Well... I pulled the pin

[TazzI]

Interesting...

Things to look into then would be the start/stop. And also park assist.

Stop/start should be relatively easy I think to come up with a solution so you dont need to do it everytime.

Park assist may be a bit more tinkering.. might be able to lower it. So instead of 7.. could be 5? 4? When parking slowly.. rarely are you going over 5kph.

 

[holomatrix]

I find it really odd...

Okay, so turning on the park assist FRONT at slow speed might help me in heavy traffic not to tap the person in front... but why, when I am stationary in traffic, do Opel/Vauxhall/Buick/Holden think we want to be warned that the idiot behind us is sitting 3 feet away and stationary (even with the alerts on the low setting, it still carris on like a pork chop until the point where I reach down and turn it off... at which point it stays off until the next time I go above 7km/h and come back below it - so maybe at the next set of lights?)

What a stupid setting!?!?!?!?!

 

[VT&VX]

I find it really odd...

They should take that alert signal and connect it to the rear hazard lights, so the guy behind can get the message to BACK OFF!!!!

 

[Skydrol]

So what are those toys for, to help you avoid a collision while checking F-Book for cat videos?

 

[Sir Les]

@holomatrix : that Park Assist thing is very strange. I drove a ZB Tourer in quite heavy traffic recently and didn't experience it going off at all due to queued vehicles behind me. Perhaps Adelaide drivers are more polite (yeah, right) and don't come so close to your back bumper? It was working though when I parked the vehicle. On the VF the default for park assist is OFF once under way, until you select reverse. I don't see why that should have changed for the ZB.

Also, the one I drove had no rattles or other untoward noises whatsoever. Could it be that you have one of the first examples with Australasian specifications to come off the production line, which apparently had some teething problems?

 

[holomatrix]

The rattles are apparently a common thing for the Insignia II/ZB across all brands (Holden, Buick, Vauxhall and Opel). There are several websites/forums dedicated to them and a couple of reviewers (at least one in the earlier comments on the ZB thread here on JC) that comment on the same rattles. Remember that by the time we got the ZB, the Insignia II (or Insignia B in some countries) had been around for 8-10 months of production - so it was actually a reasonably well known platform before they started knocking ours out. (All that happened to make the Opeladore was minor badge, software and other non-critical changes to badge engineer the commodore. Even the 3.6lt engine that Holden claim they solely requested is sold under at least two other badge marques - in I believe China's and North America's Buick Regal GS and somewhere odd like Saudi Arabia - and was originally pitched for the OPC version of the Insignia over 2 years ago.. so Holden were actually late to that party. I know my former friends at Holden claim to have done a bajillionty tweaks and changes... yeah right... and I have a foot long that I give to 18 year old virgins with big breasts and bikini bodies EVERY NIGHT. The adjustable Sports/Tourer/Comfort mode suspension software code from the 4x4 on the Calais-V is IDENTICAL line for line on the Vauxhall version of the Elite and GS. If Holden changed it then it is a post factory config setting for 'Normal'... certainly not something in the hardware. Having now driven the Vauxhall version, and the Buick version as a rental while in Canada just before xmas, I can attest to the fact that they all operate and feel identical.) I find it a bit sad that there is actually really nothing I could identify that set our Holden version apart from the others. Feel a bit like Holden conned us good. (especially when you consider that in about 2.5 years the Opel plant have said they will be switching to building all cars on a Peugeot platform and we will likely not have the Opeladore at all. The countdown has already started)

Oh... and apparently the park assist coming on at low speed is now a common thing on the new Astra and other Opel/Daewoo type GM cars (google it... it is apparently annoying people the world over!). Not sure what their stupid logic is behind that change.

 

[holomatrix]

What do y'all think of the European trend of not having a locking or sealing fuel cap? Has anyone noticed? My Calais-V has the normal body-coloured fuel-flap but as soon as you open it, all that protects the fuel tank is a spring-loaded flap. I can see lots of people getting the fuel flap 'popped' and their fuel siphoned... or worse. That jealous ex or mother-in-law coming around for a bit of midnight sugar in the petrol tank. Great one. In talking to a chap at the dealer they are expecting to see a lot of issues with the leather on headrests etc. cracking in the Tourer (as a result of the panoramic sunroof with its transparent 'blind'.

 

[Forg]

Don’t forget the flap locks with the car.

 

[Skydrol]

Drove a Focus and Chrysler 300S, they come with those special fuel receptacles that reminds me of Aircraft's CCRs (closed circiut refueling). My take for the reason of the design is about an Enviromental mandate. Apparently, is an effort to lower Hydrocarbon Emissions. Once you open the fuel cap, gases are released and that is a big no-no for the "Greenie Technocrats". These types of "CCRs" prevent the scape of such gases. In Aviation is a sound idea if you look at it from the safety viewpoint, however, Aircraft fuel cells are vented, cars are not.

One thing that I noticed that was hard to do, was to stay put with the fuel nozzle pushed against it. More so with the fuel station nozzles that has the outer accordion type sleeve. Felt like I was refueling a Supercar. I will not be surprised that is going to be the next design (2 hose system) to prevent a drop from going in the air.

 

[holomatrix]

Don’t forget the flap locks with the car.

It's a fairly thin and flimsy piece of plastic... a little too large to be secure. Definitely easy to pop or break. The smaller and rounder fuel flaps of earlier commodores would likely be more secure.