Commodore Capers..........ggrrrrrrr......

[347Stroker]

Commodore Capers..........ggrrrrrrr......


Well, now I know why I am a Ford man.


Last weekend, I had to drive to Airlie Beach to pick up a 351 windsor that I had bought from e-bay and take a 289 windsor up as well......

I had 3 cars to choose from for the trip,

a F100 with a 460 in it......to costly on juice.

BAXR8 ute....kangaroos along the way, could hurt.

VR Commodore, borrowed but can do the job......or so I thought.

I made it from Brisbane to Carmila, about 950 k and could smell transmission fluid, so as luck would have it, I had just passed a service station, so I turned around and went to look. Thank god it didn't happen 50 or more k down the road, its in the middle of no where.
Anyway, I had a look under the car, and it was covered in oil, so further investigation could not turn up anything other than the breather tube bleeding.....lol

I filled the transmission, and attempted to move, but realised rather quickly that I was in more trouble than flash gordon. The noises it made would have the motor vehicle equivalent of the RSPCA chasing me for cruelty.
I rang the RACQ and they told me to drive across the road, and wait till 7 30 in the morning when he got there.
When he arrived, took one quick look under the drivers front guard, and said, "yep, gearbox mate, see em all the time, 5 in 1 week, and 2 in 1 day are my records" He went on to tell me just how many he had had, and how bad they were.

At this stage, I have contacted my mate in Airlie Beach and have him coming down with my 351. I book some flights for myself and my mate out of Mackay for 4 10 in the afternoon. I was now 8am.

I found the local, and waited till 10 when it opened, waiting for my 351, to put in the ute, and then get a lift to Mackay to fly on home. Come 2pm, I am getting worried that Paul still had not arrived, so calling him netted yet another General Motors dissappointment.

Ignition barrel fell out, stuffed!!!!

By the time he got to me, my flight was gone, and I had to buy another 2 tickets (bloody Virgin Blue) but they have copped enough this week...

What was meant to be a quick up and back trip in 26 hours wound up as 3 days, tons of cash, and a hangover.

I guess it all began with the bloody keys........

First time ever in a Holden, and most definatly the last.

[MO]

Good...I hope you learnt your lesson,next time use the F truck.It would have worked out a lot cheaper.

[The MaDDeSTMaN]

Part of my sig says it all mate, LOL

But to be fair, I guess any car could have it's transmission give trouble on a long trip.

It's just more likely in a VR Common-door :hihi:

[Tote]

The degree of stuffedness of the car is inversely proportional to the inconvenience caused. I've had an $800.00 ute with a $500 302 clevo do a 700K round trip with a timing chain that would randomly jump teeth backwards and forwards when I was only going to a ****up and it didnt matter where at because the ute had a couple of full eskys in the back and we had all weekend. Yet late at night I've had a $50,000 Land Rover blow a heater hose and destroy itself on the Hume when all I wanted was to go home after a week in Sydney.
Hope it all works out and dosent cost too much, you have my sympathy.
PS if you had taken the XR you would have hit a roo !
Regards,
Tote

[MrLandau]

tell the truth - it knew you hated it from the time you got in it. Putting a Ford motor in the back was too much for it to bear so it committed Hari Kari rather than be touched by that 351 Windsor that would be built to annihilate it in the future. Best bit of the whole trip would have been the bar wouldn't it?
Shane

maybe it was the commys way of trying to save you from the windsor,

[347Stroker]

I think the bar in Mackay was good.......it was Mackay wasn't it???????

[347Stroker]

Now I just have to wait for the 351 to come home, I have used the crummydore as a packing crate for the Windsor

[Kryton]

really some things have a way of working themselves out.....kinda like fate. for all you know, if you didnt break down, you could have been cleaned up by a truck or something. you never know. and if you had have made your planned flight, whos to say it wouldnt have crashed and burned.
its just another way to look at a crappy situation. hope you feel better now.

[347Stroker]

It just reinforces one belief I have always had though regarding Commodores,

Try and try as hard as you like, you just cant polish a turd!!!!!

[zetec]

Funny how every accident you see involves a Commodore, every tailgater is in one and every time you're stuck on the highway in solid traffic the tossers in the emergency lane are driving 'em too...

[XRated]

Hmmm well my BTR was buggered in my ED and I lost second and fourth gear (I was to blame for not servicing it though, I think). And then I replaced it with a fresh BTR, only to have it **** out fluid coming home from Philip Island - but that was the fault of a dodgy transmission pan :S Can't win them all!

[347Stroker]

Its funny how everyone I speak to say this is as common tight white shirts in the Valley with Commodores. Just something to expect between 150-230k.

I guess we will never see Holden offering 5 years, 150,000 k warranties.......

[Laminge]

347 Stroker

Thanks for that, I thought that was a great post, and a lesson well learnt........

/me slaps 347 stoker with a litre of oil!

Welcome to the forums!

[AUIII XR8 MAN]

Another VR gearbox bits the dust. I guess there nothing quite as bad as a Holden.