Hi, been reading through the forum and suspect I may need to have my valve clearances adjusted on my '95 Isuzu engine Astra, as this appears to be the most common cause of cold starting problems.
Question is, what's a decent price to get this work done at a garage / main dealer and how long should it take?
Thanks!
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My brothers car was done by an independent garage, dropped it off about 9am picked it up about 4.30pm and cost him around £90 all in. I would assume from the price it's a couple of hours work at the most.
Steve.
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with any diesel cold starting problems, the first thing I would check out is the glowplugs. This would probably be even cheaper...
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Agreed, look at the glowplugs first. If they are OK then I think the next thing should be the valve clearances as valve seat sinkage is a very common problem with the Isuzu-engined Astras.
I believe the OE Vauxhall glow plugs are quite expensive and a full set is likely to cost about the same as valve clearance resetting, i.e. in the region of £90 - £100.
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I believe the OE Vauxhall glow plugs are quite expensive....
£5.95 or £8.95 each vat from Autovaux.
www.autovaux.co.uk/StockList.asp?carID=30&cat=45
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That's a good price, DD, a lot cheaper than my friend paid at his Vauxhall dealership. However Autovaux don't say if they are OE parts or even what make they are.
There is a lot of difference in quality and life expectancy between different makes of glow plug. There is one (Japanese, but not NGK) that has only a mild steel heating coil and wouldn't be expected to last beyond 12 months. Another maker uses cobalt steel, which must cost more but should last a lot longer.
If ever my car needs new glow plugs I will be looking for BERU as a first choice, probably followed by NGK.
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Dizzy, the 'about us' page mentions "All our parts are sourced from the original manufacturer where possible and every part is of the highest quality, with the same warranty periods as a dealer supplied part."
If unsure, could always email them first and ask politely.
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Dizzy, the 'about us' page mentions "All our parts are sourced from the original manufacturer where possible and every part is of the highest quality, with the same warranty periods as a dealer supplied part." >>
I did read that statement, but it isn't very conclusive. "Where possible" might mean "where the price is right". It certainly doesn't mean that all parts offered are Original Equipment.
"Highest quality" also doesn't mean much, unless they get every part expertly assessed against all others on the market. I would accept "high quality" but that's a lot different from "highest quality".
I assume the warranty is for a year? That's fine, but I'd want some parts to last a lot longer than that. "Warranty" doesn't equate to "long life".
I'm not having a go at Autovaux; we need firms like this to keep car parts at a sensible price level and I have no reason whatsoever to doubt their integrity. All I'm trying to say is that we should always read between the lines of advertising claims to see what is *really* being said.
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