Oh dear, Astra Hs seem to be featuring quite a bit lately :-( The screeching noise that I reported earlier seems to have disappeared only to be replaced by a new and possibly terminal condition.
I started the car this afternoon and the 'maintenance' light on the dash illuminated - along with the ABS warning light; we thought it better to use my wife's car for our trip to Cambridge. On our return, I took the Astra a few miles round the block; it seemed to run OK with the two warning lights showing ........ then I noticed that the speedo wasn't working.
When I arrived back home, I did the 'pedal test' which came up with the fault code U2108 - Invalid Data from ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System) ABS/TC/ESP (Vehicle Dynamic System) B-018.
I'll go down to talk with my local, friendly-neighbourhood indie garage tomorrow though, being the pessimist that I am, I fear that this could be god's way of telling me to get a decent car.
Unfortunately, we are due to take the car up to N Norfolk on Sunday for a few days - the idea is/was to put the bike-rack on and test out the new leccy-bikes. Alas, my wife's B-max doesn't have a tow-ball for the bike-rack.
The question is ........ would it be unwise to drive the car for a few hundred miles and would we be better to ltake the B-max and leave the bikes at home this time?
Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 16 Sep 18 at 19:35
|
Tangential suggestion I know, but is the car of an age when the battery might be getting weak?
The reason I ask is that a year or so back, my wife's then 9 year old Qashqai started showing an engine management warning light. Had it checked out at a garage but they were stumped by it because it was showing a fault with the automatic gearbox, which was clearly spurious as its a manual.
Anyway, they couldn't fix it so I spent a bit of time googling the problem and discovered that sometimes warning lights on those cars can be triggered by weak batteries. I fitted a new battery and the warning light hasn't reappeared in over a year since.
Might be worth researching your car for similar problems on tinterweb?
|
>> Tangential suggestion I know, but is the car of an age when the battery might
>> be getting weak?
Or the charging system?
Had a problem with out first (2005) Berlingo where it failed to start after delivering our daughter to her 2nd year Uni accommodation. Britannia Rescue jumped started it and it ran OK but with dash lit up like a Christmas Tree.
Stopped again in half a mile 'cos it turned out problem was alternator>battery lead but apparently dash lights would have sorted themselves out after a few miles/re-starts if it'd just been a drained battery issue.
|
>> The question is ........ would it be unwise to drive the car for a few
>> hundred miles and would we be better to ltake the B-max and leave the bikes
>> at home this time?
Do you feel lucky, punk?
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
Sorry, couldn't resist it.
|
I drove my old Focus for over 2 years with the engine management light on, including 2500 miles around Germany.
It was misfiring, more during acceleration than at speed. I changed some bits but nothing fixed it, so the mechanic said to put up with it or get rid.
I put up with it.
That isn't a tech recommendation though!!
|
I drove the car down to the local indie this morning knowing that they are as in demand as the local GP surgery. The car behaved as normal, but with the 2 warning lights illuminated, and the speedo failing to work.
They thought that it would be a failed/failing ABS sensor on one of the wheels but the car would be OK to take on holiday; they also thought that the speedo problem was unrelated. Driving back home, the engine electronics light went out and stayed out; the ABS light flickered on occasionally. It will have to be booked in when we get back. As there wasn't too much sucking of air through teeth, I don't anticipate that it will cost nearly as much as the failed ABS control unit in my old Mondeo.
The car is now worth no more than £900, so I have to watch the spend. My wife is telling me to get another car lined up and be ready to throw this one away; she fancies an Ateca.
|
|
Battery or Alternator. Causes all those kind of issues on that vintage of VX's. Matches the screech symptom as well.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 29 Aug 18 at 17:42
|
"Battery or Alternator ........"
I can't understand why the battery or alternator could cause the ABS warning light to come on and give an ABS fault code.
That screech has stopped now, but I didn't think that it was coming from the engine bay; I assume that you are thinking of a slipping belt?
|
|
I've come across other causes of a slipping belt like water pump or A/C compressor failing, causing the belt to slip and reducing the alternator speed and reduced volts.
|
>> I can't understand why the battery or alternator could cause the ABS warning light to
>> come on and give an ABS fault code.
The ABS control unit/pump on VX's of that era were notoriously voltage stability sensitive. An ABS light was often the precursor warning for failing battery/alternator
|
|
Wot Zero said. Pending alternator failure would play havoc with the dash warning lights.
|
|
I agree with the other comments re weak battery and poor charging. Our old Saab 9-5 had a dashboard looking like Blackpool illuminations when the alternator went AWOL causing the battery to go flat. Once the battery was recharged, and the alternator replaced, it was right as rain.
|
I must admit, the Astra isn't being used a great deal these days, though it will get a better run out during the next week. I'll see what happens and report back.
Today when I used the car for several short runs, sometimes the lights were on, sometimes off; the speedo worked when it felt like it.
|
We took the Astra up to N Norfolk as planned, though almost all of the getting around while there was done on our leccy bikes. The warning lights remained on and the speedo stopped completely; I found it quite disconcerting having to read the car's speed from the satnav.
When we got back, I took it down to the local indie who had a closer look and the problem is, according to them, a failed ABS pump. The cost for sending the unit away for reconditioning, along with refitting etc would be slightly less than half the value of the car - so rightly or wrongly, I decided to have it done. Hopefully, it should be ready early this week.
|
|
Did they suggest that the speedo fault is related to the ABS pump?
|
I didn't hear that from them - but it is rather like dealing with your GP via the receptionist. However, when I googled something like 'faulty ABS pump', a failing/failed speedo seemed to be a very common associated issue. I don't understand it, but then I understand toss-all about modern cars.
I'll report back when I get the car back and am, hopefully, in possession of some more detail. I should add again that I trust these guys implicitly - they have a very good reputation.
|
The Phone call.........
The intention was to send away the defunct ABS pump for reconditioning and replace it on the Astra. The all-in quote came to £435 - just less than half the £900 at which I valued the car. Yesterday morning, I received a call to say that the unit was beyond repair and that they would have to get another one for reconditioning - the cost would go up by another £100.
The decision .......
That latest news would have put the repair cost at above half the car's value (my arbitrary criterion) and, given a few hours thought, I decided to scrap it. The garage offered me £100 and said that they might give it some attention and use it as a courtesy car; I must admit, I was fearing a bill for the work that they'd done on it so far.
The 'what now?'.......
At the age of 68, I have never really seriously had to think about 'playing the field' and buying a car. I rode a motorbike until, at 26, I was given a company car - I didn't seriously consider choice as I would only have to live with it for a few years anyway. When company-car rules changed, I bought my old Mondeo estate from the firm at a cheapo price and, when the Mondeo died, I bought the Astra from a mate as he was retiring from his job. So, what will it be??? I quite like that tone of red that Ferraris come in but, then again, they aren't much use for taking rubbish up to the tip.
|
There must be a few scrap cars out there with a working ABS pump.
Why would they need to get another one and recondition it?
Surely just get a 2nd hand one and it's plug and play. It'll either work, or it won't. In fact some breakers guarantee salvageable parts they sell are in a working condition.
|
"Why would they need to get another one and recondition it?"
Whatever approach, we are lurking around my criterion of half the value of the car. I'm afraid that I have neither the knowledge nor the facilities to do the work myself.
And, of course, my wife is always complaining about how uncomfortable the car is.
|
Vauxhall Astra H estate - 20 1.3 Fault code U2108..... - Runfer D'Hills
