20th Apr 2012, 03:25
Hi, original poster here.
Things are going great! No mechanical problems at all. Just put 4 brand new 16" Bridgestone tyres and a set of brand new HSV Holden By Design alloys on.
The information screen is starting to lose its pixels in the hot weather, but at night and when it's cooler, they all come back. Strange, but not uncommon. I'm considering its replacement later in the year.
Headlights are a major problem with Astra/Barina/Vectra and some Commodores. They get this unfixable misted look, which requires their total replacement. My warranty in July may not be awarded without money being spent there.
These few things aside, I still enjoy driving my Astra, and find its boot space, interior room and styling to be excellent.
To the above poster, the 2005 is the Holden TS Astra Classic Equipe. Built in Poland instead of Germany.
At 55,000km I'd be pretty keen on it myself. Make sure it has an immaculate service history. Preferably genuine service and parts.
Cambelt, tensioner, idlers and water pump must all be changed at once every 4 years or 60,000km, whichever occurs first. NOTHING OVER. The X18XE1 and Z18XE engines are brilliant and good on fuel, but they honestly need those parts changed on the dot or less. It's a Holden service directive, and it's widely known in Europe.
I wouldn't recommend taking your Astra to non genuine dealers, unless you are confident the mechanics have been trained on your model. The Holden dealer I go to only has one guy still there that did the course, so I always insist he does the work on mine.
3rd Dec 2012, 03:41
I would like to point out that your Astra would be better to drive than a 1300cc Laser that's 20+ years old. They didn't even have power steering! Was it the L model by any chance, with the optional passenger mirror?
You say the Astra is powerful; Nissan's GA16DE motor produces 89kw; the same as an Astra 1.8. The equivalent Corolla makes 100kw. My friend has a Pulsar, and on average gets 600km on a tank. His Mum has a CD Astra auto, which barely manages 500km. A workmate's wife gets nearly 700 km on a tank in her GL Corolla auto (2002), which has done nearly 180000km, which I'd like to point out has no silly 60-90km cambelt changes, and also STILL has the original radiator and A/C unit. Ah, the mighty Japanese strike again.
They know what they're doing, hence it took nearly 8 years for Lexus to sell 10,000 cars in the UK, when it took BMW 10 years.
2nd Feb 2012, 09:04
Hey! I'd love to hear how things are going. I am planning on purchasing an 05 TS Equipe with 55 000 on the clock. Does the timing belt really need replacing every 60 000? The dealership says it's 90 000.