Holden Astra - engine problems starting to appear

[arcane]

And the cam belt change on the Audi is??

Most modern Audi's are 80-90,000km. I did mine at 90-thou recently, and the belt had a fair bit of life left in it. The tensioner on the other hand...

[InsaneAsylum]

that's another prob with the opels, the tensioners turn to shit, hence when changing the belt you change the tensioners too

[MartyHusseinXF]

I've heard of heaps going before 60000kms, including my parents.

How many kms has the 2001 done Marty?

Cal.

Don't know she is now a bit upset and refusing to talk about it, I didn't even know she bought the piece of shit.

[tissue]

I am amazed that Joe Public think they are great "euro" cars when essentially they are unreliable shit heaps.

Yep. More unreliable than the Pulsar-derived Astra of the late 80s.

[Zac]

Hey Cal, I've got to go look at a 2001 factory Vauxhall dual-fuel tonight for a friend. You reckon if it's the belt model then get it switch - if not then it's a better bet?

What about other aspects of the car? I've heard of dodgy ECUs too. I've heard too many negative things about these cars to be confident but my friend is quite insistent about it (and mechanically clueless).

[RB30-POWER]

the only other things in life guaranteed apart from death and taxes, is your astra ecu earth tracks failing/melting off inside the ecu which is mounted to the engine (cant repair as they are sealed) and a faulty ac compressor clutch coil (not pulling in) thanks to the blown temp fuse mounted on the clutch coil that is rated to low from factory. (is a workaround most people will replace however at cost)

lost count at how many i have done...

[tez]

Apologies for the thread revival, friend of mine just had the timing belt in her 2001 Astra shit itself, did you end up getting any love from Holden on it Cal?

How much was the fix?

How many kms has it done may I ask.

[Cal]

Zac, my parents car has also had the ECU replaced. I'd avoid like the plague if I were you or your friend. i can't believe I'm going to say this, but in some ways they are quite a nice car. Very quiet and smooth for a car of that size/class. Brakes are quite wooden though. Steering is light, but with ok feel. The finish is also quite good. Still not worth it IMO.

Cal.

[rj_astra]

If you friend wants an Astra the the model to get is the SRi with the 2.2L engine. It doesn't suffer the cambelt (has a chain) and brake (has bigger brakes) issues of the normal 1.8L model.

[smellytofu]

As long as it doesn't have the lubrication issue with the chains...

Btw, the brakes are the same on all ABS models (easily identified by the 5 studs instead of 4). Turbo gets an even larger front brakes.

[Zac]

If you friend wants an Astra the the model to get is the SRi with the 2.2L engine. It doesn't suffer the cambelt (has a chain) and brake (has bigger brakes) issues of the normal 1.8L model.

I think we have that model over here. The one I looked at was a 1.6l ecotec with factory fitted LPG. My mate wants it mainly because it is congestion charge free (stands to save a lot over a 2 year period). After 25k miles it hasn't had the timing belt replaced so I am recommending that as priority. He's getting a quote on replacement price. But I can't get the words of Cal, XCOP, yourself out of my conscience!

[6thGear]

hey buddy, just wondering how much it cost to replace the ECU?

just wondering if anyone knows the model numbers for these engines, just so i can double check...

making me all paranoid...hehhe

thanks!

Zac, my parents car has also had the ECU replaced. I'd avoid like the plague if I were you or your friend. i can't believe I'm going to say this, but in some ways they are quite a nice car. Very quiet and smooth for a car of that size/class. Brakes are quite wooden though. Steering is light, but with ok feel. The finish is also quite good. Still not worth it IMO.

Cal.

[Cal]

hey buddy, just wondering how much it cost to replace the ECU?

Was $1200. You can't use a 2nd hand one either.

Cal.

[6thGear]

thanks for your quick reply dude.

was this due to the immobiliser, or? i thought you might be able to get a 2nd hand one if it was the same engine type?

Was $1200. You can't use a 2nd hand one either.

Cal.

[blackbart]

I am amazed that Joe Public think they are great "euro" cars when essentially they are unreliable shit heaps.

Thank you!

It shits me when people talk up their great European built cars like they even compare to Japanese stuff. Astra's, those crap things Ford brought out, Renault, Citroen, the list goes on of badly engineered crap heaps.

Do a couple of Renault Megane timing belts and see if you still love the Euro's.