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@AndyR hows the old Astra's paintwork ? You're definitely close enough to drop by SteveH for a paint repair.

Thank you very much. The car has done 62,000 miles. I think that may be when issues like worn CV joints start occuring plus the roads in this area are absolutely full of deep potholes which obviously doesn't help

It should be tags (metal clips on the lighter assembly) that would need pushing in to release the lighter - most cigar lighters are the same dimensions so you can pick up a charging port from Halfords for less than a tenner

a bit different engine from the one in my old PA Cresta (Jaguar V12) so can't offer any advice but SteveH has put some great info above - I'm sure there are still plenty of suppliers in the UK that still hold stock of NOS parts

Hiya Thanks I will give the ambient sensor a try . Cheers Steve

If you hang the other key from the spare and they are together near enough to the ignition switch then it may read the chip from the other one

A breakers yard (not that there are too many around nowadays)...alternatively you could play the cross-referencing game which may lead you to the same motor that may have been fitted to other makes and models. Don't forget European market as they would have badged the Carlton as an Opel Omega back in the day so chances are there should be a good amount kicking around in EU eBay

Hmm, not sure to be honest but if it works, my belief is leave it be - software updates usually mean you would have to update the firmware which will render the audio equipment as too old and cause problems. Aftermarket infotainment is a much better option and you can include updatable SatNav and lots of other features which your standard system won't have.

It's now becoming rare to see cars with Halogen bulbs as most seem to be HID or LED lamps which are now becoming way too powerful for normal road use. Different if we lived in Sweden or somewhere where it is constantly dark, but on average well-lit UK roads, its a bit overkill. I think back to when they all had yellow bulbs in France, goodness knows what you could see with them but their cars were a lot slower then 😁

Hi chaps My younger brother , a tinkerer of many years scared me off buying a wet belt due to issues with poor oil maintenece and belt degradation. Steve

Hi @Snoopy and welcome to the Club We have moved your post to the For Sale section of the forums as more members will be able to view it there. Feel free to duplicate the post in the appropriate Astra section

ah glad the cheaper option paid off and a lot safer in this sort of weather

Hi @MK7TURBO welcome to the Club As Andy has already said - what a great number plate Good to have you onboard

You can use aftermarket kits and even companies that can fit it all for you. Also, think there are bluetooth versions that don't require the wiring - quite possibly a camera would be better than the sensors and again, these are available in bluetooth as well

I would suggest popping over to Halfords and see what they do in the way of DAB add ons (aerial, interface, etc) - otherwise I would swap out the head unit for an aftermarket all singing and dancing one

Nice one. Pity you can't make it, as it would be nice to put a face to your name 🫠.Have a great time though.

It should have beam levelling in some way shape or form but I would Imagine the codes are because some of the options such as HID headlamps aren't fitted so it flags the codes. It may be also that someone has swapped them over to Halogen as replacement HID lights weren't available or too expensive

Tanks admin i will contact them

Its a tough one as this can tend to happen quite a bit nowadays with short journeys and poor quality fuel which then leads to the engine clogging up with carbon, soot and various other contaminants. This is quite usual to consume more oil if the car is taken on a long run after a period of smoking it around town. The pistons rings tend to 'gum up' into the ring grooves on the piston and then when it is revving hard and good engine temperature the rings may release and make a better seal. Also, the oil should show signs of discolouring if the carbon level is high and the oil will blacken up with the soot. Much like the good quality fuel it is also very beneficial to have very good quality oil in the engine as well.

I think the audio system may need a firmware update to handle the new software updates - the dealer would want quite a bit of money to run the update but if there is a warranty on the car or you have only just bought it you may be able to swing a favourable outcome

haha, nice one....that old threat - like when she says you don't need two motorbikes and if you get anymore then....😁

Thats really good to hear you had a pleasant and positive time on the inaugural run. They say every day is a school day and you're not the only one to suddenly find a function in you car a year later and think to yourself I never knew that was there, or if only I knew that before :-)

Thanks to your review of the scanner - they all seem to have a lot more functions now than just reading codes. I use an iCarSoft scanner and you can recode, reset, functions (such as force DPF), regular software updates and so much more for 10 makes of vehicle and around £130 to buy. I believe the TopDon is also of the same spec and great value for money

What a shame. Decent Vectras are very hard to come by, especially high-spec V6 models. It’s unfortunate I didn’t come across your post sooner, the search continues! Thanks for your response. Have a nice weekend.