Unreliable Commodore - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

Great White · 05-30-2002, 07:57

My Mate used to be a Ford man, owning XW and XY GT Lookalikes.
He then decided he was too old (31) for that sort of thing and bought a VS Commodore Acclaim cos they had better resale value than the Fords. He has had the car for 2.5 years and put 70,000kms on it. It seized on him the other day coming up the Heathcote Rd, He wasnt giving a flogging and it had just ticked over 160,000kms. A Ring around the wreckers Informed him that a high percentage of these engines are notorious for this and when customers have come to buy an exchange engine, the one they have returned has been seized. One wrecker said, "You dont see this happening with the Fords, Maybe a few Blown head gaskets or heads but thats about it".

I wouldnt be Robinson Crusoe in saying that 6cyl Ford engines are one of the most reliable in the world, requiring minimal maintenance and that is why the majority of Taxi's are Falcons.

ayman · 05-30-2002, 08:28

Nothing new there! Everybody knows Ford's IL6 is very durable and reliable. No wonder all these taxis are sticking to it, they do like a million Ks and even more.

But still, 160.000 is too little for a commy!bad luck I guess. Again, is the engine stuffed up or your just expecting bad news soon??it should go well over 250Ks, at least.!?

Hobbes · 05-30-2002, 16:40

My brother has my old VN V6 - it has 220.000 kms on it now, and the worst thing that has happened to the motor is that it ate a few welsh plugs ...

Bluey · 05-30-2002, 16:47

Better resale value on Commodore - by what 2,3, 7 % (and what is that worth in dollars)?

What's the real cost of ownership, and especially given the situation now?

Yes taxi's do have good percieved service life - you would expect this given the number of 'hot' kilometers they do.

As for the best, most reliable engine in the world - that's a big call.

XWJG34 · 05-30-2002, 17:20

He sold the XW-Y's to get a WHAT???

Jokes aside I feel for your mate... Hope he gets everything sorted out. its not a nice thing to happen to you

Luke Plaizier · 05-30-2002, 18:39

Karma.

Lukeyson

Troutman · 05-30-2002, 18:47

I have heard of a VN taxi reaching a million kays. If you want a short-lived engine, you'd probably be looking at a cheap Korean import. Still, horror stories about local cars crop up often and are worth being concerned about.

Kenaz · 05-30-2002, 19:04

A VN Taxi after a million K's would be a sight worth seeing. I caught a VS Taxi the other week and it felt like it was about to fall apart. Not to mention the harsh vibration through the car as he accelerated. Also got a VT Taxi later that night which was a bit better, but nowhere near the standard of most Falcon Taxi's I have been in.

05-30-2002, 21:41

Most Taxi drivers recognise the advantages of the Ford reliability over the Holden. I have often asked Taxi drivers these questions to get an unbiased response. Most I've heard still state the commodore as a better car to drive for home not for Taxi.
There are lots of reasons why a car may not appear to be as it should, thus without knowing full history it would be hard to comment on some of the above events. I know in my experiences from driving both Holdens and Fords that if you drive them hard then eventually something will give.

discokin6 · 05-30-2002, 23:09

A mate of mine's dad sold his XF to get a VS exectutive, ex SGIO car. as soon as the odo wound past 90k, he needed to get a new crank put into it for some reason or other. Luckily at the time it happened, it was still under warranty, or else it wouldve cost a pretty penny to get it replaced..