July 2006
Here is an e-mail I received from Vauxhall today re the complaints about my car, they have confirmed that clutch judder is a 'characteristic' of the Astra. I really can't believe it, the whole car shakes for pity's sake if that's a characteristic then I'm going to be selling the car real soon!
Dear Mr Tink
Thank you for your further email.
I was very sorry to learn that you are experiencing difficulties with your
new vehicle and that the garage were unable to resolve these on your
vehicle's recent visit to their dealership.
However, I have spoken with Mr deleted, the Service Manager at
deleted, who explained what action had been taken regarding each of your
issues with the vehicle.
1. Fit new offside repeater.
This has been completed.
2. Dent/Crease in offside rear passenger door, investigate and repair.
3. Bonnet peppered many stone chips, please touch up.
Mr deleted advised that you had been speaking with their Sales
Manager, who is arranging for these to be rectified.
4. Car doesn?t always start straight away. Ignition lights come on but
no starter activity. When this happens takes 5 attempts to start.
They have been unable to replicate this fault, however, from the
symptoms you have described they feel the replacement of the CIM and
keys will resolve this concern. These parts are currently on order.
5. Serious judder from clutch/flywheel from cold. This happens when
pulling away until engine is warm. Whole car shakes. Seems to happen
when it has been cool & damp overnight Identical problem
experienced with previous Astra. Dangerous for me as have to pull out
straight from drive directly onto main road and never know when it will
happen.
Mr deleted has explained that clutch judder is a characteristic of the
model when starting the vehicle from cold. It is for this reason,
regrettably, no modification or repair can be recommended.
6. Not easy to engage clutch smoothly when changing gear seems to grab,
especially when air con is switched on. Difficult to drive smoothly in
stop-start driving ie in traffic.
No fault has been found in this area. However, Mr deleted has
explained that no vehicle will run as smoothly with the
air-conditioning on, as more load is put on the engine and it has to work
harder.
7. Air con smelly after switching off.
When your vehicle is returned for the replacement of the CIM and
keys, deleted will carry out an air-conditioning flush to
alleviate this.
8. Rattle from glovebox lid.
I understand that this has been addressed.
I have asked that Mr deleted contacts me again when your vehicle is with
them for the remainder of the work to be completed, and I will continue to
follow this matter until I receive confirmation that this has been
resolved.
It is regrettable that you have been unfortunate enough to experience these
concerns, and if you remain dissatisfied with the quality of the vehicle /
Network Q checks carried out by the dealership prior to sale, I would
respectfully suggest you contact the Sales Manager at deleted in order to
discuss this further.
Please be assured of my continued interest in this matter.
Kind Regards
deleted
deleted
Vauxhall Motors Limited
Griffin House, Osborne Road, Luton, LU1 3YT.
( 44 (0) deleted
Fax 44 (0) deleted
* deleted@vauxhall.co.uk
To
deleted@vauxhall.co.uk
01/07/2006 01:10 cc
Subject
Service Request No: 1-491934799
Dear deleted
Re: Vauxhall Astra, Reg No DU55***
Thank you for your letter dated 22 June 2006.
I thought I would write to you following my visit to deleted on 28 June to
let you know from my perspective what happened.
I left the car with deleted on the evening of the 27 June so they would be
able to test the car from cold on the 28th. Whilst I was there I spoke to
deleted who sold me the car and told him about the problems I had been
experiencing. He sympathized and said he was sorry he wouldn't be there on
the 28th as it was his day off. I arrannged with the service desk to give
me a call on the 28th when the car was ready to be collected.
On the 28th I waited until late afternoon for the call but it never came so
I called them back and they told me the car was ready to pick up but it
would have to go back as they had to order some parts. When I arrived at
the garage I spoke to one of the assistants on the service desk and was told
they'd ordered a new CIM unit (had this replaced twice in the last car) and
two new keys to try to cure the intermittent starting problem. When I
asked if they'd looked at any of the other problems on the list I'd given
them (copy attached) I was met with a blank face and a 'Sorry I don't
know'. They did say their 'dent guy' hadn't turned up and neither had
their 'paint guy'. I don't think the car should've passed a 'stringent'
Network Q check with a dent and many chips and scratches to the paintwork
but that's another story! None to pleased I booked the car in again
provisionally for the 11/12 July to get the problems looked at again.
Yesterday (30 June) I called deleted and told him of my frustration at
what had happened and asked if he'd found out anymore than I had about the
findings when my car was in. His reply was really quite surprising. He
said he had spoken to deleted, the technician who worked on my car and he told
him that the clutch/flywheel judder is a 'characteristic' of the Astra H
and 'they all do it'. I the told him that I experienced it again that
morning and also about the car being really difficult to use the
accelerator and engage the clutch smoothly when the air con is on. The
whole driving experience is really jerky and I feel like I'm a learner
driver again! Deleted agreed that I shouldn't notice any difference when the
air con is switched on. He then suggested that when I take my car in on
the 11th that he will drive my car to see if he experiences this problem.
I said I would like to try another Astra 1.8 to see if that drove the same
way but that request was conveniently ignored! So this is where we're at
now.
I really do find all the waiting around quite disgusting when in the
meantime I have to drive around in a car that isn't up to a satisfactory
standard let alone the Network Q standard. The car was delivered to me
with a dent in the rear passenger door, many paint chips on the bonnet that
hadn't been touched up, a starting problem, the clutch/flywheel problem and
the jerky controls when using air con. I wish now I hadn't accepted the
car or could ask for my money back. I've owned the car two months now and
can honestly say I've not enjoyed driving it once. Ironically before I
bought this car I told the Sales Manager at deleted of all the problems I
experienced with my previous Astra and he said 'Well Vauxhall should've
replaced it with another one'. I expect now this car has just as many
problems and the ball is in his court he'll be singing a different tune!
Hopefully the information I've given you will allow you to reply more
subjectively than with just deleted opinion alone.
I thought you may find the following web links quite interesting, forum
posts by Astra drivers who are experiencing the same judder problem as me:
www.m1gst.com/vb/showthread.php?t=69624
www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8...r
www.astra-sri.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=10590
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=38296&...f
I am desperate to have my faith in Vauxhall restored but while this saga
continues I can't see that happening. I went through so much hassle with
the last car to go through it all again with another is quite frankly soul
destroying!
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Matthew Tink
{Various parts of this thread have been amended/edited to satisy the no naming / shaming policy this site operates - DD} Read more
I have recentally (yesterday) found that my gearbox seems to have changed - It will go into a gear but it is either tough or I need to do it slowly. It seems to be the same for all changes but I am not sure what to do.
The car is a S plate Ka and not very expensive and therefore dont want to pay out for repairs if not needed.
Advice on what to do and potential costs would be greatly appreciated Read more
Box down means the gearbox will have to be separated from the engine. If it's a clutch fault, replacing the gearbox won't help (and it's probably unnecessary anyway)
I would guesstimate £200-£250 for a clutch on a Ka. I can't see it being a particularly awkward job on the Ka (unlike the Mondeo which requires the front end of the car to be dismantled)
Cheers
DP
The airbag light on my 51 sxi has been flashing on and off for some while now but now it's on permanent! What could it mean? Any help massively appreciated before i spend my cash! Read more
independant may be cheaper here than the dealer if garage has the right gear,sykes pickavant are good on this model im led to believe?
Does anyone know if I can isolate my alarm? I am going on holiday and leaving it in my driveway. The alarm has a habit of going off for no reason, don't want it to be doing this whilst I am away and annoying the neighbours!
In my manual it tells me how to isloate the interior movement detector but not how to completely disable it (it also has doors, boot and bonnet switches on it.
Any help appreciated. Read more
Hi bobbyg
just to let you know the set up of your alarm you cannot isolate the sounder from the alarm as suggested its all in one I have tried,yes the bonnet switch is very trouble- some mine was and the dealer had not a clue about the alarm.but found that if like mine it goes off randomly then the only cure seems to be glue a rubber pad or similar on the bonnet in the correct position so as to depress the swicth fully (their is no reliable adjustment of this cheap / rubbish swich).Since Ihave done this simple modification no more intermittent false alarms.Hope this is of some use.I would not personnaly dissable the alarm if Iwas going away on holiday.
--
rustbucket (the original)
No grief please, but i have agreed to part exchange my car for a new one.
Question: when i drop off the old car, can I take out the tax disc for a refund (there is nothing on the paperwork to say i have agreed to pass over the tax)? Read more
>>No mention of it being included in the trade in price though.>>
As I said, it's a nice little earner...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Don't get taken to the cleaners :-)
OK the RAC rocket boots advert exists in a universe of its own in terms of crap adverts so is excluded from competition.
But of the current crop I would have to nominate the Dodge Caliber advert as the crappiest. The strap line for me is 'WE HAVE DELIBERATELY MADE AN UGLY CAR'.
Other nominations? Read more
Oh wow Barry. I knew he was a superstar
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
I have a problem with the ignition switch ,when you have pulled the key out and the centre barrell springs out for the steering lock .when you put the key back in to start the car the ignition key fails to turn without a lot of fiddling about.if i stop the barrell springing out there is no problem,i would be grateful for any remedies.... Read more
Sorry, please ignore it. Was sure this thread was about a Saab. Too much work, too little sleep I think!!
Why does a 1.9 TiD have 150 Bhp and the 2.2 Tid only have 120Bhp? Can the Bhp of the 2.2 be 'upped' safely by replacing the EMS with that of one from a 1.9? Or, is it just a case of changing a chip in the ESM? Logic says a bigger engine should be more powerfull but I sense it's not as easy as that! Any ideas?
Read more
It all started with a question which was raised due to me not knowing the full 'ins & outs'. I'm not planning on changing anything to do with the EMS. Apart from the problems I have at the moment the car is fantastic. I now know that I have old but reliable technolgy and not the technology that the 1.9 is based upon. Many thanks to all who have shared/parted with their pearls of wisdom and given me suggestions for where to look for more info. I have looke at Saabscene and there's enough there to keep me going for quiet a while! Once again, thanks you.
Kind regards,
Karl.
I've just noticed in the last few days my 2002 1.8 TDDI Focus is making what I can only describe as a 'sticking tappet' type of noise for a couple of seconds after startup (a loud ticking type of sound, tick-tick-tick then it goes away quickly)
This happens even with the engine warm and the ambient temparature is around 25C at the moment!
Is this a common fault with this engine? I'm pretty disturbed to have this sort of problems at 70k with oil changes every 6k (always using good oil as well). I've only ever had this type of thing happen at the 100K plus mark on previous cars, and even then, only when the engine was good and cold. I'm not sure whether the valve clearances are adjustable on this or if it is hydraulic tappets? Read more
Thats a lot of information about filters I never knew! I think I'll get the oil and filter changed again, and for the sake of argument use an OE filter and see how it goes over the next couple of months.
I've used non-OEM filters on a wide variety of cars for many years and never had a problem, but there is always a first time - perhaps I simply have a dodgy filter.
Thanks for all the info and advice!
Browse
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There has been a replacement clutch issued, and if I'm not mistaken should a customer complain of the clutch juddering when cold, Vauxhall will look into it and replace if found to be faulty. Take a look at the latter end of the following thread.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=38296