Vauxhall Vectra C 2.2 SRI questions
Discussion
Hello,
After my Megane run around snapping its belt last night, im on the hunt for a new car and am interested in the Vectra 2.2 Petrol SRI facelift model (2006ish).
The 2.2 was chosen as slightly more powerful than the 1.8 and they are cheaper to buy.
I note they are chain driven, and that the earlier models suffered from problems with the oil jet system that lubricates the chain. Is this problem resolved or just bettered in the later models?
I think a FSH will be essential, but unfortunately the ones i've been looking at , that are filthy cheap are on autoquake.com and most seem to only have partial history.
Is there anything major on these car's schedules that i need to look out for being done? Common problems and tell tale signs?
Any help greatly appreciated. (Im looking at cars within a £4000 budget)
After my Megane run around snapping its belt last night, im on the hunt for a new car and am interested in the Vectra 2.2 Petrol SRI facelift model (2006ish).
The 2.2 was chosen as slightly more powerful than the 1.8 and they are cheaper to buy.
I note they are chain driven, and that the earlier models suffered from problems with the oil jet system that lubricates the chain. Is this problem resolved or just bettered in the later models?
I think a FSH will be essential, but unfortunately the ones i've been looking at , that are filthy cheap are on autoquake.com and most seem to only have partial history.
Is there anything major on these car's schedules that i need to look out for being done? Common problems and tell tale signs?
Any help greatly appreciated. (Im looking at cars within a £4000 budget)
Only the very early 2.2 engines had problems with the oiler, and only on poorly serviced engines.
If it's the 2.2Direct, the high pressure fuel pump can give bother if you use bad fuel.
Personally, I'd just get a 1.8VVT. They're a strong engine, and if you get a good one it'll go better than the 2.2. I had a 2008 1.8VVT and rolling roaded at 161hp totally standard with 18k on the clock.
If it's the 2.2Direct, the high pressure fuel pump can give bother if you use bad fuel.
Personally, I'd just get a 1.8VVT. They're a strong engine, and if you get a good one it'll go better than the 2.2. I had a 2008 1.8VVT and rolling roaded at 161hp totally standard with 18k on the clock.
Thanks for the replies.
I've looked at the 2.2's more as they are generally a bit cheaper to buy than the 1.8's. The diesels are more money again and i worked out would only save me about 250 per year against the 2.2.
I am test driving a 1.8 at a local dealership to compare to a 2.2 when i find one nearbyish to see whether the difference is noticable between the 2. i presume the 2.2 will have better power across the revs with slightly more torque perhaps.
I've looked at the 2.2's more as they are generally a bit cheaper to buy than the 1.8's. The diesels are more money again and i worked out would only save me about 250 per year against the 2.2.
I am test driving a 1.8 at a local dealership to compare to a 2.2 when i find one nearbyish to see whether the difference is noticable between the 2. i presume the 2.2 will have better power across the revs with slightly more torque perhaps.
2.2 is torquey and lazy, and with the 6 speed box better doing motorway hauls.
1.8VVT is light and free revving, and better round town. You can get 85 in 3rd on the 1.8, good for those high speed motorway merges.
I did a 50 mile commute in my 1.8VVT, 40 of it motorway and the rest stop-start city driving, and got an average of 37.7mpg over the time I had it.
1.8VVT is light and free revving, and better round town. You can get 85 in 3rd on the 1.8, good for those high speed motorway merges.
I did a 50 mile commute in my 1.8VVT, 40 of it motorway and the rest stop-start city driving, and got an average of 37.7mpg over the time I had it.Edited by HellDiver on Saturday 1st January 21:45
HellDiver said:
2.2 is torquey and lazy, and with the 6 speed box better doing motorway hauls.
1.8VVT is light and free revving, and better round town. You can get 85 in 3rd on the 1.8, good for those high speed motorway merges. I did a 50 mile commute in my 1.8VVT, 40 of it motorway and the rest stop-start city driving, and got an average of 37.7mpg over the time I had it.
the 2.2 doesnt feel especially lazy in my vx2201.8VVT is light and free revving, and better round town. You can get 85 in 3rd on the 1.8, good for those high speed motorway merges.
I did a 50 mile commute in my 1.8VVT, 40 of it motorway and the rest stop-start city driving, and got an average of 37.7mpg over the time I had it.Edited by HellDiver on Saturday 1st January 21:45
A facelift 2.2 will be the "Direct" engine. Maximum power is far higher than the 1.8 at slightly lower rpm, and maximum torque also much higher (developed on both at 3800rpm). The manufacturers performance figures show the performance of the bigger engine to be far superior.
I have owned an early 2.2 SRi and now own a 2008 2.2 Direct SRi. The Direct is noticeably quicker than the early car and better on fuel. On my 6-mile station run each day I get abot 34-35mpg and can see 40-42mpg on a run keeping it legal.
I have not driven a 1.8 so cannot offer any direct (pardon the pun) comparison; the Vectra C is no lightweight so I opted for the bigger engine from the start.
Fuel pressure regulators seem to be a problem on these engines. Mine had a replacement a few months back at 11,000 miles. The "engine electronics" warning light was illuminating frequently but there was no noticeable difference in the way the car was running. My local dealer has apparently replaced the regulator on a customer's Zafira several times.
As has been said, the Vectra 2.2 is a very good motorway car, though it is equally at home on town roads or country lanes. I find that it is a car in which it is quite easy to make very brisk progress without having to thrash it. It is fairly refined and I find the SRi seats firm but comfortable; the tilt function is particularly useful for getting decent thigh support, and with the steering column adjustable for rake and reach there is plenty of scope for finding a good driving position.
The Vectra isn't everyone's cup of tea and there are "better" cars I am sure (depending on your priorities), but it is a car that I have a lot of respect for. I have even just bought a VXR to replace my Monaro.
There are plenty of cars around, so there should be no need to settle for anything you are not too sure about history-wise and with some patience you should be able to get something decent. My own view would be to prioritise condition/mileage over a newer higher mileage car but I appreciate that others have different views.
I have owned an early 2.2 SRi and now own a 2008 2.2 Direct SRi. The Direct is noticeably quicker than the early car and better on fuel. On my 6-mile station run each day I get abot 34-35mpg and can see 40-42mpg on a run keeping it legal.
I have not driven a 1.8 so cannot offer any direct (pardon the pun) comparison; the Vectra C is no lightweight so I opted for the bigger engine from the start.
Fuel pressure regulators seem to be a problem on these engines. Mine had a replacement a few months back at 11,000 miles. The "engine electronics" warning light was illuminating frequently but there was no noticeable difference in the way the car was running. My local dealer has apparently replaced the regulator on a customer's Zafira several times.
As has been said, the Vectra 2.2 is a very good motorway car, though it is equally at home on town roads or country lanes. I find that it is a car in which it is quite easy to make very brisk progress without having to thrash it. It is fairly refined and I find the SRi seats firm but comfortable; the tilt function is particularly useful for getting decent thigh support, and with the steering column adjustable for rake and reach there is plenty of scope for finding a good driving position.
The Vectra isn't everyone's cup of tea and there are "better" cars I am sure (depending on your priorities), but it is a car that I have a lot of respect for. I have even just bought a VXR to replace my Monaro.
There are plenty of cars around, so there should be no need to settle for anything you are not too sure about history-wise and with some patience you should be able to get something decent. My own view would be to prioritise condition/mileage over a newer higher mileage car but I appreciate that others have different views.
Try googling 'watchdog Vectra 2.2' or similar. The vauxhall 2.2 engine (also used in Signums and Zafiras, I believe) was featured on Watchdog on the BBC in JAN09. The main concern being a problem with the fuel system and a number of owners had reported sudden loss of power when driving.
I purchased an 06 reg Vectra 2.2 direct elite with 34k miles back in August and within 2 weeks the dreaded engine management light began to appear and within a couple of days the car gave up the ghost, was loaded onto the back of an AA lorry and returned to the dealer!
From there things have got better - the problem with the fuel pump was fixed under warranty and I have since done 10k trouble free miles.
As the previous post alluded to, Vectra's are not everybody's cup of tea but for me it serves its purpose very well (ie/ cruising up and down the motorway to work, carrying the other half/baby/pushchair and luggage etc).
In terms of driving/performance I would give it a 6 or 7/10 but it certainly wont have you rushing to your garage to take it for a thrash! My previous car was a Vectra 1.9cdti (150) and before that an Impreza WRX. The Vectra 1.9 always seemed to have plenty of mid-range pace (more so than the Impreza and certainly the Vectra 2.2)but reliability was again an issue and both the 1.9 and 2.2 are also a bit like shifting a bus from a standing start. I've never driven a Vectra 1.8 but I did test drive an Astra with the same engine when I was looking to change the Subaru and was unimpressed by its lack of performance.
Anyway, not sure I would buy another Vauxhall after the probs I've had with my 2 Vecras but I'll be sticking with my 2.2 direct for the forseeable future and fingers crossed for another 10k of trouble free motoring...
I purchased an 06 reg Vectra 2.2 direct elite with 34k miles back in August and within 2 weeks the dreaded engine management light began to appear and within a couple of days the car gave up the ghost, was loaded onto the back of an AA lorry and returned to the dealer!
From there things have got better - the problem with the fuel pump was fixed under warranty and I have since done 10k trouble free miles.
As the previous post alluded to, Vectra's are not everybody's cup of tea but for me it serves its purpose very well (ie/ cruising up and down the motorway to work, carrying the other half/baby/pushchair and luggage etc).
In terms of driving/performance I would give it a 6 or 7/10 but it certainly wont have you rushing to your garage to take it for a thrash! My previous car was a Vectra 1.9cdti (150) and before that an Impreza WRX. The Vectra 1.9 always seemed to have plenty of mid-range pace (more so than the Impreza and certainly the Vectra 2.2)but reliability was again an issue and both the 1.9 and 2.2 are also a bit like shifting a bus from a standing start. I've never driven a Vectra 1.8 but I did test drive an Astra with the same engine when I was looking to change the Subaru and was unimpressed by its lack of performance.
Anyway, not sure I would buy another Vauxhall after the probs I've had with my 2 Vecras but I'll be sticking with my 2.2 direct for the forseeable future and fingers crossed for another 10k of trouble free motoring...
insanojackson said:
HellDiver said:
2.2 is torquey and lazy, and with the 6 speed box better doing motorway hauls.
1.8VVT is light and free revving, and better round town. You can get 85 in 3rd on the 1.8, good for those high speed motorway merges. I did a 50 mile commute in my 1.8VVT, 40 of it motorway and the rest stop-start city driving, and got an average of 37.7mpg over the time I had it.
the 2.2 doesnt feel especially lazy in my vx2201.8VVT is light and free revving, and better round town. You can get 85 in 3rd on the 1.8, good for those high speed motorway merges.
I did a 50 mile commute in my 1.8VVT, 40 of it motorway and the rest stop-start city driving, and got an average of 37.7mpg over the time I had it.Edited by HellDiver on Saturday 1st January 21:45
Thanks for the advice guys, just to let you know i spent an age looking all over the ads and bought a 2.2i Direct 2006 facelift model 
I test drove a 1.8vvt at Vauxhall and was literally one of the slowest cars i have ever been in, totally underpowered and torqueless - Cant believe anyone would even consider one lol!
Fortunately, despite only being 155bhp up from 138, the 2,2i direct (which is the latest version) was a lot more pokey and yet isnt much worse on fuel and has a 6 speed box too
Take delivery saturday !
I test drove a 1.8vvt at Vauxhall and was literally one of the slowest cars i have ever been in, totally underpowered and torqueless - Cant believe anyone would even consider one lol!
Fortunately, despite only being 155bhp up from 138, the 2,2i direct (which is the latest version) was a lot more pokey and yet isnt much worse on fuel and has a 6 speed box too
Take delivery saturday !
HellDiver said:
insanojackson said:
HellDiver said:
2.2 is torquey and lazy, and with the 6 speed box better doing motorway hauls.
1.8VVT is light and free revving, and better round town. You can get 85 in 3rd on the 1.8, good for those high speed motorway merges. I did a 50 mile commute in my 1.8VVT, 40 of it motorway and the rest stop-start city driving, and got an average of 37.7mpg over the time I had it.
the 2.2 doesnt feel especially lazy in my vx2201.8VVT is light and free revving, and better round town. You can get 85 in 3rd on the 1.8, good for those high speed motorway merges.
I did a 50 mile commute in my 1.8VVT, 40 of it motorway and the rest stop-start city driving, and got an average of 37.7mpg over the time I had it.Edited by HellDiver on Saturday 1st January 21:45
HellDiver said:
Don't be a pedant. It's clear I was talking about the 2.2 IN a Vectra.
I don't think there's any pedantry at work here. The engine is in the same state of tune in both cars. I have the same engine in an Astra Coupe, (probably comparable weight to the Vectra) and the engine is plenty urgent enough, if you can forgive the massive flatspot at around 2000rpm.Hi, I too have a problem with this car. I took it to the local dealer because it had a problem with losing power when doing 50/60mph. They couldn't find a problem with it!! but still charged me £91 for the privelage. It's out of warranty and 2nd hand from a dealer. It's an 07 plate. Have I got a leg to stand on with Vauxhall as they have admitted to Watchdog it's their problem?
Please help, I've only just spent 6.5k on the stupid thing!!!
Thanks!
Please help, I've only just spent 6.5k on the stupid thing!!!
Thanks!
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