Continuous Fuel Pump Failures in HSV E3 GTS 2011

[crackelaktor]

Hi Folks, I have also posted a similar thread on the HSV forums and am following up the recommendations provided there, but wanted to try and see if anyone on here can help me.

I picked up my new E3 GTS on 4th July 2011. I still have it and love it but am on my 7th fuel pump, soon to be 8th as my 7th fuel pump failed yesterday and car was towed to mechanic. I have been taking the car to my local UltraTune in Castle Hill for servicing and fuel pump replacements. Its a long story but UltraTune Castle Hill have been very supportive and honest during the saga. I've also had Dale perform a MAFLESS Tune on the car shortly after I first bought it and will need to followup with Dave & Dale at Castle Hill Performance to see if there is a potential connection there. So here is the history and timeline. I know there are others out there will fuel pump failures, but surely not as frequent as mine.

04/07/2011 - Picked up brand new GTS E3 from Suttons Holden Roseberry (with original factory fuel pump)
13/07/2011 – Holden fitted (via John Jag Electrical) QuickTrak GPS tracking system for engine immobilisation
13/10/2011 – Car taken to Castle Hill Performance for Mafless Dyno tune. 1st time car was tuned at Castle Hill Performance. The car went from 227.6rwkw to 268.8rwkw (up 41rwkw). The car at the time only had a few 1000 kms on it (around 5,000 I think but cannot remember now). MAF was left in place but disabled.
16/01/2013 – QuickTrak came out (Yanddy) to home in Castle Hill to replace problem QuickTrak device in boot.
18/03/2013 (20,293kms) – First problem with fuel pump occurs. Holden replaced original fuel pump under warranty as car was difficult to start (but was still working), would crank for a while and then eventually start (2nd fuel pump).
09/07/2013 – Castle Hill performance perform a touch up tune. Car had 24,000kms on the clock. On first run, the car made 245rwkw (down 23.3rwkw from the 268.8rwkw from Oct 2011) and was running very lean. Dale did several tweaks to the tune, and the result was a healthy 277.5rwkw (up 32rwkw on the day, and up 8.7rwkw from Oct 2011 tune). I couldn't believe how much extra power I had lost from the Oct 2011 tune, just by changing the inlet from the MAF to the VCM rubber boot. Dale suggested that when these cars run lean, they lose power, so he got the air/fuel mixture spot on, and I was back up to where it should have been.
10/10/2016 (56,723kms) - Car would hesitate randomly under acceleration and was difficult to start. Took to UltraTune and they installed a new fuel pump (3rd fuel pump)
07/06/2017 (72,326kms) - 8 months later, car wouldn't start. No fuel pressure. Towed to UltraTune and they replaced the fuel pump at no cost under warranty and claimed it had failed. They sent back to original manufacturer as a warranty claim. (4th fuel pump)
21/10/2017 (81,000kms) - Loss of power and acceleration and eventually would no longer start. Car towed to UltraTune and Fuel pump replaced at reduced cost. Found metal flakes in tank and fuel sock was dirty, but not sure how dirty it could have got in 4 months (5th fuel pump installed but not factory one). Tank was removed and cleaned out.
22/10/2017 - the day after, I noticed the car is not starting cleanly as it use to. It will crank over the first time and not start. It will then start on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th time straight away.
??/11/2017 – Sometime in November 2017, UltraTune replaced the 5th fuel pump (which was installed on 21/10/2017) a with a 6th new factory fuel pump to resolve the starting issues. Fuel pump wasn’t broken, but car was taking a long time to start.
12/04/2018 – (92,400kms) fuel pump issues. Dropped car into UltraTune 6 months after last replacement (approx. 10,000kms). James finds an issue with QuickTrak installation in boot which is in line with Fuel Power. Fuel pump was not replaced. Failed 8 days later.
20/04/2018 – (92,465kms) fuel pump replaced along with new direct power feed from fuel pump to battery, bypassing factory power to fuel. QuickTrak device removed. This was the 7th fuel pump in the car. Pump replaced under warranty but paid for labour and power bypass.
04/08/2018 – Car got towed from North Rocks to UltraTune after 7th fuel pump failure. James tested power to pump and relay, all confirmed good. Fuel pump died after 5,500kms. About to get 8th fuel pump in car.


Members from the HSV forum have provided some good suggestions which I have followed up, but more recently have suggested to take it back to the Tuner for a look at whether the VE MAFLESS tune could have something to do with this. Not sure what link the tune could have with constant fuel pump failures but interested in any ones educated views on this.

The car has a VCM OTR with VCM rubber mafless boot and a custom tune from Dale & Dave at Castle Hill Performance. What potential interference could a MAFLESS tune have with a fuel pump as whilst you can tune more or less fuel into tune, I didn't think this would do anything to the pump, but rather tell the ECU to work the injectors harder or not. Is fuel pressure something a tune could potentially impact in a way that would break the fuel pump?

Any responses would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers Paul

[Red CV8 R]

Very sorry to hear of your problems, I cant offer any advice directly but I have heard of QuickTrack installs causing issues back in the day, I didn't even know they were still running, I thought they went under? Can you actually still buy a unit and get it monitored by them? However you've removed QuickTeack now and assuming no issues remain from that install, I would consider trying someone other than UltraTune to look at your issue. Not saying they have done a bad job but 8 fuel pumps later and it may be worth a fresh set of eyes. I hope you get a resolution as it must be very frustrating.

[Micks]

Shuddered when I read Suttons City, really feel for ya :bawl:

[Xjas]

It suck to have repeat failures like that, makes you loose faith in the car.

Firstly I doubt the tune could cause it, there are 1000s of tuned VE commodores around many making much more power than yours without fuel pump issues.

Do you know what actually failed in the pump?
There are several failure modes for an assembly like that and you'd need disassemble and inspect the pump to find out what failed in order to determine why, after 7 failed pumps its fair to say there is some other root cause, very unlikely to get 7 faulty pumps in a row. Even if one in every 100 pumps made were faulty your chance of getting 7 in a row is like 1 in 100 trillion.

Pump failure modes I can think of without pulling one apart myself;
Electrical circuit failure, high or low resistance.
Pump mechanical failure, seized bearing, seized vanes(if its a vane pump) excessive clearances either from debris or excessive load.
Blockages, screens, inlets, outlets.
Debris damage, water damage.
Suction leaks, unlikely considering pump is submerged but you haven't mention fuel tank levels at time of failure.

What failure mode you find determines where you look next but a couple of things I can think of worth checking are fuel lines for blockages and fuel tank vent system for problems.


BTW, how was the pump being faulty determined, I presume someone did a fuel pressure test or resistance check or something? It wasn't just "we think its the fuel pump lets replace it and see what happens" was it?

[crackelaktor]

It suck to have repeat failures like that, makes you loose faith in the car.

Firstly I doubt the tune could cause it, there are 1000s of tuned VE commodores around many making much more power than yours without fuel pump issues.

Do you know what actually failed in the pump?
There are several failure modes for an assembly like that and you'd need disassemble and inspect the pump to find out what failed in order to determine why, after 7 failed pumps its fair to say there is some other root cause, very unlikely to get 7 faulty pumps in a row. Even if one in every 100 pumps made were faulty your chance of getting 7 in a row is like 1 in 100 trillion.

Pump failure modes I can think of without pulling one apart myself;
Electrical circuit failure, high or low resistance.
Pump mechanical failure, seized bearing, seized vanes(if its a vane pump) excessive clearances either from debris or excessive load.
Blockages, screens, inlets, outlets.
Debris damage, water damage.
Suction leaks, unlikely considering pump is submerged but you haven't mention fuel tank levels at time of failure.

What failure mode you find determines where you look next but a couple of things I can think of worth checking are fuel lines for blockages and fuel tank vent system for problems.


BTW, how was the pump being faulty determined, I presume someone did a fuel pressure test or resistance check or something? It wasn't just "we think its the fuel pump lets replace it and see what happens" was it?Hi Xjas, after the car completely dies and wont start. I get it towed and my mechanic does a fuel pressure test and confirms the pump is totally dead. He then removes it and tests it with external power and confirms its done.

Ive had a new separate power circuit installed to bypass factory circuit which Quicktrak originally was plummed into and still have had a failure since.

I will ask the guys to check the fuel lines as weve exhausted all other obvious areas. Will probably also ask the team at Castle Hill Performance to check the tune and see whether there is any possibility of it being related, although not sure how it could be.

Is the FPCM a separate external module to the fuel pump or is it built in to it? I am using the factory Holden fuel pump for my car.

[Wonky]

E3 would mean E85 compatible? I've had 3 series 1 VEs (not E85) which have done a total of well over 150,000km and never had a fuel pump problem (or any other major problem). All were tuned very soon after purchase, 1st bolt on, 2nd cam and shaved heads, 3rd blown. The 3rd had a (Harrop) ZL1 fuel pump fitted a while back as it was running out of fuel at the top end but apart from that no problem.

As Xjas suggested, to have that many failures something external to the pump itself must be causing them problems.

[crackelaktor]

E3 would mean E85 compatible? I've had 3 series 1 VEs (not E85) which have done a total of well over 150,000km and never had a fuel pump problem (or any other major problem). All were tuned very soon after purchase, 1st bolt on, 2nd cam and shaved heads, 3rd blown. The 3rd had a (Harrop) ZL1 fuel pump fitted a while back as it was running out of fuel at the top end but apart from that no problem.

As Xjas suggested, to have that many failures something external to the pump itself must be causing them problems.Thanks Wonky. Totally agree. Car is being looked at again and they are looking at the fuel line itself to ensure no kinks or issues exist but other than that, not sure what else external this could be.

I spoke with Dave at Castle Hill Performance about whether the tune could cause such an issue and he said the pump itself had no relation to the tune in the E series cars. The fuel pump is a very basic setup in these cars.

I then spoke with HSV and sent them the full history of failures and they are escalating this to Holden for assistance. HSV told me they have a customer in Melbourne with the exact same issue and they are up to number 7 fuel pump as well. Holden are all over it apparently.

CHP also told me they have one customer with a fakling fuel pump approx every 9 months and they can't get to the bottom of it.

Im hoping UltraTune find something more definitive this time around but now that this has been wired directly to the battery, not sure what else could be causing the issues. Fingers crossed i guess.

Paul

[whitels1ss]

Paul, I have heard plenty of stories about ethanol fuel relating to corrosion & damage in fuel systems.

Plenty of stories on the net can be found with a quick google search.

Here is just one to start with using even E10.

https://www.equipmentworld.com/e-10-alive-the-corrosive-damage-ethanol-gasoline-does-to-your-fuel-pump/

I personally won't go near the stuff.

[crackelaktor]

Paul, I have heard plenty of stories about ethanol fuel relating to corrosion & damage in fuel systems.

Plenty of stories on the net can be found with a quick google search.

Here is just one to start with using even E10.

https://www.equipmentworld.com/e-10-alive-the-corrosive-damage-ethanol-gasoline-does-to-your-fuel-pump/

Thanks for sharing. I personally won't go near the stuff.I never use E10, only 98 Ron Shell or Caltex. Couldnt imagine putting E10 in such a car.

[whitels1ss]

I never use E10, only 98 Ron Shell or Caltex. Couldnt imagine putting E10 in such a car.

Good stuff Paul

but I was wondering if you may have ever used E85 because I can imagine it's water absorption causing similar problems? :cheers:

[crackelaktor]

Good stuff Paul

but I was wondering if you may have ever used E85 because I can imagine it's water absorption causing similar problems? :cheers:Hi. Never. Car was tuned for 98 and thats all that i put into it [emoji3]

[whitels1ss]

Good stuff. :cheers:

[whitels1ss]

Would it be worth perhaps looking at an aftermarket fuel pump?

[crackelaktor]

Perhaps but will see what Holden do as ive gone via HSV and provided them the history, which they have escalated on my behalf.

If Holden/HSV wash their hands of it, i will probably go aftermarket the next time it fails.

Would it be worth perhaps looking at an aftermarket fuel pump?

[whitels1ss]

Perhaps but will see what Holden do as ive gone via HSV and provided them the history, which they have escalated on my behalf.

If Holden/HSV wash their hands of it, i will probably go aftermarket the next time it fails.

Best of luck with it Paul. :cheers:

[Xjas]

Hi Xjas, after the car completely dies and wont start. I get it towed and my mechanic does a fuel pressure test and confirms the pump is totally dead. He then removes it and tests it with external power and confirms its done.

Ive had a new separate power circuit installed to bypass factory circuit which Quicktrak originally was plummed into and still have had a failure since.

I will ask the guys to check the fuel lines as weve exhausted all other obvious areas. Will probably also ask the team at Castle Hill Performance to check the tune and see whether there is any possibility of it being related, although not sure how it could be.

Is the FPCM a separate external module to the fuel pump or is it built in to it? I am using the factory Holden fuel pump for my car.

Not sure where the FPCM is to be honest, I am far from a Commodore fuel system expert, I do have a fair bit of experience with failure analysis and that where my suggestions come from.
When you say the pump is completely dead does that mean it wont spin at all or it spins when power is applied but wont pump fuel? both will result in no fuel pressure to start the car but they would have very different root causes.
Since the pump itself doesnt appear to be the root cause of the issue an aftermarket pump wont really cure the problem, it may mask it though depending on a number of factors.

[crackelaktor]

Not sure where the FPCM is to be honest, I am far from a Commodore fuel system expert, I do have a fair bit of experience with failure analysis and that where my suggestions come from.
When you say the pump is completely dead does that mean it wont spin at all or it spins when power is applied but wont pump fuel? both will result in no fuel pressure to start the car but they would have very different root causes.
Since the pump itself doesnt appear to be the root cause of the issue an aftermarket pump wont really cure the problem, it may mask it though depending on a number of factors.My mechanic advised the FPCM is within the factory fuel pump module and when the pump module is removed from the tank, it wont spin up at all.

I agree root cause is most likely external to the pump module itself but it doesnt appear to be:

* The fuel line itself
* The factory power circuit and relay as it was bypassed straight to the battery with a new fuse and relay
* The fuel i am using
* The amount of fuel left in the tank as i keep it above 1/4
* The mafless tune as VEs dont have any tunability of the fuel pump itself

Not sure what else it could be at this stage.

Have a look at the last 7 failures and how long each of my fuel pumps lasted:

·***1st*Factory fitted pump lasted exactly 1Y, 8M, 14D from when the car was first purchased brand new
·***2nd*Factory fitted pump lasted exactly 3Y, 6M, 22D
·***3rd*Ultratune fitted genuine factory pump lasted 7M, 28D
·***4th*Ultratune fitted genuine factory pump lasted 4M, 14D
·***5th*Ultratune fitted non genuine pump for SS lasted approx. 4 weeks before being replaced due to ongoing issues with starting vehicle
·***6th*Ultratune fitted genuine factory pump lasted 4M, 30D
·***7th*Ultratune fitted genuine factory pump lasted 3M, 15D
*
The last 4 fuel pumps lasted 4 months or less so not long at all.

Not sure how such a simple system can be impacted by anything other than an ongoing electrical issue, which has been going on for such a long time, and not impacting anything else in the vehicle.

Will wait to see what Holden/HSV have to say and what they recommend but the last few failures have highlighted that spare parts struggle to supply replacement pumps to customers as there seem to be more failured than we are aware of. I may just be an extreme case of a very common problem that hasnt been made public yet.

[Micks]

Only a stab in the dark, you on original battery? Has the charging system been checked? Have all the main earths been properly checked with an ohmeter?

[crackelaktor]

Only a stab in the dark, you on original battery? Has the charging system been checked? Have all the main earths been properly checked with an ohmeter?

Hi Micks. Funny you ask that. I was speaking with an experienced tuner through a mate who is a rally driver, and the tuner knowing my history suggested a couple of things:

1. Check all the main earths with the ohmeter and make sure earth is returning less than 0.05v (preferably less than 0.01v). I'm pretty sure UltraTune did this already when they rewired the fuel pump directly to the battery on a new circuit and relay. I think he re-earthed it as well but will confirm. Pump failed since then as well.

2. Consider replacing the entire fuel tank as on my 5th fuel pump replacement, they pulled the entire fuel module apart and found metal flakes in it. They cleaned out the tank at that time as well. But I've been through 2 more pumps since then.

The tuner confirmed the Mafless Tune would have no impact at all on the issues I'm experiencing.

He also explained that the fuel tanks have 2 cells and a siphon in between them. He said that if the siphon is not working properly (ie, is clogged or malfunctioned), it is possible that even when the tank is 1/4 full, the car could experience fuel surge and stress the fuel pump out, thus shortening its life. He had a customer with a ford or holden a few years back that was on his 3rd or 4th pump. They found metal flakes in the tank and rather than cleaning it, they replaced it with another tank and the fuel pumps stopped failing.

When I spoke with UltraTune, I asked them to price an entire tank replacement with new fuel pump and will await to hear back tomorrow on that. He did tell me that when they cleaned out the tank a couple of failures ago (#5), they had pretty good access to both sides of the cells, but couldn't say for certain that the tank didn't have some residue left in it. But he is going to check my tank tomorrow and check the siphon to see if there are any potential issues there.

I may consider replacing the entire tank (even though logically I cannot see why that would help). I have no other options at this stage.

[amckiwi]

LPG conversion?:hide:

[crackelaktor]

LPG conversion?:hide:Not considering it at this stage. Car is going to Holden today and we'll see what they have to say. Will keep you all posted.

[crackelaktor]

Update. After my 7th consecutive fuel pump failure in my E3 GTS, I had the car towed to holden a week ago and asked them to find the root cause of my failing fuel pumps. They put a new fuel module/pump and wiring harness in the car and i picked up the car this past wednesday. On Friday (2 days later) the 8th pump in the car tapped out and the car was towed back to Holden this afternoon today. As much as i loved my E3 GTS with 99,000kms on the clock, and 8 blown fuel pumps (6 in the last 14 months) i decided to trade the undrivable car for a brand new VXR Commodore, which obviously was traded in for a lot less than i expected to sell it privately (if it had been working), but i got a cracking deal on the VXR which is not really a Commodore but hopefully will be much more reliable than what i had.

I gave Holden full disclosure of the repeating issue and history and they gave me back approx 12k less than what i would have expected to sell it privately, and i pickup my new car in less than a week. I had already spent $2,800 in the last 14 months and expected it to cost me a lot more in labour whilst Holden investigated the issue.

They now have to find the root cause of the problem before selling the car as a used car, but if they do fix it, they will make a decent margin on the car.

[Micks]

I'd think there would be heaps of late model VE's & good tanks at the wreckers, might be worth a shot?

[crackelaktor]

I'd think there would be heaps of late model VE's & good tanks at the wreckers, might be worth a shot?Car is now Holdens property and issue to resolve. Has cost me a lot and as long as they find the cause of the issues, they will make their margin on it and hopefully give it a reliable new life somewhere else.

[Xjas]

Shame you decided to trade it but I don't blame you, I would probably have done the same in your position.

[Peter B - CV8]

Shame you decided to trade it but I don't blame you, I would probably have done the same in your position.

Me too. Constant & unresolved failures like this would leave you with little other option.

[Wonky]

Sad that it came to that......... :bawl:

[amckiwi]

If it is on sold at auction is there any warranty?

[crackelaktor]

Not sure on the specifics but Holden must provide a minimum of 3 months warranty if they sell it off their used var yard but if they take it to a wholesaler in a working state, not sure how that works with warranty. Holden knowing the full history would be foolish to offload it unless they have identifed root cause as it damages their brand.
If it is on sold at auction is there any warranty?

[Micks]

Not sure on the specifics but Holden must provide a minimum of 3 months warranty if they sell it off their used var yard but if they take it to a wholesaler in a working state, not sure how that works with warranty. Holden knowing the full history would be foolish to offload it unless they have identifed root cause as it damages their brand.

Most peeps wouldn't touch it I guess! I probably would at the right price. Will you be putting up the vehicles vin so that peeps can make an informed choice if they decide to buy it?

[whitels1ss]

Sounds like a real nice, cared for car apart from this problem & also sounds like the dealer got it at the right price.

The dealer will most likely get Holden to pay to fix it again & retail it with an extended warranty,

if it plays up again someone might just fit a decent aftermarket pump.

[Wonky]

Problem is given the root cause is still a mystery even a "good" pump like my Harrop ZL1 may fail. Hopefully it has more "give" to cope with whatever is causing the problem but ..........??????

[crackelaktor]

Well I picked up our new VXR today and absolutely love it. It’s obviously not a V8 and was built in Germany but what a great car it is. Lots of people knock the new ZB Commodore but take the badge off it if it really bothers you [emoji12]. It came with 8 years warranty too [emoji106] which was an added bonus.

[Micks]

Looks great enjoy your ride :driving:

[crackelaktor]

Looks great enjoy your ride :driving:

Thank you will do

[whitels1ss]

Looks very sharp mate! :cheers:

[XSNRGY]

Has anyone checked voltage / current draw?
Sounds like the pump maybe working its ass off and crapping out due to overuse.

[whitels1ss]

Bit late now OP has traded the car in. :cheers:

[XSNRGY]

Crap, when did that happen?:confused:

[XSNRGY]

Shame you decided to trade it but I don't blame you, I would probably have done the same in your position.

Oops, now I see :D

[crackelaktor]

Sounds like a real nice, cared for car apart from this problem & also sounds like the dealer got it at the right price.

The dealer will most likely get Holden to pay to fix it again & retail it with an extended warranty,

if it plays up again someone might just fit a decent aftermarket pump.

Well here's an interesting update. I traded in my broken GTS into one of the local Holdens for $28k. They and HSV have the full history of the failing fuel pumps and told me they were going to find and fix the issue, and then send it off to a wholesaler somewhere on Paramatta road. They offered me $28k (around $12k under market), as they also had to replace one of the damaged rims, and do some touch ups, plus the time it would take to find the root cause of the failing fuel pumps, so I was OK with that. (I found out later they didn't fix the rim, just swapped it with the spare in the boot)

Once again, I took the trade in because I didn't want to sell a lemon of a car to someone but needed to get rid of it, so giving it back to Holden for a low price was the only way forward for me.

So what did Holden do.....they fixed the fuel pump and sent the car on another close by Holden car yard in the same local area. Some poor bloke bought it for his wife and paid $40k for it. 2 months after he bought it, he listed it on Carsales, the HSV Buy Swap and Sell site on Facebook, and Gumtree cars for $45k (since dropped it to $44.5k). A mate of mine showed me the posts and I contacted the new owner to let him know the full history of the car and suggested he go back to Holden, asking for a full refund or fair trading. He was pretty shocked and told me he would.

I was pretty unhappy that Holden firstly made $12k on the car without fixing it properly. I could have done the same myself but wouldn't have felt right doing so. Secondly, I thought if I were in this guys position, knowing the history, I would just want my money back and not want to push the problem on to someone else. To be fair, before I contacted the guy, he wasn't told the car was on its 10th fuel pump, he just thought he got unlucky with a second hand car, and had 1 failure as a result (which Holden did under warranty as it was within the first 3 months warranty he was given). The guy was shocked when I told him the history of the car, and was going to confront Holden with it.

I was asked by another member to share the VIN & Build number so here they are:

VIN: 6G1EX5EWXBL537600
BUILD #766
PLATES: BZB62R

If Holden had of told the buyer the history and sold it at a lower price (with full risk acceptance of the buyer), then it wouldn't have mattered. The fact that they just pushed the problem to another dealer, and made $12k on top of what they paid for it, annoys me and I just hope this owner decides to do the right thing and make it Holdens issue, not someone else's.

He's had the car for less than 3 months and just wants it gone. What a shame.....

[Micks]

Thanks for the update, hopefully they do the right thing this time, if not thanks for putting up the details so hopefully any future buyer can do the research first.

[whitels1ss]

I have deleted the post with pictures of members new car because of request in private message to me by member for privacy reasons.

(Pictures showing number plates) :cheers:

[Xjas]

What did you expect would happen? Sounds like the dealer did exactly what car dealers are know for, make as much money as they could without any regard for their customers.

[whitels1ss]

Well here's an interesting update.
Some poor bloke bought it for his wife and paid $40k for it.
2 months after he bought it,
he listed it on Carsales, the HSV Buy Swap and Sell site on Facebook, and Gumtree cars for $45k
(since dropped it to $44.5k).
A mate of mine showed me the posts and I contacted the new owner to let him know the full history of the car and suggested he go back to Holden, asking for a full refund or fair trading.
He was pretty shocked and told me he would.
To be fair, before I contacted the guy, he wasn't told the car was on its 10th fuel pump,
he just thought he got unlucky with a second hand car, and had 1 failure as a result
(which Holden did under warranty as it was within the first 3 months warranty he was given).



Hey Paul, I don't know why you feel sorry for this "poor bloke"
he paid $40k, had something fixed no cost under warranty, now he is asking $45k for it. :lol:

He is allowed to make profit & that's fine but a business is not? :lol:


At the end of the day I don't blame the dealer for wanting to make a profit, that's just business.

They are just an independent business with a Holden franchise.

Holden / HSV built the car & all the warranty work is Holden / HSV's responsibility.

All factory warranty work can only be done if authorized by Holden / HSV using the genuine OEM parts which they supply
& they pay the franchised independent dealer to perform any repairs.

Problem is as I see it, Holden / HSV kept replacing the same thing trying to fix the issue, they never refused to fix it,
I am sure they would have checked the car & checked for fault codes each time.

I understand your frustration but it really seems that the only thing wrong with the actual car is a single factory OEM part which seems to be commonly faulty.

As I posted earlier in the thread, if it was mine, I would have just fitted a decent aftermarket fuel pump, (this could be done for about $500)
& been done with it as it just seems that the particular model pump here was an unreliable OEM part.

[Micks]

While I agree with you Ed about the dealer reselling the vehicle etc, reckon there must be some other underlying problem with that vehicle!! Cause it's un heard of a stock oem pump failing soo many times. Our Cal Vee 6L had zero issues with fuel pump in all the time we had it, these things usually last 150-200K's no problems!

[whitels1ss]

While I agree with you Ed about the dealer reselling the vehicle etc, reckon there must be some other underlying problem with that vehicle!! Cause it's un heard of a stock oem pump failing soo many times. Our Cal Vee 6L had zero issues with fuel pump in all the time we had it, these things usually last 150-200K's no problems!

I understand Mick that we may not have heard of it before & they usually do last a very long time
but there are not all that many wires powering the fuel pump.

I can't understand what other fault could make these pumps burn out.

I could understand something else blowing a fuse or something similar but not frying a fuel pump unless something is causing some random power surge
into the pump which I doubt because I think that would have shown up in other areas.

A replacement pump has fixed the problem every single time & they don't seem to have found any other fault codes.

I don't know but perhaps this particular model had a slightly different part number pump to most?

I doubt we will ever know what the exact problem is on this car.

Aftermarket pump would be top of my list Mick.

[crackelaktor]

I understand Mick that we may not have heard of it before & they usually do last a very long time
but there are not all that many wires powering the fuel pump.

I can't understand what other fault could make these pumps burn out.

I could understand something else blowing a fuse or something similar but not frying a fuel pump unless something is causing some random power surge
into the pump which I doubt because I think that would have shown up in other areas.

A replacement pump has fixed the problem every single time & they don't seem to have found any other fault codes.

I don't know but perhaps this particular model had a slightly different part number pump to most?

I doubt we will ever know what the exact problem is on this car.

Aftermarket pump would be top of my list Mick.

Yep we will never know but the car is now sold to someone else (the 2nd owner had it for under 3 months). Now on its 3rd owner and pump number 11. Something tells me this problem is going to go on and on.

[whitels1ss]

Yep we will never know but the car is now sold to someone else (the 2nd owner had it for under 3 months).
Now on its 3rd owner and pump number 11.
Something tells me this problem is going to go on and on.

Yes Paul, obviously Holden just doing exactly the same thing over & over expecting a different result has not worked.

Pity it never got sorted out for you mate, the GTS is a very nice car normally.