Vauxhall Astra H Estate - A recent Astra recall?

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Wed 27 Oct 2010 15:49
Vauxhall Astra H Estate - A recent Astra recall? - Waino

On returning to my 3-year old Astra Estate at the local supermaket car park, I found a photocopied A4 leaflet stuffed under the wiper headed 'Vauxhall Customer Notice - Important Recall Notice'. It went on ' We have checked with the Vauxhall database and believe that your vehicle is due a manufacturer recall on a specific maintenance or safety issue. This recall work will be carried out completely free of charge. Please contact us on the number below so we can explain the exact details of your vehicle recall notice and book your vehicle in at your earliest convenience' .......... It then gave the correct contact details for my local main Vauxhall dealer.

It just strikes me as bit odd that there should be a recall notice stuffed under my windscreen wiper by someone stumbling across my particular car in a supermarket car park. Even more so considering that my car has been serviced from birth and had its first Mot with the aforementioned local main dealer. They have all the records.

Is this a genuine recall - or a cynical attempt to drum up business? Incidentally, I've rung the dealer and am awaiting a reply.

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Wed 27 Oct 2010 16:03
Vauxhall Astra H Estate - A recent Astra recall? - OG

It seems a pretty slip shod way of doing a recall, I'd be very suspicious.

There have been a few recalls affecting the Astra H but you can check if your car has already been covered from Vauxhall's own database.

www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/recalls/recalls.jsp?&am...0

Address at the bottom of the page.

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Wed 27 Oct 2010 17:30
Vauxhall Astra H Estate - A recent Astra recall? - madf

Scam.

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Wed 27 Oct 2010 18:07
Vauxhall Astra H Estate - A recent Astra recall? - Waino

Being a suspicious old git, I sensed (and still sense) a scam of some sort. After 2 hours, the dealer hadn't rung me back so I got on to them again (I'm on free calls). I put the circumstances to the young lady answering the phone who assured me that there was, indeed, a recent Vauxhall recall and that the Service Manager would ring me back as soon as he was out of a meeting.

I will report back.

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Thu 28 Oct 2010 14:57
Vauxhall Astra H Estate - A recent Astra recall? - Waino

Still without a response from the 'Service Manager', I rang the Vauxhall main dealer again at lunchtime. Eventually they managed to get hold of him and I was informed that it was a 'maintenance recall' - a small clip had to be replaced as the original was considered too weak. A failure would result in the horn not working.

It still seems a strange way to go about informing Vauxhall drivers of a recall - there was no indication on the note under the wiper to say if this applied to all recent Vauxalls, or just the Astra or, indeed, what the fault entailed. Presumably, although the job is free to me, the dealer would be paid by Vauxhall and is therefore drumming up business in this rather haphazard way.

The clips aren't in at the moment, so I'll have to take the car in next week.

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Thu 28 Oct 2010 17:16
Vauxhall Astra H Estate - A recent Astra recall? - OG

I'd be worrying about what else they might find that "needs fixing".

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Thu 28 Oct 2010 18:02
Vauxhall Astra H Estate - A recent Astra recall? - Victorbox

I believe the horn only stops working on Astra H's & Zafira B's where the steering wheel has radio remote controls on the wheel but more here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2010/04/horn_doesnt_warn.html

It would seem that part of the loom is replaced - more than just a "clip". I'd still be suspicious and even check with another dealer!

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Thu 28 Oct 2010 18:24
Vauxhall Astra H Estate - A recent Astra recall? - Waino

Thanks for the 'Watchdog' link, Victorbox.

My Astra was registered '56', in Feb 2007 - so would have been built, I would estimate, in late 2006. It has steering wheel controls for the radio and therefore appears to fit the criteria described in the report.

I had heard of the horn/lights switched on problem before but assumed that, as I had experienced no problems, there would be no need to do anything about it as my car hadn't been affected. I'll quiz the chap further next week when I get the phone call.

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Sat 6 Nov 2010 16:36
Vauxhall Astra H Estate - A recent Astra recall? - Waino

Just to bring you up to date on this one, I arranged to take the car into the main dealer at 10.30 yesterday morning – “It’ll only take half an hour or so, sir”

I should mention that my colleague, from whom I had bought the car, had warned me about this place. “They are completely disorganised, will keep you waiting and there will be nowhere to park the car.” They didn’t let me down on any of these points – my friend had not exaggerated. The only reason that he had used the place for 3 years was because the car was on a rental agreement and the rental company/warranty demanded it be taken there.

After being kept waiting for about 15mins, I gave the service receptionist my name and told her that the car was booked in for a recall. She kept repeating her mantra “the workshop is very busy this morning, sir, and all the mechanics are busy”. I reaffirmed that I was booked in for 10.30 and that the job would only take half an hour or so. She repeated her mantra so I handed over the keys, told her that the car was currently blocking their side entrance (there was nowhere else to leave it) and that I’d be back at noon.

I took coffee in town and arrived back at the said dealer at noon where I had another 15 minute wait while they established that the car was ready.

The story that I was given was that the replacement of the wiring loom or replacement of the ECU etc were all desperate red herrings thought up in panic. The horn/lights problem had been finally nailed down to an ‘inadequate’ clip that had to be replaced.

As my friend had surmised, they appear to have given up on service and servicing in order to give over more space to cars for sale. They have set out their stall and I can't see me returning to this place for routine servicing in the future.

Edited by Waino on 06/11/2010 at 16:41

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