Faults:

Wiper linkage failed at 85,000 miles.

Mass compound flywheel assembly fault at 120,000 miles.

General Comments:

This car has been one of the better choices I have made, in my many years of driving since 1976.

My first Signum was a 2.2 petrol on a 53 plate, which despite a couple of issues, I was very happy with during the 18 months & 40,000 miles use.

Then my local dealer made me a part ex offer, too good to turn down, for the then new engined 1.9 CD-Ti 120ps model.

To date & over 220,000 miles later, the engine is still not burning any oil between services, and is still returning an average 45 to 48 mpg.

The only part of the exhaust system that has been replaced is the front downpipe at 140,000 miles.

The mass compound flywheel assembly became faulty at 120,000. It did not stop the car from being driven, but was identifiable by a low 'rumbling' noise from the engine. It sounded very similar to a worn clutch thrust bearing sound.

So at the same time of replacement of the flywheel, a new clutch assembly was fitted. The total cost for that work was £1,200, but has been fully justified by the near faultless performance since.

Other than the normal expected 'wear & tear' replacement items such as alternators, shock absorbers, brake discs, suspension joints etc, this car has been a pleasure to own and drive.

The only item that I have found irritating is the reliability of the exhaust gas valve, which now seems to have been resolved by an updated version. At one point I had to replace this item 4 times in under 40,000 miles.

Things to look & listen out for - creaking from the front struts when turning at low speed - this is the top strut bearing getting worn, and is cheap to have renewed, usually £25 to £30.

Knocking from the rear suspension when going over speed bumps or similar rough roads; this is a sign of wear in the trailing arm linkages, and is usually accompanied by excessive wear to the inside of the rear tyre on the affected side(s).

In summary, I have had my Signum serviced by the same dealer & mechanic throughout, never missing the due interval.

I intend to keep this car for the next two or three years at least, as it just wants to keep on going.

Faults:

Shock absorbers on 4th pair.

Tyre wear heavy on front end.

Particle filter blockage.

Lack of power at bottom end / no acceleration.

General Comments:

The loss of power is very worrying. Been to garage, but not fixed power problem. Can't wait to sell this car; it's comfortable, economic to run, but has let me down too often.

Faults:

The car seems to take a long time to pick up speed, and now I've just had to change coil springs all round, and had the pulley done recently too..

But my main problem is I've changed the battery, and now the CD player is coming up safe, and I just can't figure out how you put the code in, as I've lost the CD manual. Can anyone help? Thanks.

General Comments:

On an all round note, they are a good car and extremely comfortable with high specs.