1995 Holden Barina SB 1.4 from Australia and New Zealand

Faults:

Revs high on start up. Any help with the fault would be good.

General Comments:

Not a bad car, very slow & takes a while to get to speed, but when there it's OK.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 9th April, 2007

15th Apr 2007, 23:34

Coolant temperature sensor worked for me. The one that talks to the electronic control unit.

24th Sep 2012, 22:20

Just wondering if anyone can help me? I have an auto 1995 Barina, and recently I have been having a few issues with it.

The two main ones are that whilst driving, the 'S' button on the dash will start to flash. Whilst flashing, the car has hardly any acceleration, which leads me to having to turn it off and restart the car. On occasions this will continue to happen within a short amount of time. Each day I warm my car up for at least 5 minutes (when hot and cold outside) as I have had other issues with the car stalling when I am driving and stop (i.e. at a red light, stop sign).

The other issue is when I have the lights on at night, both the dash and the head lights will become quite bright, and then fade back to normal. This will continue to happen throughout the time I am driving. Whilst the lights become brighter, the car loses acceleration until they fade back to normal. This is quite annoying, as cars in front of me think that I am flashing them.

Hope someone can help me with my problem.

Thanks.

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1995 Holden Barina SB 1.2 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Very unhappy with reliability

Faults:

Rear CV joint broke and wheel seized at 150,000km.

Radiator obtained a hole and started overheating at 160,000km.

Black bumper bars have major discolorations and are almost gray.

Petrol and temperature gage on dash malfunctioning ever since I bought the car.

General Comments:

This car has not much get up and go and from my own personal experience has been nothing but problems. The inside of the car is very tidy and comfortable but under the bonnet has been nothing but trouble for me.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 7th September, 2004

1995 Holden Barina SB Swing 1.4 perol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A slow, simple, and interesting way to learn to drive

Faults:

Brakes failed on a major inner city hill.

The windscreen leaks and it smells strange inside.

General Comments:

The performance from the 1.4 is devastatingly slow with an automatic. It must be a sight to see me (a learner) revving the hell out of it just to keep up with the traffic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th November, 2003

1995 Holden Barina GSi 1.6 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Buy Japanese

Faults:

Constant fuel injection problems that caused the car to "run rich"

The car was running on 3 cylinders at times.

General poor fit and finish indide and out.

Rear lights kept blowing out, a common electrical problem.

The car often refused to start.

Hopeless air conditioning.

General Comments:

The car went quite hard for a 1.6 and had average handling.

Ultimately the reliability trade off is not worth it.

The worst part was that Holden didn't know how to fix it when its numerous problems occured and did not have the correct computer software on hand.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th November, 2002

3rd Dec 2002, 17:56

I experienced the same problems with reliability. I own a 1994 Holden Barina Swing and the engine either (a) cut out while driving, or (b) refused to start. I had to change numerous parts, including the rotor button, ignition module, fuel relay pump, timing belt, etc. All to the cost of $2000 (warranty ended) and still the problem persists! The current diagnosis is that it is either a fuel injection problem or the fuel alternator. I will never buy a Holden again. Nippon ichiban!

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1995 Holden Barina SB GSi 1.6 16v from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Highly enjoyable plus comfortable and practical when it needs to be

Faults:

EGR valve was replaced under warranty soon after purchase (~40'000k)

Throttle cable replaced (~80'000k)

Cam belt snapped (100'000k) causing extensive engine damage. Dealer 'forgot' to check that service intervals had been changed from 60'000 to 40'000k by factory the year before. No, I don't go there anymore!

Rear bulbs had a funny knack of blowing, but only on the driver's side of the car?

Have just had the cam belt replaced (AUD200 to prevent 3k worth of damage!) along with the water pump/idler/tensioner bearings.

Still on my first clutch and gearbox which is more a testament to my driving style rather than reliability (I'd happily drive like a hooligan if someone else was paying the bills!)

General Comments:

Apart from routine maintenence, it always performs well and is very economical (routinely average +600k per fill)

Additions include -40mm progressive rate springs, hi-flow system and 15" wheels, +60% headlamp bulbs.

The driving experience is always positive - I just wish 5th gear was taller for those long freeway journeys!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd June, 2002

1995 Holden Barina GSi 1.6 16v from Australia and New Zealand

Faults:

Having problems with the car overheating. Nothing else so far.

General Comments:

Excellent little car, though the rear end styling leaves a little to be desired.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th April, 1999

9th Mar 2013, 08:02

I have owned a 95 SB Swing manual since 2004.

It has been an amazingly reliable little car, with little going wrong, but then again I have always maintained it.

It did have thermostat problems for a while, but these were fixed by finding a better mechanic, who replaced the cap of the coolant reservoir and the thermostat. I moved right away from Holden servicing early on when they tried to replace the disc brake discs at 80,000 km - it wasn't needed. It has required a commitment to spend regularly to fix normal wear and tear, but overall it has been a great car.

As a manual it has always had enough take off speed, but those used to more than 1400 cc's will feel unhappy with performance; it's a steady accelerator, not a Maserati.

Make sure the timing belt was replaced before 100,000 km as suggested earlier - a seized belt can destroy the motor!

Note that these were Opel Corsas, so they were a quality German design and build compared to the later Daewoos badged as Holden Barinas.

The dash layout and interior controls are still superior to cars being built today - still great to look at, brilliant ergonomics and user friendly design, plus double air bags. The air conditioning is the one weak point - I gave up on re-gassing it years ago.

Look for evidence of regular parts replacement and service maintenance.