Vauxhall Owners Club

Hi...welcome to the Club First thoughts are battery - it may be healthy on test but if its the wrong type then this can also cause problems. If you turn the engine over and the light comes on and the steering is heavy almost immediately, then switch it off and immediately try again - if the light stays off and the steering is fine then it is more that they battery cannot provide the power required to work the steering rack and it goes offline. I would also advise to avoid the dealerships as they just fit new parts and hope it cures the fault. If you go to a skilled mechanic in an independent garage that is capable of scanning the fault codes and also measure the voltage at the steering motor to see if it is especially heavy demand (could be poor connection, dirt or water ingress in the connector, etc). Also, they should be able to check the Load and Angle Sensors are calibrated and can adapt it through their test equipment which is an easy job to do. Let us know how you get on with finding a good independent garage that is good at electronic faults

Hi...welcome to the club It's nice to see some connoisseurs like to look at the alternatives out there rather than jumping on the band wagon. The ST is a good car but there are equally satisfying cars out there at a fraction of a price as they are not rated by their badge. I owned a Rover 200LE 'BRM' - a limited edition (795 made for UK market) and it was and still is the one car I wished I had kept for its unique style (google the images of the Rover BRM) and was an homage to the racing cars from the nineteen fifties and sixties. There were many other 'limited editions' available at the time - Renault Clio Sport 'Williams Edition' to name just one - ANYONE ELSE ADD TO THIS LIST? but most of the time it came down to the badge and no one wanted to drive an 'old mans' car like a Rover, albeit not at all standard at all. Good to have you onboard and feel free to pop up some photos of your Astra GTC VXR

Is it paddle shift as well? if so, maybe try turning the steering to a different direction in case there is a flat spot present or damp/dirt in the connections? Its worth a try and at least you can eliminate that off the list

Sounds very much like a suspension link rod that senses the angle of the vehicle (e.g. loaded or not loaded) and adjusts the headlamps automatically The link is usually located on the rear suspension somewhere and usually made of plastic which is why they tend to break

Owners handbook is the best way or working through the settings but may be an online version which would be easier to follow

Langfords at Semley are bound to have something there but you will need to walk around the yard to find it - take some wellys with you :-)

Not sure if it is connected but is the battery a good one and fully charged? Again, not sure but is there a master reset once the battery has been changed? I cannot see how it would have changed anything by leaving it standing except for any factory settings which maybe it cannot achieve through either a scantool to reset or record new voltage settings

If you're in Salisbury then there is the scrapyard on Southampton Road (near Halfords) Also there is a scrapyard at Semley - Langford Car Spares who seem to have everything there and you can wander round and select what you want

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 can't find anything specific on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=vauxhall+zafira+parcel+shelf+brackets&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p4439441.m570.l1313 Maybe if he can find another Zafira and take a photo of the brackets to narrow down the search?

Try putting your reg number into Eurocarparts website and look in engine section to see if it lists a timing belt or chain - easy way to determine which you have and also rough cost for parts

Either a plug to the lamp has become detached or even a rear suspension suspension level sensor rod has become detached

Two things I can think of - 1. if the belt has previously come off then was the tensioner okay or is it worn and therefore throwing the belt off? 2. a split turbo pressure hose to intercooler can produce this sound

Wow! this is a strange one - and you seemed to have done all the checks to verify the individual systems Are there any other fault codes (battery charge, ABS, Traction, etc)?

Hi....and welcome to the club I would start my search on eBay and make sure you check Opel even if you have to get it shipped in from Europe

I believe i have seen something on eBay to resolve this - worth doing a search

Did a google search for images of vacuum hoses so maybe if you zoom into some of the images you may find the locations https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=79f64c1ff2a1fa8b&udm=2&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZ1Y6MJ25_tmWITc7uy4KIeioyp3OhN11EY0n5qfq-zEMZldv_eRjZ2XLYc5GnVnME7glWodDcaQwvGYJtospyF4GO5MC0p7Um53mJ2FnRmWwYsd7hv9AfrxH9qUZHRFRalIEFxklAeOUUu2HryaeymXfIRKrbIDV05r5-M57YhEO4LvvmDEUH_Q8-RZZ_9JlQJwsEpg&q=1999+vauxhall+cavalier+1.8+8v+single+point+injection+vacuum+hose+location&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjIjuSelauQAxXBbEEAHQ6NAV8QtKgLegQIFRAB&biw=1659&bih=847&dpr=1

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

Its worth pursuing with treatments on a regular basis as some seem to work really well. Wynns is a good make and there are others available that I would trust (STP, Redex, etc) which may be worth trying to see if any difference

That's great to see some of the old cars still around - i used to work on these when they first came out and never remember getting annoyed by anything unlike the Leyland cars I also used to work on. Happy to offer advice on the Datsun/Nissan when you get round to reviving it in the future

Glad to hear you had a (semi) successful outcome - the radio does not consume huge amounts of power but left on over time it will flatten the battery.

Yep, sounds like the level sensor as the adblue chrystalises over time and this usually affects the system Please let us know how you get on with it

Sounds like the level sensor is sticking which happens when the adblue chrystalises over time. It would need flushing out and refilling at the least otherwise it could also be the sensor that needs replacing as well.

There are radio code sources online, best bet is to google search it and see what comes up. Some of them you would have to pay a nominal amount to get the code but others are free. You will however, need the serial number from the radio to provide them with something to search against

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