Hi
I was wondering if anyone knows if their is a problem with the relibility of the new model Vauxhall Astra?
I ask because today I saw about the 4th one in 3 weeks with its bonnet up on the hard shoulder of the motorway ironically I have seen them all on the M53 which runs through Elsemere Port straight past the Vauxhall factory in which they are produced!
Glad I bought a Honda!
Thanks
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very interesting, will ask a friend who works their tonight if he has heard anything.
tip on buying cars - never buy a model which has been around for less than a year.
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tip on buying cars - never buy a model which has been around for less than a year.
But if everyone took that advice, no one would ever test the cars ;o)
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I always let the French test Renaults for a year (or two)
The problem with the new Astra was that it arrived in the uk almost at the same time as Europe, No time to let the Germans acts as Opel Meerschweinchen.
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New Astra, looks very much like the old one to me.
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Really? Someone on here made the connection between the Astra and Almera. Since then, I can't seem to shake the idea that they look too similar. Would you believe it, an existing neighbour has a 53 Almera and another brought home a 54 Astra (presumably company car or something) and I was sitting in my car thinking how identical they look!
Adam
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I thinks it looks very simular to the new BMW 1 series especially aound the doors.
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Although it is now frequently cited as a good and reliable car, I remember doing lots of warranty work on mkIII Cavaliers in 1988/89, which petered out in 1990.
While I have some reservations, I would expect the new Astra will settle down to become a reliable motor. Having said that, I think that the nearly new mkIV Astras (like SWMBO's) are currently good value for money, and so would go for one of those at the moment.
I agree with the general advice, which is not to buy new introductions of popular cars - let the fleets deal with the teething troubles!
number_cruncher
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I know that Opel/Vauxhall once delayed the launch of the Carlton because of quality issues.
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Don't know about reliability, Opel is actually getting better than VW in some areas.
IMHO the "Astroalmera" looks like a proper Astra - full, almost combi like hatchback, in tradition of the UK's favourite Astra 91-98. However I did like previous Astra, the 98-03 one, and actually think that ditching it was a mistake. In fact it should've been called Kadett or Cavalier instead of Astra from the very beginning, as it's one of the very characteristic saloonish looking Opel hatches and kept in model line as mid size family option, one size smaller than Vectra.
I also think it's time for Vauxhall to drop the cheap silver "V" trims and opt for clean, Opel grille designs with simple logo. Unless it's changed to match current trends the new Astra will probably look really quirky, really soon, with it's weird spider headlamps and misplaced looking chromed trims around tailgate etc (how can you colour code everything including door handles and then just slap thick, chrome bar on tailgate!).
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I dont think it will be long before all cars look the same.computer designed is the key.Variants of motor I doubt much different.as I recall VX. said a while ago they want all cars they make look the same. I think all motors will look the same in the future.I suspect they are getting there?. Difference will be on drive/engine?
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Was mech1
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I don't know this area (M53) but if the assembly plant is so close could these cars be on test.
I recall many years ago that when visiting friends near Crewe, it was quite common to see RR's on the roadside undergoing some adjustment or other.
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In responce to Billsboy post, the 4 new Astra break downs I have seen were was close to the plant but I don't think they were on test. I have seen cars from the plant on test but they have all had trade plates on and have been driven by people in Vauxhall overalls. All the Astra's I have seen broken down, including one in a very dangerous spot on the moterway slip road in rush hour have all been registred, with non technican type people by them, usually on the mobile phone - to the RAC/AA I guess.
I must admit I have never been a huge fan of Vauxhalls or the image that goes with them (either rep man in the Vectra or young idiot in a Corsa), but I do like the look of the new Astra and the interior is in my opinion is much nicer than on the stupidly over priced Golf V - I am just a little concerned about the reliabilty.
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Perhaps Vauxhall's problem is that there aren't enough really good, persuasive reasons to choose one over its rivals. I've never had a Vauxhall in 35 years of car owning: I'm not anti, just never been persuaded to buy one although I've had plenty of test drives.
Compared with the Astra, the Focus is more fun to drive, the Golf is more solid and holds is value better, the Civic has more room and is likely to be more reliable.....the Astra is neither particularly good nor bad in any of these areas.
Vauxhalls need a USP - come on, someone tell me what I've been missing.
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In contrast, I have never understood why people pay the premium for a Golf over something like an Astra. In terms of technology and engineering, the cars are extraordinarily similar.
The reliability of Volkswagens is, I beleive mainly the result of clever advertising by VW. I struggle to see sound engineering reasons for any great difference between them - perhaps someone will be along to explain...
The main reasons for car breakdowns are electrical. The electrics on both VW and Vauxhall are predominantly Bosch and Siemens - so no fundamental difference there.
When you consider the 8 valve petrol engines in Golfs and Astras, the differences are really quite subtle. I think the main one is that VW used direct acting tappets, as opposed to finger followers.
I think the bodyshell of the mkIV Astra 'seems' more rigid than the mkIII (the mkII really was a bit rubbish!), so is the best since the mkI.
I think that the customers perception of solidity of any car may however be 'affected' by sound quality engineering. By this, I mean that the sound made by a door shutting is tweaked and tuned until it sounds solid. There is no real customer benefit to this - it doesn't make the car any more or less able to fulfil its function, but, it makes people *think* a car is solid. Computer aided design, aerodynamics, crashworthiness and NCAP all make car bodyshells for this type of car fundamentally similar in terms of strenght and weight.
In my family, we have run Vauxhalls for 20 years - completey with fuss, bother or breakdown. We were initially attracted by the ease of working on Astras, and had none of the early camshaft trouble because we changed the oil regularly.
Of course, a neglected car of any brand can let you down - I think I see as many VWs at the roadside as I do Vauxhalls. I don't think VWs are bad cars - just not worth the premium.
I am concerned that they are no longer so easy to work on - but practically that hasn't caused me any trouble - touches wood :-)
number_cruncher
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I have just purchased a New Astra, 1.8 Design and I can't fault it in general.
The only fault I do have is the placement of the electric windows buttons on the drivers door. For some reason its too easy to open the rear windows instead of the front ones. Maybe I should take my eyes of the road and lok what I'm doing.....
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> The only fault I do have is the placement of the electric windows buttons on the drivers door. For some reason it's too easy to open the rear windows instead of the front ones. Maybe I should take my eyes of the road and lok what I'm doing.....
Have to agree with that.
The *only* place to put lecky window switches is next to the gear lever base, thus making it easy to close windows when moving off (say from a junction where you opened the window for clarity). The same hand then controls gears and windows, meaning no juggling between hands to operate handbrake, change gear, hold steering wheel, close window, hold steering wheel change gear. This approach also has the advantage of allowing front rear and left to right button spacing to be increased.
This is the only design flaw that I can find in the otherwise perfect ergonomics of my V70 2.4T. Last year, on a French autoroute I stopped to pay a toll, and hit the 'down' button on my door. Because of rain, I then flicked the switch to stop the window going down, but instead pulled the rear switch up. This of course did nothing, so fumbling around getting wet, I pulled hard on the driver's window switch. This invoked 'auto up', so with a hand full of cash, and concentration now totally split between functions, I ended up squashing my throat between window and door frame, to great hilarity from my three passengers...
As I said, switches in the middle, please, manufacturers.
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"The *only* place to put lecky window switches is next to the gear lever base"
The acknowledged kings of ergonomics (BMW) step forward. Then step back - guess where they are not on the 5.
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> The acknowledged kings of ergonomics (BMW) step forward
I-Drive?
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha HA HA HA.... head falls off! ;-)
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I know. :-(
They were once though, drive any old style 3 series and you'll see what I mean. I drive ain't that bad actually - works well for any profficient text sender - but it isn't brilliant
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The *only* place to put lecky window switches is next to the gear lever base
My doggy friends agree. One of them has developed a particularly deft piece of dance: bounce from passenger seat to one-touch window button, thence to open window, in order to hang head out and bark at 2-legged animals.
If the switches are on the drivers door, they are much better for the humans, but deprive a dog of the all-important chance to operate them without being impeded.
In fact, putting switches in the middle is an all-round great idea. The window-opening dog has also discovered the comic potential of pressing the "W" button beside the gearchange, just before the car pulls away from a junction.
Maybe this new BMW button device has been designed for dogs to use?
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