How long have you owned your present car

[Royston]

This thursday I will have owned my trusty Vectra Estate Dti for 7 years , and it sailed past its recent mot with flying colours.It does restrict me to a towing weight of 1400 kg, if I had a Saab same engine i could tow 1600 kg.
With the current mileage being 103460 I have thought of a changing but with all the reported engine management problems on all makes of cars , and the massive costs to retify them,as the mechanic advised me when from my local BOSCH garage why change,apparently I have a simple computer on board not subject to the various problems later cars seem to have.
Strange really all these supposed modern anti pollution engine management systems, who needs them as my car passes all its emission tests .
Royston

 

[LMH]

Too long, the damn thing!

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Royston,
The towing limit is not simply based on the engine size or power, its the result of a number of different tests, which demonstrate the cars ability in a number of differnt conditions.

Vauxhall produced the mk1 Zafira, and strangely one of the larger engined versions had a significantly lower permitted towed weight than some smaller engined versions, despite the fact the same engine appeard in different models with higher weight limits. Apparently the engine when mounted in the Zaffira coudlnt be cooled adequately for heavy loads. - hence the reduced towed weight limit.

 

[JonnyG]

This thursday I will have owned my trusty Vectra Estate Dti for 7 years , and it sailed past its recent mot with flying colours.It does restrict me to a towing weight of 1400 kg, if I had a Saab same engine i could tow 1600 kg.
With the current mileage being 103460 I have thought of a changing but with all the reported engine management problems on all makes of cars , and the massive costs to retify them,as the mechanic advised me when from my local BOSCH garage why change,apparently I have a simple computer on board not subject to the various problems later cars seem to have.
Strange really all these supposed modern anti pollution engine management systems, who needs them as my car passes all its emission tests .
Royston

Had a 97 r reg estate brilliant car smooth and not bad on the fuel,but it had a repeated problem of going into "limp mode" after i had owned it for 2 years.Your local Bosch garage might be right concerning the ECU itself,or rather lack of several control modules that are fitted to newer cars,but the vectra "had" a terrible record for electrical and electronic failures,including the ECU itself failing.
As for emission tests! being as diesel emission test for the MOT, date back to before even your vectra was made,then the emissions you are talking about to pass an mot are not the same significantly less Emissions that todays car have.
Ps my vectra was fine till it got to 108k,then the problems started,and identifying which sensor was at fault or what connector was a never ending problem ... Got rid of it in 2006,to a chap at work,bar the repeated "limp home mode problem it ran to 185k,is now sitting in the works yard again,in "limp home mode"

 

[Dustydog]

Six years, 95k touch wood, and still going strong

 

[DeliDave_]

7 years on July 12th and good as gold.

 

[Royston]

Hi Jonnie, thanks for your very intersting feed back with regards to your Vectra 185.000 not a bad mileage, proves the engine is still okay, pitty about the sensors.
I always use Shell normal diesel , on the odd occasion when out caravanning I will use BP Diesel.
As a matter of interest, I follow saloon car racing, never heard one of them retiring through sensor problems
Royston