some VL questions from new member

hello everyone
have recently got a VL berlina wagon, 6cyl auto and have some questions

1) much plastic on my car is brittle and breaks easily, the front bumper top trim broke as I pulled on it, the hubcaps crack when being removed, the top dashpanel cover broke at the mounting screws when I gave it a gentle wobble
is this typical or unusual?

2) the auto wont go up to 4th until warmed up, this takes 5 to 10 minutes, after that the auto works perfectly?? the auto wont seem to change up to 4th a t all in power mode

3) is it possible to drain the auto trans fluid by sucking it out thru the dipstick hole, lots easier than dropping the sump it would seem
BTW the former owner didnt believe in opening the bonnet and cooked the engine thru lack of water, then overheated the exchange engine, needing another new head this time
I have familiarised myself with the bleeder screws
thanks

sounds like the car has baked a bit in the sun....a trip to the wreckers fer u, mate..... tranny needs a filter -fluid replacement...not hard at all.....but u drain it from the bottom of the tranny.......

well, welcome to the site firstly...as for the plastic on your car, welcome to commodores...no, i found it depends on the life the car has had...ie...lots of sun etc that effects the state of the plastic....concerning the auto, i reckon it might just be in a good need of a service, in which you will have to drop the sump to change the filter....gives a good chance to clean the crap out of the sump too and have a brief look at the innards.....

it seems that all vls wont change into 4th till thay are warmed up . somebody wrote here a while ago

welcome mate.
1 yep just a bit of sun. alot of commies have the same problem. hubcaps are no fun anyway!

2 ive heard about the autos doing this. a fluid change should help.

the power mode actually disables 4th gear on VL's. 4 is really only an overdrive - good for cruising at 100, when in power mode it wont use 4th and changes at slightly higher revs, this saves fuel through undesired up and downshifting say when just cruising around town. on the open road 4th will save you fuel by running at lower revs.

thanks for the prompt replies

gungazza said:

it seems that all vls wont change into 4th till thay are warmed up . somebody wrote here a while ago

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Correct, a VL auto will not go into 4th until the engine reaches operating temp.
Cheers
TW.

i thought they were 3 speed trans. and the power was just like 4th gear.

VLACS said:

i thought they were 3 speed trans. and the power was just like 4th gear.

Click to expand...

Good point, the torque convertor locks up and drops the RPM like another gear.
Cheers
TW.

vl berlina

just wont to know y my power button dose not work?