Vauxhall Owners Club

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

Hi Gary, welcome to the Club Initially it sounds like a worn CV (Constant Velocity) Joint is causing the sound. Usually only one side makes a noise but both may be worn to the same level, especially if the rubber gaiter is split and allowing the grease to escape and dirt to enter the joint. See if you can pop it into a garage for them to evaluate it and replace the joint (only the outer joint and not a new shaft as cheaper) as necessary depending on what they find

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

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

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 🤣

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

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

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 😁

It looks top-drawer now, and you've made a great job of it....more patience than I have for paintwork. A good ceramic polish will hopefully keep the stonechips at bay as well

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

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!

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