3.0 CDTI V6 SRI advice

[smudger1980]

Hi guys,

Having had various Vauxhalls over the years from a Meriva to a GSI Zafira to my current Vectra I have always found them to be reliable.

HOWEVER..................

I am seriously considering the 3.0 V6 CDTi SRi auto estate and in particular this one http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vauxhall-Vectr...#ht_1454wt_937

I've been doing various bits of research over the last week or so and have been getting conflicting reports about them. Some say the 3.0 V6 diesel is great and the auto box is fine others say they are both crap and loads goes wrong so it's difficult to gauge what they're really like. I suppose some of the cars in the range (the ones made on a Friday afternoon) are always going to be problematic.........

Are there any current owners able to shed any light on them?. Are they really that bad? I'm not really bothered about fuel consumption as I've seen loads of threads about that topic. Running costs are however so if it's going to be a nightmare to maintain I'd rather go elsewhere.

If the 3.0 V6 diesel isn't the choice what's the pick of the engines. My only stipulations are estate and auto. I'm not fussed about petrol or diesel. I should add I do a fair bit of town driving with some motorway.

I'm a cash buyer so am hoping to be able to negotiate some money off

Cheers

Smudger

[m8internet]

Reliability is down to the individual car plus how it used and driven

Overall they are "bomb proof"
However the 2007 onwards are too new to know what issues there may be
Problems with the pre 2007 are well documented, it very unlikely these will affect you as most were fixed for the one you are looking at

Then you have the usual Vectra / VX issues, for the common components
Equally, this car is very heavy, so expect heavy wear on front brakes and front tyres
The tyres should also be XL rated, but you can swap to an alternative size making this nearly half the cost against what is normally fitted

Mine is currently at 118K miles, although it is the earlier Y30DT engine
Service intervals are a massive 30K miles / 2 years, but yours is the later Z30DT engine with 20K miles / 1 year service intervals
It is also recommended to replace the fuel filter every 10K miles

On final note
As a November 2008, it will come with 11 months of original warranty remaining (up to 60K miles)
£10K may seem a lot, but with that mileage that seems fair
Check the service book, it should have two service (or one plus next now due)
If the same garage has been used, then contact them and ask what the mileage was on last visit

With no trade-in, I would make an initial offer of £9150, looking for £9250

[chris5360]

i have a 56 plate with the z engine and teh auto box, it is a good engine so far, its done 104k and the combination of the engine and box makes a great drive, its relaxing when you want and its sporty when you want, i just did the cam belt the belt was a touch streached( expected due to milage) but the bearings were still just as good as the replacemnents, its an izuzu lump so its been about a while, but yet its very refined in the vectra, i love mine and i think this is the same general feeling among the v6 cdti owners, put it this way im usually a vw/german nut but this has been a far better car than the bmws 3 series, audi a6, and numerous passats that ive owned, the milage is pretty nice on the one your looking at

[smudger1980]

Thanks a lot guys for the info, it's much appreciated. I have contacted the garage and am awaiting a call back.

I've looked on their website and found the inspection sheet for the car here..... http://www.availablecar.com/used-vau...0_v6_cdti_sri_[nav]_[xp]/88957 which shows it having 4 new tyres amongst other things. Watch this space.

Cheers again

Smudger.

[m8internet]

which shows it having 4 new tyres amongst other things

See page one of the report
It advises the front tyres have been replaced with 225/45R18 91Y Accelera
These are wrong for this car, they need to be XL
For insurance purposes they need to be XL and will need to be replaced

Given all four were replaced I would be concerned as to what else has been driven down to the limit
So check the front and rear brakes, the pads are quite easy to visually inspect
Equally, the most recent service was August 2010, so how come all four tyres need replaced so soon after that service?

Noted that the original locking wheel key was missing, so the locks have been replaced
Check the new one fits, and works!

In the toolkit there should be a screwdriver, check it is there

[Ziggy]

I may be wrong but Accelera seem like budget tyres also.

After I had budget tyres on my V6 CDTI for a few weeks I would reccomend these got changed for decent tyres anyway ignoring the fact the weight limits are wrong.

[m8internet]

I may be wrong but Accelera seem like budget tyres also

I had only originally replied about the Accelera, then I noted on page one they were 91Y
Sadly the seller only has to make sure they are legal so can use any brand, so removed my original comments

My suggestion would be to get an agreement in writing to return these tyres for cashback of £200 or to pay the difference for correct and superior better ones
As above, either way they MUST be replaced
Contact the legal department of Allianz, give them the vehicle details and that the fact the car originally came an 215/50R17 XL 95W tyres, see what they say if non-XL tyres are fitted
They should then advise that the car must have XL tyres fitted, in the event of claim relating to an inspection being required

[smudger1980]

Thanks for the advice.

The weird thing is one of the inspection sheet it says 18's were fitted but on page 2 on the comments it says 17"

Also on the inspection sheet it states that the brakes are at 70% all round. Why were the nuts replaced? Lost key?

Based on your observations I'm beginning to be a little suspicious about the car and it's history.

[Derek Mc]

The car is an XP and those alloys should be 18" looking at them hnce the tyres 18" also.

[m8internet]

These are very minor items

The locking wheel key was probably not supplied when the car came into their possession; the same with the handbook and folder

I do agree though, I originally paid more attention to page 2 which states 215/50R17 Accelera tyres, yet page 1 refers to 225/45R18 91Y tyres

As I mentioned, the brake pad material can be easily visually inspected and 70% is probably fair; I would much more prefer a measurement in mm

Arrange to view the car, a 3.0 V6 CDTI is a rare find, especially at this mileage