, as the ECU may be different to the Statesman's unit to allow for control of the electronic transmission. The best bet is to retain the Statesman's wiring and computer and change over only the engine hardware from the Commodore.

The other (minor) catch is that the VT's version of the V6 was tuned for 147kW, while the later version of the same engine in the Statesman was good for 152kW. There was a small torque difference, too (304Nm plays 305Nm). So you'll be trading off a small amount of performance but, realistically, not enough to notice.

THERE are no problems, but make sure you have a vapour injection system fitted and not an old venturi/mixer. Eurogas converts supercharged V6 Holdens.

LIKE the Commodore, the Statesman has semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension, which is a compromise design, and without adjustment you can get high wear on the inside edges of the rear tyres. Head to a suspension shop and they should be able to fix your problem.

IT'S impossible to be sure without listening to the noise you complain about but it does sound like the piston rattle that afflicts many Gen III V8s. Some 5.7-litre engine Gen III V8s suffered from piston rattle, some from high oil consumption, some from both. Holden's fix is to fit new, tighter, Teflon-coated pistons. I would persist with the dealer until you get a satisfactory resolution. On the face of it, you have cause for complaint.

YOU don't say whether you want a newish model or an older classic-style car. There isn't a modern convertible capable of carrying five adults in comfort, the roof mechanism usually takes up some back-seat space, making it more cramped than an equivalent five-seat coupe. As far as lopping the top off a Statesman, yes, it's possible, but I wouldn't recommend it. Converting a sedan into a convertible requires engineering experience, and money. It's more difficult in a four-door such as the Statesman than it is with a two-door coupe. If you really want to pursue the idea, consult a VicRoads engineer who could advise you on the difficulties. Rather than that, I recommend you buy an American convertible from the 1960s or '70s. A full-size B-body Chev, Pontiac, Buick or Cadillac would easily carry five adults, and would be a cool cruiser. It would also be a lot cheaper than converting a Statesman.