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Hi everyone. My name is Richard and I’m based in Bristol. I used to work for Welch’s, the main Vauxhall dealer many years ago in the early 80s as a salesman and developed a passion for 80’s Vauxhall’s which has never left me. I now am fortunate enough to own a Low mileage gorgeous Mk 1 Astra GTE 3 door in polar white, unmolested and completely original, a Mk2 Astra GTE 16v, same colour, very low mileage, again completely original and pretty much concourse throughout plus have just completed a full nut and bolt restoration to a 1985 Nova Sport with a mere 47,000 miles. This car is near enough identical to when it was delivered to the dealer new, other than it has the X 17 uprated camshaft which was manufactured in Sweden specifically for Irmscher and an option at the time. They are all driven and not just showpieces.

Hi Earlier this year I purchased a JC Wyvern which is a kit car using the Vauxhall Magnum running gear engine is the 2.3l High Compression slant four. Although the car look grand as he had recently a respray and a so called rebuild, I am now in the process of rebuilding it correctly. I would like to find any other JC owners so please get in contact if you own one or know someone who owns one

Hi everyone, Firstly, thank you for accepting my request to join. A little about me, I’m Craig from Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. My father worked in the local Vauxhall dealer on the island (McKirdy & McMillan) and I spent most of my younger years (1990 - 1998) growing up in amongst Cavaliers, Astras, Novas, Corsas and Carltons. The owner, Jim McMillan and I had a sort of bond and I had the utmost respect for the man and we became good friends despite the massive age gap. He had a white Senator CD annd it was sheer luxury. I still remember the reg no. It was G475 VGD. I loved that car. Unfortunately he took ill and the garage closed down in 1998 and he passed away in 1999 when I was 15. My apprenticeship was served in the local Ford dealer (W. & J. Duncan) then I worked in the Local Renault Dealer (Rothesay Motor Services) before going to work for my Father-in-Law full time driving his cattle float. I’ve owned a few Vauxhalls over the years, a Nova SR, Cavalier CD and two Cavalier LS and after not having owned one for around 20 years I’m starting to look for another Cavalier, Calibra, Vectra or Astra Will see what’s available when I’m actually ready to buy . Looking forward to having a good look around the forum and I’ll probably be looking for some help and advice in the near future.

Hi. Here is a photo of our Astra at the dealership back in December 2025 on the day we agreed to buy it.

Hi, Last summer I bought an approved second hand electric Mokka. I'm joining to ask questions - which I hope I'll post in the relevant forums! Peter, south coast England

Hi folks. Stonham Barns is holding Vauxfest again this year. But this year they are allowing club stands too. If anyone is interested in attending the details are to follow.

Hiya Not managed to do a thing yet sadly , all of a sudden work has got very busy, on weds morning I'm hoping to send and clean the marks and fill with paint and then colour cut at the weekend. I promise to post progress photos as I go along.

Hello Steve. Welcome to the club. Feel free to post pictures of your car for all to see and admire. Yes as was mentioned in an earlier comment, I have some knowledge on maintenance on the Astra's. I am on my 2nd mk4 Astra, and wish I had got in to them years earlier than I did. I have been doing quite a bit to my beast, which due to its age is just replacing worn out parts. The main thing to do is keep up to date on servicing, and they'll return good mileage back. My Astra is a 1.6 16 valve auto, and has recently hit 242000+ miles, and is 24 years old. Happy motoring.

lol...there's no pleasing everybody for sure!

Thank you for your kind comment, my wife and I were very taken by its look and also the cabin and seats are well fitted and comfy. The dealer tells us it has a factory "XP" kit fitted which I must say gives it a modern and purpose full look , though my Son says the brake discs look tiny thru the big wheels !

Hi all, I’m an individual vehicle owner who’s experienced a wet timing belt–related engine failure and I’m trying to raise awareness and understand how common this issue is across the UK. Independent garages are increasingly talking about wet timing belt degradation (e.g. PureTech, EcoBoost), where belt material breaks down inside the engine oil, blocks the oil pickup, and leads to oil starvation and sudden engine damage — sometimes at relatively low mileage and with little warning. Rather than treating cases in isolation, I’ve put together a voluntary owner reporting page where people can share their experience if they choose. This isn’t commercial research, a survey, or data collection for profit — it’s about consumer awareness, supporting complaints, and helping owners understand whether what they’re experiencing is common. The page also includes guidance on: • what evidence helps if a claim is rejected • who to report issues to • and how others have navigated warranty/manufacturer responses If you’ve experienced something similar and want to share, details are here: 👉 https://sites.google.com/view/wet-belt-failures/home No obligation at all — even comments describing your experience are helpful for discussion. I’m also interested in hearing from mechanics or trade professionals who are seeing this more often.

Hi Steve - welcome to the Club That should definitely blow the cobwebs out and give the battery a top up. @AndyR is your man for older Astra's advice, as and when any maintenance and repairs are needed

Now that the old girl has a new lease of life. I thought i'd give her a clean up and add some stripes to break up that silver a bit. And she has just made another milestone. 240000 miles. Not bad for a 23 year old.

Thought I'd introduce myself quickly. 2014 Insignia owner (two or three previous owners), very happy with it overall. Joined up to get help with a specific issue (I'm really not a car person so limited knowledge) but, after reading through some of the threads here, there's clearly a lot of very useful things to explore! I'm not likely to post much, I don't know anything useful about cars to share with you all!

Hi, I keep meaning to say thank you for your advise. We're a bit skint at the moment and the steering isn't playing up (touch wood), so we're saving up and hopefully get it in a garage ASAP. Thanks Ang :-)

Hi All, Recently picked up a 2012 Astra GTC VXR. Initially wanted an ST MK2 for the unbeatable 5-pot burble, but reckoned I wouldn't sleep peacefully after I'd researched the sleeve cracking issue in-depth 😅 This led me to the Astra GTC VXR. I've been pleasantly surprised with the overall package and driving experience this car offers. The performance and looks are a killer combo and a testament to a time when manufacturers were fighting to have the hottest hatch, while still letting you plonk a few buttons to unleash the dark side. Glad to be here!

Thanks for the welcome and when the weather clears up and I have cleaned the car I'll get some pics

Owned from new - metallic silver with factory fitted full body styling kit + 19in alloy wheels (snowflake design). Additional spare alloy wheel (purchased when no longer being manufactured). 130,000 miles - still runs extremely well. Bodywork in reasonably good condition for its age. Serviced and MOT'd last month. Excellent tyres - all tyres purchased during this year. Genuine reason for sale - running costs now somewhat of a luxury with only doing approx 2000 miles a year - for some years now. Does need money spending on it due to following issues - Offside & nearside inner drive shaft joints severely deteriorated (MOT minor defects) Nearside rear brake pipe corroded (MOT monitor & repair if necessary - advisory) Alloy wheels (which make the look of the car) could do with refurbishment. Panel on drivers door that operates both front windows not working. Petrol cap disconnected from central locking system as solenoid needs replacing. Wiper motor/linkages need attention as both wipers sweep against/beyond windscreen rubber surround. Water ingress into front passenger footwell. Reason unknown - suspect it may be windscreen seal damage/deterioration (not visible) where wiper blade has swept onto/over the rubber seal. Car needs TLC from a Vectra enthusiast who has the skills to maintain it. It would be such a shame to scrap it as 2.0 SRi petrol variants aren't so common these days - the car genuinely looks good. All offers considered. Tel: 07733 359313.

Hi there have you tried ebay? Failing that it might have to be a vauxhall dealership. I have found in the past that ebay has come up trumps on a lot of parts. Some can be high silly prices, but thee are quite a few that are decently priced. Hope this helps. Regards AndyR

Ty I got 1 from there thanks

Hi all Name is Kevin owned my Zafira since 2002 purchased as a 6 months old ex demo car from Hartwells

Hi everyone, I thought I would introduce myself to you all as I think I have some interesting history with Vauxhall. Back in the late 1950/Early 1960 my father worked at the Vauxhall plant in Luton, not really sure what he did, but probably on the production line somewhere. My earliest recollection of the car he drove was a Bedford CA Dormobile, I don't know that much about it other than the Reg number of NEW641 and the memories of places we visited with this vehicle, believe me we did some miles in it. The next car he owned probably around 1966 was a truly fantastic car, The Vauxhall Cresta PA Estate reg number UPM70, what a lovely car that was. Next was the PC Cresta saloon, another work of art, then he purchased ( brand new) probably with staff discount a Viva Van, not quite sure what model HA or HB in white, as a second vehicle in the household, I do remember that he tought both my Mother and my eldest sister to drive in it. So as you can imagine there is a bit of Vauxhall in my blood, currently I own a VX220, and a Mavano van that has been converted to a Campervan and there have been many other Vauxhall's in-between, as well as some interesting history with a vauxhall dealer where I worked for a few years. Just a short taster of many years with Vauxhall, if anyone is interested send me a message and I'll get back to you. Thanks for reading this, all the best

Hi mate I completely forgot about sharing my photos of my new Corsa ultimate and I also went for the 130 turbo!!........ it's like it's been given a steroid injection 🤣

Hi Steve. Yes it is all set to go ahead in june.

Well that's a very good start and you have more patience than I do for those types of repairs. Look forward to seeing the end results once the rest of the materials arrive

Hi Andy , thank you for posting. I certainly will take you up on your offer for advice , and I'm a monster for regular and proper oil and servicing, on any car I've owned, firm beliver in prevention over cure . I'll post some photos as I go along . Cheers Steve

I would advise to try a second opinion from a specialist as you may end up spending more on parts that may not be needed.

Well I am only a few years away from a pension. 😀

We had our car just over a year from 2nd hand and it started to go. I never knew what it was, when i accelerated, i got "stop the car" and allsorts and it would cut out (not good on a fast bypass up in the highlands) My pal is a mechanic and the prices he said around gave me the fear. He said play your face at Vauxhall, so i did, one free wetbelt fitted for free, and not a £600+ bill, job done, Maybe grovel to Vauxhall as they realist how garbage a wet belt is.

Apologies for the delay, had a busy few weeks, and passed my driving test first time, its not a paddle shift.

I couldn't agree more with your comment about the Ford wet belt issues. Neighbour had a focus diesel, the wet belt degraded and sent particles of rubber through the oil system, thus slowly killing the engine. Ended up replacing whole engine. So yes get it checked out regularly for piece of mind.

Hi....welcome to the Club Judging by the history of the Ford Ecoboost engines with wetbelts it is a concern to say the least Consensus is that regular (even more frequent) oil changes is imperative and check what is coming out with the oil (fibres, etc)

I have used a company that is based in Europe and great service - AutoDoc, worth going onto their website to see if available

If it's any help, I bought a chip from a German company called racechip+for £200 ,just plug the wiring harness into your car at 4 points ,follow diagram, took 10 minutes, my gtc has 170bhp now instead of 140 bhp ,they also do one that would have given me 235 bhp mine has been in 3 years now ,you also get an app for your phone so you can connect to the chip by Bluetooth and change the settings of the chip

I can't see the sensor as such but the position is bang on so maybe it is. Worth putting the scanner on the car and see what the live readings are for the ambient air temperature sensor - you'll soon see if it is out of range

Oh didn't realise you had an old Datsun, Andy - what model is it?

Finally got to Halfords... They have an 'ISO Harness CT20VX04' for aftermarket radio in a 05-10 Meriva. It will take power as per the factory fitted radio. It does not connect to the steering wheel controls. Costs £25. As commented in the original post I already have an aftermarket radio and the steering wheel controls operate the radio. Halfords person suggested splicing the current red power cable to one that provides power to the fuse/cable that runs the windows, sunroofs and wing mirrors. Could not see any issue with a further 5amp load on the fuse. That is the route I had in mind but had concerns about the 'Body Control Module'. Seems the concerns are unfounded. One day I will get to play around with the wires in the car :0) Thank you for your input.

Here's the update on the astras running issues. Changed out the fuel filter this evening, and after a rough start and idle, she seemed to pick up. Took her out for a test run, and first junction after a mile, she cut out. Restarted straight away. Went on a run for about ten miles, and withhaving to stop every so often as it's narrow country lanes around here. She had no issues of stalling. Gave her a good hard run on the clear straights, and yes she's back toher good old self. Pulling like a trojan, and stopping without cutting out. So if anyone has these issues. Then I suggest replacing fuel filter. Tomorrow we're off to the coast. So some fresh fuel and a good run should sort her out.

that's probably the first place I would start Andy but also pay careful attention to any rubber hoses, vacuum lines and anything likely to draw draw unregulated air and cause a vacuum leak which may also cause similar symptoms Let us know how you get on with it

I bought the crossland x and had the wet belt replaced at a cost of £400 as a precaution. I've had it for just under three months now and I love it. It's a really nice smooth drive. So glad I took the plunge .

Grandland

Hi and delayed thanks. I did find something detailed stating that this was related to a diverted flat skin to what you mention along with a part number for this repair and it’s right hand drive number. However it describes unscrewing the inside plastic cover which doesn’t have screws on my car. So getting to this white plastic lever clicking area is beyond difficult. It’s not an MoT issue so can wait for expensive repair if we keep the vehicle. Dave

Good afternoon, Is anybody interested in buying a Vauxhall Carlton GI 1987 mileage around 104,600 miles? The insurance wrote it off in 2000, but my husband restored it and drove it until 2024. It has had MOT and he looked after it. Kind regards, MB

I have now in my possession a 1996 Vauxhall Astra 1.4 Montana in green with 154,000 on the clock. I think it’s now had 3 owners as I had to put it into my name for SORN. My father owned the car for years and it was always garaged so it’s in very good condition but the engine even though it gleams does smoke a small amount. I would love to have any feedback on potential buyers.

Well hello there.

i had this same problem it turned out to be the slave cylinder

Hi all.

Hi. New member checking in, and for me, that usually means only one thing . . . I have a problem with a car! Member by proxy this time, my Daughter's car. 1600 2011 Astra Estate. I'll do some searching, then post a topic if I can't find the answer. Cheers. 'Doc' (John)

Hi mate. Thanks for the reply and yeah it is an absolute beast but I think it's the new Astra's 1.2 130T lump they've thrown in or similar, I've never heard a Corsa sound like this ever it blows me away every time I drive it and when I put it into sport mode........ well it's crazily insane just bonkers!! I chose auto as preference my past few cars have been but have manual licence and on most reviews they slated manual, said auto was best for this engine and being the 130 turbo it had a few extra bits like twin pipe sports exhaust, racing brakes front & rear also and ultimate door seal plates and badges but told it's a rare Corsa now as can't order new now?! But I'm super chuffed with it and was so happy to get that call 2 weeks before Christmas to say it's been delivered as I was told could be 15 weeks or more when I ordered it mid November 🥰 Cheers Aaron