2001 Holden Astra CD 1.8 from Australia and New Zealand
Summary:
Do not buy an Astra
Faults:
The air-conditioning does not work in temperatures above 25. In order to make it cold, I have to blast the air for 10-15 minutes and then turn the aircon on, and THEN it works. Mechanic said it is something to do with the pressure in the fan? Too much to fix, so I just get do the air first thing that I worked out.
Several times I have been driving and all of a sudden the radio turns up extremely loud. It has also done this several times when I turn the car on.
When I turn my car on after it hasn't been in use for several hours, it revs as if I'm pushing the accelerator, which I'm not. The car also 'jerks' when I first start driving it, as if the gears don't change properly (I have an auto). I have had the spark plugs changed and it still does these things.
When I first got the car, I wanted to see how many kilometres I could get out of my 44L tank. 4 years later, I thought I was filling up more regularly, so I measured again and now my car only goes half the kilometres it used to on a full tank.
Throughout the years, the engine light for no reason comes on and will stay on for weeks. I have paid hundreds of dollars getting my car checked by mechanics, who say there is no reason for the light being on.
The back left electronic window cables snapped and the window fell into the door - apparently a common Astra problem.
The timing belt needs to be changed twice as regularly as other vehicles, otherwise it'll snap and your whole engine will be useless.
The car lacks power, it accelerates up to 60km/hr, then takes time getting faster.
When I drive at more than 90km/hr, I can feel the wind pushing against the car.
All of the above problems have been experienced by many other Astra drivers from the early 2000 range.
I can't speak for the later Astra models, but I would never buy an Astra again, and would definitely advise against buying an early model Astra.
General Comments:
The car is a good looking, with adequate foot room for the front passenger and driver, however there is little room in the back.
Boot size is large considering the size of the car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 6th May, 2013
7th May 2013, 07:25
Regarding the excess fuel usage, get your oxygen sensor checked out. You could be running a rich fuel:air ratio, and this could be the cause for the check engine light to come on.