14th Aug 2002, 08:49

Anyone got a high mileage auto carlton? I am interested in finding out how far the auto boxes last...

S.

2nd Sep 2002, 11:14

I have a 93K Diplomat 2.6 that is having problems with the auto box. The lockup on 4th gets jittery at about 55Mph with gentle throttle. Floor it and it drops to 3rd and goes. Currently at 98,500 miles and is going to see the Vauxhall doctor on Friday to see what they can find. I'll let ya know. Other than that the 2.6 is a great wolf in sheep's clothing. Will eat most BMW 328's off the line if you use left foot braking. :-)

5th Nov 2002, 06:27

I had A 1992J 2.0CDX Auto for 10 years. Best car I have ever owned since I started driving in 1968. I recently bought a new style Mondeo (big mistake) & gave the Carlton to my daughter who drives it around Manchester. 107,000 miles & the only thing I replaced was front discs at 75,000 miles a water pump at 106,000 miles. No problems with the auto box whatsoever, in fact I did not even have to replace any of the light bulbs or the wipers & it never failed any MOT test. A superb car, I still see it occasionally when my daughter comes home, but sadly she then drives it back to Manchester. One day maybe I will find another car to match the quality, reliability & looks of the Carlton.

17th Dec 2002, 16:20

Vibrating front brakes?

Mine had that problem, it turned out to be the rears that had worn too much. New discs, pads and shoes (if rear discs) and it will drive like new again.

No problems with my 91H Carlton 2.0GLi saloon at 156,000 miles, uses no oil, no leaks. Manual gearbox is a little sloppy, but still perfectly functional.

Rear electric windows are constantly failing, need new motors, other than that, perfect!

Heartily recommend it, do remove the cat though if pre 1992.

16th Apr 2003, 17:36

I've just bought my 1993 Carlton 2litre gli with only 62,000 on the clock. I only get 33mpg at best though - some reviews and comments on here (like the one above) say if you remove the cat you get better fuel economy. Any advice on how to do that? Is it as simple as just removing the cat and that's it? Don't you need to do anything else? Please leave advice on here by commenting on this review again, it would be much appreciated.

Al.

14th May 2003, 18:36

Al's 1993 Gli Carlton 'Cat' question answered.

I had a Lancia Thema with a duff 'Cat'. My friendly Local Garage replaced offending lump of metal with a Braided Flexible exhaust pipe section from a 2 Litre Cavalier. Performance and economy were much better. And the braided flexible pipe section cost around £40.

However this procedure is not strictly legal, so if you can find a garage to do this. Keep them sweet with more of your custom.

Marts.

20th May 2003, 13:09

Marts, thanks for letting me know about the catalyst. Len H, I'm not too sure about the steering problem, it sounds like either the 'new' power steering pump could be broke, just because it's a new part don't mean it will work. Also, check the steering rack itself for wear, if it has not been checked already.

AL

5th Jun 2003, 18:59

Hi.

I have a 93 Carlton Diplomat, the problem is with the steering, it pulls to the left, so I had the tracking done and it keeps losing its tracking after 1-3 weeks, I have had new shocks all round, could this be a problem with springs? Anyone had this before?

HELP.

6th Jun 2003, 07:49

Sounds like if you have replaced most of the suspension parts other than the springs, it is most probably them. If they look rusted (the springs), just grease the underside and top of them (where they touch) and see if that sorts it. The springs turn with wheels, obviously, so if they were sticking, it would cause the car to pull. You also may hear a 'clunking' or 'springing' noise when this happens.

Hope that helps.

9th Feb 2004, 10:01

Currently running 1993 CDXi 2L with 120000 on the clock, superb car and runs faultlessly.

Recently been to north yorkshire in a day (600 miles) and north wales for a week (1300) miles),returns 32 to the gallon on good runs and about 25 local running.

Luckily was not fitted with cat at the factory.

Last carlton 1992 GLi 2L with 250000 miles on the clock, still going strong now done 277000 miles.

Just bought a 1992 2.6 Diplomat from a friend (97000 miles) not sure what I'm going to do with it yet.

Tim, West Sussex.

24th Aug 2004, 10:03

Bought a 2.0 litre CDXi Auto estate 2 years ago with 107k on the clock. It has now covered 132K with few problems. It achieves around 33 mpg on mixed roads and cruising at fairly high speeds. The cruise control kicks out at times, which is unfortunate as it seem more economical when operating correctly. Being an ex-fitter, I tend to do preventative mechanicals but nothing has actually failed which would prevent the car from working. The door lock barrels seized last week though and I needed to climb in through the back door! The dipped headlights are poor, the auto box is fine but groans sometimes in neutral on tickover. One of the shock absorbers is leaking and will be replaced with standard ones as the air types are very expensive. I like this car because it's comfortable, cheap, not too thirsty and fairly easy to fix. I intend to keep it for a while yet!

24th Sep 2004, 12:10

Hi guys n gals

Got given a 1990/1 VAUXHALL CARLTON 2.0i DIPLOMAT in 2002 with 87k on the clock (me dads good to me). Nice car, but seems to be making a lot of noise from the diff?. I was told the bearings were warn and would need replacing? just woundered if you peeps knew of any quick fixes to shut the thing up!? (i say that with luv) Its done well up to now apart from 2 windows not working (except when they get hot? IE sun light). Any comments on the diff thing would be good ;)

27th Sep 2004, 10:24

If the rear diff is noisy you'd be better replacing the whole thing - probably cost over £100 pounds though, parts and labour. But it's worth it cause these cars are getting rare, especially the one you say you have have - a low mileage Carlton Diplomat. As for the electric windows, get a couple of new motors out of a scrap yard, and hopefully they'll work like new. Good luck with the car, Carlton's are great like any car - when they're running great with no faults!

20th Nov 2007, 14:00

My Carlton 2.0i is misfiring at low revs. I have changed plugs and leads; any ideas?

26th Apr 2008, 05:09

I have a Carlton CDXi estate with 226000 miles. I've had no problems except for the brakes (normal wear). I've driven close to 130 mph at times and the engine still sounds quiet, like some of the new cars that you would pay thousands for.

I have not looked after it for a few years now because of living in a flat and having nowhere to work on it, but I'm moving to new house in a couple of weeks, so I'm going to work on it and look after it.

10th Feb 2011, 18:25

I've got a Carlton Diplomat with 265000 miles, going strong. It's got a manual gearbox.

31st May 2011, 18:22

I have a 1994 Vauxhall Carlton 2.0cd auto.

The box is perfect in every other way, kick downs changing up and down are all fantastic. The problem it has is going into reverse, when I select R it just stays in neutral and I have to repeat the process sometimes 3 to 4 times for it to engage. Sometimes it goes for days without a problem.

Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions as to why it's doing this?