Holden Captiva Review, For Sale, Models, Specs, Interior & News

Holden Captiva Q&As

Check out real-world situations relating to the Holden Captiva here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• The left and right headlights in my 2015 Holden Captiva keep blowing

  This is something that confounds a lot of car owners. For whatever reason, many cars seem determined to blow their headlight globes at fairly regular intervals. This can be caused by voltage spikes (via a faulty regulator) cheap globes, vibration or moisture in the headlight unit. It's also important when changing globes that you don't touch any part of the glass bulb with your fingers. This can leave dirt or oil on the glass which can then cause a hot spot and lead to early failure.

  But sometimes there just seems to be no explanation for the early demise of headlight globes. A more permanent fix is to switch to an LED replacement globe which is expensive (at something like $200 for the globes) but seems to eradicate the problem. Make sure you buy an LED kit that complies with the law on such matters (brightness and colour range) and fit it correctly, but in most cases, it's a simple one-for-one replacement deal.

  As an aside, I've seen plenty of headlight globes that have died young and it's always been the low-beam filament that has failed. I'm yet to see a high-beam filament blow first.

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• I'd like a similar sized car to my Holden Captiva. I'm prioritising reliability and low cost of parts/servicing. Any suggestions?

  Mid or medium-sized SUV buyers are absolutely spoiled for choice right now. Pretty much eery car-maker form the budget brands to the high-end marques has a range of SUVs in a size to suit anybody.

  Many have very frugal turbo-diesel engines but, for many owners out there, the petrol variant is the one that makes most sense. And even if you’re not worried about fuel consumption, the planet will be pleased to know that most modern SUVs are actually very frugal at the pump compared with their counterparts of just a few years ago, your Captiva included.

  If your priorities are reliability and running costs, then maybe a visit to a Hyundai or Kia dealership might be in order. Both brands have plenty of SUVs to choose from, including diesel, petrol, hybrid and even electric versions thereof. They both also offer an industry-leading factory warranty, and capped-price servicing is another big selling point.

  I’m not sure what your experience has been with your Captiva, but if you’ve had a similar run with that of many, many owners, just about any new SUV will be more reliable than the Holden.

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• The malfunction indicator lamp has come on in my 2014 Holden Captiva, I have never seen it before. What does this mean and can I still drive my car?

  A check-engine light in a car like a Captiva can mean all sorts of things. Everything from a stretched timing chain (quite likely in this vehicle) to a dud oxygen sensor in the exhaust system (and about a million things in between) can cause the engine light to flicker on ominously.

  The best advice is to have the car scanned electronically. That way, the scanning computer will 'talk’ to the car’s computer and the car should offer up any faults it has logged in the process of being driven.

  You’re better off not driving the car until it can be scanned and fixed, as the problem causing the engine light to come on could easily get worse and may eventually damage other components. If it is something like a stretched timing chain that is causing the warning light, it could eventually break and reduce the whole engine to scrap.

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• I was wondering what would be the best additive to use for my DPF filter?

  DPF additives are real thing right now as consumers run scared over the thought of their car’s DPF needing replacement. These additives use a catalyst that claims to help clean out the DPF and regenerate it, usually by lowering the temperature at which the soot will be burned off in the filter.

  Perhaps some do, but just as surely some of these will be snake oil. Choose a known brand and be prepared for the experiment to be a complete dud. Expect to pay about $30 for a bottle of additive, too, so it’s not a cheap experiment.

  You can try either the type of additive that is simply poured into the fuel tank when you refuel next, or the type that is sprayed into the air intake system with the engine running. Either way, these are probably best regarded as a preventative measure and the servicing industry seems pretty doubtful about the additives’ ability to clean a DPF that is already blocked.

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