michaelgeorge
25-07-2007, 12:24 PM
Worthwhile improvements over original behind the Spring facelift 1999 facelift. Smooth ride remains, especially good on motorways. 14' 8" long; 5' 7" wide. From 1,185kg to 1,427kg. Long-lasting chain-cam direct-injected 81bhp 2.0 litre DI 16v engines. Bargain model 1.6 16v Expression with a/c launched 24/8/2000 at £10,995 OTR. 147 bhp 2.2 litre chain cam four replaces 2.0 in Vectra from 2001, plus uprated 125 bhp 2.2 DTi 16v diesel and uprated 125 bhp 1.8 petrol. 2.5 V6 grew to 2.6 litres with same power but more torque. Three year warranty from October 2000. New prices announced on 7-11-2000 from £13,250 for 1.6i 16v Club to £20,945 for 2.6i V6 CDX estate, with 147bhp 2.2LS competing directly against 125bhp Mondeo 1.8LX at £14,595. Suspect 20,000 mile oil change regime introduced at the same time. 145mph 2.6 GSi with bigger brakes, priced at £18,595 from Spring 2001. Vauxhalls generally had below average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct
What's Bad
Still only a three star performer in 2001 NCAP crash safety tests. Clutch replacement remains a five- to-six-hour job involving engine removal instead of the simple half-hour job it was on the Cavalier. Stodgy handling with severe understeer of early cars not entirely cured even in the 1999 improvements. Styled door mirrors give limited view. DI 16v has undeserved reputation as an oil burner. What actually happens is that oil collects in the 16v head and takes a long time to drain back to the sump. Dip within an hour of stopping and you will get a falsely low reading leading you to overfill with fresh oil. But engine also seems to have a genuine oil consumption problem. Apparently, the bores were machined with too high a gloss. Running-in oil has been used to attempt a quick fix, has been known to cause other problems. Vauxhall/Opel will not accept liability because it would mean expensive repairs to most 2.0DI and 2.2DI Vauxhall/Opel models. Several pressure groups are emerging to try to get Vauxhall/Opel to take responsibility: www.zafirauk.tk and www.peachorlemon.co.uk 2001 model year ex-fleet cars which have been subject to 20,000 mile oil changes will not be as good a second-hand buy as cars which have had their oil changed every 6 months or 7,000 miles at most. Plug leads deteriorate and are ridiculously expensive to replace. Whole dash needs to come out to replace odometer bulb. DIs seem to need new mass/airflow sensors every 36,000 miles. Timing belt and tensioner changes re-scheduled from 80,000 miles to 40,000 miles on engines which have them. Timing belts on 4 cylinder 16v engines also drive the water pump which can shed its impeller blades and seize, throwing off the belt, so best to change water pump too. Tensioner bolt which passes through oil pump also prone to fracture, leaving belt untensioned and apt to fly off. Internal roof stiffener bars on estate models can become unglued due to heat and cold on the roof and cause a rattle. Best tyres for older non-sporty Vectras are Pirelli P6000s. Best for new SRis and GSis are Yokohamas. Front suspension can wear prematurely. 15th from Bottom of 100 models for reliability in Auto Express 2002 survey. See 'What to Watch Out For' for a lot more faults. Clarkson was right first time. Now suffering corrosion of area around rear door latches. Franchises will repair under 6 year no perforation warranty, but only if service history is stamped up with corrosion inspections by Vauxhall franchises. Starting to get reports of water pump failure throwing off timing belts on 2.0 litre 16v petrol models. Noise from rear of car which sounds like wheel bearing noise is usually due to uneven rear tyre wear. Gearbox problems now beginning to emerge on late 1.8s. 2.2 16v petrol engine has been known to snap its timing chain due to the lubrication jet becoming blocked, possibly as a result of running on dirty oil due to extented oil change intervals. Ignition control unit of 2.2 petrol engine is prone to burning out. Repeated a/c compressor failures are common and using the a/c once a week does not seem to prevent this. On diesels, older F18 gearbox prone to fail and by 2005later e F23 gearboxes were failing too. Only 88% breakdown free in 2003 Which survey. 28th from bottom out of 137 models in 2003 Top Gear survey. Only 89% of cars up to 2 years old breakdown-free over previous 12 months in 2004 Which? survey. 2004 Which? quote: "Disappointment on wheels. A slightly depressing driving experience and woeful build quality." Automati transmissions can be repeatedly troublesome. On petrol engines the waterpump is driven by the timing belt and needs replacing every second belt change, ie at 80k miles.
Clutch failure may be due to failure of a no return valve in the pipework rather than failure of the clutch master cylinder or slave cylinder.
What to Watch Out For
Ex-Vauxhall Masterhire cars come with trustworthy print-out of full service history, including cambelt changes every 35,000-40,000 miles. Vectras from other fleets might have been clocked, so be sure to check mileages properly. Older SRis on Firestones may suffer premature tyre wear. Make sure ABS light comes on, then goes out when it should. If engine misses, may have faulty ECU and cat may be hot spotted. Alternatively, may be camshaft or crankshaft position sensor: a £150 - £170 job, but a lot more if the misfire has spiked the cat. Or may simply be mosture in the connectors (a very common Vauxhall/Opel problem). May suffer steering column rattle. May have been run on cheap petrol and suffering sticking valves as a result. Check all window regulators. If idle speed of 1.6. 1.8 or 2.0 petrol engine is 1200 - 2000 rpm the problem is the idle adjustor control valve (Air Intake Control Valve). Needs cleaning with fuel system cleaner but if that doesn't work it needs replacing at £113 + VAT and modifying by fitting an oil separator. Tends to happen at 60-70k miles. Make sure a/c blows cold. 1995-2000 petrol models average for breakdowns, but poor for problems and faults; 1998-2000 diesel models average for problems but poor for breakdowns and faults; 2001-2002 petrol models poor for breakdowns, problems and faults in 2003 Which survey.
Vauxhall Z22SE 2.2 litre engine was modified from March 2002, engine number 11065400, to overcome the timing chain lubrication problem. The problem was caused by an undersized oil spray nozzle which got blocked, starving the timing chain of oil. If the timing chain problem has been subsequently rectified, a modified `bolt' is fitted, with `nicks' on the corners of the hexagon.
Replace batteries in remote keys every year as failure leaves you locked out of the car and requires expensive recoding.
2.0 DTI can suffer difficult starting when parked overnight facing uphill and ECU limp node cutting in when driving up steep hills. The real cause is the O ring seals in the quick release couplings to the fuel filter. The fuel line empties back to the tank when air is bled in past the seals. This pocket of air, on starting, pushes the fuel out of the filter the engine starts, runs for a few seconds and stops as the air comes through. Long cranking starts the engine. The cure is new O rings and as a safe-guard, a non-return valve in the fuel tank line. This same filter is fitted to many Vauxhalls. It is a French Purflux unit, Fram UK.
Recalls
June 2000 recall of V6 models due to crankshaft fault. 2001: TSB about voltage spikes from the alternator damaging the camshaft sensor. This is prevented by unpicking the wiring loom and re-routing the cam and crankshaft sensor cables together around the front of the airbox, keeping them away from the alternator. Apparent TSB at unknown date to modify oil feed to timing chain tensioner of 2.2 litre engine. TSB 'Reworks' include:-
UK01R11 - Alternator B & terminal
UK01R12 - ECU reprogramming
UK01R13 - Radio CD changer discharge battery
What's Bad
Still only a three star performer in 2001 NCAP crash safety tests. Clutch replacement remains a five- to-six-hour job involving engine removal instead of the simple half-hour job it was on the Cavalier. Stodgy handling with severe understeer of early cars not entirely cured even in the 1999 improvements. Styled door mirrors give limited view. DI 16v has undeserved reputation as an oil burner. What actually happens is that oil collects in the 16v head and takes a long time to drain back to the sump. Dip within an hour of stopping and you will get a falsely low reading leading you to overfill with fresh oil. But engine also seems to have a genuine oil consumption problem. Apparently, the bores were machined with too high a gloss. Running-in oil has been used to attempt a quick fix, has been known to cause other problems. Vauxhall/Opel will not accept liability because it would mean expensive repairs to most 2.0DI and 2.2DI Vauxhall/Opel models. Several pressure groups are emerging to try to get Vauxhall/Opel to take responsibility: www.zafirauk.tk and www.peachorlemon.co.uk 2001 model year ex-fleet cars which have been subject to 20,000 mile oil changes will not be as good a second-hand buy as cars which have had their oil changed every 6 months or 7,000 miles at most. Plug leads deteriorate and are ridiculously expensive to replace. Whole dash needs to come out to replace odometer bulb. DIs seem to need new mass/airflow sensors every 36,000 miles. Timing belt and tensioner changes re-scheduled from 80,000 miles to 40,000 miles on engines which have them. Timing belts on 4 cylinder 16v engines also drive the water pump which can shed its impeller blades and seize, throwing off the belt, so best to change water pump too. Tensioner bolt which passes through oil pump also prone to fracture, leaving belt untensioned and apt to fly off. Internal roof stiffener bars on estate models can become unglued due to heat and cold on the roof and cause a rattle. Best tyres for older non-sporty Vectras are Pirelli P6000s. Best for new SRis and GSis are Yokohamas. Front suspension can wear prematurely. 15th from Bottom of 100 models for reliability in Auto Express 2002 survey. See 'What to Watch Out For' for a lot more faults. Clarkson was right first time. Now suffering corrosion of area around rear door latches. Franchises will repair under 6 year no perforation warranty, but only if service history is stamped up with corrosion inspections by Vauxhall franchises. Starting to get reports of water pump failure throwing off timing belts on 2.0 litre 16v petrol models. Noise from rear of car which sounds like wheel bearing noise is usually due to uneven rear tyre wear. Gearbox problems now beginning to emerge on late 1.8s. 2.2 16v petrol engine has been known to snap its timing chain due to the lubrication jet becoming blocked, possibly as a result of running on dirty oil due to extented oil change intervals. Ignition control unit of 2.2 petrol engine is prone to burning out. Repeated a/c compressor failures are common and using the a/c once a week does not seem to prevent this. On diesels, older F18 gearbox prone to fail and by 2005later e F23 gearboxes were failing too. Only 88% breakdown free in 2003 Which survey. 28th from bottom out of 137 models in 2003 Top Gear survey. Only 89% of cars up to 2 years old breakdown-free over previous 12 months in 2004 Which? survey. 2004 Which? quote: "Disappointment on wheels. A slightly depressing driving experience and woeful build quality." Automati transmissions can be repeatedly troublesome. On petrol engines the waterpump is driven by the timing belt and needs replacing every second belt change, ie at 80k miles.
Clutch failure may be due to failure of a no return valve in the pipework rather than failure of the clutch master cylinder or slave cylinder.
What to Watch Out For
Ex-Vauxhall Masterhire cars come with trustworthy print-out of full service history, including cambelt changes every 35,000-40,000 miles. Vectras from other fleets might have been clocked, so be sure to check mileages properly. Older SRis on Firestones may suffer premature tyre wear. Make sure ABS light comes on, then goes out when it should. If engine misses, may have faulty ECU and cat may be hot spotted. Alternatively, may be camshaft or crankshaft position sensor: a £150 - £170 job, but a lot more if the misfire has spiked the cat. Or may simply be mosture in the connectors (a very common Vauxhall/Opel problem). May suffer steering column rattle. May have been run on cheap petrol and suffering sticking valves as a result. Check all window regulators. If idle speed of 1.6. 1.8 or 2.0 petrol engine is 1200 - 2000 rpm the problem is the idle adjustor control valve (Air Intake Control Valve). Needs cleaning with fuel system cleaner but if that doesn't work it needs replacing at £113 + VAT and modifying by fitting an oil separator. Tends to happen at 60-70k miles. Make sure a/c blows cold. 1995-2000 petrol models average for breakdowns, but poor for problems and faults; 1998-2000 diesel models average for problems but poor for breakdowns and faults; 2001-2002 petrol models poor for breakdowns, problems and faults in 2003 Which survey.
Vauxhall Z22SE 2.2 litre engine was modified from March 2002, engine number 11065400, to overcome the timing chain lubrication problem. The problem was caused by an undersized oil spray nozzle which got blocked, starving the timing chain of oil. If the timing chain problem has been subsequently rectified, a modified `bolt' is fitted, with `nicks' on the corners of the hexagon.
Replace batteries in remote keys every year as failure leaves you locked out of the car and requires expensive recoding.
2.0 DTI can suffer difficult starting when parked overnight facing uphill and ECU limp node cutting in when driving up steep hills. The real cause is the O ring seals in the quick release couplings to the fuel filter. The fuel line empties back to the tank when air is bled in past the seals. This pocket of air, on starting, pushes the fuel out of the filter the engine starts, runs for a few seconds and stops as the air comes through. Long cranking starts the engine. The cure is new O rings and as a safe-guard, a non-return valve in the fuel tank line. This same filter is fitted to many Vauxhalls. It is a French Purflux unit, Fram UK.
Recalls
June 2000 recall of V6 models due to crankshaft fault. 2001: TSB about voltage spikes from the alternator damaging the camshaft sensor. This is prevented by unpicking the wiring loom and re-routing the cam and crankshaft sensor cables together around the front of the airbox, keeping them away from the alternator. Apparent TSB at unknown date to modify oil feed to timing chain tensioner of 2.2 litre engine. TSB 'Reworks' include:-
UK01R11 - Alternator B & terminal
UK01R12 - ECU reprogramming
UK01R13 - Radio CD changer discharge battery