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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.

Has anyone else noticed how dangerous it is to drive at night with the modern cars emitting light beams that can be seen in outer space (almost)? What do you do to improve the situation? Night (yellow) Glasses, Tinted Windows, break the other cars headlamps ? Let us know what you think - take it away the floor is all yours!

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

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.

Thanks for the guidance. Parts found on Facebook group "Official Astra mk2 convertible owners club.

Hi, Was looking some info if possible. looking to change oil and oil filter Coolant flush and change On a the Crossland x 1.5 diesel 2020. Was wondering what size of sump plug removal tool I need or is there a special one I need. Torque settings etc Has anyone got a step to step quide on how to change the coolant and where to look for bleed valves and anything else that can help etc, I usually use the Haynes manual for guidance but bought the online one for the Crossland x but it’s just a generic one now for any car which isn’t great. Any help/info much appreciated Many thanks ❤️ Robbo

Hi just joined - didnt know club existed - we have Astra Convertible Bertone 2005 (and Antara 2013) have problems at the moment and mechanics just say too old - get rid !- the convertible had for 13 years been great but now have problem outside door handle not working all electrics and locking working and can open from inside manually (windows drop down naturally when opening - part of roof mechanism) mechanic tried to fix and done damage to the panel - just said get new car - really helpful!) we need an outer handle pull rod which has a small plastic clip which we think is the actual problem) according to vauxhall who have told us the part numbers and who recommended to get in contact with you guys as you may have advice on where we can get one and how to actually fit it, greatful for any ideas - as seem such a small thing to have to get rid of car for but is automatic mot failure. Thank you

After taking all carpet out from side and drying and resealing everything im still getting a puddle here after its rained anybody got any idea where its coming from rear passenger side boot

If you would like to put this out to the club as you both live in the same region (Suffolk/Norfolk) and if enough members are interested then we can promote it and then get a club stand if you want?

I'm having the same issue with a 71 plate crossland that I bought September 25. It only happens in wet conditions at around 55mph when going into 5th gear. In that period the car has been back for at least a month on and off where the sensor was replaced, then the clutch with another new sensor and still the release clutch message appears under the conditions above. The car is under warranty luckily but the still have the car and can't figure it out. I'm at the point now where I'm fed up as I have a car that I cannot drive above 50mph with out the problem occurring. I have said to them if there's no resolve I am wanting a refund or an exchange for another car. If they can't figure it out who can ?

Hiya I had this exact issue with a car I used to own and it needed new wishbones , I'd suggest go to a garage you trust and have then price a repair for you. Steve

Today I picked up some 600 grit wet and dry and a power red paint stick and some Isopropol alcohol. Tommorow , I've told the missus if anybody phones for me " he s outside working on the motor ! " I'll sand back the paint chips , clean with IA and then paint in some colour to build up level. Then I'll let it harden as the rest of the wet abd dry from 1000 to 5000 and some polish discs for the drill need to arrive in the post , but I'm hoping to make some very neat paint repairs.

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

Lol Mate I'd be happy to sort out your scratches and paint chips and of course that extends to any and every member of this club .

I'll drive my car up to you when you've mastered it :-)

always better to come back to a job once you've had something to eat and drink - and then think that it can wait till another day 🤣

You could try the climate control settings otherwise it may be an internal ambient temperature sensor at fault - sometimes they get clogged up with dust and don't give a true reading - should be on the dashboard somewhere - something similar to this (small image of grill on the right hand piccy with the arrow pointing to it) - you can use compressed air to clear of dust, etc but not directly into it as it could damage the sensor

Just had another couple of hours in the drizzle and forced indoors by fading light but what great fun. I've attached a picture of the bonnet after I'd applied touch up paint and sanded with 600 grit , really I should not have gone below 1200 grit but I'm learning, today I wet and dried all my touch ins with 1200, 2000, 3000 and 5000 grit papers and then using a foam pad on the drill some not so nice and rather old compound I had in the shed and I kust say the edges of the fix are really good and nicely blended in, what I need to rok on is getting more shine in the paint , tommorow I'll do a bit more using a new compound I bought today and also some autoglym polish to finish and then post some pictures for you to see , but even with the paint not glossy enough it's a big improvement on the stone chips I had and the bad touch ups the dealer or previous owner had made. So beer , dinner and movie time !! Steve

Hi all new member I have a growing concern regarding this wet belt scenario I feel that it is time extreme pressure in some way should be applied to Vauxhall and other manufacturers to get rid of this wet belt whoever thought that this was a good idea I know other manufacturers use it as well as we will find out soon the cars for example bought on PCP of which more and more drivers seem to be going down that road will on average trade in after 4/5 years which means a lot of people buying second are going to experience this wet belt due for replacement not knowing this and continuing driving it with problems arising the average cost of replacing a wet belt is £1000 + where as a timing belt was on average £200 plus there a very few garages willing to tackle the wet belt replacement because of the amount of work on it I think vauxhall should either consider converting back to the timing belt or replace the existing cars with a chain that won’t deteriorate I think it is shocking that the motoring industry thought this was a good idea very poor show VAUXHALL & others Kenny L

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

Hello and welcome and thank you for posting the photo of your car , it looks great . How long hav e you owned this car ? Steve

Hiya That's great, I will check with work and then get ourselves some tickets. Thanks

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

Tanks admin i will contact them

always best to leave jobs like this to a day when its warm and dry - maybe July (if we're lucky enough to have another good summer this year) :-)

So there we were parked up at the supermarket and I casually mentioned to the wife how the car might look even better lowered by 2inchs , she made "that face" and replied " you lower that car and I'm leaving you" just because I've modded a few cars in the past to get better stance and improved handling, might just lea e ot as it is then !

Hello, just completed our first might time drive in the car from London back to suffolk. Car was lovely well mannered and despite it taking me 2 full minutes before we set off to work out how to turn the headlights on!! ( I know, let me have it chaps ) and a 20 min traffic jam on the M25 car behaved perfectly , though we couldn't stop the heater getting the cabin very warm, no matter what setting we tried, but this is from a man who didn't k ow how to turn the headlights on ,a bit of manual swotting should sort that. Very pleased with this car so far.

Saterday , didn't get as much as I would have liked done, it's my first day back in 10 days and a stack of chores to deal with first , including pruning trees , but I did manage to get a 2nd coat of paint onto the chips where they have dried and sunk in a bit so back up to zlondon tommoroe but all the grades of paper and wheels , polish pads , compound and polish have arrived so I'll take them with .e and see if I can get a bit if colour cutting done in the coming week and post a few photos.

Hiya,is this meeting on again in Suffolk in 2026? It's close by I'd love to come along.

Crikey! that's a punchy engine - the 2.3 Magnum was a real powerhouse and not much could challenge that engine (and car) back in the day (when Vauxhall were heavily into motorsport) Totally agree, you will find out how well (or bad) the car has been built and you can add mods to it as you go along.

...and how did you get on with it - any end result photos yet?

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.

Took our first long drive (87 miles) in our 2011 Astra J today and I must say the car was a pleasant place to be , queit smooth , free of Drama , radio with TA now and again. We had sat the car since Dec 19th last year with a handful of small 2 to 3 mile drives , so I was pleased to give a run out, get a bit of charge into that battery. Steve

Hiya And thank you very much for your reccomendation. I'm only a month into this car so still getting the feel of it and I've washed it a couple of times so learning the body work and where I can do some stone chip repairs etc but so far and for my first Vauxhall I'm liking the car very much , and so is my wife and she hates cars !!

Hello Are there any Owners meets in North Essex or Suffolk? I'm new to Vauxhall ownership so keen to get the advice of the more experienced, and I always enjoy a good owners club meet up.

I am using the secret settings/BC button to get a temperature on screen as the B has know temperature dial on the dash(silly). I have just changed the radiator and temperature gets in the nineties before a slight drop (no fan) thermostat must open, cold weather stopping the fan kicking in after around 10 minutes ticking over?

Good idea print what you need at the time. Cheers I will give it a go.

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.

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.

I'm wanting to sell my 1998 Vectra 2.5 V6 Sport in red which I've owned for 25 years but has now been stood for 6 years. No longer used due to corrosion underneath the front end. Car has 115000 miles on the clock with a great engine, gearbox and Magnex exhaust system. Car starts, runs and drives (not on public road) and has no fluid leaks. Interior in good condition with all switches and light in working order. £1500.