Looking for some kind words of support here.....
You may remember from the Technical Section (or indeed not) that I've been having trouble with stalling & hesitancy on a W plate Vectra petrol 1.8. It's had a new air sensor (167) and a new throttle body (320) and the problem persits. As it is in for an MOT today (which needs a new front bush, circa 164), they have said that the ECU is probably the cause - a whopping 780 to replace!!!!
I am sure that it is not economically viable to keep throwing money at it like this, especially when it will have done 92k miles by this time next year (it's just done 70k).
So, what would you do in this situation? Get a 0% deal on a new car? Repare it? Try your luck at auction for a cheap car to tide me over for 12 months?
We do have 2 incomes, but Turkey II is coming along in December meaning Mrs Turkey won't be at work, and it is not a company car. As well as being the car I use for commuting, it's also the family car.
It never rains but it pours eh?
TT
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Top Turkey - the fastest hands in Brum
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Swap it for a nice reliable Mondeo ;)
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Check the FAQ section of this site, I'm sure it contains a link to companies that can repair or recondition an ECU. Don't know how good they are but I would imagine HJ wouldn't put them in FAQ if they were completely useless...
Blue
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Sorry to hear of all these problems - but throwing money isn't going to fix it. You need an expert.
I would start with a good auto-electrician, who can diagnose problems from first principles - not just by plugging in a code reader. I wouldn't replace the ECU unless the fault can be shown to be in the ECU - faulty connectors and wiring or faulty sensors can all give some similar results. You don't mention coils or HT components. An auto-electrican should be able to give these components a clean bill of health in a few minutes.
If you really do need a new ECU, then get a reconditioned one, as mentioned above - should be no problem on a Vauxhall; I've gone down this route before.
Good Luck !
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I would echo the above do not spend on an ecu untill checked by a competent auto electrician. Many garages and i speak from experiance replace ecu's when they cant think of anything else.!
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I've been having trouble with stalling & hesitancy on a W plate Vectra petrol 1.8. It's had a new air sensor (167) and a new throttle body (320) and the problem persits. As it is in for an MOT today (which needs a new front bush, circa 164), they have said that the ECU is probably the cause - a whopping 780 to replace!!!!
Has it got an Isuzu diesel control unit down the back of the engine (LHS) ?
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Would it have a diesel control unit on a petrol engine?
Cheers.
TT
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Top Turkey - the fastest hands in Brum
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Ah theres your problem then, soneone put a diesel control unit on it.
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Ooops. Colour me crimson.
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Has anyone tried the idle speed control valve yet?
I found that it caused intermittent stalling and when in the mood would cause a hesitancy in pick up on SWMBO's Vectra. Well known problem with the Vectra and, in her case, only required a good clean up, cost c.£20 at my local independant who quoted me £75 if new one required.
Little disturbed that they haven't tried it yet, it is a well known problem and, relatively, cheap compared to some of the things they've tried. Cynic in me suggests that why the other things have been tried first......possibly......
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sell it privatly then buy a mondeo - two year old examples v cheap and a sound car.
Paul
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Excuse me! Did you go to this garage and ask them to willy-nilly replace a lot of expensive components that might be a cause of the problem and not to worry the cheque book's wide open!!!! No?
i rather suspect you went and explained the problem to them and asked them to diagnose and fix the problem. So far they have patently done neither and are continuing their guesswork by suggesting it might be the ecu, but it'll cost YOU £780 to try and find out!!!!
What do these people think they're playing at? I'd ask for my money back!! I'd tell them they are welcome to their new sensor & throttle body back in exchange for putting your old ones back on.
If they want to diagnose by guesswork then it should not be at your expense. Let them keep the car so they can keep swapping components until it's fixed as long as they loan you a car in the meantime and only charge you for the faulty part and appropriate labour when they do eventually find the fault.
P'raps PugUgly or DVD will come along soon to let us know your legal rights in this situation. Alternatively contact CAB or the legal helpline on your house insurance.
Me? I'd have fire and brimstone coming out my ears!!!
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Agreed. "It's the ECU, mate" is the mechanic's equivalent of the plumber's "you need a new boiler", both usually accompanied by sucking through teeth, and almost invariably a cop-out. IT equivalent is "you need a new computer"...
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For the typical main dealer the most powerful diagnostic & repair tool they have is the customer's credit card. Given enough time it can fix pretty much any problem....
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