2004 Holden Barina SXi 1.4 twinport from Australia and New Zealand
Summary:
This is a good car, spoilt by the manufacturer’s indifference and greed when pricing their parts
Faults:
The Barina is a UK Corsa badge job.
Bought our December 2004 Barina SXi in February 05. An unwanted prize with 00025 kms on the clock.
Now driven to 105,000 kms on the clock. Completely standard with no add-ons fitted.
A good car to drive. Has consistently returned 6 liters to 100 kms.
Haven’t bothered with services, but do change the oil and filter every 15,000 kms. And check the items specified on the service schedule. This has included a change of plugs with gap checking with one air filter change. Tyres changed at 70,000 kms.
Windscreen wipers stopped and were fixed under warranty. Now due for a new set, which have just been bought on UK eBay.
Bad and poor points:
Engine became noisy about 70,000 kms – timing chain tensioner – this is just a nuisance, as it costs so much to fix. A bit too much road noise from the tyres.
Seats now feel soft and lacking support.
At 102,000 kms, the first and second gears would not select. I am indebted to:-
http://www.corsa-c.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?245430-Common-Mechanical-Problems site and the associated eBay seller who is mentioned.
The local GM garage quoted NZ$383.00 for the GM part – still the plastic variant and $45.00 to fit. The 19.95 pound sterling part from eBay was NZ$81.00 with postage, and the garage pushed its fitting cost up to NZ$95.00. The linkage is a bit stiff – I presume that the mechanic didn’t fully follow the instructions.
GM Holden – completely uninterested, and I am astounded that they should let the fault, obviously well known to them and which does concern safety, remain unfixed. I would not consider another GM car due to this attitude.
General Comments:
Good build with air con, alloys, mudflaps.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 20th March, 2010
5th Aug 2014, 10:55
I completely agree, they haven't followed the service intervals, and the timing belt tensioner is one of those things. They just need adjusting, as opposed to belts which require replacing. The road noise from the tyres is simply the tyre choice and no fault of the car whatsoever.
Cars require maintenance, and often certain things are rectified due to service bulletins newly released, which are done at scheduled service intervals.
25th Mar 2010, 03:47
So you didn't follow the service schedule, something goes wrong and you are surprised that Holden are disinterested in assisting you? Just catch a bus.