VS Commodores! - Are they really this bad?

[slayer208]

Or are these posts made by fanatical ford fans???

Holden VS Commodore - www.drive.com.au

Was kind of shocked when I read this! Sure they've got their problems, but compared to most Fords "I could tell some stories there!" I reckon they do quite well!.

[The1]

When the water pumps have broken and the engine has overheated and needs replacing

Seriously no other car's engine needs replacing after you overheat it, lol Obviously no idea what a temperature gauge is.

over the years the brakes had to be continuously replaced,

Really? OMG

[slayer208]

When my internet switches back to off-peak, i'll have to submit my own article and see how it goes.

[slayer208]

Seriously no other car's engine needs replacing after you overheat it, lol Obviously no idea what a temperature gauge is.



Really? OMG

Yeah,
I don't think these people even know what preventative maintenance is! lol. I've driven and owned worse cars, and for the K's my VN to VS commodores have done "and possible abuse, back in the days. lol", I reckon they've held up quite well.

[slayer208]

Seriously no other car's engine needs replacing after you overheat it, lol Obviously no idea what a temperature gauge is.



Really? OMG

Lol. See what happens when a 4-cyl magna overheats. The blocks tend to warp and the exhaust fires out of the intake. lol. Wouldn't believe it unless you've personally seen it like i have. Happened to my dad's TS magna. Was horrified when we took off the head thinking it was only a breached head gasket. Stuck a straight rule on the block and found that the top of the block itself was warped right between the centre of the top of the block between most cylinders. lol

[[p]wrr-247]

lol my vs is tsill goin strong and keeping up with other cars had stuffed lifters for last 9 months and the amount of things if done to the car theses are very vey strong motors if ppl look after them last a very long time

[WogBoyz]

man only problem ive had over the 2yrs or so of owning it is the power streering pump apart from that runs like a dream, isnt the smoothest ride being lowered on 18s but when was stock height it was rather nice

[hsv91ss]

That article is full of crap, most ecotecs out last many cars built from the same era.

A family member has a EL Fairmont and have owned it since 1999 and have spent over $10,000 in total repairs, countless radiators (very common in them), blown head, fuel pump, new gear box to name a few. And even the Magnas they may be more powerful then Ecotec Commodores though I always hear people complaining about the CV joints, auto boxes blowing, timing chains, and excessive oil use.

Most of them have had less Kilometers on them then mine, only prob I have had was my fuel pump, rear trailing arms and the fuel gauge never gives a true reading always is up and down.

[bandidoben]

if he hated it that much why did he keep it for so long? and gee its amazing that when things are used for 11 years what you have to replace! lol

[slayer208]

Exactly my sentiment/point fellas!. I've owned holden's since I was around 14 years old. I'm hitting near 36 now, and have also owned other vehicles such as F$*d, mitsubishi, Daewoo, Renault and Nissan. I'll always go back to Holden for reliability, ease of maintenance, servicing and reliability. My VS has only ever had 3 sets of brake pads changed, one set of tyres changed, 1 serpentine belt, 1 water pump and idler pulley replaced since brand new. It's now done over 230,000 KM's since brand new and is now due for the front brakes again as well as the water pump and is getting close to replace the belt. It's not bad considering the car's around 13 years old. And those replacement parts are so damn cheap. Definately not something worth complaining about, that's for sure. The car still drives very strong, handles excellent and despite it's age and K's is still very fuel efficient. I don't need to treat the car rough, because it picks up quite well for normal driving.

I guarantee I will still have this car for many many years to come!

Cheers!

[slayer208]

Some people saying that they've spent over $15K just on basic servicing with around only 200,000Km's doesn't make sense to me. I'd have barely spent around $2K on mine. And that's in the total lifespan of the car so far. God for $15K, I could've installed a supercharged V8 with a full overhaul and still have had change in the pocket. They've gotta be full of it!

Cheers!

[Cobra Clutch]

On the site it says, "Average user rating for this car was 4 stars."

[mitchy_vn]

he must be a cheap ****.. lol.. doesnt seem to kno a whole lot so he probly didnt tak care of it .. drive it well n maintain it right..

[immortality]

unfortunatly sometimes you do get a lemon. no-doubt non of those problems were driver related!!!! sounds like someone needs to learn to not ride the brake pedal and learn how to read a temp gauge (and understand what it means when you see steam coming from under the bonnet)

[sleepa]

The person who wrote that up is an idiot! quite obviously you need to take care of a car (maintenance) in order for it to keep running, I don't doubt the $15,000 price to keep fixing it, since they probably went to holden for everything. Gearbox rebuild, engine rebuild....

Ok, lets just say that my dads 97 falcon with over 250,000km on it and a hole in the radiator, still drove 250km towing a trailer with a car on it, in the middle of summer before we had to stop.
What the hell were they doing to boil the coolant dry?

I know girls (and a few guys) like this who don't do any maintenance to a car and abuse it, then winge and complain when it dies on them.

[BD33VU]

Is this clown for real?!! It's a commodore. Sometimes shit goes bad; they're built to a price. If you want a car that won't have the odd mechanical failure, buy a horse. If it goes round and round or up and down it WILL wear out sooner or later. This douche sounds like he's a school teacher, and also a ********. Giddy up.

[woteva]

VS Commodores! - Are they really this bad?

The VS are not good at all, sell it now and get a VR

[08sky_way]

I've kept a record of fuel, repair and parts costs for the VR since I bought it new in June 1994. The actual costs are considerably more as I have not kept a record of license and insurance costs but these have probably averaged out at about $700 per year.
Distance travelled: 203935 km
Fuel used: 21,054 litres
Fuel cost: $18,296.79
Fuel consumption: 10.32 l/100 km
Repair and parts costs: $7,419.00 (This figure is not entirely accurate as I have not always recorded the costs of oil, engine flushes and filters when the work was done, however I averaged them out at $30 per service - The VR has had 45 oil changes). If I added another $400 - $500 to the this figure to include incldentals such as lamps, glue for the head lining, throttle body cleaner, polish etc, I think that would indicate what these sort of cars cost to run.
Repairs have included a new suspension (springs and dampers), ignition barrel replacement, 2 sets of tyres, 2 x CAS, radiator, water pump.
Most repairs and servicing (except auto trans) has been done by me.

[hsv91ss]

lol I was waiting for someone to say get a VR

Had one, I honestly like the VS better

[moff_man]

i will 2nd or 3rd (what ever were up to) the fact that this person is a duche bag.

i dont care what car you own, its how you look after it. i see 4x4's come in for a major service and it can cost $500+

[sjmcc]

So let's see what he has complained about.

Replacement radiator • New air conditioning system • Transmission rebuild • Brakes (several!) • Continuous problems with headlights, brake lights and indicators. • Power steering rebuild • Cylinders rebored and replacement pistons after the water pump broke causing the engine to boil dry • Replacement heating thermostats x 2 • Replacement cam shaft and engine rotor • New muffler • Car key stuck in the ignition (for 3 years!) • New Harmonic balancer • New starter motor

With the exception of the electrics (lights etc) and perhaps the A/C system, all the rest of these problems are caused by:

a) thrashing the f*** out of a car

b) As many other people have said, not looking after your car (i.e servicing)

E.g Transmission rebuild usually occurs as a result of HARD driving and failing to service (flush/change trans fluid).

As has been said before if you look after your car (on the road) and look after it really well servicing wise, you won't encounter too many problems. That's of course if it's a Holden

[slayer208]

Too true!,

This dude must be a total nutsack!!! Excuse the language. lol

Cheers Fellas!

[VSHeaven]

Having owned a VS for 10 years I am going to go out on a limb here and say the VS is probably the best model Commodore that Holden produced for its era. Good all round vision, easy to park, feels and handles great for a big car, good fuel consumption, more than enough power(v6) for most drivers. On the reliability front I would say it's as reliable as almost any other car if it's treated with respect. Parts will break but are generally cheap and plentiful. Preventative maintenance is the key combined with a sensible driving mindset. Buying one now is usually a bargain.

[202injected]

hey well at least a cylinder head on V6 doesnt crack from from to back on the first hot day of summer........****coughcough*** ford alloy head***
As an engine reconditioner all the faults this peanut has picked out are common to all cars, when they are not looked after.

[Kurtp]

The VS are not good at all, sell it now and get a VR

tehehe too true.