Is Your Zafira Going To Burst Into Flames ?

Strider590

Jay_Tee wrote: »

I'm not sure that a lack of maintenance can be the cause of this. Vehicles up to and including 2014 ones are affected. Another aspect from the Watchdog program is that only cars with manual air conditioning are affected, those with automatic air conditioning are not affected. This would seem to point more to a manufacturing issue.

Lack of maintenance causes water ingress to the fan motor.

When the res pack goes, people think that's the fault, when told it's the fan motor they cannot grasp the concept that one fault can lead to another, so they keep replacing the res pack, it keeps blowing and then they bodge it. Unfortunately this will probably work until the next innocent owner gets their hands on the vehicle.

Think about your fuse box at home, if the fuse (or MCB) keeps tripping, some people try to figure out what's causing it, but some people keep resetting it and hoping it will be fixed.



Many years ago it wasn't uncommon for people to replace house fuses with 6 inch nails, because the fuse kept blowing, this is why we have so many rules and regs regarding home electrics now.

oldagetraveller

"Many years ago it wasn't uncommon for people to replace house fuses with 6 inch nails, because the fuse kept blowing, this is why we have so many rules and regs regarding home electrics now."
Or with the older type glass auto fuses, wrap it with cigarette packet foil/kitchen foil to prevent it continuously blowing!

Jay_Tee

Strider590 wrote: »

Lack of maintenance causes water ingress to the fan motor.

When the res pack goes, people think that's the fault, when told it's the fan motor they cannot grasp the concept that one fault can lead to another, so they keep replacing the res pack, it keeps blowing and then they bodge it. Unfortunately this will probably work until the next innocent owner gets their hands on the vehicle.

Think about your fuse box at home, if the fuse (or MCB) keeps tripping, some people try to figure out what's causing it, but some people keep resetting it and hoping it will be fixed.



Many years ago it wasn't uncommon for people to replace house fuses with 6 inch nails, because the fuse kept blowing, this is why we have so many rules and regs regarding home electrics now.

Yes, I understand that. What isn't explained why it's only the one Vauxhall model that's exhibiting this problem if it's all down to poor maintenance?

Cynical_Monkey

I think the reality is actually quite different from the official explanation. Speculation about the resistor pack is rife at the moment but may not be correct as Vauxhall don't actually know. I've seen a few of these resistor packs that have been replaced and then not re-seated into the air intake as they're supposed to be, this leads them to get very hot and eventually fail.

If one has failed, the solder essentially melts and the circuit breaks. Some people will simply bend the metal and make a connection again but realistically, as long as the resistor is put back into the air intake, it shouldn't be an issue as the fuse in the engine bay should prevent excessive current flowing, i.e. in the event of a jammed heater fan (Which is very common).

In my opinion, the fires are likely caused by people bodging the resistor repair by bending the metal spike behind the connector therefore removing the need for solder and then not re-seating the resistor correctly meaning it overheats and doesn't cut out.

It could also be a dodgy fuse bought from a dodgy foreign seller - I've seen a few of these 40amp fuses actually melt in the fuse box when the fans are on at a decent voltage, i.e setting 3.

The curious thing is that the Astra's use almost identical components throughout the whole car - None of them have the issue even though the parts are generally interchangeable. Same gearbox, same clutch, same electrics, same interior parts and so on.

bigjl

Jay_Tee wrote: »

Yes, I understand that. What isn't explained why it's only the one Vauxhall model that's exhibiting this problem if it's all down to poor maintenance?

Different ownership demographics?

Zafira owners tend to be families and the vehicle is treated like a tool with minimal attention paid to maintenance unless needed.

The Zafira mk2 is like the mk1 an Astra underneath.

However the Mk2 looks like they had to modify the underpinnings a little more, the gaps under the wings for example.

It is possible that the way the pollen filter housing has been designed make it more liable to water ingress possibly worsened by minimal maintenance.

Let's be honest how many people actually change their pollen filter?

When ever I have changed one on a newly bought vehicle it has been filthy and likely the one fitted when the car was built.

A dirty pollen filter makes the fan work harder, a harder worked fan gets hotter. QED.

Ian011

George_Michael wrote: »

S41 of the regulations only applies to telephone helplines run by the trader.
Vauxhall are the manufacturer of the vehicles in question but the supplying garage is the trader so legally there is nothing wrong with Vauxhall only having an 0844 number.

If Vauxhall are referring to callers as "customers" then Vauxhall must in some way be effectively a trader. The fact that there's an intermediary car showroom in the chain is pretty much immaterial.

In any case, the point is now moot because under pressure, a new number 0800 026 0034 has been announced. Calls are free from landlines and from mobiles.

bigjl

You can't buy a vehicle straight from Vauxhall by phoning them up.

They sell via franchised dealers.

So how can they be considered a car trader or dealer?

That is like saying Mars are a Sweet Shop, they aren't and your consumer rights are with the person you bought it from.

Are Hitachi a HiFi Shop? Or is Richer Sounds?

Ian011

Given the clarity revealed by Clear Call Rates for Everyone, no reputable company is going to want to be seen to be using a premium rate number for customers to call about a problem with something they have bought.

Within 20 minutes of Vauxhall being notified about the real costs incurred in calling the 0844 number, callers to that number instead began to hear a message telling them to hang up and call the free 0800 number.

facade

It is likely the design of the heater assembly.

When I had my 2003 Corsa, I was in the habit of squirting aircon cleaner foam into the recirculation intake whilst the aircon was on max blow. Result: less stinkyness.

After a few times, the heater fan started making a terrible screeching noise (likely running slower and drawing more current to burn out the resistor pack too).

Luckily the fan motor and housing could be quickly removed, and I found that the fan motor was mounted so that any water, or aircon cleaner collected in a funnel shaped depression around the motor spindle, so it was running under water, and was as rusty as old iron.

A couple of drain holes in the housing, and an overnight soaking of the bearing in oil cured it.

This was manual aircon, with a fan speed controll switch, the climate control have an electronic speed control that doesn't use the resistor pack.

keith1950

Whatever the original problem that might have caused the resistor pack to fail, the cars that are affected have had non-vauxhall replacement resistor packs replaced at non-vauxhall garages.

Although vauxhall are going to fulfill their " duty of care" by checking all zafiras with manual heating controls, in fact anyone who has had a zafira from new and has never had the resistor pack replaced at a non-vauxhall garage will not encounter the problem.

The trouble from vauxhalls point of view is that a zafira that might have had a non-vauxhall pack fitted might at some point in time have been taken in part-ex by a vauxhall franchise and subsequently resold, meaning that a Vauxhall franchise may have unwittingly sold a zafira fitted with s non-standard resistor pack.