1998 Holden Vectra GL 2.0 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

The high rate of faults is totally unacceptable

Faults:

Car was built in Belgium by Opel.

23,000Km, After numerous failures the remote door lock control was reprogrammed under warranty.

23,000KM, Commencement of a long series of steering problems - new column ordered but not fitted after problem was "fixed" by replacing another part.

36,000Km, New steering column fitted and when problem found not to have been fixed, the intermediate shaft was replaced - all under warranty.

48,000Km, Rear door lock failed and replaced under warranty.

48,000Km, Steering shaft seal lubricated at firewall in and endeavour to eliminate column noises - under warranty.

57,000Km, Dealer unable to identify unusual transmission noise.

58,000Km, After gearbox was intermittently locking in neutral the dealer carried out "adjustment / alignment procedure as per GM manual"

59,000Km, After more locking in gear the gearbox was removed and found to have a collapsed 5th gear bearing and totally destroyed internals - after waiting 5 weeks for a complete replacement gearbox to arrive from Germany the new box was fitted under warranty by dealer #1.

64,000Km, Dealer #2 replaced the steering intermediate shaft in an endeavour to eliminate steering knocks. At this time they discovered that dealer #1 who had replaced the gearbox had not re-fitted the reversing light solenoid to the new box, despite the fact that unconnected cabling was clearly hanging down the front of the box. After I complained to Holden that their dealer had let me drive a car which did not meet our roadworthy laws, dealer #1 sent a mechanic around to work to fit the missing part.

67,000Km, Dealer #2 still unable to identify steering knocking under full turn at slow speeds.

69,000Km, Car returned to dealer #2 to continue chase for cause of the steering knock. Left front brake caliper re-fitted because of twist in the hose. All suspension bolts were tightened and finally it was discovered that a non-standard bolt was fitted to the left side cross member - it had been tightened as far as there was thread which was burred, but the sub-frame was still moving under load.

Because of the non-standard part Holden were not keen on a warranty claim, but I certainly did not pay for the work.

Again I complained to Holden about the safety aspects of their dealer #1's sloppy work, and received a letter "regretting any inconvenience I had been caused"

General Comments:

The car is now out of warranty, going well, and with 16 inch after-market wheels & great Toyo tyres is a pleasure to drive, especially on the open road.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th January, 2002

1998 Holden Vectra GL 2.2 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Impressive package, pleasure to drive

Faults:

The speedo failed. This was repaired by Holden under warranty. The problem was diagnosed as a faulty sender unit.

Lost all electric power. Upon turning the ignition, there was a spark and some smoke, the entire system died. Repaired by Holden under warranty, diagnosed as faulty electronic ignition, a wire had been rubbed bare and come into contact with a metal surface.

Reverse lights failed. Have not had repaired as yet. From my own inspection it would seem the sender unit under the bonnet has a loose connection. When I move it around I am able to make the reverse lights come on and off.

General Comments:

Despite some problems, as mentioned above, I have found the Vectra to be a very good car.

Acceleration, power, and handling are impressive for a four cylinder engine.

Driver/passenger comfort well above average.

There is no denying the Vectra is a good looking car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th June, 2001

28th May 2002, 03:46

Thank you for these pages.

Our Dec 1998 Holden Vectra GL has developed a similar failed speedometer, unfortunately the car is out of warrenty.

The local Holden dealer is apparently very reluctant to repair the problem as they had a similar problem once before and had a nightmare repairing it (that one was under warrenty), so it is pleasing that another Holden service centre could cure the problem in a straight forward service/repair.

This review and the site is helping me present relevant information to the manufacturer representatives of this overseas-made car.

Philip (Adelaide South Australia)

1998 Holden Vectra GL 2.0L from Australia and New Zealand

Faults:

Car stalls and shudders frequently, have had IAC replaced 3 times. I honestly don't believe that Holden know how to repair this.

Other general problems have included a squeaky seat that has been replaced, lining on the door and the speaker grille had to be glued back on.

General Comments:

This car is a very big disappointment.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th August, 2000

17th Jul 2001, 00:43

Tend to agree with this. I have a Vectra CD Series II (99 model), and it's an absolute bomb. Holden don't want to deal with it, their customer service have been very rude and unresponsive.

13th Jun 2002, 02:02

Absolutely agree. My '99 Vectra CD JS Series-II has been back to the dealer ten times in the 18 months since we bought it; nine times due to a stalling problem that can occur during cornering!

Holden refuse to admit that this is a dangerous fault and constantly try to treat me as if I'm complaining about nothing.

I am at the point of engaging a solicitor in an attempt to get Holden to replace the vehicle, as they seem to be incapable of fixing the problem.

We as customers should not have to put up with such treatment!

20th Feb 2013, 04:14

The IAC valve does not fail - it simply gets an oil mist build up and is rectified with a paperclip - simply remove the throttle body, clean thoroughly and clear out the small hole below the butterfly with a paperclip. So far good for another 50,000km with no problems. Got this fix off a UK website. Time to find another mechanic, as Holden's fix is always to replace the valve.

1998 Holden Vectra GL 2.0 16valve from Australia and New Zealand

Faults:

There is nothing wrong at this stage, but reverse gear is a little sluggish.

General Comments:

Very good car and very comfortable to drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th January, 1999

1998 Holden Vectra GL 2.0 16v petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Faults:

Nil.

General Comments:

Well built european import that sets new benchmarks for the Australian built cars to chase.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th July, 1998