I wrote a while ago with the problem of a vectra that ran sluggish from cold every now and then. Well the time has come where it's not running at all and on quick inspection they think it's the fuel pump and the none official price quote was very high indeed.
Does anyone know how long these units should last for miles/years and if it's worthwhile/possible to buy reconditioned or non vauxhall units, the guy at the garage suggest the pumps cost from £700 - 2000 + VAT depending on type and needless to say I really can't afford that.
Why are these units so expensive?
Yours in desperation!
Phil
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Precision engineering does not come cheap......
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Phil,
you say garage....
Is this the Vauxhall agent or other.?
personally I would go to a Bosch centre and ask them to check out the fuel injection system. For a garage to quickly identify the pump as the culprit sounds a bit suspect. They don't have the specialised test equipment to come out with this diagnosis and as your car has the latest Bosch high pressure pump I would say a Bosch centre is a must.
Alvin
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Hi.
At the moment it's booked in at a masterfit section of a vauxhall dealership and to be honest they've been very helpful. They thought it might be one of the pipes and t-junctions letting in air so they replaced it and then spent some time trying to get it to run with no luck. They phoned to say they've not managed to start it. Told me they'll not be charging me for any of the parts or time spent and that it will be passed onto the service department to look at it with a fresh pair of eyes. He said it looks like it could be the fuel pump but was hoping it wasn't so the case is far from closed.
To let you know a little of the car's history. It's a (P) '96 2.0DI vectra 143,000 on the clock, mainly motorway miles and was running well up until this problem.
If it's the pump I'm going to start ringing breakers as I really can't afford that sort of money. Is it the sort of item they're likely to stock or will they not sell it seperate from an engine?
Thanks,
Phil
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Phil,
When a diesel pump is needed the cost is always a strain on the wallet. Obviously an exchange pump can be the value of many ten year old diesels.
Was looking over an older Astra the other day that local garage pals were just fitting a replacement pump to. They'd paid £150 for a s/h pump from the breakers and the only warranty was that it ran when fitted.
Add a diagnosis and fitting fee then you might be looking at £250 for a pump that could fail in a months time.
Needs serious thought.
I've just seen a ZX Diesel where the previous owner paid a Birmingham garage £380 to "adjust/calibrate" the diesel pump due to lumpy/poor starting. Funny thing is the pump looked as if it had been steam/solvent cleaned in situ and then every nut and bolt yellow painted to show it had been "tamper sealed". Other odd thing was that these paint marks were also on bolts that wouldn't have been moved if the pump had been stripped. Last of all the pump fixings looked undisturbed since the car was made!
Nice litte earner if it was only the glowplugs!
David
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Phil,
I suggest you phone Bosch UK in Uxbridge direct and speak to their Diesel Technical department.
Also give Eurodiesel in Chorley a bell (Alistair), out of all the people I've spoken to (nationwide)! he is the only bloke who seems clued up on these 2.0 Di sheds. (If anyone knows any other 'Gurus' nearer Dundee please let me know).
Quite frankly, anybody who has this unit in their vehicle is living on borrowed time and I strongly recommend that they take out a warranty which specifically covers the Pump. I agree with David W that Diesel Pumps should live for ages. But this Electronically controlled pump seems to be having more than it's fair share of problems. The car is too clever for it's own good.
50 mpg! whats the point when it costs a kings ransom to repair?
Added to that, the only test equipment for this pump is at the factory, nobody has the test rig-it's not available,far too complex and expensive. No service parts have been released by Bosch. This means that the replacement pumps are only available from Vauxhall (forget it!) or from Bosch via one of their service agents, either way we are talking mega bucks, not much change out of £1,000 yes thats right a £1,000 inc. diagnosing and fitting and VAT.
Essentially they've sold the unsuspecting public an expensive piece of scrap with a silent 's' which cannot be repaired, this is the 21st century so I think it's fair to call that progress or perhaps a rip-off?
Think I'll buy a Cavalier 2.0L 8v and convert it to LPG next time!!, Di,HDi,TDi etc. far too complicated or on second thoughts never give Vauxhall another penny. Long live 'boring' Japanese cars.
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Dont believe the first person you ask .It is so easy to say its the pump.It might be worth taking the car to a Bosch or Lucas agent (depending on which pump it is).toget another opinion.I would bet my **** its not the pump.HTHtonyh
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I wrote about this problem 3 weeks ago with my Vauxhall Astra. it was diagnosed as the seals going in the pump, the price I was quoted for a reconditioned pump was £700 plus VAT and plus fitting from Wade Diesels.
I have know diesels to go twice round the clock on the original pump, but my Astra only got to 109,000 miles
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The cost is so high because a fuel injection pump is a high precision assembly. It can cost as much for an engine manufacturer to buy in as the rest of the engine costs to build.
A friend was told by a 'diesel specialist' that the loss of power on his Citroen Saxa diesel was due to a failed injection pump and it would cost GBP 1400 to replace. They said that they could not repair the old pump as they can only be set up at the factory so it was a waste of time stripping it to find out exactly what had failed. After repeated pressure from my friend, they looked deeper into it and found that the cause of the problem was a broken wiring loom.
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Heasrd so many stories about dealers wuoting for the replacement of major parts when that's not theproblem. Father was quoted GBP800 to replace the engine ECU on his XJ6. He declined twice for the job since the engine was fine eventually cost him GBP10 to replace a faulty sensor. Same when they quoted GBP800 to replace 'cracked' exhaust manifolds, it eventually cost him GBP20 to have the gaskets replaced by a local dealer.
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so this is the other side of the aint-diesel-wonderful argument - stick to petrol engines and slightly worse consumption, surtely...?
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Not really Andrew.
I would expect over 200,000mls from most diesel pumps with decent fuels/maintenance.
And the diesel pump is a little like the petrol ECU, often changed but how often needed?
David
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The problem is individual car owners dealing with dealers that usual repair fleet vehicles. I'm sure jaguar reckon they can give a quote for the replacement of major parts because a)that's what people expect from jaguars (or at least old ones) and b)most fleet managers will just sign the chit because after all the company pays and they can't be bothered to look into it, especially if it's the boss's car (in the jag's case). Although my father needs shooting on the spot since the car's done 200000 and he still takes it to the main dealer for a GBP1000 beating every 9000miles!!
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David W
What about the cost of a diesel ecu? As these are fitted nowadays, along with all sorts of other electrical gubbins that used to be the domain of the petrol engine. The only difference it seems is the ignition system.
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