Chasing parts continues to be a big headache, with even relatively recent cars having problems, and sometimes you need to think outside the square to solve an issue at a reasonable cost.
We have a Holden Cruze in at the moment – about 10 years old – that has suffered from the built-in obsolescence.
It had the oil cooler fail, which in turn filled the cooling system full of oil. Not a big deal. You buy all the new components and it’s here today after waiting two weeks.
You’re ringing up ordering the parts and expecting them to be reasonably priced, and mostly they are. But you get to the thermostat, which you want to take out so you can clean the system and get rid of the oil as fast as you can.
The thermostat is not really designed to come apart, but it does. I unclip it from the body, put the body back and send the car out for a run. I ring a local Holden supplier and they said I could order a new one and that will be $515 to you (as in trade price)! How much?
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They explained it comes as a complete body, etcetera and I said never mind. This morning the thermostat has been refitted after I was told it couldn’t be. We’ve just rechecked it and it’s working.
You really have to wonder about the design. The engine oil cooler is bolted to the block, behind the exhaust manifold, with hot water running through it. It’s made of thin metal and just the cavitation of the water will eventually make it fail. When it does, the oil is at higher pressure than the water and so ends up in the main cooling system.
If you do own one of these and strike problems, don’t get too angry with the mechanic – hopefully, he or she is a little older and more experienced and will find a way to make it work.
As for Project VK, we’ve hit a delay.
The wheels, a set of HDT Aeros, have been sent away for professional polishing and the chap who has them has struck health issues that have slowed him down. Wheels and tyres are close to the last on the list of jobs. We have a couple of small electrical jobs to be dealt with and then, finally, we do the final checking and tuning.
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