Dodgy Dashboard (Vauxhall Astra Club 1.6i 5-door Hatchback)

Member Name: Humbug

Product:	Vauxhall Astra Club 1.6i 5-door Hatchback
Date:	13/10/01 (1093 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great engine, A joy to drive, Good fuel economy

Disadvantages: Dodgy dashboard, Dull interior trim

I've had my Vauxhall Astra 2 years now and although I can agree that it is spacious and has good fuel economy, the Astra has let me down badly on a few points.

But before I go knocking it, let me tell you of some more of the Astra's good points.

1. It is a beautiful car to drive. The 1.6 engine is responsive and the power steering makes it one of best cars to handle that I've ever had.

2. I love the shape of the Astra hatchback. It's big, plenty of boot space and it's versatile. It's so damned attractive and has 'street cred' according to some younger admirers in my home town.

3. Although I would have preferred the other version with the sun roof and electric windows, my wife had the final say and we opted for the air conditioning, which has proved a boon for de-icing quickly in winter and for keeping us really cool in the summer.

But now for what I consider to be some bad points about this particular model...

1. I have had the dashboard replaced twice, due to an electronic fault. I lost the mileage on the car the first time, the second time the electronic petrol gauge failed.
Apparently there was a faulty batch of dashboards and since the electronics are more complex in these new dashboards (controlling some aspects of the car that previously could be fixed separately) when they failed, it usually meant that not just one, but two or more gauges did not work and the whole dashboard had to be replaced.

2. Recently, the display that shows the time and radio station selected has failed, indicating a possible dashboard fault again.

3. A minor fault, but a fault nonetheless, is that the outside temperature gauge had to be replaced at the last service. Apparently at one point, the temperature outside was 65 degrees centigrade!

I love driving the Astra, but I don't trust its' gauges. How do I know that the dashboard will display correctly that I
am losing oil if the sump develops a crack?
I check the oil and other lubricants regularly as if it was an old banger - and that's not right.

The Astra, a great car to drive.

But a dodgy dashboard.

FOOTNOTE: I have been reliably informed by my dealer that the problem with the dashboards have been eradicated in the newer models.

But my advice is, when buying a second-hand 'T' reg Astra, you ask a lot of questions about previous problems, especially with the dashboard.

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