VX Commodore Series II Problems

[SunnybankScan]

G'Day all

This is for anyone who has/had this vehicle or has experience with it.

So I have just had my car serviced and a few minor repairs done on the car. I also paid for a full check to see if there was anything wrong, I was given an itemised list with prices and priority.

- Coolant hose kit and flush required - $306
- Rear shock absorbers - $320
- Steering rack leaking - $500
- Castor Z Bushes worn, need replacing - $450
- Engine mounts sagging - $ ??

Other things of no particular interest
- Front brakes 50% worn
- Back Brakes 70% worn
- Wiper rubbers required
- All tires worn
- Wheel alignment needed (before Steering rack is repaired)

The car has only 90K on the clock, does anyone think this is unusual, or is this common in this vehicle. Its going to cost me a fortune! Just wondering if anyone had similar problems.

Thanks

[bonnie28]

UMM you are getting F-ucked in the arse. My rule in life is to never trust any mechanic and to have a go your self or atleast reseach what you need to look for. The Mechanic trade has always paid there workers nothing but charge at least $65-$75 an hour to wright jiburish on a bit of paper. Did you know that toyota mechanics aren't even trade qualified in the industry once they leave toyota, yet they want premium price for a virgin to tinker with your $50,000 car.

They can kiss my arse....



-

[rochedalescan]

For sure man, you should atleast have a go at the low priority ones most of those you can do with a spanner or no tools at all.
Some mechanics even let you source the replacement products yourself which can save you some money but the majority is all in labour, get a mechanic friend !

[Scannersplitterguy]

If it's all written down on the mechanics quote book, take your copy to a couple of other mechanics and ask them to compare.
It would even be worth going to one of the 'bigger' operators like Ultra Tune or Goodyear Autocare etc.
They need the business just as much as the local mechanic and they tend to be more thorough as they have to offer a warranty. Also, their pricing has to be 'fair and reasonable' because of their public profile.
I hate to say it, but the small operator can sometimes take advantage of peoples fears/ignorance and charge more than necessary.

Dave

[hotmetal1000]

G'Day all

This is for anyone who has/had this vehicle or has experience with it.

So I have just had my car serviced and a few minor repairs done on the car. I also paid for a full check to see if there was anything wrong, I was given an itemised list with prices and priority.

- Coolant hose kit and flush required - $306
- Rear shock absorbers - $320
- Steering rack leaking - $500
- Castor Z Bushes worn, need replacing - $450
- Engine mounts sagging - $ ??

Other things of no particular interest
- Front brakes 50% worn
- Back Brakes 70% worn
- Wiper rubbers required
- All tires worn
- Wheel alignment needed (before Steering rack is repaired)

The car has only 90K on the clock, does anyone think this is unusual, or is this common in this vehicle. Its going to cost me a fortune! Just wondering if anyone had similar problems.

Thanks

There is nothing overly wrong with those prices if the said things need doing and you aren't mechanically minded to be able to do them yourself.
My view,
Coolant hose kit and flush, when the coolant is changed the system should be flushed anyway as for a hose kit I doubt it.
Rear shocks, who replaces shocks, 50% of the cars on the road would have worn out shocks. There is a difference between worn out and stuffed.
Steering rack leaking, is there drips of oil where you park the car and where are those drips coming from? It is possible the steering rack needs replacing and that is not a cheap thing to do and requires a wheel alignment afterwards.
Castor Z brushes worn, possible would require a wheel alignment afterwards as well. You would be better off taking the car to a suspension shop for this and the steering rack.
Engine mounts sagging, so? They are not broken, the engine isn't rubbing on anything. Forget about that one.
If the car does need castor z brushes then it is pointless getting a wheel alignment done until they are replaced.
But by all means get a quote from another mechanic and ask them to confrim if the work needs doing.

[Phil]

i had very similar on my Laser i took it to a local mechanic had 26 things that he suggested that should be fixed. in the end i did three quarters of the things that needed doing i must admit the Radiator did need to be replaced i just went to supercheap and brought most of the parts. and i agree with shane most of it you can do yourself. it isn't very hard.

[SunnybankScan]

Thanks for the replies guys, I really appreciate it. Yeah, i might go and buy the parts myself, and get a second opinion. Its funny how all of these problems seem to be fairly serious.

[glen120285]

I've got a VX II Sedan which has done 135k.

After a couple of wheel alignments in 18 months and the front left tyre was still wearing badly on the outside after 5k I thought I'd ask a mechanic to have a look and it was the front z bar bushes. I dropped it into Bridgestone about a month ago and they charged $425 for the bushes, wheel alignment and labour. Much better than the $750 the first independent mechanic wanted to charge.

Coolant hose kit and flush for $306 is crazy. I just flushed mine 3 weeks ago and the hoses weren't worn enough to warrant replacing. Even if you buy the special Holden coolant and the pills, that will only cost about $50. I rate my mechanic skills 1 out of 10 and I could still flush the radiator myself.

Same with the rear shock absorbers. Not a hard job at all. The price depends on what shocks you want.

Haven't had any trouble with the steering rack leaking…..touch wood.

[Streetholden]

G'Day all

This is for anyone who has/had this vehicle or has experience with it.

So I have just had my car serviced and a few minor repairs done on the car. I also paid for a full check to see if there was anything wrong, I was given an itemised list with prices and priority.

- Coolant hose kit and flush required - $306
- Rear shock absorbers - $320
- Steering rack leaking - $500
- Castor Z Bushes worn, need replacing - $450
- Engine mounts sagging - $ ??

Other things of no particular interest
- Front brakes 50% worn
- Back Brakes 70% worn
- Wiper rubbers required
- All tires worn
- Wheel alignment needed (before Steering rack is repaired)

The car has only 90K on the clock, does anyone think this is unusual, or is this common in this vehicle. Its going to cost me a fortune! Just wondering if anyone had similar problems.

Thanks

I know this is bring up an old thread, but holy shit.
Heres how it should look:
- Coolant hose kit and flush required - $120 (complete coolent hose kit + radator flush)
- Rear shock absorbers - $120 (Monroe GT sport shocks)
- Steering rack leaking - $240 (reco steering rack, outright. $180 exchange. Or $30 for a seal kit)
- Castor Z Bushes worn, need replacing - $100
- Engine mounts sagging - $80 (for the pair. ($60 each from super shit auto)

Other things of no particular interest
- Front brakes 50% worn $100 (bendix general)
- Back Brakes 70% worn $100 (bendix general)
- Wiper rubbers required $20
- All tires worn $356 for 4x 235 45 R17s..
- Wheel alignment needed (before Steering rack is repaired) $50