Thats still a new car to me, of course its worth servicing, our cars are 16 and 19 and get serviced properly by me, there's years left in both of them.

If money's tight buy the parts and oil and DIY it, a simple enough vehicle to work on.

Edited by FoxyJukebox on 04/11/2024 at 08:13

A main dealer will follow Vauxhall's mandated schedule but for a car of this age a decent independent will be more appropriate. A good mechanic can assess the condition of the coolant and check the brake fluid for moisture content. I would also ask then to inspect the cambelt (assuming this engine has one), it shouldn't be much time to take the cover off for a quick look.

The 1.7 Isuzu engine is usually very reliable BUT you need to know when the cam belt was last changed. If it needs changing get it done, it's not hugely expensive.

If it has the 6 speed M32 gearbox, listen out for whining in 5th and 6th gears and excessive gearstick movement on acceleration/overrun. It's a sign of worn bearings which will eventually fail and wreck the box. A remedy for this isn't cheap.

Edited by shauncwalsh on 04/11/2024 at 09:58

Taking on a 12-year-old car calls for [a] regular (not necessarily frequent) and full servicing and [b] checking the MoT record for suggestions of incipient corrosion. Diesels muck up their oil faster than petrol engines - I get oil and filter changes after 7 or 8K miles, rather sooner than the maker's schedule. If the coolant reservoir lets you see the colour of the contents, change them if it is brown or dirty, not blue or reddish - unless you know it has been done, of course. Brake fluid - quite possibly never changed. If the brakes have never been fully overhauled, that may be worth doing and not expensive.

All that being good, keep the car as long as it stays together.

Just remember, the main part of these servicing costs are labour.

Guaranteed to be in excess of £100 an hour at any dealership.My local Merc dealer wanted £220 an hour +vat labour!

An oil change on an Astra, is a little more complex than emptying a sink, then filling it back up again!

Go independent or do it yourself.

<< Just remember, the main part of these servicing costs is labour. Go independent or do it yourself. >>

Independents charge from £50 an hour upwards - typically about £70 outside the expensive areas.

So that's approximately £100 for an oil and filter change, all in for a diesel Astra.

Bargain, without getting your hands dirty.

That's basically a full service anyway these days. Except for an air filter, most other stuff is just visual.

You don't need any service history on a shed!