ZB Calais Tourer Is It Worth The upgade

[Turk Kurtulus]

Hello Lion Roars, Well, after traveling over 5000kms in less than a month in my used 2019 ZB Calais Tourer, I can say I still want to drill a hole and place a stick of dynamite in the foot rest to improve its usefulness. I now seriously believe it was designed by a vertically challenged person with a unusually long left leg, or a person who lost their left leg in an accident who thought 'that seems about right' or a German engineer with an unheard of a sick sense of humor. I am hopeful it is the German engineer with a sense of humor. As you may remember my proximity sensors were off line, auto parking was not engaging and the hands free tailgate operation not working. I took it to the local ex-Holden Dealer who still is an authorized repair and service center at 9.00am as booked in. I have not named the Dealership for a good reason yet. The person who who served me was professional and explained that if the vehicle was involved in an accident it may not be covered under factory warranty and I would have to pay for the inspection. He advised that I would be given a quote and if I agreed work would then be carried out. I had said that since they were the local authorized dealer, they would service my car and I would be there new customer. At 2.00pm I received a call and was advised that the tow bar was not one Holden used and that the sensors would have to be recalibrated. This would take a lot of time road testing and will cost me $695.00 bucks. I asked how long they will need the vehicle for expecting a couple of days. I was informed I could pick it up at four. So the many hours are less than 2 and the extensive road testing is nothing more than driving forward to a wall and reversing back to a wall. Can I say, at this stage I felt they were taking advantage of me. At the dealership, the professional who I first spoke to reiterated the issue with the unknown tow bar and said they had given me the courtesy of removing the tongue as it would cause issues. I asked why he said it would take a few hours but in reality did not. He explained that since I required the car for work the next day they had many hands working on it. As far as I know it takes one tech to plug a tablet in and preprogramme the software. I asked how much a cargo cover will cost and a few days later he called to inform me they are no longer available new in AU. I asked how to operate the hands free boot release and he said they did not sell any so they had no idea. He was honest to recommend I go to a larger dealer. I enquired if my vehicle had the caped price servicing. Apparently not even though I thought all modern Holdens did. Even though this is the largest dealership with multiple locations and is authorized to sell and service, Suzuki, Hyundai, Peugeot, Kia, etc etc. As I write this my solid sense of humor dissipates. You see, I had to tow the other day and when I crawled under the rear of the car to attach the tongue, I saw GM stickers on the cross beam of the tow bar that is secured to the cassis. So, my off day on this Wednesday is going to be debating with an ex Holden dealer service clerk. Who for the sake of $695.00 has lost a new customer, who would have paid the premium service fees to keep the factory warranty active. I phoned my local machinic who has been looking after our vehicles for the past decade. I asked if he serviced my vehicle would I loose the rights to factory warranty. Being a country gem, it turns out BMW, Mercs, Range Rovers etc etc do not have a problem with him doing the schedule servicing. How sad this dealership lost a potential customer over a warranty claim they could have GM reimburse them with. Sadder still is the thought GM is being super stringent with Holden warranty claims causing this sort of grief. As for my ZB after 5000kms, I still do not have an emotional bond with it. Its little things like the navigation system not knowing roads that have existed for a decade, not knowing roads that are main thorough fares for the last 5 years. You have to ask which Malways edition did they up loading to the navsav? 2000 perhaps. Anyone know how to update the system? The speedo showing 105kms when it is actually travelling at 100km verified with GPS and a government speed display. The last thing I dislike about this vehicle is that whenever I see modern tv shows from Europe or USA, the ZB is front and centre with other brand names. I am no longer in a unique niche group of Commodore owners from a few chosen lucky countries, but a common car owner from many countries. What I am a fan of is the way it drives, its responsiveness, its fuel economy, the multihued of seat adjustments and the sound of the audio system. The only question I must ask myself now is was it worth updating to a ZB from a VE? Just like my first question to you at the beginning of this journey. I really hate the left foot rest.

 

[Derekthetree]

 

[stooge]

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