Rwc help please!!!!!

[maccaz69]

Hi guys,
I bought a vk calais efi a few wks ago but am having a mother of a time getting a rwc. First list I got had about 20 things to fix......well I finally fixed them and went back for a recheck and got told that it won't pass because the parcel shelf has been cut. Would have been nice to hear that first off but anyways I put a hell of a lot of effort into disguising this (honestly impressed myself;p) and took it elsewhere.

Well this second place picked the car to pieces with another 20 odd items (right down to rear windows needing lubrication, LHR central locking not working, spare wheel bung needs siliconing in & replacing a wheel stud because it was 'difficult' to put the nut back on etc etc etc). Anyway I fixed them all and went back only to be told that when revving the motor for a while the rear main starts to drip!

I loaded it up with stopleak and called them to see if they can check out the leak now and they said they want another $90 to do it! After twisting their arm just to look they again said the same thing. Is it normal to rev an engine to check leaks?

My question is - and all old holden fans know this - ALL holdens leak from the rear main. I have rebuilt several now and even then they leak somewhat. According to the letter of the vicroads rules they can't leak at all and this basically means all old holdens should be off the road. This car will probably leave 1 or 2 drips on the drive after you park but thats it....I have another 2 old commodores which leak much more than this does so I just can't believe it.

So I have outlaid nearly $200 in rwc tests and got nowhere does anyone know someone who is 'fair' with regard to these things? After the 2 checks the car is now perfect (other than a totally concealed cut parcel shelf and a small rear main leak) it is probably in better condition than most others on the road yet I can't get it damn roadworthied & I really don't want to blow another $90 to be told the same thing. HEEELLLPPPPPPPPPP?!??!?!!!! I'm in south east melbourne near Frankston anywhere remotely nearby would be awesome otherwise I just don't know what to do its certainly not worth pulling the motor out to replace the rear main when to me the leak is so small.....

[Sabbath']

If it leaks oil while under load, then it's going to be leaking oil while you're driving. Hence making it a roadworthy item.

[maccaz69]

Yes I know that but surely there is some sort of tolerance for an engine that has been known to have rear main leaks from new? And being such an expensive repair just to (hopefully!) stop a few drops here and there. I bet if I asked the rwc tester to repair the rear main they won't guarantee it won't leak a single drop for 10,000ks will they?!?!?! No one will. Yet probably half the cars out there have defects far more crucial it seems ridiculous to me to be so strict about it.

[Sabbath']

The point is, the motor needs to be perfect when it is tested. Guarantee's dont come into it at all.

[maccaz69]

Oh well if thats the attitude of vic roads & the testers they are basically saying if you buy any 2nd hand holden plan on rebuilding the engine & keep ur fingers crossed that it won't leak anything or you may have to pull the engine again & again. Doesn't seem fair really.

[1_johnboy]

honestly what they pick is what they pick, unfortunatly your at there mercey. Its not really a expencive repair, just kinda involved and time consuming. I recently had a RWC done and there was a oil leak and they just told me to degrease the motor . Same guy on another car I had RWC, had a slight crack in the windscreen on the passanger side - said "that happened after you left here"
If your not keen on fixing it, talk to people you know that have had RWC done in your area. Everyone know a RWC tester that lets abit slide.
On the other hand fixing it now could save you a head ache down the track

[maccaz69]

Yeah we are at their mercy and they are usually biased towards picking everything as it usually generates them work & money to fix them. I have a 308 i'm rebuilding to put in it hopefully in a few months so any work done to the old 202 really is wasted. If it was leaving an oil trail behind me i'd totally understand but when its a coupla drops it seems like the testers are vigilanties!!

[calais24/7]

Wow, some of that stuff sounds a bit anal, id be trying other workshops, that are a little leniant. Or ask around for a dodgy if thats your sort of thing

[jujibelly]

Go get a dodge RWC lol they're out to make money mate. Go get a second hand parcelshelf for $10? And go back to the original tester simple really.

[maccaz69]

Go get a dodge RWC lol they're out to make money mate. Go get a second hand parcelshelf for $10? And go back to the original tester simple really.

haha i tried that but the damn bugger said that because he knows about the rear parcel shelf he won't pass it now. Its totally hidden now no one could pick it but he said because he knows........ggrrrrrr

[Reaper]

Reading between the lines it appears you have a bit of a wreck of a car and nobody wants to put their name to any road worthy cert. Just out of interest why didn't you put the same effort your put into disguising the rear parcel shelf into fixing it properly??

Old holden 6's and V8's do have a reputation of leaking from the rear mains, front timing cover gaskits, rocker covers and pretty much anywhere else. The "they all leaked from new" contention is nothing more than an urban myth. I'm sure there were dud motors from new but the vast majority of them lasted many many years of no or little maintenance before they gave trouble. I've had a few of those old things that have leaked and once repaired correctly they never gave a problem. Although a bugger of a job you can do the rear main easy enough with the 6 cyl still in the car.

Just looking at your posts you seem to be all about hiding and covering up problems rather than fixing them properly and I don't find it surprising what so ever that a mechanic is giving you a hard time.

haha i tried that but the damn bugger said that because he knows about the rear parcel shelf he won't pass it now. Its totally hidden now no one could pick it but he said because he knows........ggrrrrrr

Just fix it properly???


Reaper

[maccaz69]

Reading between the lines it appears you have a bit of a wreck of a car and nobody wants to put their name to any road worthy cert. Just out of interest why didn't you put the same effort your put into disguising the rear parcel shelf into fixing it properly??

Old holden 6's and V8's do have a reputation of leaking from the rear mains, front timing cover gaskits, rocker covers and pretty much anywhere else. The "they all leaked from new" contention is nothing more than an urban myth. I'm sure there were dud motors from new but the vast majority of them lasted many many years of no or little maintenance before they gave trouble. I've had a few of those old things that have leaked and once repaired correctly they never gave a problem. Although a bugger of a job you can do the rear main easy enough with the 6 cyl still in the car.

Just looking at your posts you seem to be all about hiding and covering up problems rather than fixing them properly and I don't find it surprising what so ever that a mechanic is giving you a hard time.



Just fix it properly???


Reaper

Thanks for the reply but I don't think you are right.....it is far from a wreck it is now in better and safer condition than any other car i've owned/own (and no they are not bombs either). The ONLY things not great about it are the parcel shelf has had some bigger speaker holes cut and the rear main does leak a tiny bit. Now whilst i'm not an engineer, slight enlarging of the rear parcel shelf speaker holes is downright crap & would not make any difference to structual integrity. Some cars have little ridges pressed into the metal around the speaker to reinforce shelf around the hole but the old commodores don't even have this so it can't be that critical. And as for a little drop here and there from a rear main from an engine soon to be replaced anyway gees that is far less dangerous than half the cars you see driving around on feathered tyres, screetching brakes, headlights not working, windscreens sandblasted etc etc etc. If vicroads are sending directives about parcel shelves and a one drip here and there leak they are basically going to kill the second hand car market. Then again if it was a second hand dealer selling it he would pass this rwc no doubt in my mind.
I don't want a dodgey rwc I just want a fair one.

[SilverVH]

Hey champ, if the leak is only minor then there is a real easy fix. Buy some 'genuine holden' sealer. It comes in a tin and is like a glue that looks like honey and smells like paint stripper. Go buy a small paint brush and some degreaser. Degrease where the oil leak is around the rear main and use the paint brush to coat the leak with the sealer. Let it dry and the leak will be sealed up.

The sealer costs around $40 so is a tad expensive, but far cheaper than pulling the motor out

[Darren_L]

I don't know what the guidelines are in Vic, but most of the items you mentioned aren't considered safety items in Qld, so the vehicle could not be failed on those items. And I'd imagine the safety standards would be fairly much the same between states.

central locking does not have to work. As long as you can manually unlock the doors that is all that is required
rear window needing lubricating... providing over half of the windows are capable of being operated (including drivers window) So as long as 3 windows on a sedan operate - including drivers window
nothing our safety standards about wheel nuts being difficult to put back on. Providing there is no damage to the stud or nut

as for the oil leak, well our safety standards state that the engine must not leak oil onto a roadway or on any exhaust or brake component. So how they determine that is up to them I guess....

[INNAWE]

The ONLY things not great about it are the parcel shelf has had some bigger speaker holes cut and the rear main does leak a tiny bit. Now whilst i'm not an engineer, slight enlarging of the rear parcel shelf speaker holes is downright crap & would not make any difference to structual integrity. Some cars have little ridges pressed into the metal around the speaker to reinforce shelf around the hole but the old commodores don't even have this so it can't be that critical..

If you cut into any surface of any metal it is definitely going to alter the structual integrity.

[MasterOfReality]

In QLD, I got failed because the windcreen washers were not squirting 'properly', the windscreen wiper blades were 'worn' and my rear tyres were worn unevenly.

Some of it is just plain BS though. The windscreen washer was squirting slightly higher than the other. Not like is was completely missing the windscreen. A toothpick fixed all.

The wiper rubbers were fine - I'm not getting concerned about a single miniscule thread of water they left behind.

The rear tyres worn unevenly? Thats IRS for you. The damn tyres were only 6 months old, travelled less than 5,000km and were only starting to wear on the insides.

I just went to another mechanic and had no problems.