Issues zb

[Skylarking]

and lost truck loads of money in depreciation much sooner...wonder what the first year depreciation hit is on a $150K BMW, possibly more than the entire amount I paid for my Calais V

BMW depreciation rates over three years float around 50 to 60%. So the first years loss could be around a Calais V6

... Sometimes, its better the Devil you know eh.

Can’t fault that view.

As stooge said, your V6 engine seizure was probably just a 1 in a million thing... Holden gave you a new car so consider it a new start. You’ll probably be fine going forward.

Hope you‘re outbreak is squashed and you can all get out of lockdown to enjoy your freedom once again

 

[Badgerdog]

Thanks, I think we're getting on top of it over here. Feeling sorry for people in Victoria, crickey that's an awful situation

Probably a bit more than one in a million but GM's engines are probably way more reliable than BMW's ! https://www.thecarexpert.co.uk/most-reliable-engines/ Actually that twin turbo N63 V8 engine has had a lot of historical issues (google N63 engine problems) but BMW reckon they have it sorted with their latest version...but they would say that wouldn't they !

Once we get out of lockdown i'll take it for a decent drive and I'm pretty sure I'll be okay . Thanks guys for taking the time to respond.

 

[Skylarking]

Hahaha, year I know the N63 has a silly oil seal on/near the alternator bracket that often fails.. It’s a $10 part but on an X5 it means a huge huge job to change the seal... thousands of $ if done at a BMW dealer... A mate took two full days to change the dang seal on his X5 in his driveway (not the way I’d have done it). Then a year later it failed again

You’d think that since the effort needed to replace the seal is huge, the manufacturer would use some super reliable seal tech (that’s space worthy) so it never needs replacing... even if such a seal cost $100 or $200, I doubt any owners would notice such a minor new car price increase...

It‘s simply a poor engineering focus on serviceability that all vehicle manufacturers suffer from

Same lack of engineering focus on service within all VF commodores w.r.t. fuel filter (and I’m sure there are others like Changi g headlight globes). Supposedly the fuel filter never needs to be replaced according to the service schedule (since it’s not listed). The fuel filter is part of the fuel pump so to remove that requires part of the exhaust, drive shaft and tank guard and fuel tank to be removed... Hardly a simple task in a country where I’ve had a couple of fuel contamination issues...

No idea where the ZB sits in terms of poorly designed serviceability

 

[lmoengnr]

No idea where the ZB sits in terms of poorly designed serviceability

You are comparing it to a Bavarian Money Waster?

 

[Skylarking]

No idea where the ZB sits in terms of poorly designed serviceability

You are comparing it to a Bavarian Money Waster?

I believe almost all manufacrtures don't care sbout design for servicability as a goal since they focus on fast/cheap assembly processes. As such, all vehicles have their service foibles; the oil seals mentioned for BMW, the fuel filter mentioned for out VF's...

As I don't have a ZB, I have no idea what poor designs Opel has implemented and which result in difficult or expensive servicing. So it's not a direct comparison to BMW as such, just a statement i don't know how bad the servicability is... Such should have been apparent but guess you didn't notice the earlier comment made within the post:

It‘s simply a poor engineering focus on serviceability that all vehicle manufacturers suffer from

I've made it bold within the earlier post so it can't be missed

 

[lmoengnr]

I've made it bold within the earlier post so it can't be missed

Thanks for that.
Sorry I missed it. Probably because I tend to skim over your posts due to the amount of waffle involved.

 

[Badgerdog]

Went up to the local shops for some supplies today and what do you know I pulled up behind another ZB Calais V liftback at the lights. This has never happened before and it occurred to me it was quite a a coincidence and maybe the Universe has answered my question for me !

Its kind of sad to admit but the truth is about 85-90% of my driving is around the city and with AWD and 235 kw's that's plenty. 390 kw's and 750 nm from a Bust My Wallet twin turbo V8 would be massive overkill for the type of driving I'm really doing. You'd have to have more money than common sense.. Quite apart from that with so many speed camera's everywhere these days the last bastion of freedom and enjoyment is travelling at good pace on a decent tight twisting road and what do you know, it just so happens that the ZB is absolutely Bonza at that !!

 

[Chalks1971]

If you could afford a twin turbo V8 anything let alone a BMW whyd you buy a holden in the first place?

 

[Badgerdog]

Fair enough question. I was attracted to the high level's of technology in the Calais V and the fact that its German made and brand new for only $50K.
Handling is great too. Holden obviously can't make money for what's on offer at that price so that underscores the value these vehicles offer.

I think this is the first vehicle in a long time I have bought with my head, I usually buy with my heart.
I kind of expected Holden to stop selling the Commodore but ceasing the brand altogether was something that was totally unexpected.

 

[Craig01]

My brand new 2018 Calais V V6 engine suffered a spectacular engine seizure while driving along the road and failed right at a busy roundabout after just 800 km's. Took me 7 weeks and a lot of hassle for Holden to finally agree to supply me another new car, this time a 2019 one.
I guess every once in a while someone gets a lemon, (lucky me)....except for me this was the second drama, albeit from a long time ago. The last Holden I owned before getting back into a ZB was a Gen3 V8 Holden Calais back in 2000 which had massive oil consumption and bad piston slap and Holden didn't want to know a thing about my problems with that car so this engine failure really messed with my head.

I keep hoping with my 2019 Calais V its a case of third time lucky. I negotiated, (Holden N.Z. were super reluctant) a 5 year 100,000 warranty with the replacement car...demanded it to be honest or give me my money back. Common sense suggests I should own this car for the full 5 year term to get my money's worth for all the drama's I've been through with Holden.

At times I have really struggled in my head to not cut and run from the brand, take the loss on the chin and move on. I thought I had got on top of this psychological challenge but then as we all know Holden pulled the pin on the brand here and I had to do battle in my head again with keeping my car. The longer I keep my Calais V and the longer it stays trouble free the easier keeping it becomes. 18 months in with my replacement Calais V...I wish I could say it has been smooth travelling. I can't fault my current car but the previous two Holdens I've owned and the abandonment of the brand by GM presents an ongoing psychological challenge to me in terms of whether I really am happy with it.

I think its a 50/50 call whether I will keep my current car much longer or really ante-up for something quite special, life is pretty short after all... https://www.whichcar.com.au/reviews/bmw-m550i-xdrive-review

If you do get a BMW be aware it's going to cost a lot more dollars to have anything done to it. I see many BMWs and Mercedes driving around ( they have lost there luxury value) and I woundering how much they are charging to service or fix them must be more the a commodore. I would go with Toyota or another well known Asian car that doesn't have as many little issues. I have an old VY ute over 300,000 and still gos well never had an issue I wanted a VF but having second thoughts so I'm thinking of and Asian car might be better in long run. I'm a Holden man but with the way cars are today brands aren't so important anymore I think it come down to wanting a car that doesn't have ongo issues and doesn't cost a packet to fix anything or have it serviced. Good luck with your choice.