Horn fails the MOT

[MotorRay]

Hi I am a newbie to the site but have owned two Vauxs. My first was a Chevette. Took it off my son's hands when he emigrated. We had it for years completely free of faults. It refused to die so it was pensioned off the to the breakers. We now have the  Astra Club for bombing up and down to the south coast to our boat. It carries tons of gear and is very comfortable and so economical.

The reason that prompted me to join is that the Astra 2008 has just failed its MOT on two counts. One is a broken front spring. Don't mind that. Coil springs do have a habit of breaking at the first coil from the bottom. The second MOT failure is a problem. The horn does not work and of course this is a MOT failure and potentially a serious fault.

I have combed the internet for ideas and they are many. Currently I am investigating what could be a broken connection under the Steering wheel Air Bag. There is strong evidence to support this line of enquiry. 1. The horn has been removed and tested OK. 2. Prior to it not working it had become a feeble squeek. One forum suggested it sounded gay!!. 3. Today I have started to try and remove the centre of the steering wheel that holds the Air Bag. So far no success but will try again tomorrow. Whilst attempting to pry the two spring catches (in my enthusiasm I had omitted to disconnect the earth). The metal tool I had bent up made contact with something and the horn sounded, telling me that there is a broken connection.

Now I have found evidence that Vauxhall will rectify this fault even though the car is out of warranty as it is a safety issue and probably should have been the subject of a recall. Now waiting for a reply from Vauxhall.

Any help would be appreciated on owners experience with the horn. This would include a DIY removal of the Air Bag to fix the electrical fault, and then any dealings with Vauxhall over this problem.

Thanks for any help you can give.

MotorRay

 

[Vauxhall Owners Club]

It could be the horn ring contact covered in muck....to remove the airbag, disconnect the battery for at least 20 minutes and then remove the bag, normally a couple of screws from behind.

Once you have access to the steering wheel boss you should see a contact ring underneath the spiral SRS cable cassette (careful not to damage this and make sure it stays in position (dead centre on full turns each way). Clean anything that looks like it contacts and test after reassembling.