Is it HOLDEN in general or the fact that it is ex-police?

[Vzniko]

I bought an ex-cop car VZ with 59,000kms. I just reached the 70,000kms mark and all i gotta say, I AM VERY DISSAPOINTED. (have had it for around
5 months)

I am not sure if its HOLDEN or the fact that the car is ex-police. (MY first HOLDEN ever)

I have had numerous problems from day one. A noise underneath the car sounded like a vacuum cleaner when the car was travelling. ended up replacing the whole differential!! (under warranty of course).
Never heard of a car needed a differential replacement at 65,000kms!!!!

A few weeks later got a "fuel gauge" indicator error. Plus the car would smell petrol in the cabin. (The error was fixed but the smell is still present sometimes)

A few weeks later i started noticing a noise coming from the suspension/steering area when turning in low speeds. i.e. when doing u-turns or getting out of a driveway. This hasnt been rectified yet. Im suspecting ball bearings are damaged.

Rear power window stopped working a week ago.

Rattle in the engine ( that one was rectified. Apparently it's the pulley, gotta book it in AGAIN and replace it and see how it goes)

ABS error in console just appeared yesterday when i was coming back from work!!!

Grinding/grating noise under the car when travelling at around 45-60km with 1400-1500rpm. Gearbox maybe? Very hard to explain this one to the mechanics!!

IM SICK OF IT!! ( I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE WARRANTY RUNS OUT IN 3 MONTHS!!)

Ive had a falcon for 11 years (closing 300,000kms) and never had problems like these.

I am sure many Holden lovers will say that the car has all these problems because its ex-police.
But the argument is, Can ALL these problems be blamed to the fact of it being ex-police(?) My opinion: I dont think so.

[Benjamin K]

I bought an ex-cop car VZ with 59,000kms. I just reached the 70,000kms mark and all i gotta say, I AM VERY DISSAPOINTED. (have had it for around
5 months)

I am not sure if its HOLDEN or the fact that the car is ex-police. (MY first HOLDEN ever)

I have had numerous problems from day one. A noise underneath the car sounded like a vacuum cleaner when the car was travelling. ended up replacing the whole differential!! (under warranty of course).
Never heard of a car needed a differential replacement at 65,000kms!!!!

A few weeks later got a "fuel gauge" indicator error. Plus the car would smell petrol in the cabin. (The error was fixed but the smell is still present sometimes)

A few weeks later i started noticing a noise coming from the suspension/steering area when turning in low speeds. i.e. when doing u-turns or getting out of a driveway. This hasnt been rectified yet. Im suspecting ball bearings are damaged.

Rear power window stopped working a week ago.

Rattle in the engine ( that one was rectified. Apparently it's the pulley, gotta book it in AGAIN and replace it and see how it goes)

ABS error in console just appeared yesterday when i was coming back from work!!!

Grinding/grating noise under the car when travelling at around 45-60km with 1400-1500rpm. Gearbox maybe? Very hard to explain this one to the mechanics!!

IM SICK OF IT!! ( I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE WARRANTY RUNS OUT IN 3 MONTHS!!)

Ive had a falcon for 11 years (closing 300,000kms) and never had problems like these.

I am sure many Holden lovers will say that the car has all these problems because its ex-police.
But the argument is, Can ALL these problems be blamed to the fact of it being ex-police(?) My opinion: I dont think so.

Diff and gear box problems can be blamed on the police thrashing the car, so can electronics, don't forget they mess with the electronics big time to put there radios and what not in.

That's the only explanation for a car with that many poblems so early in it's life, sounds to me like it's had the living hell thrashed out of it... or the cop was a terrible driver. Mounting gutters at high speed (suspension and bearing problems), red lining and grinding gears (transmission and engine problems) and spinning wheels a fair bit (diff problems). All are done by cops in there normal day driving haha.

If I where you I'd probably be getting it comprehensively checked by a mechanic to find out what other hidden issues there may be, then get them fixed under warranty (shoulda done it before you bought the car, all of those problems except a few of the electrical ones would of been found!).

[Reaper]

Many of those problems sound consistant with a of lack of maintenance combined with having the **** wrang out of it consistantly since day one. This will always be a problem with ex-emergency services vehicles. Most will be great - a few will be woeful.

Reaper

[impulsive]

IMO this **** mostly sounds mechanical, mechanical **** does not just break straight away, it takes abuse to break, maybe it was thrashed and you got a bad car or maybe your unlucky! i have owned a VZ for a while and never had any problems with it, except the standard clutch which does not like pulling jet ski's. god damn dual mass flywheel's

[adamc11]

... and that is why you should never buy ex-police cars. I have an SS and the missus has a Caprice and we havn't had any problems at all with our holdens. Sell it if your worried and get something that is a 1 owner non-business vehicle.

[Phreddy]

It's a shame that you've got one like that Niko - and believe me, it's the exception here. Most of us with VYs and VZs are happy with them. Really, it's a given when you buy an ex copper's car that it's had the bollocks belted out of it. In these cases I think that good ones would be the exception.

Sure police vehicles are maintained, but only "by the book" general maintenance stuff. They might do oil changes more regularly (as recommended in high duty cycle usage anyway), but for the rest it's just done by the book. The way those bozos drive them, I'm afraid I'd never buy an ex-cop car unless it was strictly a supervisor's runabout, and would have it thoroughly inspected beforehand still. A pursuit or general duties hack has been abused, there's no doubting it. With twenty different blokes a day driving them, do you think they give a good God-damn about the car?

As I said, it is a pity - but please don't judge the General by the fact that your first one was pretty poorly looked after before you got it. I wonder what kind of nick an ex-cop general duties Falcon would be in??


Hey - my 1000th post!!

[hingo1983]

One of the biggest worries when buying a second hand is wondering what type of driver the previous owners were. Being a cop car, you can guarantee that they would have put the boot in. On the other hand, they are required to regularly service their cars so if that is the case, then it should be ok. I have a had a few little things go wrong with my car (ESP failed, parking sensors were intermittent and climate control had an error) and all have been repaired under warranty. As soon as the slightest thing goes wrong while still under warranty, take it into Holden. It might be a pain in the arse now, but its better than paying for it down the track.

[burnz]

it's not like the cop's have a "1800 hows my driving" number.
which they serously need.

[boofis]

As I said in another thread, sounds like you got a lemon there mate

Myself and another fellow - Torquitive I think both have ex VZ cop cars. Mines doing alright, clocked up 2000 KM since I've had it, and he said his is too. Mind you, considering mine came from the Mackay Juvenile Aid Bureau it's probably had a bit of an easier life.

Don't give up on holden Get rid of her and buy a new one

[BANKS]

I
Never heard of a car needed a differential replacement at 65,000kms!!!!

Mine had a diff replacement at 34,000k's then again at 34,100k's, then a rebuild at 34,400k's...

[andyman]

Sure police vehicles are maintained, but only "by the book" general maintenance stuff. They might do oil changes more regularly (as recommended in high duty cycle usage anyway), but for the rest it's just done by the book. The way those bozos drive them, I'm afraid I'd never buy an ex-cop car unless it was strictly a supervisor's runabout, and would have it thoroughly inspected beforehand still. A pursuit or general duties hack has been abused, there's no doubting it. With twenty different blokes a day driving them, do you think they give a good God-damn about the car?

not so, cop vehicles have a very strict servicing schedule, from what i was told by a guy that nows that has a police contract, they do oil and filter every 7,500km, diff oil, brake fluid, trans oil is done every 20,000km, is saying that though, no matter how much you change oils etc, a car that is destructivly driven will still break parts even with clean, new oil.


to put it in perspective with how hard there driven, certain models of rodeos of late where having the rear DRUM shoes (brakes) and as other mechanically minded people would know drum brakes on a ute on typical driving would easily last 150,000km, they where replacing them every 10,000km

Mine had a diff replacement at 34,000k's then again at 34,100k's, then a rebuild at 34,400k's...

lol what tha?

[andyman]

A few weeks later got a "fuel gauge" indicator error. Plus the car would smell petrol in the cabin. (The error was fixed but the smell is still present sometimes)

A few weeks later i started noticing a noise coming from the suspension/steering area when turning in low speeds. i.e. when doing u-turns or getting out of a driveway. This hasnt been rectified yet. Im suspecting ball bearings are damaged.

ive heard of people on here saying the fuel cap gives problems with not sealing, there fix is to squeeze the sides of the cap to tighten it up more


is that a clicking clunking noise, quite possibly and more than likely is small bump stop on the rusts up and grind together

[vsl67]

SO many people love to point out there car is an ex police car ,but why you would want a car that have been thrashed,usualy pranged a couple of times and treated like **** is beyond me ,

[howzat_96]

mines a vz 06 had a knocking in the rear. one diff,drive shalfs and tail shalf all replaced by 30,000 no more knocking and it drives great

[Verds]

Mate of mine has an ex cop xr6. Bought through qfleet like i have bought a few of my cars. He has never had a problem with it. I know qfleet goes through and does a full check over the car replacing everything that is either nearly gone or should die within the statutory warranty. Only problem i have had with my ex mains roads crewman is the clutch burning out. but that was after 90,000km and it had never been replaced before. this was lucky enough coverd under the stat warranty. lol after just buying the car i didn't have a lazy $2500 lying about.

[Calaber]

I don't think the car has been designed yet that is "cop proof".

After working for many years alongside the Police in NSW, I never ceased to be amazed at the sheer wanton neglect and abuse some of our cars received. On one occasion, a HWP Commodore SS was used to chase a stolen car across a paddock. Guess what state the SS was in by the time it got stranded in the middle of the field when it bottomed out? And what was I told? Well, the car is just a tool of trade, after all.

On another occasion, a motorist drove past an RBT post. Constable Fangio takes off in pursuiit, overtakes a car whilst negotiating a 90 degree bend in the road, clouts the median strip, but drives on. Front end, tailshaft, engine mounts front and rear, diff - all stuffed. But he got his man....

Another one. Car slides out in wet, belts rear wheel against kerb, nothing done, nothing said. Next shift, next driver, can't understand why car wants to steer itself and makes funny noises. In for service. New rear axle, two wheels, two tyres, misecellaneous other things. Big bucks, not warranty. Stiff.....

In NSW, a few years ago, it was decided to keep HWP and general duty vehcles longer. They used to be exchanged at 40k, but this was increased to 60k, so the chance of buying a car that has been abused and damaged is considerably greater. It is possible to get a good ex police car, but you would need to know what sort of duty it was used for. Forget any HWP or General Duty vehicles - they are heavily neglected and abused. Sure, they get regular services, but the job they perform between services means they lead an abnormally hard life.

Best bets are vehicles used by senior execs and various units associated with school lecturing/crime prevention/juvenile safety. They don't get used for emergency respones and are generally much more gently driven. They are often "unmarked" and don't have all the equipment fitted into them such as batons, mobile data terminals, warning lights etc. When looking at ex-government vehcles at auctions, look for signs where interior fittings have been removed and small holes or repairs are apparent. If you can't find any evidence of the equipment being installed, there is a chance it was used for the more "mundane" work and was better driven.

Frankly, why you would want an ex-HWP vehicle is beyond me after seeing what they cop during their service.

[Torquative]

I want en ex HWP car, as long as its at the right price for the pure reason I thrash my car anyway ...

Greg, whats wrong with my car? tis ex NSW Police and no, it hasnt been serviced to the book either. Acctually it has a very interesting and varied history.

Sure alot fo GD cars are thrashed, same goes for an ex taxi, but to put all cop cars in the same boat isnt right, there are good ones out there.

Then again Ive seen prestige cars that have similar issues and people pay $200 000 + for them brand new only to have the diff fail, trim fall apart, the dash fail, the radio lock up, ipod not work, bluetooth not pair with phones, unexplained oil leaks etc ...

[murph_1989]

ex-police would be your reason

i am sure it has done some 4wding over gutters and many sessions of thrashing

[volotre]

I had an ex-cop VZ and a privately owned VZ at the same time for few months as both were to good to pass up bargains. I actually preferred the ride in the ex-cop car (must be the the FE2 and LSD diff),I also prefered the black dash surrounds too but chose to keep the privately owned one for a few reasons but mainly because it was noticeably quicker than the cop car which wasn't expected. The cop cars have some soundproofing removed from the firewall and the one I had sounded like there was a big hole in the firewall behind the glovebox, very annoying at speed.

is that a clicking clunking noise, quite possibly and more than likely is small bump stop on the rusts up and grind together

Can you give more info on this? My VZ makes a bit of a knock/clunk sound on full right hand lock sometimes.

[policehoon]

not so, cop vehicles have a very strict servicing schedule, from what i was told by a guy that nows that has a police contract, they do oil and filter every 7,500km, diff oil, brake fluid, trans oil is done every 20,000km, is saying that though, no matter how much you change oils etc, a car that is destructivly driven will still break parts even with clean, new oil.

to put it in perspective with how hard there driven, certain models of rodeos of late where having the rear DRUM shoes (brakes) and as other mechanically minded people would know drum brakes on a ute on typical driving would easily last 150,000km, they where replacing them every 10,000km

Our cars are serviced only when the book says so, not before....It gets a pursuit check when its involved in a pursuit, ie looking for things that are bent and then replace them, change of brakes pads.

Its true we do drive the cars hard from day dot, and normally they are involved in some sort of accident thru thier police life, its the nature of the job.

As the cars get close to 60k mark, there is a marked amount of faults that show up which we dont fix because its going to auction soon.

[Phreddy]

Matt - by no means was I saying EVERY cop car has had it tough, apologies to all if I gave that impression. (hey, it's only my opinion anyhow! What the crap does THAT matter??) I simply meant that they would be in the majority, and one would be advised to look very closely over the car before buying.

You certainly picked up a good one yourself - it's been generally well looked after, we can see that from the condition of the interior, and it drives luverly!

LOL!! In many cases, an inspection of the interior condition is a pretty good indicator of how well the car's been looked after in general...

[Verds]

I was lead to believe that the qld ex cop cars get all new dash's and stuff so there are no holes left from all the radios and stuff. Plus i have never understood why everyone goes off about cop cars. They don't get chiped like many people believe. Normally if there is something thats not standard its the suspension and thats normally the same suspenion out of the model up. If you buy a second hand car (and its not from the 90 yr old grandma that you just gave the finger too for doing 40 in a 100 zone in the right hand lane) its most likly been thrashed.

[andyman]

Can you give more info on this? My VZ makes a bit of a knock/clunk sound on full right hand lock sometimes.

check out this post VY v6 unfixable front end clunk

[volotre]

Cheers andyman, I'll give it a try.

[914]

so not all ex police cars are thrashed or lemons...my VZ 914 was purchased 2 years ago now, the body is still unmarked, mechanically its A1, the only problem I had was the fuel gauge being faulty but this was a known issue with Holden. I got lucky, my ZV did not belong to a D, or highway patrol...it was used a daily driver to the police communications unit in Mascot.