holden vn/vp lifespan

[homer simpson]

hi guys, just wondering what the life span is on a vn-vs holden engine/transmission. the reason for asking this is because my uncle mechanic says holden commys are only good for about 300,000kms and he said after that he said they cause problems and the engine especially is pretty weak by this time.

how much longer will the gearbox(auto) last in the vp as it hasnt been serviced yet and the cars done about 264000kms appx.

how much longer will the engine(3.8l v6) last in the vp as the cars done about 264000kms appx.

the reason for asking this is because im selling it oneday and i dont want to replace the engine or gearbox while im trying to sell it otherwise i wouldve by now.

[Boonz]

nah, if serviced regularly and maintained they go forever.... ive seen VN's with over 450,000k's still goin strong

my vp has done 291,000 k's, doesnt blow smoke, doesnt leak oil, doesnt make any noises internally, welsch plugs are good....

spare parts are easy to find if something goes wrong, no biggy really

[dufus]

The local RAA assessor has a VN with 520,000km still on the original engine and it still runs perfectly.

[VLDavo]

all comes down to how its treated i mean most engine will go and go if u look after them...

but the old v6s do get tired around the 300 - 400k mark if they arnt cared for

[nicko]

Just keep looking after it will regular services and good products. one guy from school i remember had a vn with 450,000kms on it and they would go through a set of tyres every week ($15 replacements what do u expect ) and the car is still going strong.

[greenfoam]

I know a guy that was cutting 9.4 second 1/8th miles with a VR 5 litre that had 600,000 on it

[LowVp]

i have a turbo on my 6 pumping 12psi into it with 300k on it

[Morton]

All depends on the service schedule, and how the car is driven... as has basically been covered above.

The primary reason most VN/Ps start to fall apart around the 300k mark is that the majority of families with cars this old don't want to spend the money to have them serviced regularly. They may see an oil change every 50,000km, and little other care otherwise. Gearboxes can also be abused... although they tend to have a lifespan around the 250k mark, it is a bad habit of many drivers to shift from reverse->drive and vice-versa while still moving, as well as manually downshift gears, which only leads to shortening a drivetrain's life.

If you regularly tease the redline on an old V6, and havn't had it serviced in the last 12 months, don't expect it to last forever... but then again that doesn't guarantee failure.

Heck, I've got dreams of 500,000km+ for my VP, so there's a long way ahead of her yet at 247,000 (well... five years at this rate.)

[Garth]

mine died after 250,000km on the clock,

motor failed in a huge way.

my car unfortunatly wasnt looked after before i bought it. so as a result i bought a ticking time bomb.


my mums car, 370,000km on the clock, serviced since brand new, never once missed a service, still gets it done at holden when it's due. and it's just had it's welsh plugs replaced. everything is still original, so just goes to show, you look after the old buick it willl look after you, ofcourse expect usual failures, fuel pump, power steerign rack and sensors thats about it.

[Morton]

of course expect usual failures, fuel pump, power steerign rack and sensors thats about it.

lol, yeah ^^ Commodores are a bit like that. I've changed all of the above in the year and a half I've had mine.

[immortality]

i just stripped the engine and 5 speed trans out of a s1 VN with 28x,xxx on it and it bounced off the limiter quiet nicely untill the clutch had had enough and there wasn't any tread left on my spare it had recently had the power steering pump replaced however..... more spares for my VN

[Emackulation]

If its been treated good then they will last forever.

[Reaper]

It depends entirely how it has been driven and looked after. My VP 3800 was still like new when I sold it and it had done nearly 400,000 km. It's unusual to go that far without a major auto overhaul but the engines are very strong. That said, if it has been thrashed and not serviced/looked after, the car could be very tired by 200,000km with the engine on it's way out.

Reaper

[Cobez]

I religiously service mine every 5000km's and the trans gets done every 10,000km's as well. It's got 224,000 on the clock and she is still going sweet. Had a few small probs like the DFI module and the radiator. But those 2 were the worst.



I don't chop and change motor oil / coolant / brake fluid / petrol either.

I use penzoil oil, (i forget what coolant i use, i buy it undiluted it's a well known one), castrol brake fluid, and BP 98 octane fuel. I flushed all the cooling system and oil sump etc etc right out until she was as clean as i could get her, then stuck with those brands of oils etc.

[orreal511]

iv got 480 000km on my clock, and it has been serverly mistreated for a few hundren thousand k, so u should be all sweet man

[h0Ld3n`VN]

dads cars around 430,xxx n the motor is strong as... just had its second transmission in it bahaha i stuffed that up too so yea :P thats what happens if the trans oil leaks out