VF SS first modifications

[berlina411]

I tried to buy a staggered set, but no one had stock on the rears.
Hopefully when I'm due for replacement, they'll be back in stock

Seems like the different stock sizes is distributed around the country. My supplier had 7 rears in stock when I got mine. Seems like a strange odd number but he said he got what was available at the time.

 

[Flaggers]

What's considered a reasonable/average price to upgrade brakes?

 

[vr304]

What's considered a reasonable/average price to upgrade brakes?

Really depends on what your doing, are you doing a full brembo upgrade with calipers and bigger rotors etc? Or are you doing a rotor and pad upgrade with the stock stuff? Obviously the 1st option is the most expensive one

 

[Banjo79]

How insane in the membrane is it, that already, a genuine 27mm master cylinder can't be obtained new!

 

[mpower]

Seems like the different stock sizes is distributed around the country. My supplier had 7 rears in stock when I got mine. Seems like a strange odd number but he said he got what was available at the time.

I had to wait a week i think it was for fronts, plenty 275's were in stock. 245's are more common so makes sense.

Ordered through Bob Jane.

 

[Flaggers]

Well still haven’t got my car back and getting a bit concerned, after some advice from the experts here.

Got the car Wednesday last week, work mate who is very knowledgeable about cars checked it out and said there was some black stuff in the oil when checking with the dipstick, also radiator fluid was empty and small oil seeping/leak under rocker covers. Mate said the black stuff in the oil could just be carbon build up from not having the oil changed for a while. This was despite the dealer telling me the car had just been fully serviced prior to sale.

So we took the car back and dealer said he will take it to his mechanic and have the issues resolved. 2 days passed no updates so I ring the dealer and he said “yes the radiator had a pinhole in the top tank, have ordered a new one for you. Also your timing chain has had it and we are replacing that”.

Whats everyone’s thoughts here as from what I’ve read the timing chains on LS3’s very rarely need replacing and can last the life of the engine itself. Also the car was driving great for the day and a half that I had it and also made no weird noises or rattled like a timing chain was gone etc.

Starting to feel like I’ve been sold a lemon here.

Cheers.

 

[panhead]

So we took the car back and dealer said he will take it to his mechanic and have the issues resolved. 2 days passed no updates so I ring the dealer and he said “yes the radiator had a pinhole in the top tank, have ordered a new one for you. Also your timing chain has had it and we are replacing that”.

I would have expected them to say there is a problem with the timing chain and explain what it is then ask would I like it replaced, not we are replacing it.

I haven't read the whole thread so if the car isn't under warranty I'd be taking it from the dealer and giving it to an independent to look into it.

There are some good shops in Melbourne and I'm sure some of the forum members could point you towards one.

You'll also possibly even find they are cheaper than the dealership and do a better job.




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[Flaggers]

I would have expected them to say there is a problem with the timing chain and explain what it is then ask would I like it replaced, not we are replacing it.

I haven't read the whole thread so if the car isn't under warranty I'd be taking it from the dealer and giving it to an independent to look into it.

There are some good shops in Melbourne and I'm sure some of the forum members could point you towards one.

You'll also possibly even find they are cheaper than the dealership and do a better job.




.

When I say dealership I just mean a car dealership and not a Holden. I’m not paying for anything and he’s fixing everything but it’s just got me a little concerned.

I have a 1 year warranty on the car and once he fixes the car and gives it back to me, I’ll be going straight to my mechanic to look over everything but yeah. Just wanted to know if the dealer said timing chains as a cover up for something more serious.

 

[Skylarking]

@Flaggers, I’d pop in unannounced and have a friendly in person chat with the dealer fixing your car (under warranty)... the quicker the better so you can inspect things while the engine is partly disassembled.

They shouldn’t have any objections and the service mechanics should be able to show you the damaged parts (which I’d want to keep for closer inspection) and what is actually being fixed. They should also have an opinion as to what caused such damage and whether all the bits of warn metal and plastic flowing through your engine would have caused any further damage to bearings and their surfaces and/or the oil pump (they’ll say nah no damage but I have my doubts)...

The reason id do such is I don’t have much faith that a even a Holden dealer (let alone a 3rd party dealer) would do all that is necessary to fix the problem and all the damage that’s occurred because of it to 100% level. Their focus would almost certainly be on getting the car drivable and without obvious issues at the cheapest possible price to them. Such may mean further issues outside their one year warranty may be around the corner Heck even Holden the manufacturer sometimes cuts corners with factory warranty repairs

Obviously you still have your ACL statutory warranty to rely on (which doesn’t have a specified end date) but rather than chasing the horse after it’s bolted, so to say, I’d rather focus on a correct repair now and less on mods until all this is sorted...

As last comment, your car is only 5 years old and some cars sold around those dates actually came with a 3, 5 or 7 year factory warranty. Have you checked with the previous owner as to when the Holden factory warranty actually expired and then confirmed this with the Holden dealer? Ive found different Holden dealers seem to have wrong dates listed for my warranty expiry date and need some prompts to get it corrected (which they do). I’ve also seen second hand dealers selling other brands that had no idea how much factory warranty was left on a car they were selling... Always best to talk to the original owner and look at the original sales contract if you can as that is the clearest proof of remaining warranty...

 

[Flaggers]

@Flaggers, I’d pop in unannounced and have a friendly in person chat with the dealer fixing your car (under warranty)... the quicker the better so you can inspect things while the engine is partly disassembled.

They shouldn’t have any objections and the service mechanics should be able to show you the damaged parts (which I’d want to keep for closer inspection) and what is actually being fixed. They should also have an opinion as to what caused such damage and whether all the bits of warn metal and plastic flowing through your engine would have caused any further damage to bearings and their surfaces and/or the oil pump (they’ll say nah no damage but I have my doubts)...

The reason id do such is I don’t have much faith that a even a Holden dealer (let alone a 3rd party dealer) would do all that is necessary to fix the problem and all the damage that’s occurred because of it to 100% level. Their focus would almost certainly be on getting the car drivable and without obvious issues at the cheapest possible price to them. Such may mean further issues outside their one year warranty may be around the corner Heck even Holden the manufacturer sometimes cuts corners with factory warranty repairs

Obviously you still have your ACL statutory warranty to rely on (which doesn’t have a specified end date) but rather than chasing the horse after it’s bolted, so to say, I’d rather focus on a correct repair now and less on mods until all this is sorted...

As last comment, your car is only 5 years old and some cars sold around those dates actually came with a 3, 5 or 7 year factory warranty. Have you checked with the previous owner as to when the Holden factory warranty actually expired and then confirmed this with the Holden dealer? Ive found different Holden dealers seem to have wrong dates listed for my warranty expiry date and need some prompts to get it corrected (which they do). I’ve also seen second hand dealers selling other brands that had no idea how much factory warranty was left on a car they were selling... Always best to talk to the original owner and look at the original sales contract if you can as that is the clearest proof of remaining warranty...

I will chase up if the car is under Holden warranty or not, cheers mate.

Well I would have done that but he has just called me an hour ago to say the car is all fixed and ready for me to pick up whenever I want. Won’t be going until tomorrow cause I’ve been off work sick as a dog the last 2 days but yeah, unfortunately missed the opportunity to do that.

I’ll still be taking it to my mechanic next week who is a family friend and someone I trust. Realistically what could him saying the timing chain is gone be a cover up for? Is it true you need to take the heads off to get to the timing chain on the LS3? Or is there a slim chance the timing chain actually could have been buggered. I know it’s all guess work unless you actually saw in person but just curious what some knowledgable peoples thoughts or guesses are.