Matt's ZB RS-V wagon long term review

[stooge]

to keep the warranty you just need a qualified mechanic to do the work, if you know someone that is a mechanic and they would be willing to say they serviced it at the correct interval then you didnt void anything

 

[Skylarking]

Pretty much the same with every manufacturer and has been as long as I can remember.

You can get it serviced at any registered/licensed workshop to stay within warranty terms, it doesn't have to be the dealer. But you can't do it yourself.

Would be similar to how you can invalidate your home insurance by doing your own wiring/cabling without the relevant licenses.

Not quite true w.r.t your analogy…

240v wiring and most network cabling requires a license and doing such work privately without the required license is illegal. Such illegal work can result in large fines.

Luckily doing brakes, oil changes and such work privately doesn’t require any licensing and isn’t illegal for individuals to do such things themselves.

The problems is that the manufacturer will always claim an individual doesn’t have the skill or tools to correctly service a vehicle themselves. Heck these shitty manufacturers tried the same with 3rd party registered businesses (because only dealers had the factory tools and service info). Luckily that shitfuckery was knocked on the head by the regulators. Unfortunately similar logic wasn’t carried forward to enthusiasts. But that doesn’t mean it’s a given that warranty is void. What’s a given is the manufacturer will deny any claim and you’ll have to fight it.

As such, it’s a situation that becomes difficult as one would have to prove their technical capabilities and record keeping accuracy in any small claims case to a magistrate who will then have to believ you over the protests of the manufacturer who will have to show the fault was due to poor maintenance, wrong oil, etc…

 

[MattSAU2XR8]

Ended up replacing the Contis at 31 kkms. Only one of them was properly down to wear markers (I think due to dealer swapping out a scratched rim for a better one before I bought the car) so probably could have gotten about 35 kks otherwise. Probably fair enough given how grippy they are. Tyres are getting more expensive but this is probably a large part of why new cars handle better than older ones.

Ended up replacing them with Pirelli P zeros since at the time/place they were a LOT cheaper than equivalent Michelin or Contis. Pretty happy with these - Most tyre tests seem to rank them just below the Michelins but still quite highly. I have noticed turn in is a little better/more direct than the Contis, which I think is due to a stiffer carcass. No noisier than the Contest either.

As regards fuel economy, travelling for work again and an extended stint, mostly at 140 on private roads returned 10 litres per 100 km at the bowser, so 9 speed tranny and fairly aerodynamically shape helping.

One downside of the aero is that the swept back windscreen causes the dash to reflect on the escreen most of the time. So considering a dash mat if I can find one that is completely mat black and non reflective...

So far (admittedly only 30 kms) no mechanical orelectrical or trim problems at all

 

[mirrabucca]

Thanks for the update. I am following interestedly because I see the prices for ZB's are coming down to realistic levels at last.

 

[MattSAU2XR8]

Up to about 38 kkms now.
Just had brake booster software updated which was uneventful
Brakes themselves well under 1/2 worn - probably the one good thing about factory pads is they are easy on wear
Discovered that if I just fold on old black t-shirt in half and sit it on the dash in front of me it does away with the screen reflections - not elegant but cheap and effective.
Other than the dim headlights (see LED lighting thread) no problems to date

 

[mirrabucca]

Up to about 38 kkms now.
Just had brake booster software updated which was uneventful
Brakes themselves well under 1/2 worn - probably the one good thing about factory pads is they are easy on wear
Discovered that if I just fold on old black t-shirt in half and sit it on the dash in front of me it does away with the screen reflections - not elegant but cheap and effective.
Other than the dim headlights (see LED lighting thread) no problems to date

Thanks for the post.
Interestingly, first "mod" i did to my VX (2002) was to use a black teat towel on the dash to stop reflections. Until I bought a dash mat.

 

[CLF_RS-V]

Matt - I've been reading your thread since finding it a a few weeks ago & the information that you - and others - have provided have been very helpful to me.

I bought an RS-V wagon back in June '23 and have been VERY impressed with it... admittedly, I had been driving a BF Falcon e-gas wagon for the past 15 years so ANYTHING was going to be better than that! LOL!!! Although a touch over 4 yrs old, the RS-V only had 40800km on it and I was amazed by how "new" the body & the interior still appeared.

I agree with you about the headlights though - like you said, they are at best 'adequate' but as I was unsure about going to HID's, I opted for halogen +50% lamps and they have been better around town. Adjusting the headlights to be a bit higher also made a difference on the highest adjustment setting. I'm getting a light bar fitted in a few weeks as I do a lot of country driving to visit family in the NE Vic region. Speaking of which, I regularly get between 7.0 and 7.3 lt/100km on those round trips of around 540km up & back on the Hume.

One of the questions I read from someone was about the boot liner / mat - I bought one from Rubbertree but even though it was a little dearer than others I saw at Supercheap, Autobarn, etc... the quality & perfect fit was worth the extra $$$. I also bought the bumper protector (see attached pic).

You also mentioned the rake of the windscreen affecting reading the display due to reflection. It might sound like I work for Rubbertree (LOL!) but I bought a form fit grey dash mat (same colour as the interior) from them with the HUD cutout and it's fits perfectly. I like the leather-look dash so I only use the dash mat during the summer months. The bound edge fits tightly between the dash & the windscreen so I didn't even need to use the velcro pads & sticky pads to keep it in place.
* edit: just having a look at the Black Friday sales at Rubbertree - it doesn't look like they offer the ZB moulded HUD dash mats anymore *

Going from the standard 4-speed transmission to this new 9-speed one took a bit of getting used to but once I did, it is really smooth around town. I do tend to be heavy footed around town (so I ignore the economy! LOL) but I love the handling & ride of the hiper strut suspension with the AWD... it's a very firm ride but LOTS of fun for a car that weighs 1600+kg.

I look forward to reading more of your thread as time progresses. Cheers!!

(p.s. I've attached pics of the boot liner & the economy on my last country run)