Don't think I'll buy a Vauxhall again

[Fruit'n'nut]

Following on from these two threads:

I hope my car's not a duffer <March 2009>

and

White smoke on cold start up, 1.9 diesel <June 2009>


My 38,000-mile 2.5-year-old-still-under-warranty 1.9 150 cdti SRi (which I've owned for a year-and-a-half) has now suffered the following:

• split vacuum tubes - April '08
• intermittent fault lights that two main dealers repeatedly could not diagnose
• turbo failure in March '09 - replaced under warranty.
• swirl valve and injection manifold replaced last week, under warranty
• second turbo failure, also last week, which failed later on the day that I got the car back, following the swirl valve and manifold being replaced

When running, it's the best car I've ever owned; unfortunately it's the least reliable car I've ever owned.

It's got to the point now where I can't trust the car to get me to work and back; I've started scouring Autotrader and What Car? classifieds for something to trade it in for

[Vectralicker]

DONT DO IT...... stay with the brand!
I hear the Agila is doing really well!........

sorry to hear you have had so much probs bud!
not good. Altho, touch wood, iv pretty much always had vauxhalls, 8 of them, and never had an issue. Just bad luck wi that car i think bud. Get shot and find another!

[Fruit'n'nut]

DONT DO IT...... stay with the brand!
I hear the Agila is doing really well!........

You jest, surely!

I think I need something bigger than a 1.3 litre city car for my cross-country commute and family transport

[Fruit'n'nut]

TBH, if I was to stay with Vauxhall, I'd probably go for a 2nd-hand Astra 1.7 diesel, as the ones we have at work appear to be bullet-proof even when we've held them at the redline for miles on end.

[John-SRi]

To be fair I don't think its a Vauxhall problem...its a diesel problem.

Prior to my Vectra C (which is a 1.8 petrol) I had a Mondeo TDCi 130 and I absolutly loved it! Excellent power and being the top spec Ghia X had all the kit. Alas, it spent more time off the road getting engine faults repaired than it did on the road. This was one of the major deciding factors in me selling up (lots of common faults plus, with common rail diesel technology still being rather new repair work is expensive) and is also one of the main reasons I went back to a good old petrol when I bought the Vectra.

I miss the diesel power, however prior to the 54plate TDCi I had a 52 plate Mondeo 1.8 Zetec petrol and I regret selling that car to replace it with the diesel one tbh as all ever went wrong with that was a snapped spring when I clattered a speed hump at a fair old speed!! So it would be wrong of me to say I would never buy a Ford again when all the Fords I have owned in the past have been perfectly reliable, until the TDCi!

[Fruit'n'nut]

To be fair I don't think its a Vauxhall problem...its a diesel problem

Yes, it's a good point, common rail diesels have their share of problems. Some of the older engine designs seem more robust, with the problems already ironed out.

Regardless, having picked my Vectra up tonight, it seems to be running well, but it's too late; I've signed on the dotted line and traded it in for something new.

Watch this space

[hyperman]

Watch this space

still watching! come on spill the beans! what you bought?

[Fruit'n'nut]

Watch this space

still watching! come on spill the beans! what you bought?

I won't let on until I pick it up on Saturday!

[mark_647]

No !! What is it ??? I hope its not a Nissan Micra convertible !

[chrisvectra]

No !! What is it ??? I hope its not a Nissan Micra convertible !

psml