The Vauxhall Fastra 1.7d Shed of Justice
Discussion
Dull? Check.
Diesel? Absolutely.
Three figure price? That's right.
Bought in the dark? Of course.
All the hallmarks of a true shed.
With a looming house move, comes a necessity - lightening the load on the old wallet. As such, with deep regret it's time to let go of my beloved F30 320d and downsize to.....well....a shed.
Whilst the move comes with it's obvious costs, there is a considerable saving that has influenced this decision, I will be able to walk to work in 10 minutes so won't need a car Monday to Friday. Whilst I'd love a true weekend car, the timing isn't right but that's the plan for the future.
For now, a shed is in order and I'm somewhat excited by the man-maths inspired budget motoring concept. I've tried it before but always spent a bit too much that I'm disappointed when costs come about.
With a budget of just £1,000 the possibilities are endless in theory but when it comes to parting with the cash there's not actually that much about that seems worth the risk. Fortunately for me, a chap at work just splashed out on a lease and was letting this puppy go, I secured a deal allowing him the flexibility of keeping it a couple of weeks till the new car arrives, works for me too as I need to sell the F30.
For those still reading, here is my previous car history which I'll be sure to update to include my 22nd car.
So the shed.
A 1.7 diesel Fastra/Gashtra, 93k, had the belt done at 50k odd so less likely to go pop, has a full history,various repairs done properly at a garage.
A few scrapes here and there, in desperate need of a wet vac and clean but a straight and honest motor. The chap at work bought it off his dad who had it from 6 months old, so it's been in his family since almost new which is always a bonus.
Test drive was good, solid clutch, no knocks or rattles - I'm very pleased with the purchase, at least for now. The half leather seats had supportive bolsters and were really comfy, albeit in need of a good clean.
The plans :
- Buy a service kit so I can do it myself from herein
- Proper deep clean
- Have the seats wet vacced as they have kids drink stains
- Buy some new mats
- Replace head unit - I know it's a shed but I'll miss modern infotainment so I'm considering the £250 android Pumpkin unit specific for Astra's to look OEM and have all my mod cons. For starters though, I've bought an FM/Bluetooth transmitter
Here are some terrible teaser pics, in the dark....what am I doing?
Diesel? Absolutely.
Three figure price? That's right.
Bought in the dark? Of course.
All the hallmarks of a true shed.
With a looming house move, comes a necessity - lightening the load on the old wallet. As such, with deep regret it's time to let go of my beloved F30 320d and downsize to.....well....a shed.
Whilst the move comes with it's obvious costs, there is a considerable saving that has influenced this decision, I will be able to walk to work in 10 minutes so won't need a car Monday to Friday. Whilst I'd love a true weekend car, the timing isn't right but that's the plan for the future.
For now, a shed is in order and I'm somewhat excited by the man-maths inspired budget motoring concept. I've tried it before but always spent a bit too much that I'm disappointed when costs come about.
With a budget of just £1,000 the possibilities are endless in theory but when it comes to parting with the cash there's not actually that much about that seems worth the risk. Fortunately for me, a chap at work just splashed out on a lease and was letting this puppy go, I secured a deal allowing him the flexibility of keeping it a couple of weeks till the new car arrives, works for me too as I need to sell the F30.
For those still reading, here is my previous car history which I'll be sure to update to include my 22nd car.
So the shed.
A 1.7 diesel Fastra/Gashtra, 93k, had the belt done at 50k odd so less likely to go pop, has a full history,various repairs done properly at a garage.
A few scrapes here and there, in desperate need of a wet vac and clean but a straight and honest motor. The chap at work bought it off his dad who had it from 6 months old, so it's been in his family since almost new which is always a bonus.
Test drive was good, solid clutch, no knocks or rattles - I'm very pleased with the purchase, at least for now. The half leather seats had supportive bolsters and were really comfy, albeit in need of a good clean.
The plans :
- Buy a service kit so I can do it myself from herein
- Proper deep clean
- Have the seats wet vacced as they have kids drink stains
- Buy some new mats
- Replace head unit - I know it's a shed but I'll miss modern infotainment so I'm considering the £250 android Pumpkin unit specific for Astra's to look OEM and have all my mod cons. For starters though, I've bought an FM/Bluetooth transmitter
Here are some terrible teaser pics, in the dark....what am I doing?
Jimmy Recard said:
I’ve you want to fit a DIN head unit, I’ve just sold my Astra H and kept the facia and Autoleads wiring kit for a Kenwood head unit I had in it. You’re welcome to them if they’re any use to you
I haven’t got any use for the head unit itself, now I think about it. I might as well offer that too!
That's really kind, thank you - I'm going to stick with the OEM unit to start with and see how I go, I'll let you know if I decidedl to go DIN in case you still have it .I haven’t got any use for the head unit itself, now I think about it. I might as well offer that too!
Thanks for the replies. I'm really looking forward to cleaning it weirdly. I'll be sure to do some before and afters!
C70R said:
Nice shed.
On the point above, don't waste 1/3rd of the car's value on a bloody stereo! You can find plenty of <£100 Android units on Ebay that will fit with a double-din adaptor.
You're absolutely right , not sure what to do but I'm holding fire for a while. The cheap android ones all have bad reviews !On the point above, don't waste 1/3rd of the car's value on a bloody stereo! You can find plenty of <£100 Android units on Ebay that will fit with a double-din adaptor.
Looks like collection will be wednesday/Thursday next week!
Phase 1 of the initial clean is complete:
-Insane amount of hoovering
-Upholstery cleaner on the rear carpet (not particularly effective)
-Wiped down all plastics
-Dash cleaner on all plastics.
-Fitted OEM mats
-Stuck on phone holding magnet
-Destroyed boot liner!
It came up really well actually, there's still some work to do as there are lots of flecks of household type paint on the plastics and steering wheel but I'm confident it will all come off. The boot carpet has a lot of paint marks - any ideas to get rid of this ?
I haven't touched the seat faces yet they're getting professionally cleaned due to the stains.
Tested out the Bluetooth FM transmitter but wasn't that impressed and worse still, the 12v is not switched with ignition so I'd have to remove and install each time.
So I did the obvious thing and splashed out on a Vauxhall specific Pumpkin Android head unit. They're £289 on Amazon, managed to get it for £220 on eBay brand new. I can sell it when I sell the car I guess.
The car is SORN at the moment whilst my current car is for sale, so going to try and do the following whilst it's not in use:
-Polish one headlight that's a little discoloured
-Source 4x roof bar hole covers
-Buy a new boot liner (will be handy for the tip)
-Polish scratches on doors and wing
-Fit android HU
-Glass clean (interior)
-Professional seat clean
-Fix slight sag of headlining at rear
-Replacement gear and handbrake gaiter due to splits
Here are some before and after shots !
-Insane amount of hoovering
-Upholstery cleaner on the rear carpet (not particularly effective)
-Wiped down all plastics
-Dash cleaner on all plastics.
-Fitted OEM mats
-Stuck on phone holding magnet
-Destroyed boot liner!
It came up really well actually, there's still some work to do as there are lots of flecks of household type paint on the plastics and steering wheel but I'm confident it will all come off. The boot carpet has a lot of paint marks - any ideas to get rid of this ?
I haven't touched the seat faces yet they're getting professionally cleaned due to the stains.
Tested out the Bluetooth FM transmitter but wasn't that impressed and worse still, the 12v is not switched with ignition so I'd have to remove and install each time.
So I did the obvious thing and splashed out on a Vauxhall specific Pumpkin Android head unit. They're £289 on Amazon, managed to get it for £220 on eBay brand new. I can sell it when I sell the car I guess.
The car is SORN at the moment whilst my current car is for sale, so going to try and do the following whilst it's not in use:
-Polish one headlight that's a little discoloured
-Source 4x roof bar hole covers
-Buy a new boot liner (will be handy for the tip)
-Polish scratches on doors and wing
-Fit android HU
-Glass clean (interior)
-Professional seat clean
-Fix slight sag of headlining at rear
-Replacement gear and handbrake gaiter due to splits
Here are some before and after shots !
Edited by joropug on Saturday 9th February 16:54
Phase 2 of the clean is complete!
Totally recommend thecarseatcleaningcompany.com, my seats are transformed with a deep anti bacterial clean and wet vac. It was insane how much grime came out of them he went over it 3 times to get it all out !! I also had the carpets and headlining deodorised with anti bacterial solution for good measure. All in it cost £45 an absolute bargain and what a difference.
Before:
]
After:
Before:
After:
Totally recommend thecarseatcleaningcompany.com, my seats are transformed with a deep anti bacterial clean and wet vac. It was insane how much grime came out of them he went over it 3 times to get it all out !! I also had the carpets and headlining deodorised with anti bacterial solution for good measure. All in it cost £45 an absolute bargain and what a difference.
Before:
]After:
Before:
After:
Next on today's list of jobs was the audio install
Prior state:
FM and CD, No aux
12v is always in which is annoying for dash cam
Current State:
Pumpkin Vauxhall Specific Android HU
4gb Ram, Octocore processor, 32gb memory.
64gb SD card
32gb USB stick (Audio)
Wiring was super easy. It's canbus compatible so OEM screen and steering controls work too.
Really handy hole in glove box to feed wires through. WiFi antennae in glove box, GPS antennae is in the bottom of windscreen with concealed wires. Dash cam I have powered off one of the 3 usb ports at the rear of the unit so now it's switched on and off with the unit and wiring concealed .
Buzzing. Spotify, Waze , any android app there to use. Great first impressions and super simple install.
Before:
After:
Here is a clearer picture of the Fastra in all its glory. Still SORN at the moment so haven't started on the outside.
Prior state:
FM and CD, No aux
12v is always in which is annoying for dash cam
Current State:
Pumpkin Vauxhall Specific Android HU
4gb Ram, Octocore processor, 32gb memory.
64gb SD card
32gb USB stick (Audio)
Wiring was super easy. It's canbus compatible so OEM screen and steering controls work too.
Really handy hole in glove box to feed wires through. WiFi antennae in glove box, GPS antennae is in the bottom of windscreen with concealed wires. Dash cam I have powered off one of the 3 usb ports at the rear of the unit so now it's switched on and off with the unit and wiring concealed .
Buzzing. Spotify, Waze , any android app there to use. Great first impressions and super simple install.
Before:
After:
Here is a clearer picture of the Fastra in all its glory. Still SORN at the moment so haven't started on the outside.
Put the first few miles on the Astra today and it drives great.
I made a cheeky offer on eBay that was for some reason accepted...£25 for an SRI leather wheel with airbag. The current wheel is badly worn and rubber like so this will be a great upgrade for peanuts. I aim to make the best of both wheels using the parts between the two.
I made a cheeky offer on eBay that was for some reason accepted...£25 for an SRI leather wheel with airbag. The current wheel is badly worn and rubber like so this will be a great upgrade for peanuts. I aim to make the best of both wheels using the parts between the two.
Edited by joropug on Sunday 18th August 18:13
I fitted the new wheel today:
First I disconnected the negative on the battery terminal just in case.
You then use a torx Allen to release two pins for the airbag , disconnect the same and put to one side:
Before:
Airbag removed (will be used on new wheel):
The point of no return. To get enough leverage with the torx I had to hack away the wheel!:
Transplanted my buttons across for the trim to match (also in better condition). Note, new wheel had the same part number on the circuit boards however I could see two cables going into the back of it rather than the one on my wheel. As such I moved the buttons and fascia but left the circuitry plugged in:
Voila! What a difference in both look and feel. Such a bargain upgrade for £25.
First I disconnected the negative on the battery terminal just in case.
You then use a torx Allen to release two pins for the airbag , disconnect the same and put to one side:
Before:
Airbag removed (will be used on new wheel):
The point of no return. To get enough leverage with the torx I had to hack away the wheel!:
Transplanted my buttons across for the trim to match (also in better condition). Note, new wheel had the same part number on the circuit boards however I could see two cables going into the back of it rather than the one on my wheel. As such I moved the buttons and fascia but left the circuitry plugged in:
Voila! What a difference in both look and feel. Such a bargain upgrade for £25.
Edited by joropug on Sunday 18th August 18:15
On the plus side I calculated MPG at the pump and it's averaged 51.6mpg. very pleased.
Only expense since the wheel has been new Bosch wipers as the originals were GM and I reckon borderline ancient.
Had my first check engine light yesterday ! Had to come soon.
P0234 indicating high boost pressure.
Did a reset and all is good. It was after a long pull from 40ish to 70ish in 5th. So it was at max boost for a long time.
Checked pressures and it peaks at 21psi (1.4bar) and looks like online the max is 1.3bar on the standard tune so is just going over.
In the spirit of shedding I shall not be addressing unless it becomes more of an issue I can go through the gears with my foot down no problem I think it was just the long duration of the pull....
More to follow
Only expense since the wheel has been new Bosch wipers as the originals were GM and I reckon borderline ancient.
Had my first check engine light yesterday ! Had to come soon.
P0234 indicating high boost pressure.
Did a reset and all is good. It was after a long pull from 40ish to 70ish in 5th. So it was at max boost for a long time.
Checked pressures and it peaks at 21psi (1.4bar) and looks like online the max is 1.3bar on the standard tune so is just going over.
In the spirit of shedding I shall not be addressing unless it becomes more of an issue I can go through the gears with my foot down no problem I think it was just the long duration of the pull....
More to follow
Edited by joropug on Thursday 14th March 07:39
2000 mile update !
Over 4 measured tanks the car has obtained a satisfactory:
-52mpg
-52mpg
-50mpg
-48mpg
I'm hoping the decline is due to high speed driving, the 5 speed is not great for motorway usage.
Minor causes for concern:
-Alternator still causes a pulsing of lighting at idle speed but is a 'if it ain't broke' item, and works perfectly otherwise.
-Get overboost warning if I leave it on WOT for a prolonged period (getting up to 70 is the usual reason). I am putting this down to a blocked EGR and inlet pipe but with bolts made of cheese and the thought of the cleaning effort involved, I'm working around it and it's no biggie. It's grim. https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=17...
What's been fixed:
-Decided to replace the front tyres, had a few k left but I'm doing a fair few miles and they were almost 7 years old. £105 for falkens...stark difference to my last car at £188 each...
-I broke the window switch somehow so bought a new one for just £12...
So bargain motoring is not so bad so far, I'm enjoying the low cost low frills motoring. Definitely owe some of it to the swanky head unit, which is superb.
Total costs to date: £1,103.37
01/02/2019 Genuine VX Mats £22.49
05/02/2019 Car Purchase £650.00
09/02/2019 Pumpkin Android HU £220.99
09/02/2019 Radio removal pins £1.65
16/02/2019 Professional Seat Clean & Upholstery Anti-Bac £45.00
17/02/2019 Key Battery £1.99
24/02/2019 SRI Steering Wheel £25.00
09/03/2019 Bosch Wipers £19.25
10/04/2019 Window switches £12.00
12/04/2019 2x Front Tyres £105.00
Over 4 measured tanks the car has obtained a satisfactory:
-52mpg
-52mpg
-50mpg
-48mpg
I'm hoping the decline is due to high speed driving, the 5 speed is not great for motorway usage.
Minor causes for concern:
-Alternator still causes a pulsing of lighting at idle speed but is a 'if it ain't broke' item, and works perfectly otherwise.
-Get overboost warning if I leave it on WOT for a prolonged period (getting up to 70 is the usual reason). I am putting this down to a blocked EGR and inlet pipe but with bolts made of cheese and the thought of the cleaning effort involved, I'm working around it and it's no biggie. It's grim. https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=17...
What's been fixed:
-Decided to replace the front tyres, had a few k left but I'm doing a fair few miles and they were almost 7 years old. £105 for falkens...stark difference to my last car at £188 each...
-I broke the window switch somehow so bought a new one for just £12...
So bargain motoring is not so bad so far, I'm enjoying the low cost low frills motoring. Definitely owe some of it to the swanky head unit, which is superb.
Total costs to date: £1,103.37
01/02/2019 Genuine VX Mats £22.49
05/02/2019 Car Purchase £650.00
09/02/2019 Pumpkin Android HU £220.99
09/02/2019 Radio removal pins £1.65
16/02/2019 Professional Seat Clean & Upholstery Anti-Bac £45.00
17/02/2019 Key Battery £1.99
24/02/2019 SRI Steering Wheel £25.00
09/03/2019 Bosch Wipers £19.25
10/04/2019 Window switches £12.00
12/04/2019 2x Front Tyres £105.00
3608 trouble free miles in and I'm starting to lust after another car .. the astra is an appliance, but manual, no cruise control and uncomfortable seats are pushing me towards buying a decent car again.
Average mpg so far calculated at the pump a reasonable 51mpg. I've done a lot of distance drives in it, 3000rpm at 80 is not great for a diesel but only being 5 speed it has decent grunt in the 60 to 80 range whereas a 6 speed probably wouldn't.
BMW 630i coupe is my favourite replacement at the moment. Just sowing the early seeds with the wife now and preliminary signs are good. Requirements are auto, preferably petrol, comfortable....
Average mpg so far calculated at the pump a reasonable 51mpg. I've done a lot of distance drives in it, 3000rpm at 80 is not great for a diesel but only being 5 speed it has decent grunt in the 60 to 80 range whereas a 6 speed probably wouldn't.
BMW 630i coupe is my favourite replacement at the moment. Just sowing the early seeds with the wife now and preliminary signs are good. Requirements are auto, preferably petrol, comfortable....
I prefer Fastra or Ashtray but Disastra is also quite apt.
I'm going to give it a month or so and see if I can continue living with it.
The plan was I was moving to a house near work and would be walking. Chain fell through so that's not happening now so plan a) parked on a drive all week has been replaced with plan b) drive it constantly
I'm going to give it a month or so and see if I can continue living with it.
The plan was I was moving to a house near work and would be walking. Chain fell through so that's not happening now so plan a) parked on a drive all week has been replaced with plan b) drive it constantly
kiethton said:
Did 90k miles in 2.8 years in a 1.7cdti 3 door astra when at uni - want the most comfortable and fully shat itself just as I was trading it in - never saw another MOT for the next owner
The comfort is what is killing me. The seat has some metal bar or something where lumbar support should be that digs into the base of my spine. Don't notice on short journeys but on long ones it's awful. Done a lot of motorway miles without cruise control too, forgot how much more comfortable a journey is with cruise !
Little bit of progress on the shed. Nearing 98k now and going strong. The last few days have been tortuous though as the AC is broken. Urgh.
Firstly, the roof rack covers have been missing since day 1 and judging by the local Astra population have legs of their own. Vauxhall wanted nigh on 60 quid, so bought some aftermarket ones on eBay. They obviously aren't a great match colour wise but neither are the OEM ones from what I have seen. Meh. It's a shed...
Secondly I identified a source of insane low down rattle /vibration. Turns out the air box mount is snapped and that's the cause. More on that when the replacement part turns up. For the eagle eyed, the beautiful duct tape around the airbox was used for testing /to secure it temporarily.
Thirdly, the headlights are badly mismatched. One looks brand new the other is ravaged by sun damage. Strangely all Astra's seem to be impacted on the drivers side cluster , really odd.
Anyway, bought a restoration kit. It's not perfect but it's a massive improvement. Going to touch it up a bit more when I get the chance.
Firstly, the roof rack covers have been missing since day 1 and judging by the local Astra population have legs of their own. Vauxhall wanted nigh on 60 quid, so bought some aftermarket ones on eBay. They obviously aren't a great match colour wise but neither are the OEM ones from what I have seen. Meh. It's a shed...
Secondly I identified a source of insane low down rattle /vibration. Turns out the air box mount is snapped and that's the cause. More on that when the replacement part turns up. For the eagle eyed, the beautiful duct tape around the airbox was used for testing /to secure it temporarily.
Thirdly, the headlights are badly mismatched. One looks brand new the other is ravaged by sun damage. Strangely all Astra's seem to be impacted on the drivers side cluster , really odd.
Anyway, bought a restoration kit. It's not perfect but it's a massive improvement. Going to touch it up a bit more when I get the chance.
Edited by joropug on Saturday 29th June 22:17
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