Comments: 1-15, 16-30, 31-45, 46-57
Alternator wiring harness failed at 85k, replaced under warranty. ('common problem' - but no factory recall)
Consistent problems with ABS system, dealer says there's no fault, despite warning light on dash showing often.
Air conditioner compressor became leaky at 150k, now have to re-gas every year. ($1000+ to repair)
Interior trim is exceptionally poor quality. Did they use UV and heat stablised plastics on the entire interior?? Only a tiny amount of pressure on the door speaker grilles will cause them to snap after 6 years of sun and heat. Plastic bearings quickly wore out on Sunglasses boxes at front and rear.
Plastic surrounds on bottom of front seats become brittle and broke lose at 90k.
Interior trim has alarming state of wear for the age of the vehicle. Stuffing comes out of driver's side chair, and cover is badly worn despite only average use.
Door lock mechanism on one door seizes up. Dealer says it's been fixed, but problem still occuring.
Power steering pump became leaky at 120k. Required expensive repair.
Tyre wear seems to be higher than I'd expect.
Brakes are hopeless. Wear very quickly, become 'soggy' and squeal even after servicing.
Rubber seals on doors, plastic cover on outside door pillar and rubber windscreen surrounds have all been replaced after perishing. 20 year old cars I have owned haven't shown this level of rubber damage!
Light bulbs regularly need to be replaced at the rear. Alternator is working fine, may be related to shock from the opening/closing of the boot or vibration, haven't solved this problem yet...
Poorly designed boot. Rainwater lands on boot contents when the boot is opened.
Poor design of radio antenna cable routing. Replacement of radio antenna requires the removal of the front left wheel cowling, the front left wheel, the passenger side foot vent and the engine management computer. Wiring travels an 'S' shape from the outside of the car, past and behind the engine computer, to the cabin. A vandalized car antenna might cost you a few hours of your time to repair!
I have always wanted to own a VT Commodore and have always heard great things about the VR and VS models so naturally I lept at the opportunity when they started becoming priced within my budget (mid-2000).
The experience with this car however has steered me away from buying another Holden Commodore. It has been a reliable vehicle (as in, it goes when I want to go) but the consistent and common problems in this model that I've read in other reviews seem to be the result of fundamentally poor design, 'cheap' parts and dealer indifference.
For what you pay though, you get a 3.8L V6 engine with standard ABS and driver's side airbag. This is a lot more than the offerings from, say, Mitsubishi, for the year and price range.
All said and done, I will be keeping this car until it rusts apart! Despite the problems, it is a reliable car. It is certainly not a 'lemon' but why-oh-why are the problems in these early '97 vehicles still surfacing in models built 3 or more years later?
Your review said, quote: "Poorly designed boot. Rainwater lands on boot contents when the boot is opened. "
Umm, well of course that happens, what do you expect?
What the OP meant was that the rainwater channels off the bootlid and runs directly into the boot area, when the bootlid is lifted up. Problem is twice as bad if a rear spoiler has been fitted. A very poor design, and more than just a mere nuisance. Forget about opening up the boot on a rainy day, unless you want to soak everything that's in there!
I'm the original poster and I thought an update is in order.
After only 211,000Kms the automatic transmission has completely packed it in.
When it was working the car was enjoyable to drive with plenty of power, but this is the final straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back. I will be happy to be rid of this expensive, poorly engineered, cheaply constructed pile of junk of a vehicle.
I will never, ever buy another Holden again.
I'm sorry to hear your VT hasn't done very well for you. I must say I strongly believe your VT is a lemon.
I've owned a well looked after VT Exec (with body kit & spoiler, V Y SS 17" mags, Pacemaker exhaust system with extractors, mica duco, dyna tuned, Sony & JBL 6 speaker + sub audio system) for about 12 months now. I bought it with full service history and nothing was out of align of regular service & part replacement. It has traveled a total of 152000kms and the car is immaculate.
The interior is flawless and appears brand-new.
I do agree on the boot design issue. Even whilst my car is wet from a wash I can't open the boot in fear of everything inside getting soaked. Also the brake squeal. I have heard widely that the VT was one of the first models not to include asbestos in their pads. From then, better asbestos-free pads have meant other compounds have done the excellent job asbestos used to do in the old pads.
At the moment the shocks are on their way out, so I'll be replacing them with either Monroe Performance or Pedders SportsRyders whilst lowering the car about 1.5cms (just enough to lower the center of gravity without causing too much problems) with new springs and camber kits (gotta do its properly).
The near future will also see cold-air induction. Also, to get rid of the squeal, brand new ventilated rotors and new Bendix pads.
I have owned a couple of cars before, and I'll stick with the Commodores into the future. My VT Exec is very reliable and even predictable (preventative servicing etc).
If you decide on a Holden into the future, I wish you better luck.
I'd have to agree with this review. I had a 1998 VT Exec for 8 months through work and had similar problems (door seals & locks) well before it hit 90,000 k's. Also had broken door speaker grills & leaked oil. However, I do believe the car was badly maintained by it's previous driver. Even so, I now own a 1993 Mazda 626 wagon 2.2L with 232,000 k's on it, and I can tell you that it leaks no fluids and has the original door seals which are immaculate. I think Holden needs to pay a visit to the Mazda factory in Japan to see how to screw cars together properly.
I totally agree with the original review. My VT had pretty much the same list of problems as yours did. The Auto Transmission failed at 190,000 kms. I had the car since new, and far from pushed it. The car now sits in my back yard, deregistered, unused and gets pissed on by the neighbors cats. That's about all it's good for. However when it was going it was a comfortable car.
I am indeed interested to know just how many owners have experienced the damage to speaker cover in the door?
Yeah, I have a 97 VT Wagon with 157,000 k's on it. My RH speaker grille is broken and now today my power steering pump has started making noise. The auto trans is sluggish kicking back to 3rd - I better get that seen to as well. This is adding up!
I can totally relate to this review. I had a '97 VT executive for 2 years (got it with 160,000kms). In that time everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. ALL the common VT problems occurred. Finally after only 35,000kms I traded the car in disgust, after it had cost me nearly $3000 in repairs (I paid $16,500). I won't list everything that went wrong as it would cover several pages, but I certainly experienced everything the writer of this review spoke of. It's a great pity because they are an otherwise nice car to drive.
Where shall I startwell I bought a VT commodore s at the end of 2002. that alone was a stupid move due to the VY being released not long after so here I was within a few months of a major depreciation issue!! then I had problem after problem. I've had issues with the power steering, air con, link bolt, alternator, wiring, immobiliser, boot leaking and as for that comment about the boot leak and what did he expect, but hello anyone with a vt knows they are a heap of junk - (stupid thing has caused mold on my twin pram and port a cot!) I too have a cracked speaker cover on the passenger side and rubber stoppers worn so far one would think it was built inches too short. There's often a problem when it comes to servicing that needs repair whether it be brakes or what not nothing seems to flow smoothly. either way its taken years to get it to a point that it DOES run without concern though mind you I'm looking at a costly maintenance bill shortly. my mechanic said he owned a VT and got rid of it shortly after, apparently they are a well known joke. I've spent so much money maintaining this vehicle I often wonder who would buy a car with so many known issues. I'm at 140k now and I guess I've got my auto transmission problems to look forward too in the future. at the end of the day I hated my car for so long, but I love it now. its like a unwanted child - you resent it for as long as it annoys you, but you invest so much you hold it dear in the end. I always warn people who want one though!
As a motor mechanic of 35 years experience and running my own service/repair business for 16 years I feel that I am qualified to comment on the VT Commodore which is one of the most common vehicle models through my workshop. All of the faults listed in previous submissions are known problems and I agree that they can be frustrating. The problem of poor quality plastics is not unique to Holden, but should not happen. Problems with transmission failures are almost always due to lack of service, overloading or driving in city traffic using "overdrive". Any transmission specialist will tell you that you should not use overdrive in "normal" driving or when towing as it will cause overheating and eventual failure. Overdrive position should only be selected for freeway/highway use or other traffic conditions where the trans will not be constantly up and down shifting in response to slight changes in accelerator pedal use (this applies to all "electronic/overdrive type transmissions). If looked after correctly the transmission should last 250,000+ km. That is acceptable for any auto box and better than most. The cost of a reconditioned transmission is about $2200 fitted as compared to $6000-$30000 for many Japanese or European cars respectively. Sway bar link bushes take a few minutes to replace and cost about $1 each. Power steering pump failures are not uncommon, but can often be avoided/delayed by changing the oil every 30-40,000km (about $30). Rear tyre wear can be a problem, but can largely be improved by keeping the rear tyre pressure at 34psi. If you don't want to have a service every 5000km at least just change the oil and filter. It is quite cheap and will prevent or delay things like hardened valve stem seals or timing case seals resulting in oil consumption or oil leak problems (this applies to ALL engines, regardless of make or model). I find the VT to be one of the easiest and cheapest cars to maintain overall if done properly. Other makes and models can travel longer distances between some component failures, but will cost several times as much to repair when it eventually happens. Finally, let me say that I do not own a VT. For practical/business reasons I own a Japanese Dual Cab Utility, but if I wanted a large family sedan I would be very happy to own a VT or perhaps VX Commodore.
1999 VT Commodore owned since new and done a careful 110,000 km. It developed an engine rear oil seal leak soon after changing from GTX3 to Magnatec oil (within 2 weeks and 3000 km trip). This was severe enough to cover the pan of the auto transmission and flow onto the exhaust pipe causing a hot oily smell. Cost of replacement quoted at $700+. Is this a common problem for their V6 engine? Does this synthetic type of oil cause seals to shrink? Problem was greatly reduced by changing to GTX2 and adding a stop leak product.
I have a 97 Berlina with heaps of rubber problems. Just started servicing it myself as it has the klms on it and was wondering if anyone knows how to fix the computer so it doesn't show that it needs servicing.
I own a 2000 VT exec. I service the car every 10k and "look after" the car as much as I can.. This includes the way I drive. I have had no trouble with the VT commodore and it's the best model of commodore ever to be released.
I owned a 1999 Holden Acclaim Series II and currently have a VY Acclaim. Both have been dealer serviced at the specified intervals. I have not suffered any major problems with either vehicle. Other than for the boot water problem which appears to have been solved with the VY, these are the best two Holdens I have ever owned.