Vauxhall Astra DERV
Discussion
Welcome one and all to the not so exciting world of the daily driver. Purchased for "shed" money a few years ago as an exercise in providing fuel efficient savings for the commute.
As it ticks over 150k this weekend it was due it's annual service and I thought it an ideal opportunity tobore entertain you on this journey...
First off isn't she a beauty, seen here in her natural habitat
Yes unfortunately the owner of that particular shopping chariot wasn't around to get the story of it, anyway back to topic here is the obligatory engine shot
So whilst the oil drains (sump plug removed, dipstick, oil cap and oil filter loose) we get on with swapping out the filters, first up is the air filer which looks surprisingly clean on top..
but underneath tells a different story
Comparison with new replacement air filter
Airbox needed a clean
That's better
Next up is the fuel filter (Note: You can remove the fuel filter by disconnecting the fuel lines and removing from the crash box but it is possible to work around this)
I had a nice spare fuel additive container ready for draining the old fuel away using the screw underneath
unfortunately it was too big to fit around the pipework, enter empty zesty drink container to the rescue. (Note: Previous service has found empty instant coffee tins to provide an excellent alternative)
a quick modification
Hey presto
Out comes the old fuel filter and the filter fuel is safely drained.
Here is the replacement
And safely replaced inside the housing along with the two new seals (Top tip: Always brim this with fresh fuel before closing, this gives a diesel a better chance of starting otherwise the fuel pump needs more priming than normal) retighten as required.
A light coating of fresh oil around the seal and it's time to replace the sump plug
Time to fully remove the oil filter
Remove the old oil filter and three seals and replace with fresh filter and new seals with a light coating of fresh oil
A small glug of fresh oil into the filter housing and retighten as required.
Now the rest of the 5L of refined dinosaur juice can be poured into the engine
Lastly check your levels, double check everything is tightened and prime your pump by running a prestart process at least twice before starting.
Congratulations for making it this far here is a mileage shot as a reward
More to come...when I can be bothered and if anybody's still interested...
As it ticks over 150k this weekend it was due it's annual service and I thought it an ideal opportunity to
First off isn't she a beauty, seen here in her natural habitat
Yes unfortunately the owner of that particular shopping chariot wasn't around to get the story of it, anyway back to topic here is the obligatory engine shot
So whilst the oil drains (sump plug removed, dipstick, oil cap and oil filter loose) we get on with swapping out the filters, first up is the air filer which looks surprisingly clean on top..
but underneath tells a different story
Comparison with new replacement air filter
Airbox needed a clean
That's better
Next up is the fuel filter (Note: You can remove the fuel filter by disconnecting the fuel lines and removing from the crash box but it is possible to work around this)
I had a nice spare fuel additive container ready for draining the old fuel away using the screw underneath
unfortunately it was too big to fit around the pipework, enter empty zesty drink container to the rescue. (Note: Previous service has found empty instant coffee tins to provide an excellent alternative)
a quick modification
Hey presto
Out comes the old fuel filter and the filter fuel is safely drained.
Here is the replacement
And safely replaced inside the housing along with the two new seals (Top tip: Always brim this with fresh fuel before closing, this gives a diesel a better chance of starting otherwise the fuel pump needs more priming than normal) retighten as required.
A light coating of fresh oil around the seal and it's time to replace the sump plug
Time to fully remove the oil filter
Remove the old oil filter and three seals and replace with fresh filter and new seals with a light coating of fresh oil
A small glug of fresh oil into the filter housing and retighten as required.
Now the rest of the 5L of refined dinosaur juice can be poured into the engine
Lastly check your levels, double check everything is tightened and prime your pump by running a prestart process at least twice before starting.
Congratulations for making it this far here is a mileage shot as a reward
More to come...when I can be bothered and if anybody's still interested...
Sweet ride.. I had a similar one until recently. It proved to be a reliable, albeit highly uninspiring steed.
Check out my thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Recommend banging on an SRI steering wheel (cost peanuts) and treating yourself to the Pumpkin Android unit I installed - It was super easy to install, all plug and play CANBUS compatible and added Nav, Bluetooth, video, spotify, any android app on the play store (except netflix annoyingly) to an otherwise tech obsolete car.
Check out my thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Recommend banging on an SRI steering wheel (cost peanuts) and treating yourself to the Pumpkin Android unit I installed - It was super easy to install, all plug and play CANBUS compatible and added Nav, Bluetooth, video, spotify, any android app on the play store (except netflix annoyingly) to an otherwise tech obsolete car.
Thanks for all the kind comments, i'll try and update as things go wrong progress now.
joropug said:
Sweet ride.. I had a similar one until recently. It proved to be a reliable, albeit highly uninspiring steed.
Check out my thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Recommend banging on an SRI steering wheel (cost peanuts) and treating yourself to the Pumpkin Android unit I installed - It was super easy to install, all plug and play CANBUS compatible and added Nav, Bluetooth, video, spotify, any android app on the play store (except netflix annoyingly) to an otherwise tech obsolete car.
Thanks i'd relatively agree with the thoughts about it, atm i'm making do with the aux input and third party Bluetooth to keep costs down but those units look interesting. Check out my thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Recommend banging on an SRI steering wheel (cost peanuts) and treating yourself to the Pumpkin Android unit I installed - It was super easy to install, all plug and play CANBUS compatible and added Nav, Bluetooth, video, spotify, any android app on the play store (except netflix annoyingly) to an otherwise tech obsolete car.
spaceship said:
Interested!
Like to see a bit of maintenance. Air filter was pretty bad, oil filter looked in decent nick though.
Keep up the good work.
Cheers yes one thing that has impressed me with this diesel is that I have not had to top up any oil between changes which is rare in my experience.Like to see a bit of maintenance. Air filter was pretty bad, oil filter looked in decent nick though.
Keep up the good work.
shalmaneser said:
I have a new respect for these cars after servicing one as a favour and managing to get the whole job done (air,oil,fuel filters and oil) for under £40 and 30 minutes. And I didn't even need to jack it up!
Indeed cheap as chips and you don't need to jack the car up...not having undertrays assists with this. I omitted the cabin filter this service as it had already been done in the summer.Saleen836 said:
OP, the Mustang is owned by a guy by the name of Shaun Higginbotham, it is his daily driver! 
He said to get in contact if you want to have look round it
( he is on facebook)
Thanks for that info, what a daily! Appreciate the invite I may just take him up on that kind offer sometime.He said to get in contact if you want to have look round it
( he is on facebook)FourGears said:
Which engine?
Doing well on the mileage! Mine is about half that
It's the 1.7CDTI (Izuzu engine)Doing well on the mileage! Mine is about half that
Not just based on an Isuzu engine, it is an Isuzu engine with Vauxhall badging.
We used to drive these at work, as 1.3 CDTi four doors and 1.7 CDTi estates. I hated them both, though the 1.7 was miles better than the 1.3. The only thing I miss is the funny rubber indicator stalk, which I found a nuisance at the time. I couldn't believe the step forward Vauxhall took with the Astra J that followed this generation.
Still, for cheap motoring, you could do worse. I love seeing these routine maintenance guides too.
We used to drive these at work, as 1.3 CDTi four doors and 1.7 CDTi estates. I hated them both, though the 1.7 was miles better than the 1.3. The only thing I miss is the funny rubber indicator stalk, which I found a nuisance at the time. I couldn't believe the step forward Vauxhall took with the Astra J that followed this generation.
Still, for cheap motoring, you could do worse. I love seeing these routine maintenance guides too.
Hope everyone is ok, been a rough and strange time for many over the past 18months. Well needless to say after the last service not much occurred mileage wise due to lockdown reasons. As things opened up again I endured some standard poor country lane driving standards from "locals" with yet another replacement mirror element assembly required. Thing about these cars is that the fittings are a bit Swiss cheese (hence so many being driven around with battered side mirrors) however my assembly even survived being run over by a passing Volvo before it could be retrieved on a return journey before snapping together again with some minor scratches to add to the collection.
Rear window washer jet gummed up over time, released with some effort and now appears to have packed up again; will get around to sorting that out at some point. Now she's ticked over to 158k and with MOT time looming I was beginning to suspect that a replacement alternator that I had fitted back in Jan 2020 was sounding unhealthy. Even through trips to London & Cornwall had been successfully completed when restrictions had been lifted it was sounding noticeably more laboured and at the end of last week shortly before a planned camping trip the sure sign of a dashboard momentarily lighting up like a Christmas tree hastened me into action.
Unfortunately it was out of the warranty period to claim against the replaced part but I was slightly concerned that in less miles then normally accumulated it had failed. I therefore dutifully ordered a new drive belt and replacement alternator ready to fit over the weekend, I had previously used a local garage chain when it went on a cold January morning in 2020 as I was in a bind and needed to get into the office the next day. With the benefits of homeworking now an option I thought i'd save some pennies and tackle it myself.
Now first issue is my current car parking space has developed more craters than the lunar surface.
Unperturbed I eventually navigated a spot to get it safely jacked and started to create access via the wheel well to get into the area for access to the now pissing oil alternator.
Next spot of bother came whilst attempting to remove the horn units to provide better access to remove the old unit which promptly snapped off due to rust when pressure was applied to the bolt fixing...
This was annoying but is the kind of thing that will happen when cars reach a certain age and brittleness and rust scupper even gentler attempts with lubrication fluids. Pressing onwards I removed the drive belt next and took aim at the bottom bolt of the alternator housing. This turned out to be rather content with staying in place so after spraying some more liberal dashes of lubrication I instead focused on the having a go at the top bolt instead.
Or rather I went to and discovered that it was hanging on only by the bottom bolt with nothing present in the top! I went and double checked against pictures and the new alternator to make sure I wasn't imaging this and sure enough confirmed it should indeed have another bolt to secure it in place.
One rather unhelpful call to the local garage that "fitted" the alternator confirmed that they denied everything and refused to assist in any way; looks like they just lost another customer.
Time was now not on my side so with light and patience drawing to a close a new plan of attack will need to be hatched. Searching around the internet doesn't appear to garner definitive answers to the exact part numbers required, I believe a 12mm bolt is required for the top and the bottom is a 14mm but nobody appears sure on the fastenings if any that might also be required. Spoke to a friendly chap at local Vauxhall main dealer spares who couldn't find the exact parts and quoted some high prices with week's worth of waiting time whilst being shipped from Germany for the possible fittings showing on the system. My usual trusted garage is booked up for weeks so I found another local with positive reviews who have helpfully offered to see if they have a spare bolt that will fit, so we'll see how that goes (now that's the kind of customer service which will bring custom).
So, a long post with not a positive outcome contained and a couple of things of note 1). Garages are alot busier nowadays, assuming people are repairing and keeping their current vehicles for longer due to the current situation. 2). If this car has covered all the mileage it has over the past year plus with one bolt through an alternator i'm impressed nothing worse occurred sooner (if a bolt had come loose i'd expect the drive belt to get shredded which isn't the case but i'm changing regardless due to age). 3). Working on cars is enjoyable and frustrating in equal measure, for the money you save you do question the time and hassle spent in the process. 4). I'm already considering selling once she's sorted and serviced with a fresh ticket, if working from home continues I just don't need a cheap diesel anymore as i'm not doing the mileage, but prices of everything I was looking at even this time last year has gone crazy. I'm I the only one struggling to justify spending an extra £1.5-2k+ on a previously considered replacement?
Rear window washer jet gummed up over time, released with some effort and now appears to have packed up again; will get around to sorting that out at some point. Now she's ticked over to 158k and with MOT time looming I was beginning to suspect that a replacement alternator that I had fitted back in Jan 2020 was sounding unhealthy. Even through trips to London & Cornwall had been successfully completed when restrictions had been lifted it was sounding noticeably more laboured and at the end of last week shortly before a planned camping trip the sure sign of a dashboard momentarily lighting up like a Christmas tree hastened me into action.
Unfortunately it was out of the warranty period to claim against the replaced part but I was slightly concerned that in less miles then normally accumulated it had failed. I therefore dutifully ordered a new drive belt and replacement alternator ready to fit over the weekend, I had previously used a local garage chain when it went on a cold January morning in 2020 as I was in a bind and needed to get into the office the next day. With the benefits of homeworking now an option I thought i'd save some pennies and tackle it myself.
Now first issue is my current car parking space has developed more craters than the lunar surface.
Unperturbed I eventually navigated a spot to get it safely jacked and started to create access via the wheel well to get into the area for access to the now pissing oil alternator.
Next spot of bother came whilst attempting to remove the horn units to provide better access to remove the old unit which promptly snapped off due to rust when pressure was applied to the bolt fixing...
This was annoying but is the kind of thing that will happen when cars reach a certain age and brittleness and rust scupper even gentler attempts with lubrication fluids. Pressing onwards I removed the drive belt next and took aim at the bottom bolt of the alternator housing. This turned out to be rather content with staying in place so after spraying some more liberal dashes of lubrication I instead focused on the having a go at the top bolt instead.
Or rather I went to and discovered that it was hanging on only by the bottom bolt with nothing present in the top! I went and double checked against pictures and the new alternator to make sure I wasn't imaging this and sure enough confirmed it should indeed have another bolt to secure it in place.
One rather unhelpful call to the local garage that "fitted" the alternator confirmed that they denied everything and refused to assist in any way; looks like they just lost another customer.
Time was now not on my side so with light and patience drawing to a close a new plan of attack will need to be hatched. Searching around the internet doesn't appear to garner definitive answers to the exact part numbers required, I believe a 12mm bolt is required for the top and the bottom is a 14mm but nobody appears sure on the fastenings if any that might also be required. Spoke to a friendly chap at local Vauxhall main dealer spares who couldn't find the exact parts and quoted some high prices with week's worth of waiting time whilst being shipped from Germany for the possible fittings showing on the system. My usual trusted garage is booked up for weeks so I found another local with positive reviews who have helpfully offered to see if they have a spare bolt that will fit, so we'll see how that goes (now that's the kind of customer service which will bring custom).
So, a long post with not a positive outcome contained and a couple of things of note 1). Garages are alot busier nowadays, assuming people are repairing and keeping their current vehicles for longer due to the current situation. 2). If this car has covered all the mileage it has over the past year plus with one bolt through an alternator i'm impressed nothing worse occurred sooner (if a bolt had come loose i'd expect the drive belt to get shredded which isn't the case but i'm changing regardless due to age). 3). Working on cars is enjoyable and frustrating in equal measure, for the money you save you do question the time and hassle spent in the process. 4). I'm already considering selling once she's sorted and serviced with a fresh ticket, if working from home continues I just don't need a cheap diesel anymore as i'm not doing the mileage, but prices of everything I was looking at even this time last year has gone crazy. I'm I the only one struggling to justify spending an extra £1.5-2k+ on a previously considered replacement?
Great work - echo the sentiments re: home maintenance. I've done so many little jobs on my shed Saab that would have no doubt cost hundreds under professional undertaking but sometimes, just sometimes, when I'm laying on the cold concrete in the pissing rain wrestling a 14 year old rusty bolt I think why do I bother? It needs an oil service but I can't bring myself to do it. Problem is, for £700 and the 12,000 miles it's covered it's still continuing to soldier on unperturbed. Will probably treat the old girl to some fresh oil as a minimum and them move it on next year when (hopefully) prices relax a bit and I can upgrade for a reasonable price.
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