Gearbox problem Vauxhall Astra

Gearbox problem Vauxhall Astra

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Discussion

Shona

Original Poster:

13 posts

112 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
Looking for some advice, I bought a 2010 automatic Astra about 6 months ago , it went into limp mode on Friday I took it to my local Vauxhall dealer and they tell me it needs a new gearbox at a cost of £6275 !!!!!! The car has only just done 30,000 miles
I'm rubbish with car stuff but they have found metal shards in the gearbox and Vauxhall are saying they have no idea how they got there and are hinting at driver error !!!

Appreciate any info/help

Many. Thanks

Shona

BFG TERRANO

2,172 posts

147 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
Look for some goodwill from vauxhall given the low miles. Technically out of warranty so they are not obliged to offer anything. However, that price for a new gearbox is just daft. Look up Gloucester road gearboxes. They are very good and it will be less than a third if the main stealer price quoted.

Shona

Original Poster:

13 posts

112 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
I opened a dispute with Vauxhall today but they have said given the age and the mileage on the car it looks unlikely that they will offer any assistance, I certainly won't be having the work done by them at that stupid price, thanks for you're info

Shona

6cylGolf

700 posts

189 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
Most probable is that the seal between engine coolant and gearbox oil has perished in the shared radiator. Allowing engine coolant into the gearbox.

H100S

1,436 posts

172 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
Goodwill will generally only be considered for 1st owner vehicles if the vehicle has been serviced within the dealer network and to schedule. If it is then you have a chance especially given the low mileage. If you are willing to contribute then the manufacturer would usually contribute a greater share.

You can PM me to talk about options. Where are you based?

ecsrobin

17,019 posts

164 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
Shona said:
Looking for some advice, I bought a 2010 automatic Astra about 6 months ago , it went into limp mode on Friday I took it to my local Vauxhall dealer and they tell me it needs a new gearbox at a cost of £6275 !!!!!! The car has only just done 30,000 miles
I'm rubbish with car stuff but they have found metal shards in the gearbox and Vauxhall are saying they have no idea how they got there and are hinting at driver error !!!

Appreciate any info/help

Many. Thanks

Shona
Where was the car purchased from? Vauxhall, an independent or a private seller?

Shona

Original Poster:

13 posts

112 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
I spoke to the technician at Vauxhall who did the diagnostic testing on it, and he said he had No idea how it could've happened ??? Vauxhall customer services will be speaking to him tomorrow to see if he thinks this is a manufacturing problem, good luck with that one as he doesn't have any idea on how the metal shards could've entered the gear box.

I am the second owner of the car

Based in Cheshire

Shona

Original Poster:

13 posts

112 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
I spoke to the technician at Vauxhall who did the diagnostic testing on it, and he said he had No idea how it could've happened ??? Vauxhall customer services will be speaking to him tomorrow to see if he thinks this is a manufacturing problem, good luck with that one as he doesn't have any idea on how the metal shards could've entered the gear box.

I am the second owner of the car

Based in Cheshire

H100S

1,436 posts

172 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
6cylGolf said:
Most probable is that the seal between engine coolant and gearbox oil has perished in the shared radiator. Allowing engine coolant into the gearbox.
Good point, many cars were subject to a recall with this issue. Could be worth checking to see if this vehicle was in the affected range although this should have already been checked at this stage.

Has the radiator been changed? If so was it a genuine part?
Has any gearbox work been done?
Has the vehicle had any leaks?
Has the coolant level dropped significantly or discoloured?
Was there any warnings or strange noises prior to the failure?

Lastly join Masterfit service club, vehicles over 3 years old are entitled to 25% discount on parts and labour. Its free to join and you also get a £25 voucher too. MOT's are also done at half price too.

Jonny_

4,108 posts

206 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
Metal shards in gearboxes are normally pieces of gear teeth/bearings/synchro rings/other mechanical parts.

Assuming it's been maintained as per the manufacturer service schedule, it's reasonable to expect a much longer service life than 4 years and 30k!

What kind of gearbox do these things have? Conventional torque converter auto, CVT, robotised manual or DSG-type?


Edited by Jonny_ on Wednesday 19th November 07:24

H100S

1,436 posts

172 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
Shona said:
I spoke to the technician at Vauxhall who did the diagnostic testing on it, and he said he had No idea how it could've happened ??? Vauxhall customer services will be speaking to him tomorrow to see if he thinks this is a manufacturing problem, good luck with that one as he doesn't have any idea on how the metal shards could've entered the gear box.

I am the second owner of the car

Based in Cheshire
As has already been pointed out radiator issues did cause auto transmission failures on some cars. On this car the engine coolant radiator is effectively split in two with half the cooling capacity given up for water cooling and half for transimssion cooling. Internally some were known to fail and this is a possible cause of your issues, its worth raising this point with your retailer.

These auto gearboxes generally give very little trouble, its a old design that has served Vauxhall well for many years and can be traced back to previous versions of the Astra. It really is odd for this just to fail. You must determine the root cause.

I'm based in South Yorkshire so not too far if i can save you a few quid. Dont give up on the Vauxhall option just yet though.

H100S

1,436 posts

172 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
Jonny_ said:
Metal shards in gearboxes are normally pieces of gear teeth/bearings/synchro rings/other mechanical parts.

Assuming it's been maintained as per the manufacturer service schedule, it's reasonable to expect a much longer service life than 4 years and 30k!

What kind of gearbox do these things have? Conventional torque converter auto, CVT robotised manual or CVT?
Old school torque converter. No gears or synchro ring to be concerned with here.

Shona

Original Poster:

13 posts

112 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
The radiator hasn't been changed they have said it's ok
No gearbox work has been done yet, it went into limp mode 3 weeks ago I had a diagnostic test done and they said it was the No 1 coil that had gone but as it was an auto they had to replace the coil pack
No leaks and hadn't actually checked the coolant level
I purchased the car in April and it had a service prior to me collecting vehicle , it has been serviced by Vauxhall main dealer since new

Shona

Original Poster:

13 posts

112 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
ecsrobin said:
Where was the car purchased from? Vauxhall, an independent or a private seller?
It was purchased from a private seller

Wacky Racer

38,099 posts

246 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
Shona said:
I purchased the car in April and it had a service prior to me collecting vehicle , it has been serviced by Vauxhall main dealer since new
Well that is a massive thing in your favour.

Play on that.

Good luck.

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

245 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
^^^^ Yup, that's the best (only) card you hold.

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

245 months

Tuesday 18th November 2014
quotequote all
With the sort of problem you describe, the most cost-effective solution is usually to either get the box rebuilt by an auto transmission specialist (c.£1,500) or fit a used transmission from a breaker (but make sure it's warrantied).

Shona

Original Poster:

13 posts

112 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
quotequote all
Thanks everyone for all your help and info so far, just waiting on Vauxhall delivering their verdict !!!

Anyone know how long roughly it would take for the gearbox to get like this ???

Dracoro

8,661 posts

244 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
quotequote all
Shona said:
Thanks everyone for all your help and info so far, just waiting on Vauxhall delivering their verdict !!!

Anyone know how long roughly it would take for the gearbox to get like this ???
Typically an (non-abused) auto gearbox should last as long as the car, at least for 10 years, 150k.

Good luck with Vauxhall, they're not usually the best at this sort of thing (customer service, repairing out of warranty items, even in-warranty items sometimes!).

Shona

Original Poster:

13 posts

112 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
quotequote all
Shona said:
It was purchased from a private seller
I meant to put Independent garage not private seller, they too seem to think its manufacturing problem and that the metal shards are actually pieces from the inside of the gearbox