Are vauxhalls still unreliable?
Discussion
In the past I've had nothing but trouble with Vauxhalls, namely Vectras and Combo vans where as Fords have never really go wrong for me, worst thing was a Dual mass Flywheel on a Mondeo.
I am looking to change vehicles and I quite like the look of the Insignia, they look so much more modern than the Mondeo, but I am very concerned about the reliability of them, its done nothing for my confidence that my mate bought a 70K 13 plate Vivaro 2 weeks ago and already it has a "CHECK INJECTION" fault lit up on the dash. Whilst googling the problem for him I came stumbled across that you cant take them out in the rain in case the air filter gets wet, it doesn't bode well.
I am looking to change vehicles and I quite like the look of the Insignia, they look so much more modern than the Mondeo, but I am very concerned about the reliability of them, its done nothing for my confidence that my mate bought a 70K 13 plate Vivaro 2 weeks ago and already it has a "CHECK INJECTION" fault lit up on the dash. Whilst googling the problem for him I came stumbled across that you cant take them out in the rain in case the air filter gets wet, it doesn't bode well.
Have a Astra J 2.0 cdti, bought it 2.5 years ago, apart from servicing and tyres etc it's needed 1 glow plug, it has a slight coolant leak at the moment, top up every month or so, cars covered 68k we've had it since 35k.
Great car IMO
Also run 3 other vauxhalls on the business, astra 1 (60 plate) 145k new clutch and DMF then EGR blocked - traded in for a Corsa E which has been great in the short time we'e had it, Astra 2 has been faultless apart from a random issue with limp mode, a new cambelt sorted it (was due anyway)
I was in the same boat a few years ago, I went for a Vectra over a mondeo, in 2 years had DMF, alternator, suspension, brake lines, boost leak, battery, sold it after 2 years (around 78k) great car but didn't trust it.
Great car IMO
Also run 3 other vauxhalls on the business, astra 1 (60 plate) 145k new clutch and DMF then EGR blocked - traded in for a Corsa E which has been great in the short time we'e had it, Astra 2 has been faultless apart from a random issue with limp mode, a new cambelt sorted it (was due anyway)
I was in the same boat a few years ago, I went for a Vectra over a mondeo, in 2 years had DMF, alternator, suspension, brake lines, boost leak, battery, sold it after 2 years (around 78k) great car but didn't trust it.
Well, just had to sell my sons one for Spares/Repair, it refused to start, part of the can bus network had died, spent £300 trying to diagnose it and got a quote of £100 for a guaranteed fix so sold it for £700 and the guy took the wiring loom out and checked every wire, found a frayed one and got it going.
So, from a fully working car to a paperweight at nine years old, the electronics are complex and all inter-related, they are prone to ECU failures due to where it is placed and water ingress to the "UEC", basically a fuse board with a kind of ECU in it.
That said, for 90 and 9 years, car was in remarkable shape, next door have had one from new, a 51 plate, its never used much but it still looks new without any attention, no rust despite being 16 years old, bit of a moot point if they dont go though.
We had a bad experience but most seem to do ok, my brother has a snotter Astra H and it just keeps on going.
So, from a fully working car to a paperweight at nine years old, the electronics are complex and all inter-related, they are prone to ECU failures due to where it is placed and water ingress to the "UEC", basically a fuse board with a kind of ECU in it.
That said, for 90 and 9 years, car was in remarkable shape, next door have had one from new, a 51 plate, its never used much but it still looks new without any attention, no rust despite being 16 years old, bit of a moot point if they dont go though.
We had a bad experience but most seem to do ok, my brother has a snotter Astra H and it just keeps on going.
Were they ever unreliable or is that just another old wives tale conjoured up by the same person who said all French cars had crap electrics? They're just machines, as complex a the next cars and no more or less unreliable than the vast majority of stuff out there. Never understand the "is it reliable?" sort of question when talking about a brand... you could take two identical cars off the same line, run them over the same conditions and one may be faultless and the other may be a disaster. Applies to all brands.
One chap at work had an astra, probably a 54 plate, which he got over 300,000 miles out of. It was using a fair bit of oil in the last few ten thousand miles, and ended up failing the MoT on a few things (including emissions). He never had any major issues with it, it even only needed one clutch in that time.
Another guy had an astra as well. He had issues with the EGR valve causing the engine to cut out, leaving him with little braking assistance. He hates vauxhalls with a passion.
Another guy had an astra as well. He had issues with the EGR valve causing the engine to cut out, leaving him with little braking assistance. He hates vauxhalls with a passion.
It could be that they're less reliable and more likely to breakdown, buy you need to factor in the owner, and if they are likely to be less attentive to preventative and reactive maintenance because Vauxhall's, for some reason, attract people with less disposable income, or that they're just more disposed to care less about fixing stuff.
Is it the car, or the owner?
Is it the car, or the owner?
Our 1999 Vectra 1.8 GLS was a great car. Required absolutely nothing. Only ever had yearly services and nothing else. Passed MOT's with flying colours. By far the cheapest car going for that much space. Reasonable power, very good fuel economy. However, it didn't last after it's 12th birthday, as in 2012 there seemed to be a problem with the EGR or something, causing it to stall almost anytime it came to a stop, lumpy idle etc. Was scrapped in 2012 when we bought an XC90 as it was worth so little then.
Great cars, but they have short sell-by dates. The quality of the car and its parts is reflected in it's low purchase price. The higher you pay for a car, the longer it will last, the more luxury it will be, the more expensive it will be to run. The 5 series we also have has lasted much longer than the vectra, whilst being built only a few months after. It's purchase price was double the vectra's and it's certainly still got the quality 17 years later. The 5 series needs some work but ran much better than the vectra.
Vauxhalls are cheap and its reflected in everything they make. I wouldn't say they are unreliable, they are german after all (compared to being american). There is no doubt a Zafira would have been a much newer model with much cheaper running costs, if we had bought one instead of our 7 year old SUV.
Great cars, but they have short sell-by dates. The quality of the car and its parts is reflected in it's low purchase price. The higher you pay for a car, the longer it will last, the more luxury it will be, the more expensive it will be to run. The 5 series we also have has lasted much longer than the vectra, whilst being built only a few months after. It's purchase price was double the vectra's and it's certainly still got the quality 17 years later. The 5 series needs some work but ran much better than the vectra.
Vauxhalls are cheap and its reflected in everything they make. I wouldn't say they are unreliable, they are german after all (compared to being american). There is no doubt a Zafira would have been a much newer model with much cheaper running costs, if we had bought one instead of our 7 year old SUV.
m32 gearbox is pretty unreliable in my experience.
Girlfrind's Astra needed new bearings, common issue it seems. http://www.wgmotorworks.co.uk/repairs/transmission...
Girlfrind's Astra needed new bearings, common issue it seems. http://www.wgmotorworks.co.uk/repairs/transmission...
I bought a 2006 Astra 8 years ago which only had 10,000miles on the clock. I've still got it, and it's now approaching 75,000miles with no major issues. Normally I would only keep my cars around 4 years, but this has just kept going, so I've just never got round to trading it in.
My dad a few years back bought a J reg Cavalier which was probably about 3 years old when he bought it. He kept it 5years and in that time it needed no repairs and was used daily. He also owned 2 Vectras, a 2001, and then a 2005. Both reached around 90,000miles with no major issues. He then replaced that with a 2010 Astra which he grew to hate due to constant water in the boot, dampness in the cabin that could never be traced which caused constant window misting issues and intermittent problems with the electrics in the dashboard display. It never actually broke down, and he traded it in for a Hyundai i30 having owned the Astra for 5 years.
Over the years we've both owned various Vauxhalls aswell as other makes of car, and I would say they are no less reliable than any other mainstream manufacturers. In fact before I joined PH I had no idea that people seem to hate Vauxhall that much!
I'm not sure the current range of Vauxhalls really interest me, maybe apart from the new Astra, it would be the styling of some of their range that would put me off rather than reliabilty worries.
My dad a few years back bought a J reg Cavalier which was probably about 3 years old when he bought it. He kept it 5years and in that time it needed no repairs and was used daily. He also owned 2 Vectras, a 2001, and then a 2005. Both reached around 90,000miles with no major issues. He then replaced that with a 2010 Astra which he grew to hate due to constant water in the boot, dampness in the cabin that could never be traced which caused constant window misting issues and intermittent problems with the electrics in the dashboard display. It never actually broke down, and he traded it in for a Hyundai i30 having owned the Astra for 5 years.
Over the years we've both owned various Vauxhalls aswell as other makes of car, and I would say they are no less reliable than any other mainstream manufacturers. In fact before I joined PH I had no idea that people seem to hate Vauxhall that much!
I'm not sure the current range of Vauxhalls really interest me, maybe apart from the new Astra, it would be the styling of some of their range that would put me off rather than reliabilty worries.
Ran an insignia from new (2001) for 4.5 years. Delivery miles to 96000 miles when it was moved on.
Needed the following repairs- a new EGR cooler. A new boost control valve. Both failed.
Also had a funny noise coming from the water pump area around 50000 miles so it was replaced under warranty just as a precaution by dealer.
Had an ASTRA before that for a year. No trouble at all.
So can't really complain.
Needed the following repairs- a new EGR cooler. A new boost control valve. Both failed.
Also had a funny noise coming from the water pump area around 50000 miles so it was replaced under warranty just as a precaution by dealer.
Had an ASTRA before that for a year. No trouble at all.
So can't really complain.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff