Car issue, advice please!

[mender]

Hi all,

 

We've got a new (old shape) Zafira 1.6 petrol bought Jan 14 as first owners on a 63 plate.  It's now done 2800 miles and we are due to take it on a 3,000 miles trip across Europe for our main holiday.

 

The other day, whilst travelling at low speeds, the orange engine management light came on (Vauxhall quality shining through!) so I stopped immediately and visually checked all was ok.  I drove back to my van five miles away and used my OBD reader to read and clear the EML DTF code, which was p0134 (O2 sensor, bank 1, sensor 1).

 

After clearing the car was still "lumpy" and instead of clean acceleration, the engine builds up speed in pulses until high in the revs range.

 

I booked it in with the local main dealer (not the supplying dealer-they are miles away) and took it in the following day as arranged-it drove more or less as normal on the way over.

 

After a long grilling about why the car had not been bought from there (I had previously bought 7 cars off them, my Parents 3) and I quote "the fault codes are there for us, not for you" the service department told me that unless the EML light returned (I had turned it off) they could do nothing, even though I gave them the code.  After discussing it, they suggested one of their techs drove it home (on my fuel of course!) and back to see if the light re-appeared.

 

They called the next day to say nothing had occurred in 50 miles, that the 1.6 Zafira is usually underpowered and they had not been able to do anything as without an EML their diagnostic machine would not find a fault and they could not carry out any warranty work.  No light, not opening the bonnet.

 

I collected the car today and within two miles it was hesitant and felt strangled until revved hard.

 

I'm not having a go at the dealer-I should not have turned the light off in hindsight, even though most recovery firms do this during their diagnosis on breakdown and I can see their point about warranty work.  I had bought the car elsewhere as when I enquired about buying one they had none in stock and would have been £3000+ more expensive if/when they got one into stock.

 

So the question is....?

 

What do I do?  Live with it?  Drive it non-stop for a week or two seeing if the light will come on again?

 

I'm inclined to see it as the beginning of a load of hassle, given the experience so far and am seriously worried about undertaking a drive of 3000 miles with the kids on board, even though it is under the EU breakdown and warranty period.

 

We've been offered £8000-8300 as p-ex (£9970 new) and have looked at a few alternatives that would fit our budget.  But do we give up a 6 month old car with a lifetime warranty for a £2000 loss when it should be fixed?

 

We like the car very much apart from the gearbox having too low a fifth gear (3500rpm++ at 75mph), having hard and flat front seats with a recline winder which takes an age to lie flat if you want a nap, being a little underpowered at low revs and the worry that the red paint will fade terribly after seeing an identical 07 model absolutely faded to pink.  We wish it hard a trip computer as I drive on average mpg and try to beat it daily, but can't as there isn't one on our model.  We love the space, safety, quality (!), stereo etc and the kit list inc the essential cruise control and remote stereo controls.

 

What should we do?

[Rooted]

Why not go to a Workshop with competent technicians and find what the fault is and have it fixed.

 

Find out where Vauxhall want you to take it to for you to collect the courtesy car, until your car is running properly, fixed under Warranty..

 

george

[gadgetman]

When it comes back on, take it straight in

[mikey vrs]

Id try another dealer,dont mention you have reset the light,just complain about the poor running etc. 

[mender]

Thanks for all the above, I've been driving around trying to get the EML to re-appear, but you know how it will be; it'll only happen on the German autobahn on the day I've got to get somewhere or lose paid accommodation!

 

I think you're right that it needs to go to a different dealer, but I guess that the first garage would have entered some time onto the log for a warranty claim so it will be possible for another garage to see it has been looked at.

 

Daft thing is that it is running ok tonight and I've re-scanned it and no pending codes or other anomalies either again today.

 

Sporadic/intermittent faults are the very worst as they are a pain to trace!

 

Unless I have a better solution, I'll run it for a few days, see if the light or fault re-appears and take it somewhere else.

 

I have to say that other than the few minor quirks or niggles above, it is a great family car and after 227 cars (10++ new ones), all the cars I have had, have features that you would change-a lot is down to personal taste.  Losing £2000 and effectively down-trading and losing the 7 seat capability seems daft if it can be sorted.

 

I'm always looking out for new cars for friends and family and have seen some great run-out Fabia deals.  We thought I had the solution to our own problem yesterday when Simpsons Skoda of Great Yarmouth had on Auto-Trader an advert for a 2014 Fabia Greenline 2  CR 1.2TDI with 50 miles only in Cappucino: price £7500....!  We discussed it and rang, card in hand to place a deposit as we could have ditched the Zafira to WBAC for similar money instantly, only to find that, yes, as we both thought, the price was a mistake and it was £12,000.

 

The nearest deal we have considered is a Meriva 1.4 Techline 100ps 2014/14 pre-reg this month, 000003 miles for £9999 (decent spec: heated seats, heated steering wheel, Bluetooth, cruise, nice wheels, air-con, lifetime warranty etc) which would work out less than 2k to do, but is likely to be underpowered and under-geared again and we lose the 7 seat function.

 

I really want a Citigo with an accordion-like body which can turn into an MPV when pulled at each end, then returned to fun-size when needed.

[Toxicvrs]

I'd hammer it about on a variety of roads in order for the car to be able to complete a full drive cycle and bring the code up! On my fabia I had to do Southampton and back before the O2 sensor flagged up again and I was only 35 miles from home when it binged up on my return journey

[mender]

I'd hammer it about on a variety of roads in order for the car to be able to complete a full drive cycle and bring the code up! On my fabia I had to do Southampton and back before the O2 sensor flagged up again and I was only 35 miles from home when it binged up on my return journey

Yes, that's a good call

 

It occurred after stopping on a gentle slope for a picnic 7 miles from home then driving at 50mph for 3 miles, then pulling over to eject a horse-fly from the rear of the car after the protestations of my 6 year old lad.  As I got back in after 2 minutes of idling, the light was on.  I drove off, pulled up again, switched off and on, remained on until I read and erased it 6 miles later.

[Toxicvrs]

Do you do varied driving I.e. Back roads which you will in this area! And motorways?

[mender]

Do you do varied driving I.e. Back roads which you will in this area! And motorways?

It gets a run on a real actual motorway occasionally, but mostly A and B roads.

 

Usually I run economy style, laid back and with cruise on wherever possible with kids on deck, with a few flat out overtakes as needed (it is a 115bhp 1.6!), so it gets a bit of variety and does not get tootled everywhere.

[Toxicvrs]

Good as from what I've found a week of driving in this area should show it back up!

[mender]

Good as from what I've found a week of driving in this area should show it back up!

Caravans, three abreast MAMILs (middle age men in Lycra), horseboxes, campervans, in-no-rush tourists, b**tard Priuses, men with hats etc

 

AAAAAAAAAAAGH!

[Toxicvrs]

Caravans, three abreast MAMILs (middle age men in Lycra), horseboxes, campervans, in-no-rush tourists, b**tard Priuses, men with hats etc

AAAAAAAAAAAGH!

It's a nightmare bud I know! Thankfully I've got a heavy right foot! Worst bit is when you come across a tractor with a lorry stuck behind it! No chance of going past both in the mighty 1.2 so then I hold up a queue grrrr

[mender]

It's a nightmare bud I know! Thankfully I've got a heavy right foot! Worst bit is when you come across a tractor with a lorry stuck behind it! No chance of going past both in the mighty 1.2 so then I hold up a queue grrrr

Nitrous kit for birthday then   

[Toxicvrs]

Nitrous kit for birthday then

One might treat ones self to a vRS dependant on funds lol!

[mender]

One might treat ones self to a vRS dependant on funds lol!

Mate's just sold his 55 plate silver one, he replaced virtually the whole car in 12 months and decided he couldn't carry on.

Buy a nice low miler with excellent history!

 

Lovely motor, especially when chipped but far too bumpy for me 

[Toxicvrs]

Yeah need something that can cope with my lead foot a bit better!

[mender]

I love my Myvi: 1298 high revving 90bhp vvti Yaris engine + 900kg kerbweight = fun 

 

Did Leom to Pembroke and back yesterday and left the others for dead, it's quicker than most expect as it revs and is so light!

[Toxicvrs]

The Combo goes well, Clio and Fabia are on the same terms where as my Dad's mg and Stag are great in this area

[mender]

Zafira: now running ok, no EML, I reckon it is slightly stifled, my wife reckons it's because I've spent days driving the Myvi which pulls aggressively-the Zafira just doesn't.

 

Funnily enough, we've had spooky electrical interference this week in our area; my Parents' remote garage door won't operate on the fob, or their Agila car remote, or their door bell, our Myvi remote has been only working from a foot away, etc.

 

We do have a "top secret" hidden communications base within 500yds of the house-I only know about it as I had to deliver a car there.

 

Bumped into another new Zafira owner today who said his EML came on this Sunday 4pm, he switched it off and it has not recurred.

 

Any link?

[Toxicvrs]

I suppose a slight chance of interference but don't quote me on that! I had the fabia give up yesterday after cam shaft sensor wire snapped as it was caught up! Limped the car up the hill then it gave up and had to get the recovery lads out! Took it to the local today as I had better things to do! Wire re done and another slight bare wire issue sorted and it runs the best it ever has done! I launched past two tractors I shan't quote the speed

[gadgetman]

Whose fuel do you use?

[mender]

Whose fuel do you use?

Usually Texaco 95, sometimes Morrisons 95

[seboni121]

Usually Texaco 95, sometimes Morrisons 95

Put shell in it !

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Morrisons is the ONLY fuel I'll avoid tbh.

[mender]

Put shell in it !

But it's a new car and should run on supermarket fuel for the first 3000 miles without trouble!!

 

I boycott shell after an incident in Germany when after putting in a full tank of fuel and buying a 20EUR container of screenwash, they refused to let me have a cup of warm water from the toilets to defrost my screenwash jets-even though I asked very nicely in perfect German upon paying the bill.  It was minus 15, with deep snow and ice and I was carrying children and had spent 90EUR there.  In the end I grabbed the watering can off the forecourt, marched into the toilet, started to fill it up and when a hefty staff member tried to grab it off me, I floored him.  I spend a fortune on fuel in EU and Shell get none of it, Orlen get it all for being wonderfully helpful and being the opposite-at the next fill up, the manager immediately left the till with a watering can full of hot water, without asking as I got out of the car to fill up and cleaned all my windows, lights and plates off with strong de-icer and hot water.

 

I would have complained to Shell, but did not fancy any trouble after what had happened, so I never use them instead.