Vauxhall Vectra 2.2 Direct - Shed
Discussion
Hi all, I'm not sure whether is qualifies as a shed but I'll give it a go.
I bought this Vectra August last year at 130,000 miles.
I had a drunk driver crash into the back of my car while my 9 year old son was in the back of my BMW touring at 50 mph! and I was in the need of a family car to replace it. I also wanted a petrol due to the inpending ULEZ extension to the North Circular which I need to drive into.
This came up on Autotrader for £975 with a full service history very tidy example with all the jobs done that seem to be common faults (Fuel Pump, Windcreen wiper linkage replaced, new thermostat) I test drove it and was happy, I offered £900 which was accepted.
It's will be used to commute 95 miles per day worked out I'd never having owned a Vauxhall before in 24 years of driving.
I completed my first tank of fuel on the commute and was happy with the result.
I drive 2 passengers who pay my fuel with me who also work at the same firm so there is added weight and my drive consists of 5 miles of town driving followed by a duel carriage way for 20 miles, a section of the M25 for about 8 miles followed by the M11 for 5 miles and the North Circular for another 5 miles then we are there.
So on I brimmed the tank and had a week of driving, We had a couple of terrible days on the road which is worse than it's been for a while and filled up again today. 450 miles on the tank and the petrol light wasn't even on, which equates to a real world 39.7 Mpg (the computer was slightly under 38.7 but close),I've since got 465 miles which was a tab over 40 Mpg.
Since the start of my ownership in August, I've purchased a new set of tyres and a battery. I'll update going forward to keep a log.
Regards
Austin
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/42aHeoJi.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/dbGIJEZK" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/dbGIJEZK.jpg)
I bought this Vectra August last year at 130,000 miles.
I had a drunk driver crash into the back of my car while my 9 year old son was in the back of my BMW touring at 50 mph! and I was in the need of a family car to replace it. I also wanted a petrol due to the inpending ULEZ extension to the North Circular which I need to drive into.
This came up on Autotrader for £975 with a full service history very tidy example with all the jobs done that seem to be common faults (Fuel Pump, Windcreen wiper linkage replaced, new thermostat) I test drove it and was happy, I offered £900 which was accepted.
It's will be used to commute 95 miles per day worked out I'd never having owned a Vauxhall before in 24 years of driving.
I completed my first tank of fuel on the commute and was happy with the result.
I drive 2 passengers who pay my fuel with me who also work at the same firm so there is added weight and my drive consists of 5 miles of town driving followed by a duel carriage way for 20 miles, a section of the M25 for about 8 miles followed by the M11 for 5 miles and the North Circular for another 5 miles then we are there.
So on I brimmed the tank and had a week of driving, We had a couple of terrible days on the road which is worse than it's been for a while and filled up again today. 450 miles on the tank and the petrol light wasn't even on, which equates to a real world 39.7 Mpg (the computer was slightly under 38.7 but close),I've since got 465 miles which was a tab over 40 Mpg.
Since the start of my ownership in August, I've purchased a new set of tyres and a battery. I'll update going forward to keep a log.
Regards
Austin
Vectra C is a great car. Roomy, quiet, comfortable and safe.
I owned a 2.2 Direct briefly but got shot of it as I didn’t trust the rattle coming from the chain area. Also was on the original Siemens fuel pump and a new one was about half of what I paid for the car. Linkage was on its way out too. Only thing I did do was the thermostat and coolant temperature sensor. Didn’t help the mpg though, which struggled to break the 30 figure. It was an auto though.
Keep your eye on the chain and that coolant temp sensor is worth a change. Good wee mod is Insignia washer jets as they are the fan-type.
Despite the potential pitfalls with mine, I would have loved to have kept it.
I owned a 2.2 Direct briefly but got shot of it as I didn’t trust the rattle coming from the chain area. Also was on the original Siemens fuel pump and a new one was about half of what I paid for the car. Linkage was on its way out too. Only thing I did do was the thermostat and coolant temperature sensor. Didn’t help the mpg though, which struggled to break the 30 figure. It was an auto though.
Keep your eye on the chain and that coolant temp sensor is worth a change. Good wee mod is Insignia washer jets as they are the fan-type.
Despite the potential pitfalls with mine, I would have loved to have kept it.
I had an 07 2.2 SRI XP. I loved it!
Considering the flak that vectras get, they’re really good cars. The 2.2 was economical enough, plenty quick enough for daily use, very very comfy and extremely roomy. When I’m in the market for a cheap run about in a few months I’ll certainly have one on the shortlist!
Considering the flak that vectras get, they’re really good cars. The 2.2 was economical enough, plenty quick enough for daily use, very very comfy and extremely roomy. When I’m in the market for a cheap run about in a few months I’ll certainly have one on the shortlist!
aust240378 said:
I had a drunk driver crash into the back of my car while my 9 year old son was in the back of my BMW touring at 50 mph! and I was in the need of a family car to replace it.
Very lucky to escape uninjured, some d
head slammed into me while sitting stationary in traffic at not far off 50mph a year ago. I've now got a spinal injury awaiting surgery so semi-disabled and in fking agony.These are very decent cars in my experience.
I had an 06 plate 2.2 direct which I ran for a couple of years - I think I bought it on under 30k miles and took it to over 80k miles in 2 years or so.
Only issue was the dreaded fuel pump, as mentioned by a poster above, though it happened within the months warranty so cost me nothing.
I had a similar commute to you (I was living in Luton/working in west London) so daily trips down the M1 to the A406 or if I didn't fancy the 406 (I recall the 2012 Olympics at Wembley causing me hassle) then round the M25. Very competent car to commute in, mine was in Elite spec too, so leather seats, sat nav etc.
I had an 06 plate 2.2 direct which I ran for a couple of years - I think I bought it on under 30k miles and took it to over 80k miles in 2 years or so.
Only issue was the dreaded fuel pump, as mentioned by a poster above, though it happened within the months warranty so cost me nothing.
I had a similar commute to you (I was living in Luton/working in west London) so daily trips down the M1 to the A406 or if I didn't fancy the 406 (I recall the 2012 Olympics at Wembley causing me hassle) then round the M25. Very competent car to commute in, mine was in Elite spec too, so leather seats, sat nav etc.
These were pretty new when I was at Vauxhall-we always found the worst affected for fuel pump failure were those run on supermarket fuel! Running them on the “premium” offerings from the likes of Shell definitely seemed to lower the failure rate.
No evidence to support this unfortunately but there was a definite pattern when having conversations with customers.
The Vectum combo was a decent car-the facelift especially was a reasonable steer and very comfortable. Considering the miles and abuse many got they didn’t really throw a huge number of world ending faults.
No evidence to support this unfortunately but there was a definite pattern when having conversations with customers.
The Vectum combo was a decent car-the facelift especially was a reasonable steer and very comfortable. Considering the miles and abuse many got they didn’t really throw a huge number of world ending faults.
I fixed the cruise control last night, it had never worked since I bought it. The procesure involved a paperclip and some sellotape (proper McGyver stuff)
Paperclip to remove the indicator/cruise stalk, clean up contacts, some sellotape wrapped around the stalk where it slots into the the steering wheel to stop vibrations which will disengage the cruise control and now it works
(for the occasional moments I get to use it)
Paperclip to remove the indicator/cruise stalk, clean up contacts, some sellotape wrapped around the stalk where it slots into the the steering wheel to stop vibrations which will disengage the cruise control and now it works
(for the occasional moments I get to use it)aust240378 said:
I fixed the cruise control last night, it had never worked since I bought it. The procesure involved a paperclip and some sellotape (proper McGyver stuff)
Paperclip to remove the indicator/cruise stalk, clean up contacts, some sellotape wrapped around the stalk where it slots into the the steering wheel to stop vibrations which will disengage the cruise control and now it works (for the occasional moments I get to use it)
That's not too dissimilar to the fix I did on my Evora's CC. Paperclip to remove the indicator/cruise stalk, clean up contacts, some sellotape wrapped around the stalk where it slots into the the steering wheel to stop vibrations which will disengage the cruise control and now it works
(for the occasional moments I get to use it)Good cars these, looks a bargain.
I found the boot space in the Vectra is a lot more useful than its replacement, the Insignia. All down to the decently wide and square opening compared to the cut-in boot hatch. My folks have one of each and although the Vectra is now pretty old (53 plate) they just can't get round to moving it on. It's a 2.2 non-direct in Elite spec, auto and it just works, owes them absolutely nothing as well. Almost 5 years ago I replaced the timing and balancer chains for them - there was no noise or scary rattles, just the fact the originals were coming up for 12 years.
If I'm doing an IKEA run the Vec is ideal, it's amazing how much flat-pack you can fit in even the hatchback
As others have said for a motorway mile muncher these are ideal, comfortable and decent cabin space and once you fix the sometimes faulty cruise control it's spot on (yes, I had to fix the same issue on my 2.8T Elite...)
OP, your car looks great and definitely not a shed.
If I'm doing an IKEA run the Vec is ideal, it's amazing how much flat-pack you can fit in even the hatchback
As others have said for a motorway mile muncher these are ideal, comfortable and decent cabin space and once you fix the sometimes faulty cruise control it's spot on (yes, I had to fix the same issue on my 2.8T Elite...)
OP, your car looks great and definitely not a shed.
I've run a 1.8 Vectra Estate as a daily for the last six years/60k miles now, it might not be the most exciting car but it just does everything extremely well. Comfortable, quiet, economical, massive inside, has carried decorating gear, dogs, two jumbo bags of garden rubbish, family, and it's cost me peanuts to run really. It's only on 74k miles now and not a speck of rust visible anywhere on it. Only big expense was last autumn for a new thermostat and housing at a whopping £324!
I keep looking a replacements but I can't see anything that would be as good even if I spent a decent amount, so I'll keep it for as long as it keeps going.
I keep looking a replacements but I can't see anything that would be as good even if I spent a decent amount, so I'll keep it for as long as it keeps going.
I had a 1.8 vectra in this shape. Went everywhere in it! Seats were a bit firm and my knob fell off more than once but it did everything I ever asked of it and never put a foot wrong until I interfered with it. If I were to get another shed, this would be high on the list. Maybe the 150 Diesel with working air con..
After reading some stories about the Interior fan's on these giving up the ghost I did a 30 second bit of preventative maintenance. The design is such that if the the drain hole by the pollen filter gets gets blocked, it fills up with water and then runs into the fan rendering it useless and making the carpet wet 
Open Bonnet, lift up a strip of rubber that conceals the pollen filter, and clear the drain hole of any debris (leaves mainly) Luckily it wasn't too bad.
Open Bonnet, lift up a strip of rubber that conceals the pollen filter, and clear the drain hole of any debris (leaves mainly) Luckily it wasn't too bad.
Mr Tidy said:
RazerSauber said:
I had a 1.8 vectra in this shape. Went everywhere in it! Seats were a bit firm and my knob fell off more than once
That must have been a bit of a shock! 
Still, the OP's car looks much too clean to be a shed, even if it qualifies on price!
OP: Any plans for other things to do? Or just continue use until it throws a wobbler? If you do need to change your blower motor, it's not that hard of a job. I think it took me half an hour. Only awkward because of the position it's in.
RazerSauber said:
I missed this! It did, came off in my hand to my surprise! Both hands and a tight grip soon had it back on
OP: Any plans for other things to do? Or just continue use until it throws a wobbler? If you do need to change your blower motor, it's not that hard of a job. I think it took me half an hour. Only awkward because of the position it's in.
Just routine maintenance and servicing for the interim, it doesn't take too long for things to show up with my daily 95 mile slog, I will change the boot struts in the not to distant future, I noticed they looked a bit leaky and don't fancy being guillotined by the boot when they fail OP: Any plans for other things to do? Or just continue use until it throws a wobbler? If you do need to change your blower motor, it's not that hard of a job. I think it took me half an hour. Only awkward because of the position it's in.
I normally do minor services myself and get the major done at my local indy.
It will do our yearly Cornwall trip this year and I reckon looking at it the boot space it easily comparable to the E46 Touring it replaced.
Austin
So it's just ticked over 183,000 and going strong, although that was after the dreaded fuel pump almost made me give up on it especially as the hydraulic pump wasn't going to like E10 fuel!
Rewind to Feb last year and I started getting the issue whereby I would suddenly lose power going uphill and would go into limp mode, a quick plug in and diagnosed as the fuel pump.
£600 for a new one! or strip apart and replace all the internal bits and hope I do a good job, so probably the end of the road....
But there was a third way, In Poland where they like to run cars to destruction they have created a Mechanical pump which they sell for £250 and is a direct fit for the original and runs E10 fuel. So I took a punt and ordered it, it was with me in a couple of days fitted and works perfectly.
They also offered a 2 year guarantee unlimited mileage. I've done about 19k so far and all good!
Hate to admit it but apart from that and a couple of services it's been pretty reliable more so than any of my E46 BMW's were for the mileage I was putting on them.
Rewind to Feb last year and I started getting the issue whereby I would suddenly lose power going uphill and would go into limp mode, a quick plug in and diagnosed as the fuel pump.
£600 for a new one! or strip apart and replace all the internal bits and hope I do a good job, so probably the end of the road....
But there was a third way, In Poland where they like to run cars to destruction they have created a Mechanical pump which they sell for £250 and is a direct fit for the original and runs E10 fuel. So I took a punt and ordered it, it was with me in a couple of days fitted and works perfectly.
They also offered a 2 year guarantee unlimited mileage. I've done about 19k so far and all good!
Hate to admit it but apart from that and a couple of services it's been pretty reliable more so than any of my E46 BMW's were for the mileage I was putting on them.
spaceship said:
Good wee mod is Insignia washer jets as they are the fan-type.
I second this - did it on my Astra H and took about 10 minutes and cost about a fiver from what I remember. Clears the windscreen far more effectively and uses less screenwash too.Looks a great car, shame that Clarkson jumped all over them.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff