Vauxhall Signum (2003 - ) - 04 1.9 Induction Manifold and Actuator

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Thu 11 Sep 2008 15:03
04 1.9 Induction Manifold and Actuator - RichE
Can anyone advise me please. Have a 4 year old Signum that is out of warranty and I am very upset that the Induction Manifold and Actuator now needs to be replaced. Not a technical car person myself and wondered if this was the normal life span of an Induction Manifold and Actuator as Vauxhall have quoted over £700 to replace. Have I just been very unlucky and should get over it or is this a manufacturing problem. If latter do I have any grounds to contact Vauxhall to sort.
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Thu 11 Sep 2008 15:07
04 1.9 Induction Manifold and Actuator - SpamCan61 {P}
It's common enough to be on the 'what to watch out for' list:-

www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=770&

If the car has been main delaer serviced all its life probably worth having a moan to Vauxhall for a contribution, as it is a well know problem that shouldn't be happening to 4 year old cars.

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Thu 7 Jan 2010 09:45
04 1.9 Induction Manifold and Actuator - RichardCT
I may have some useful advice for potential Vauxhall customers about to buy a Vectra with the 1.9CDTI 50PS diesel unit. A local Vauxhall main dealer carried out a 'HEALTH CHECK' on my Signum and reported a broken 'swirl flap bar on the inlet manifold'. It needed a new inlet manifold, which is an expensive item. I claimed on my Warranty Policy ( provided with the car which I bought second-hand last August) and was told that the cost would not be covered fully as the offending part was at the end of its 'normal working life' at 80,000+ miles. The car had been serviced regularly by a Vauxhall agent, but Vauxhall refused to make a contribution as I bought the car from an independent dealer. ( The car was only a few weeks over the intial 3 year manufacturer's warranty period, but mileage was clearly way over the 60k limit)

Lessons learned:-

1. It would appear that the industry considers 80,000 miles to be the 'normal useful life' of a modern diesel engine - not 150,000 as we used to think.

2. Be aware of the negative side of buying used cars from an 'independent dealer'.

3. If you do buy a used car with a Warranty Policy attached read the small print. It probably excludes parts that have exceeded their normal life in addition to 'manufacturer's design faults', which together make the policy more or less worthless.
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Thu 7 Jan 2010 13:17
04 1.9 Induction Manifold and Actuator - WorkshopTech
Yes, common problem with these engines and as you found out, very expensive. In my experince Vaux will not pay out anyway after the warranty runs out, wherever you bought or serviced the car.
Most aftermarket warranties are a waste of good paper.
Go back to supplying dealer and ask them to fix under sale of goods act. Threaten small claims court if they wont help.
We are independent dealers and stand by our cars for 6 months after sale. We recently had a Kia 4x4 blow its gearbox 5 1/2 months after sale and picked up the rebuild for the customer.
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