What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Vauxhall Astra won't engage first in cold weather - what's the fault?

I own a 2012 Vauxhall Astra 2.0 diesel. On cold mornings, I cannot select first gear and I have to take off in second, before I am then able to select first.

The vehicle has been inspected by my local Vauxhall dealership who were unable to diagnose. Can you provide any suggestions of possible causes?

Asked on 27 November 2014 by J.D.W

Answered by Honest John
Moisture in the transmission fluid. Get it changed, and consider a Molybdenum Disulphide transmission additive such as Wynns or STP.
Similar questions
I'm considering a 2016 Renault Kadjar 1.5 diesel. It drives and rides lovely, gearchange and clutch operation good and no noises. But I've noticed the gear lever wobbles a lot when driving along. Is this...
My 2001 Mitsubishi Shogun has developed a gearbox fault. It started as a small glitch when changing gears, but now the car won't move. It changes gears fine, but won't engage. I managed to get it towed...
I own a Nissan Micra with a manual gearbox. I have had the car from new (five months) and had no problems until recently. Indeed, when the weather became colder in October, I noticed the downshift from...
Related models
Good combination of ride quality, steering and safe handling. Strong yet economical 1.4 turbo engine. Frugal CDTi diesels. Neatly styled interior.