Idle vibration, missing lower front grill, wheel squeaks and other little niggles

[keith.s]

Just posting to say hello. Bought a red Chevrolet Lumina SS 2006 (VZ 5.7L V8 SS), with 107K on the odo. Loving it so far.

Some of the niggles I could do without -

The car shudders every once in a while during idling. Nothing major but definitely noticeable. Is this normal? Do I need to get the mount checked?

The car is missing the bumper grill. Should I be worried about condensor damage if I leave it open? The previous owner has had it open for over 2 years now. The local GM dealership network (Jaidah) quoted QR. 1100 for labour and parts. Thats AUD 300 I don't wanna spend.

The steering wheel squeaks and it's quite annoying. Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Keith

[Troy711]

That's one bloody expensive grille, from memory mine cost about $60AUD.

[RiCeY]

Not all cars came with the grille, pretty sure the SS didnt get it but for some reason the SV6/8 did.

[aaronevolution]

I think the sedans came with the grill but the utes didn't?

[heyitsEnricoPallazzo]

If the lower grille is missing I would buy one from Ebay and ship it over.

Yes the condensor fins will be prone to more damage than with the grille.

Perhaps engine mount with regards to idling. But doubt it. But i'll leave that to others.

My wheel squeaks too. But only during hot summer days. I recall seeing a post on this. Along the lines of removing the wheel and filing a portion of the plastic down. Do a search.

[tHe_sTiG]

If you're going to get a grille, get the Holden badges too... if you don't like the Chev badges. I bought a complete set for my Exec for about 150 dollars, 'bout 600 dirhams. Grille was 400, the rest (wheel caps, boot badges) were 200. Friend of mine brought it over with him after a trip back to Australia. JHP agent of the Middle East quoted 1100 dirhams (including shipment), but I guess you could negotiate the price with him. There's an excellent guide around here on de-badging the car, look for it.

Idle vibration appears to be a feature of the car. Many others have brought it up, dealer says its normal.

I have a squeak in my steering wheel as well. I can faintly remember there was a guide somewhere on how to get rid of that, probably in the "How To" section.

[keith.s]

Thanks for all the replies.

tHe_sTiG - I don't mind the Chev badges. The front top grille badge was just recently replaced by the previous owner with extra strong glue. Reason - rogue kids in his compound. The rear had a Corvette crossed flags badge which fell off (and got lost) on the day I recieved the car. Ordered a $12 chevvy bowtie on ebay, and also another one that says "LS1 / 5.7L"

Guess I just will have to get used to the squeaky wheel. Will have a look at the guide though.

heyitsEnricoPallazzo - Its 45C outside and climbing Looks like the Aussies didn't design the wheel bearings for desert heat. Engine mounts are on my checklist for next service. I found a AUD 73 lower grille on ebay, but the seller says it won't fit after looking at my VIN.

aaronevolution - Interesting. Maybe the SS never had a grille after all. The previous owner says he can't recall ever having one.

One more question? What's the best product to remove left over tape from the previous badge? I have a can of Top Car Sticker Remover. Will give it a try once my badges arrive.

[tHe_sTiG]

One more question? What's the best product to remove left over tape from the previous badge? I have a can of Top Car Sticker Remover. Will give it a try once my badges arrive.

I used Turtle Wax Bug and Tar Remover. Just applied a bit of it onto the tape. Started picking at it after some time, also rubbed my finger against it to build up some heat and loosen the glue. You might want to try a hair-dryer as well. The heat from it did a great job removing a bumper sticker that had been caked on over the years.

Whatever you do, don't try scraping off the glue residue with a screwdriver or something that may scratch the paint of your car.

I found a AUD 73 lower grille on ebay, but the seller says it won't fit after looking at my VIN.

Which grille are you talking about? The one between the foglights (I don't remember the SS or any other variants have one in the first place)... or the one between the headlights? Could mean anything when the seller says it wont fit. Take a look at mine for example. I ordered a grille for a VZ Executive sedan (since that's the closest match to a Lumina LS). It fits, but strangely enough, not quite properly. You'll notice a small gap between the bottom of the grille and the bumper. In your case, it may be something as minor as that... but I can't tell for sure!

http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/...5720-copy.html

[keith.s]

Will try top car before going out looking for bug spray

The one between the foglights. It's called the lower grille / bumper grille. I am convinced now that there never was one (but later models got one). Wondering how the dealer found one. It's got a part number, and yes he knows the difference between upper and lower grilles. Also, he has all the details on this particular car (it's registered with their service network).

This is the ebay item I'm referring. Was told that it won't fit. Probably the seller is looking for an exact VIN match on the Commodore.

BN HOLDEN COMMODORE VZ SVZ LOWER GRILL ASSY | eBay

[keith.s]

Update: The double sided tape leftover by the emblem is gone, thanks to this stuff -
Sticker Remover (80.18005) - Sticker Remover (80.18005) Factory

Would recommend. Found it at Carrefour.

[tHe_sTiG]

Ahaa I just saw your Ebay link. It says its an SVZ grille. If I'm right... I believe then its the grille of an SSZ, which was a special edition SS (Brembo brakes, SSZ leather seats and that's it)... that's probably why the VIN number of your car and this one didn't match.

If that's not the case, then it may simply be that the VIN numbers of our Middle-East spec cars are not the same as the identical Australian ones.

I'm not entirely sure about this... any other ideas guys?

[heyitsEnricoPallazzo]

The SS bar I have has tabs at the rear which the grille simply slots into.

The SS ute looks like these (tabs) may be omitted (crewman?) and air deflectors used instead. Hence no grille. This may not apply to all commercial models with an SS type bar.

I suspect the Chevrolet Lumina SS might be one with the deflectors.

You can see the tabs for the grille in the attached pic.