AndyR

Hi Teg2400, I personally would suggest getting a 19 inch steel wheel to have as a spare, if there is room in the spare wheel basin. My sister-in-law has a 2017 Astra 5-door. The space saver is a 16 inch wheel, it was needed a few weeks back, and the whole response of the car was totally altered because it was sitting so low on the rear corner. She is looking around to replace it with a wheel nearer to the size she is running with. I know the space savers are only supposed to be used to get you out of trouble, but they do make for a whole different drive, I can understand why there is a speed restriction on them. This probably hasn't answered your question, but it may give you an option of which to choose. Regards Andy.

Hi there, I am looking to find what the best oil would be to use in my Astra. I am using 10W-30 semi-synthetic at the moment, as that is what has been used prior to me purchasing the car. I've noticed recently that once she's up to running temperature, there is a bit of a tapping sound coming from the engine. Now after reading into the different types of oil, and how they are used, I was wondering if a denser viscosity would be better for her now that we're sitting at 218,500 miles. I don't want to cause damage by using the wrong oil, but would like to stop the tapping when hot. Any help with this would be much appreciated. Regards Andy.

Hi there, and welcome aboard. Is your Astra the mk4 or 5? I am running the mk4 Astra Club auto. Yes they are a great car to drive. Regards Andy R.

Hi Scott, according to the internet, the port is underneath what looks like the coin holder, just below the cigar lighter. Or it could be just below the radio, which looks like the ashtray. It has shown me pictures of both, so hope this helps. Regards Andy R.

Good to hear you've got it sorted, and at no cost. I wonder if this is on all Vauxhalls.

Hi there, have you pulled the switch to see if its got power to it. Wondering if maybe a connection has either broken or come loose. Regards Andy R.

Hi Andy, and welcome to the forum. Feel free to ask any questions regarding Vauxhall cars, I'm sure someone will have ideas to share. Andy R.

Hi David, that's quite an unusual problem. You would have to contact the DVLA and request a replacement. They will probably require proof of vehicle, also you should find that the vin number is stamped into the floor pan just inside drivers footwell. There should be a plastic strip in the carpet, if you lift this there should be a vin number for the car. Hope this is helpful. Regards Andy.

Good to hear it has gone to a good home.

***UPDATE*** I have found out that the Astra G mk4/5, doesn't actually have a separate switch/sender for the electric cooling fan in the radiator. It is however integrated in with the sensor for the temperature gauge, and apparently the ECU senses the spike in temperature and tells the fan to kick in. But as mine isn't doing this because my gauge is not reading correctly, the ECU isn't sensing the engine temperature properly, hence why I've had some over heating issues. So this morning I have ordered a new temp sensor, and will be replacing the old one. I'm going to leave the fan hard wired for a bit just to make sure things are working as they should. Sorted in time for the lovely hot spell. 🌡

Hi Nev, and welcome to the forum. Have you tried replacing the battery in the key fob? I had the same problem with my key fob and central locking system. When I replaced the battery it worked fine, but then the key got dropped, and the battery carrier in the key broke away from the circuit board. So at the moment I'm doing it the old fashioned way with the key in the lock. Also if the battery is ok, then you may need the key re programming back to the car. Hope this is of help. Regards Andy.

Thanks for the correct description Trevor, now I know what to look for.

This is the item I am wondering about.

Well i had a play with the electric cooling fan today. Putting a direct live feed to it, and it worked fine. But it doesn't kick in when engine gets hot in traffic. I have no Thermo switches on the radiator itself, but there is what looks similar to the heater blower resistor on the fan . Could it be this at fault?. Also checking the fuse box, and found that the fuse which I think relates to electric fan is missing. So brother in law is going to do a circuit test tomorrow to see if there is any power to the fan. Will then replace fuse and see what happens.

I did give egr a clean out with carb cleaner, but I think the new one will be a vast improvement. Here's hoping for some nice weather over half term so I can give it a good run up the coast.

Will do.

Well I gave the EGR a zap from a battery. And it jammed open. The only way to get it to shut was to tap it with a hammer, so I'm guessing that it's a non-runner. I did read that you can blank off the EGR valve, but leave it connected, and that it should give better fuel economy. Well I gave it a try last week, and the results were to un-blank, and run with it connected properly. My fuel economy dropped through the floor, compared to what I was getting. 1/4 of a tank to go 52 miles. Now running with EGR in place, and fuel economy is back up to where it was before. I shall run some injection cleaner through the system too, and hopefully that should clear out any residual crud. Andy.

Hi Trevor, thanks for all the links regarding auto box oil change. I've had a look through them, and the video of "Changing the automatic gearbox oil in a Vauxhall Corsa" is the one that seems to be the closest to mine. But it doesn't mention the filter. I think it might be worth a trip to the local vauxhall dealers to see if they can point me in the right direction. Wish me luck.

Good to hear you've sorted it out.

Hi Peter, there was a post on here back in 2020, December I think. Kenneth Johnson was mentioning about a diplomat for sale that needed some work. Don't know if there was any takers at the time. Might be worth giving him a message. He is on the forum in the Carlton group. Hope this is helpful. Regards Andy.

Yay mobile again. Glad to hear it's all good. Look forward to hearing about a successful fix on the roof.

Cheers Trevor, a job for the weekend me thinks. I will give it a live feed first to make sure it's working. And if the fan has died, I'll replace with the one from old car.

Hi all. Back in February I did a ATF change. It was black and smelt like normal gear oil. I am looking at doing it again, but this time replacing the filter too. Can anyone advise me on where the filter might be please. And I understand that there are variants of the gearbox, so if anybody knows of the type too, that would be great. I took a picture from under the car of the gearbox if this helps. Thanks in advance. Andy.

No worries Steve, I hope it works out ok.

Hi Mac, you have shared this post from 4 years ago, but haven't actually commented. Is there a particular reason? Maybe you could have an idea on this problem that you would like to share with the forum. AndyR.