1988 Holden Commodore VL BT-1 review from Australia and New Zealand

Exhaust was rusted out when I got it.

Cat converter was blocked when I got it.

Steering wheel had lost structural integrity when I got it.

Air con won't work.

Front seat came loose.

Side mirror adjusters keep slipping out of position.

Rubbers on the driver's window went brittle and led to serious scratching on the drivers side window.

Water leaks in top/passenger side of the boot.

Spark leads needed replacement.

4 of the 6 injectors were leaking (all 6 needed replacement, I got the items at $85 each, cost price)

Spark plugs needed replacement.

Air intake plumbing keeps falling off.

Brake master cylinder leak, brake failure.

Crank angle sensor died.

Alternator will not charge battery usually.

One time the starter motor would not engage.

Fuel tank developed a leak in a hose connection.

Drive belt needed replacing.

Power steering rack developed a leak.

**All of these problems, (unless otherwise stated) have happened within the last 4000kms and 12 months of ownership.

I love Holden's and always have, always will. For this reason, when it came time to choose a replacement for my old VN Commodore (which had served me faithfully as my first car) my decision was instant that the new car would be a holden. I chose the VL because I love the shape of them and had heard that the engine is an absolute gem. I chose this VL Commodore BT1 (non turbo) because it is in incredible body condition for a VL and when I purchased it, the engine worked VERY well.

I was a 17 year old student when I purchased this car and my experiences with it can only be described as heartbreaking. I have no job due to my final year school commitments and despite the fact that I have always treated this car like an absolute baby (ie it has NEVER done a burnout or even exceeded 110km/h since I've owned it) it has giving me nothing, but trouble. Right now the car is sitting in the driveway because the crank angle sensor has died and I can't afford to fix it.

When I first purchased the VL Commodore, I replaced the old rusted out exhaust system with a 2 1/2 inch exhaust system with a high flow cat and extractors, I also replaced the air filter with a high performance "k&n" panel filter and advanced the ignition timing to 25 degrees. After these modifications it does still not go as hard as my old bone stock rust box VN used to, and the exhaust system is so quiet it could easily be mistaken for stock (if you get an exhaust and you want some mean noise...Don't GET ONE WITH 2 MUFFLERS!)

I also replaced the old bendy steering wheel with an Autotechnica leather wrapped item and I could not be happier with this are of the car. The VL power steering is excellent and combined with this little sports wheel - gives amazingly responsive handling, despite the fact that the power steering rack has started leaking.

To enhance the appearance of the car I had the bumpers color coded. I saved a lot of money on this as I did the prep work my self, I would definitely recommend having the bumpers color coded to the rest of the car as it makes the vehicle look far more sporty. I also had a 3" chrome tip welded on the exhaust and replaced the tail lights with "Calais" tinted items, I think the Calais lights look far superior.

I also installed a fairly good sound system as the stock VL item is pretty bad. I put in a Sony head deck with Pioneer front and rear speakers, I also installed an MTX amplifier and an MTX competition grade sub woofer. This combination sounds great however the VL alternator does not work all of the time and this means often there is not enough voltage to power the amplifier which is a shame.

I would not recommend this car to a young person without money to repair it should things go wrong. Sure, the VL looks awesome and the RB30 engine has great potential, but at the age of 17 I did not need this drain on my finances, the car cost me $2800 and I have spent up wards of $4000 on top of that in the last 12 months in keeping it on the road (not including the exhaust, stereo etc). I always wanted a VL Turbo as my next car, but after this experience I think I will buy something newer (still a holden of course) and when I get older and I have some more funds, maybe then get back into a VL because despite all the problems, I still do think they are a classic machine.