28th Sep 2011, 18:11

Wow, this sounds just like me. I bough my 99 Astra about 2 years ago (obviously used), and the radio thing on a morning was where it all started... so that was replaced.

Front driver's side electric window works when it wants to, and the rear left is completely broken.

Alternator has been replaced... that was a scary experience, losing all power steering...

Now I have my car at the mechanic as we speak for a fuel pump replacement. Seems as though there are some fairly common issues with these cars. I thought it was just me. Does anyone have a rough idea on price of fuel pump and labour approx? I haven't a clue :(

5th Dec 2011, 06:35

Hey, what is with the revving of the Astra 2001 - it's just annoying!!! So many little problems, and now coolant is starting to leak.

16th Dec 2011, 04:00

Coolant leakage. I've had that experience on my 2002 Astra 1.8. I've replaced with genuine GM parts throughout the year the following:

Radiator, NZD $516.

Water pump (as part of cambelt job, nothing actually wrong with it) NZD $149.

Thermostat, housing, gasket, sender, NZD $259.

My coolant level was always down, Turned out to be my radiator dripping from the o-rings on the sides. Not possible to fix, so off it went.

A few months later, coolant level was down again and the car was getting hot. Turned out the thermostat gasket was leaking and thermostat sticking. Off it went.

Astras are excellent vehicles when operating correctly. Owners MUST be constantly aware to check over the vital systems of the car that you wouldn't normally have to check so much on other models. This includes the fragile cooling system, aircon, electrics and cam systems. Servicing at Genuine Service Centres is the only way to ensure full support from Holden if anything goes wrong. It's happened to me, and they have always been forced to come back to the party.

16th Jan 2012, 01:31

To the guy complaining about the revving; that fault is most often caused by a faulty MAP sensor.

This sensor can be bought on Ebay brand new for $99, plus overnight shipping of $20.

It's very easy to fit, you only need a pair of pliers or a small 7mm spanner or socket. Undo 2 clamps and the wiring plug, and insert the new one. The job takes 10 minutes. My 66 year old mum could do it dead easy.

Holden will charge you $350+ to replace this item.

I just bought a new ECU on Ebay for $350 and a new coil pack for $99. Had a Holden dealer program and install the new ECU for $88.00.

All up cost $537. Now the car is good for another 12 years.

Have found you can buy everything online at about a quarter the cost of buying from a dealer. Sometimes even less.

New rear brake discs $45 each. Front discs $49 each. Pads $36 front and rear. Labour to fit at a local tyre fitter was $140.00.

Total cost for completely new brakes, front and rear = $400.00.

Timing belt full kit including bearings, tensioner, belt and water pump for under $200 delivered. Labour to fit $170...

Just a few examples...

Ignition barrels can be fixed by decent locksmith so it never break again for about $100.

Just keep your Astra away from Holden and you can't go wrong.

Mine's 12 years old, 330,000km, and motor, gearbox and everything are still going strong...

Holden dealers will fleece you every-time. I often think they create problems so you'll be back sooner.

6th Jun 2012, 02:42

"Now the emissions warning light and traction control lights are on, and the engine sounds like it's about to die."

Yes, mine has been doing exactly the same thing for two months now, and I can't find a mechanic who can fix it. I've read about this problem on various websites, but nobody has mentioned finding a fix.

The latest theory is dirty fuel. I would think the dirty fuel would be out of the system by now!

13th Jun 2012, 01:00

My 2004 Astra has had just about all of the problems mentioned. After its 40k service at Holden (never again) I drove it to the school car park and the problems started. Timing belt, water pump, air conditioning coil spring. 2 starter motors, alternator, and the saga with the engine warning lights went on and on. Mechanic fixed the wrong things, but surprisingly after the RACQ man put his diagnostic equipment on it and said he could not find a problem - it fixed it.

Make sure you always lock the car, even if it is in a garage. This seems to help reset the computers!

After running well for some time, the LCD screen for the radio and clock went out. Now fixed by my husband putting a new part in himself to save money.

The current problem is the emissions light, which I notice is quite a common problem. They certainly can be little lemons.

14th Jul 2012, 14:15

I have a 2000 CD. Owned from 55K kms to 130K kms, things gone wrong:

Replace ECU + 2 wiring looms - very expensive.

Ignition switch failed and caused starter to burn out, both replaced.

Air conditioner failed - replaced compressor.

Rear window winder mechanism failed x2.

Cable to pop bonnet failed, Holden repaired - not cheap.

Coil pack failed.

Now stalls regularly - been back to mechanic twice - cannot resolve so far.

Air conditioner very noisy, & power steering also making a whirring noise!

I'm not happy with this lemon!!!

23rd Jan 2013, 02:25

You need a special plastic tool to remove the hoses from the fuel filter. Available from Repco and other retailers.

18th Feb 2013, 20:24

You were exactly right with this one. My girlfriend's car was stalling at lights and would not idle. Revs were going up and down when she was idle. Took your advice and had the throttle body cleaned. Worked a treat. Now the car idles perfectly normal. Thank you so much.

The Holden dealer tried telling us that it was due for the 120000km service and that the throttle body was recommended for a clean. Basically they tried to get us to spend the $1200 on the service + the $150 for throttle body clean. We did the throttle body clean with no service... nice try Holden.

25th Feb 2013, 00:24

The Holden Astra is a heap of crap metal (once it exceeds 100,000km), plus the fact that the car dealers mechanics who supposedly service your car... have no clue, but charge top dollar.

If you have an automatic, then every mechanical problem is supposedly red flagged on your dashboard by the ECU advising you to proceed to the 'shonky merchants' workshop to detect the problem.

I recently had my transmission go and it cost $3K+ to replace, only to later find out that the ECU (engine control unit) may have fail to compute with ATC (auto transmission control), which is a simple defect in the IT software, hence the transmission may NOT have had to been replaced.

ALWAYS ensure that the mechanics perform a thorough diagnostic scan of the PMC (power control module), which should establish the 'problem'.

The motto of this entry is don't buy an Astra ... or trade the 'lemon' in before it hits 90,000km and burns a hole in your pocket $$$.