Help Gear box gone on 2nd hand car after 6 weeks

fivetide

Dieselman wrote: »

That is correct we don't know nor will the new owners know how it was driven before, But if it's found to have been modded like plenty of the cdti are then it's possible it's been thrashed at some point.;)

Changing the oil for better quality spec at around 30k should help to maintain the bearings see a longer life, the vx stuff is not very good.;)

That's better. IF rather than stated fact when we don't know. Your statement above is true of any used car though.

Just felt that saying it was a driver fault when no one has a clue is not fair.

Again, it seems pulliptears has had a similar issue. I can only guess they also thrashed the car to within an inch of its life....

Good tip on the oil.

pulliptears

For the record...

We went with the diesel Astra because OH has a 130 mile a day commute. We purchased it second hand with I think 29k on the clock from memory. It was driven quite normally and 125 of those miles are Motorway miles. Never thrashed at all, never mapped, OH is 43 and long past his boy racer days. It was purchased mainly because he's a sucker for a gadget and the colour sat nav, cruise and heated leather interior appealed to him.

We found a local guy who was recommended for the rebuild, he did say that "you wouldn't believe how many of these we have done".

I can appreciate the sport hatches coming in for the boy racer critique, but as this happens with the Zafira as well I do think there is problem.

pulliptears

Just spoken to OH who says head to the Astra Owners Network Forum where there is a big thread comparing miles, mapping, age etc
It apparently makes for interesting reading as there is no rhyme or reason to it as boxes are dropping out at 20k and 100k.

He's at work at present but will send me a direct link to thread when he gets home tonight.

Ozzy69

Thank you for your help pulliptears and others on here!

Didn't realise my original question would cause such a debate!!

Thank you also for the citizens advice link, we have looked at that and rung the garage and suggested that its their responsibility to look at the car and I think they are coming to take it away hopefully! The car is un-drivable now. Whilst I understand it is a second hand car, be it considered old or not, you think you buy a car from a dealer in good faith and having a warrenty is a reason you buy more than a private sale. I just feel sorry for my son who works hard and could potentially lose more money on this car - even if he does have to fork out for a rebuilt gearbox!

pulliptears

Ozzy69 wrote: »

Thank you for your help pulliptears and others on here!

Didn't realise my original question would cause such a debate!!

Thank you also for the citizens advice link, we have looked at that and rung the garage and suggested that its their responsibility to look at the car and I think they are coming to take it away hopefully! The car is un-drivable now. Whilst I understand it is a second hand car, be it considered old or not, you think you buy a car from a dealer in good faith and having a warrenty is a reason you buy more than a private sale. I just feel sorry for my son who works hard and could potentially lose more money on this car - even if he does have to fork out for a rebuilt gearbox!

I really feel for you. We took a years dealer warranty on ours, it expired in the November as the box went in the January. I confess I shed many tears and had many sleepless nights because we simply couldn't afford the fix. The dilemma whether to scrap the car or do the work came into play and eventually my Father In Law stepped in and paid for it because he could see the situation we were in.

Thats why when we came to get rid there was no way I could sell it privately, thats why we made it 100% clear on the trade in that the car had issues in the past and may well have them in the future. I didn't want anyone else to have to go through what we went through.

Even if the gearbox is rebuilt I suspect the best you can hope for is a 1 year, 10,000 mile guarantee. Then you have the dilemma, do you sell it on to the next unsuspecting sod or lose more money being honest.

Joe_Horner

bigjl wrote: »

I assume you think a 5 yr old car is new then?

It's really quite simple:

Built after about 1990 (so 23 years old) = modern. Ok to own one if you must (to get you out of trouble on cold mornings) but make sure you have recovery.

Built after about 2000 (so currently 13 years or less) = new. Avoid like the plague. usually made of tinfoil (especially suspension and springs), too much that can't be fixed by the roadside, and even the dealer "experts" will end up fixing it (expensively) by trial and error fitting of bits 90% of the time.

Just ask any die-hard "daily classic" driver

OddballJamie

So true about the springs. Most of them seem to come from old biros.

Tilt

bigjl wrote: »

Yes.

The reason being they are not under manufacturers warranty and are too old to be stocked by main dealers in any significant quantity.

Erm, what about those manufacturers who provide a 6 year warranty then?

bigjl wrote: »

Go to a big auction and you will find main dealers selling anything more than a few years old and with above average miles.

Yeah... i've been in the game myself and you are kind of contradicting yourself here because you go on to say this;

bigjl wrote: »

But a 5 yr old car isn't old enough to be considered old.

Then you say this;

bigjl wrote: »

My wifes Clio is a 2006 and i would consider that old. My new car is 2 yrs old snd i consider that newish.

I think a lot depends on the mileage as well. Your 2 year old car may do more miles that your wife's Clio which could make all the difference.

pulliptears

Apologies for the delay, but here is the thread for anyone with the M32 Gearbox. You will need to tick that you understand the rules and wait ten seconds to submit before being able to read the Owners Network, but worth it.

The thread asks the following questions:

What is your engine code (e.g. Z19DTH)?

Has the gearbox failed (as defined here by movement, whine, or complete failure)?

If it has failed, what was the (approximate) mileage at which it failed? (If multiple boxes have failed please enter the mileage done on each box)

What is your car's current mileage?

Approximately, what percentage of your driving is urban?

Approximately, what percentage of your driving is on suburban roads?

Approximately, what percentage of your driving is on motorways?

What is the standard power of your engine (in BHP)?

If your car is tuned, please post the current power. No exaggerating guys!

If your car is tuned, please post the current torque. Again, no exaggerating!

Is a box fitted? (yes or no, no detail required)

Is the ECU remapped?

Have you ever used the car on a track?

Do you change your gearbox oil as part of a regular servicing regime (yes/no only)?

VERY interesting reading.

http://www.astraownersnetwork.co.uk/showthread.php?164793-Have-an-M32-gearbox-Click-here

beautyqueen88

we have an 08 diesel vectra and it has been an absolute nightmare one thing after another i had a corsa in the past that also needed expensive work a month after the warranty ran out.
Wouldn't have a vauxhall in future.

Sorry i know thats totally unhelpful, as others have said you should be able to get a decent gearbox cheaper from a breakers, if you go direct to vauxhall it will cost a fortune.