Conference terri::cars_uk

    
    Just goes to show, doesn't it.
    
    I never liked the old Astra, but the new one (particularly in 1.4 GSi
    form) looked very impressive to me at Motorfair. Roomy, well equipped,
    light and airy. As for it's external looks. To me it looks very like
    the Honda Civic, which isn't bad looking.
    
    I wouldn't have said either the Astra or the Escort were bad. They're
    not inspiring, but they don't aim to be. This is Mr/Mrs Average
    territory and you can't be too daring if you want to sell cars.
    
    Now, if you want examples of retrograde styling take a peek at the
    Celica!
    
    Mark

    re -1
    
    1.4 GSi...  Is this true?  
    
    ..Craig

    
    I think it was called a Gsi. 
    
    It was certainly a 1.4 fuel injected sporty version (well that's what
    he said!). It  had a 6 speaker stereo, air filter system for the
    interior, 4 doors and sports type styling on the interior and exterior
    trim.
    
    When (if?) we get around to replacing Mandy's FIAT with something a bit
    more sporting we'll be looking at this car very seriously.
    
    Mark

    Yep thats the 1.4 Si, they also do a 1.6i version and a 2.0i SRi.
    
    Personally I'm a bit disappointed with the looks of the S models,
    they could have looked a lot better.  As it is all the models look the
    same (except of course for the GSi which looks superb!)..
    
    ..Craig

>>>    RE.0. Nothing on gods earth looks as bad as the New Escort.
    
    That's what I thought, until I saw the new Astra.  What brought it home
    was following one for a few miles.  The back end is all wrong.  Haven't
    seen the hot hatch versions, these may be better.

    But then GM haven't introduced any up to date styling for as long as I
    can remember..........
    
    Incidentally, why is it the arrogance of the phrase "Every car you'll
    ever want" makes me determined to ignore all GM cars?
    
    JK
    

I'd say that if the Astra is "Every car you'll ever want", why do they
make the Nova, Cavalier & Carlton. And what the hell are they playing
at introducing the Frontera!

Astra will do that job guvnor.

Mark.

Re: .11

Well, the Nova is physically half the size....fits in smaller parking 
spaces :-)

Best thing I like about the new Astra is the pollen vent, if this works
it would be a great feature for hay fever sufferers.

Greg

    There's nothing new under the sun..... had filtrers like that on a SAAB
    **YEARS** ago.......

                   <<< Note 1586.14 by LARVAE::CLEMENTS_D >>>

    > There's nothing new under the sun..... had filtrers like that on a SAAB
    > **YEARS** ago.......
    
    Ahh. There is a connection: GM own half of SAAB. Interesting to see
    SAAB features such as the pollen filter and door strengthening bars
    appearing in the Astra. Does the new Astra have seat belt tensioners as
    well?
    
                                                                       

    ahh !
    
    	but were the pollen filters standard on all the SAAB's ?
    
    	Cos they are on the Astra....
    
    Andy
    
    P.S. I didn't like the old astra, but that grew on me and I actually
    started to like it - about last year. I hope it doesn't take as long for
    this one to grow on me !

    I've seen the new Opel Astra Estate (or Wagon or what_you_call_it) a
    few times now and it looks much better than the hatch back. 
    
    - Jyri -

    re .18 ....
    
    The filters were "standard" on all the 900's I had....... and they were
    oart of the "standard" 9000 non-AC ventilation system. Don't know about
    the 99's, though.
    
    Very effective. I got a look at the black coating on one that was
    replaced as part of the standard 12,000 mile service one time and was
    almost sick at the black goo that forms part of road-side air. Ugh!
    After that I had the filters replaced every 6,000 miles. The filter was
    noticeably more clogged in spring (pollen) and late August (harvest
    generated dust), though I guess if you live in a town you'd see a
    different pattern........

    I notice that Vauxhall offer these "Pollen filters" as an option on
    other models, I think it might be a good idea to get one fitted to the
    Cavalier. I'd hate to think of all that "black gunge" ending up in my
    lungs.
    
    	I think they cost about 18 quid, sounds like alot, but I wonder if
    we engineers could get them paid for. After all we do spend a hell of a
    lot of time in our cars, and all that "black gunge" aint doing us no
    good !
    
    Andy
    

    What happens when we arn't in our pollen catching equipped machines :-(
    
    How about a sort of gas/pollen mask thing that is both functional and
    rather cool/hip looking to wear into the office everyday, outside and
    even in the bath :-)
    
    Gary.

    I ordered one of the new Astra GSis through the lease scheme, based
    on the spec and a limited test drive, compared to other cars I was
    considering it seemed a reasonable deal.  Availablity was pretty
    good, approximately 1 month from order.      
    
    The garage tried to deliver it this morning - I couldn't accept
    it due to the number of faults it had which seem to have got round
    the PDI.  To be fair, these appear to be due to some electrical
    fault.  Not the best start with a new car, but maybe the garage
    should be taking responsiblity for the problems - they have agreed
    to pay the call out charge for the mobile phone man who was waiting
    to transfer the phone...             
    
    So I can't post a review of the new Astra!
    

    How much was you quoted?  If you don't mind me asking of course 8-)
    
    ..Craig

    Nevermind any of this title tattle about shape and pollen filters,
    has anybody out there aactually bought or leased one ?
    
    How are they finding it ? 
    
    Whats the real fuel consumption like ( not the quoted urban,75mph
    stuff ) ?
    
    Any and all inputs greatfully received.
    
    Gordon M.
    
    P.S.  I'm going for a test drive in a demonstrator thats up for
          sale at a local garage at the weekend.

    
    We just had one of the basic model 1.4l ones as a hire car.......
    
    I can't compare it for power against it's imediate rivals, since I
    normally drive a 2l car, so found 1.4lites seriously underpowered when
    trying to argue it out with the Mercs on the Autobahn!
    
    It would sit quite happily at 130Kph (note the _k_!) but would take a
    while to get there. It seems quite stable in a straight line, but this
    is at the expense of very heavy steering. Parking and manoevering could
    be hard work (no PAS on this model). Handling - seemed to behave
    predictably on snow, and cornered OK at the speeds I was doing, which
    was no where neer the limits of the car, due to the road conditions. 
    
    
    The controls seem reasonably
    logical, but the radio/cassette lights were very bright at night (there
    may have been a way to turn them down, but I didn't look for it!) There
    was no rev counter. The engine was very quiet. Gerabox - very big jump
    between 3rd and 4th. Visibility was quite reasonable. I'm really glad
    we weren't given one of the older Astras. The drivers seat was
    comfortable, (even after driving from Frankfurt to Calais!) but I would 
    prefer more side support. Luggage space was ok for two people + ski
    gear! with the seats folded down.   
    
    One very annoying feature was the interior light - it is in the middle
    (above the rear view mirror) and very bright, which was a problem for
    the driver when the passenger wanted to look at the map for night
    navigation! 
    
    General verdict - for the basic 1.4, boring! -

    I've had the GSi for four weeks now, done about 3,000 miles.
    
    When is is going OK it is a great car to drive, the ETC is a bit
    disconserting at times, but can be switched off.  The car has every
    imaginable goodie and that is probably why I have had so many problems.
    
    Since it was delivered there have been a number of faults, mainly
    electrical - one exception was a leaking/missing sump gasket.
    Fortunately the sensor system picked up the lack of oil quickly...
    
    The Hertz engineer saw it yesterday, and agrees it will probably
    have to be replaced with another due to the continuing faults. 
    He tells me there are a couple of known design faults (don't know
    if these apply to all the models) - wiper motor fails on one speed
    within 1000 miles fom new, petrol flap permanently locks and has to 
    be opened from inside the boot.
    
    Fuel consumption seems pretty good, about 35 mpg on motorway, about
    28-32 mpg in town.  Security system on the car is impressive, (if
    complicated!) with deadlocks and alarm fitted as standard.  
    
    If anyone wants to talk at length, mail me or phone on 778 3073
    
    Hilary

    Whats an ETC??

From what I've read, ETC stands for Electronic Traction Control.

This device cuts the power if it feels the wheels slipping. This
apparently happens just as often as it did in the old GTE.

The result of this, is that the power may cut off mid corner, or
be reapplied mid-corner without warning.

You say that ETC can be switched off. If you do, does it stay switched
off, or do you have to explicitly switch it off, each time you start the
car??

Mark.

>    Whats an ETC??

Electronic Traction Control

"ETC has a dynamic influence on the handling characteristics expected of a
sports car"

"Primarily, ETC adds extra safety margins while allowing the car's performance
to be keenly exploited. It comes into effect when accelerating, cornering, 
overtaking and hill climbing - all situations where too-exuberant use of the 
throttle could produce undesirable consequences. It has another valuable plus 
too, in alerting to slippery surfaces."

"ETC cleans up the driving line automatically without the driver having to take 
any other consious action. It works through the ABS brake sensors monitoring 
wheel revolutions, with data being fed to an ETC control unit.

"The instant any discrepancy of wheel revolutions is recorded, the separate ETC 
throttle cuts in, automatically adjusting engine torque to optimum power levels 
for maximum grip, even though the main throttle may be wide open."

Re: .30

>You say that ETC can be switched off. If you do, does it stay switched
>off, or do you have to explicitly switch it off, each time you start the
>car??

Nope, it comes on automatically when you switch the engine on.  You have to
manually switch it off every time.

    I don't like the sound of the at all... I'd much rather retain full
    control of a car myself...
    
    Laurie.

    Has anybody driven the GLS 1.7 Diesel Turbo at all; and if so, any
    comments?
    
    Rgds
    
    Harvey

    Received a letter before Christmas recalling Astra bought in Nov 91 -
    faulty wiring.
    
    So thats why the battery light and others lit up when the oil was low
    !!

    I'm considering the Diesel Estate on the car-scheme here in the UK.
    
    Has anyone driven the turbo-diesel or non-turbo versions and done a
    comparison...ie. is the turbo worth the extra money?
    
    Tim

    I don't know about the Astra, but on the Peugeot 405 estate the Turbo
    transforms the car. I wouldn't consider doing without one. You may not
    expect the same performance that I do, all I can suggest is that you
    drive one of each type.
    
    Laurie.

I've just collected a new hire-car Astra 1.6i from Holland.  As usual
with this hire company there is no manual for the car, and even
if there was a manual I wouln't be able to read it since it would 
probably be in Dutch.

My question concerns the automatic transmission.  There is a button
next to the gear selection lever with a snowflake symbol on it.
Anybody know what it does?  My assumption is it locks into 2nd gear
when pulling away.  Since there is currently a snow storm here in
Brussels I don't particularly think this is the best time to
'suck it and see' but I do wan't to get home tonight (or at least
as far as the pub).

Mike.

    
    My uncle has the same snow flake thingy in his Senator,it's for extra
    traction in such conditions as snow and believe he mentioned using it
    for towing.
    
    
    
    	Andy..
    

    
    It locks the transmission in 3rd gear, giving a super-smooth getaway
    with minimal risk of breaking traction on a slippery surface.  It
    disengages itself when a certain road speed (30mph?) is reached.  Using
    it for towing doesn't seem like a good idea.
    
    Dave M.
    

    
    
     Thats the ATC button. (Auto Traction Control). **I think**
     It compensates for wheel spin should one wheel or more spin on 
     something slippery !.
    
     You can turn it off by pressing the button and the symbol illuminates
    on the dash. This is for driving on snow etc.....
    
    
    (Printed without permission from what I remember reading in the 16i
    Handbook) 
    
    
     Gary

    Isn't that button the ejector seat? I wouldn't touch it if I were you.
    (especially if the sun roof is closed!!!!) :-)

The button with the snowflake on the automatic does not feature any type of 
traction control, its only the higher power GSi with has the traction control.

Andy

    -1
    well it should do.
    
    
    Gary

    An update on the Astra range. After speaking to Wadham Kenning about
    model availability they told me the following models have been deleted
    due to lack of demand but there are still manyin stock -
    
    Astra Sport  Turbo diesel
                 1.8 16v 
    
      "   CDX    Turbo diesel
    
    The remaining Sport models will be the 1.6 and a new 2.0 16v model.
    Has anyone else heard about a 2 litre Sport as this is news to me.   
    
    Royston

Re .46

I had ordered the CDX turbo diesel estate, and it's taken LeasePlan 2 days to
find me one for (I hope) delivery next month. (They say it's in a field
somewhere so I hope the pre-delivery is _very_ thorough).

I'll let you know how I get on.

Dave

    Dave, If you want the real story phone Wadham Kenning (speak to Peter
    or Lindsay in Fleet sales). Its likely they will organise delivery and
    will keep you updated of delivery dates availability etc.
    
    Royston

A quick question for all you auto drivers out there......

I have recently taken delivery of my new vehicle - an automatic.

I was wondering if it is best to leave the car in Drive when stopped (at 
traffic lights for example) (with foot on the brake) or move it to neutral 
while stopped and then select drive again once the traffic is moving or does 
it really not make any difference?

Cheers,

Craig.

 

    If I'm going to be stopped for more than a few seconds I slide it to
    Neutral.  My reasons for doing so are 1) if my foot slips off the brake
    I don't run into anything and 2) the car is alway straining to move
    when in drive so I figured it must use more petrol than if it were
    idling in neutral.
    
    Regards,
    tmp

        Craig,
        
        I don't know the answer to your qustion, but I'd be interested
        in your opion of the Astra automatic, especially with regards
        to performance and overtaking ability.
        
        I've been waiting for Vauxhall to get me an Astra 1.6 LS Auto 
        for test, which engine do you have?
        
        Ian.

Hi Ian,

Sorry that I lulled you into thinking it was one of these Leaseplan deals. 
The car is my own private one and is not a Vauxhall.

Cheers,

craig.

    >and is not a Vauxhall.
    
    Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, so why is it in the 'Astra' topic for cri'sakes ?
    
    Royston

    re .54
    
    Royston,
    
    He's probably trying to brighten up the Astra note since the new Astras
    are so dull !! Afterall an automatic anything is better ;-)
    
    Rick Barrett
    
               

    Call me old-fashioned, but I think that cars when stationary should be
    put into neutral and the handbrake applied. I realise that these days
    hardly anyone bothers, but there, I still do it. Besides, I hate
    sitting behind some git with his foot on the brake dazzling the hell
    out of me.
    
    Laurie.

I didn't mean for it to be in the New Astra topic.

When I added the note it actually said it had added it to a completely 
different conference MS-EXCHANGE!

    And a supplementary question:
    
    Why do automatic cars shift neutral <-> reverse <-> forward?
    
    This means a double clunk if you do choose to pause in neutral, and not
    blind the unfortunates behind you.  Maybe it is because american
    culture is to only use neutral when parking, and parking is only
    executed in forward.   Clues? - Ken
    
    

Mine has Drive - Neutral - Reverse - Park (but as we already know, mine is 
not an astra :--))) (Sorry Royston, couldn't resist!)

Craig

    > couldn't resist!
    
    You're stealing Malcolm's line.
    
    All auto's I've driven have Drive next to Neutral. This makes it easy
    to slot in and out of gear when at hold ups.
    
    Royston
    
    

    ...Are you confusing Neutral with Park ???
    
    As far as I know, all cars conform to Low-Drive-Neutral-Reverse-Park,
    so you would not need to go through reverse to get neutral. My guess is
    that Park is stuck up one end on its own for simplicity, ie you push the
    lever forward as far as it will go before you get out.
    
    The down-side of this layout is that drivers may be reluctant to select
    Park at red lights etc., hence Lauries comment about brake lights. In
    fact American cars I have driven recently dont even have a handbrake.
    
    Tony.

    Car mags , as part of their road test on new models , used to report
    the accuracy of the Speedo and Mileometer. It was ALWAYS inaccurate
    and over what the calibrated instruments read, by a few percent.
    
    One way to check your Speedo and Mileometer is by using the posts
    and emergency phones on motorways as reference points.

    
    	Just compensate for company trip and smile when you sell it and
    	report the mileage :-)
    
    	Pete$notveryhonestonFridays :-)

Put down the mileage you think is correct on your expenses. DEC pay you 
for the miles you travel, not what an inaccurate mileometer thinks it 
should be.

Alan

    > mileage you think is correct
    
    I'm sure there are many 'creative' thinkers out there.
    
    Royston

        As I never do more than 500 business miles per year anyway
        I'm not that concerned about the expenses aspect, I just
        entered the note as an observation. It's a bit worrying
        though that the car will possibly have done 3600 miles more
        than the clock show in three years time.
        
        As a side issue, I received a speeding ticket the first week
        I had the car. If I can prove the speedo also under-reads,
        is that an adequate defence?
        
        Ian.

>>    Car mags , as part of their road test on new models , used to report
>>    the accuracy of the Speedo and Mileometer. It was ALWAYS inaccurate
>>    and over what the calibrated instruments read, by a few percent.
    
    
    Not quite, apparently the McLaren F1 is spot on all the way up to 230
    (though the mags could only verify this to 205'ish). Ithe spedo is
    programmed to compensate for the variation in tyre diameter caused by
    the high centrigual force of driving at > 200 mph.
    
    Rik

	Re: .70

	Nope...I recall reading somewhere that the inaccuracies of
	spedometers are taken account of when motorists are stopped
	for speeding.

	I think the tolerance is something like 10%....therefore
	I don't think you'd be prosecuted for 33mph in a 30mph limit,
	55 in a 50, 66 in a 60 and 77 in a 70.

	Obviously these speeds are all as compared to the calibrated
	speed measuring device in the police vehicle..be that speedo,
	radar, VASCAR etc.

	You may still be stopped and advised though...

	OK...all the exceptions to this can now dispell my BS *8-)

	Kevin.

    re .70,
    
    I guess you were missing the audio feedback from the TD in the pug :-)
    
    ...but m'lud,  it didn't sound like 90....
    
    Jc
    

    Might be worth getting a dealer to check. I think the gearbox has a
    different size cog depending on which model / tyre size etc. I seem to
    remember a case like this where they had fitted the wrong part. 

The suggestion about motorway markers is a good one.

They are 100m apart.  So drive at exactly 120 Km/h
(speedos usually have Km/h written in small green letters)
start your stopwatch by a marker and then count 20 markers, 
stop the stopwatch at the 20th marker. It should read exactly 
one minute.

If say your stopwatch says 66 seconds, then you have an error of
(66 - 60) / 60 * 100	= +10%

Rgds,

Huw.

P.S. I've seen cars with optimistic speedometer speed readings 
but spot on mileometer readings. There isn't necessarily
a correleation between one and the other. There is a section of 
the A5 in wales which still has every milestone for about 15 miles.
If you're a local (like me) and know in which hedge to look, you can 
test the accuracy of mileometers. 

    >motorway markers ... They are 100m apart.
    
    What about checking the mileage against the motorway phones which are
    situated every mile ?
    
    I was thinking about checking my new car in this way but was wondering
    "am I really that sad ?".
    
    Royston

    The motorway markers are not necessarily very accurate. However there
    are 'measured mile' markers at a number of places. These should be
    accurate enough, although one mile is not really long enough. I suspect
    these markers are used to check police speedometers (I can't think what
    else they would be for).
    
    Andrew

    ...used to check police speedometers...
    
    But by definition these are always correct
    
    Jc
    

I can do a speedo checking service. I will check your speedo
for a modest fee as we drive to the pub :-).

I have checked a couple of cars and checked the checker
against another checker. Both checking units show the 
same reading and are very accurate indeed, down to .1
MPH. As long as you can hold the car at a constant speed
there are no problems.

Phone me on 830 3122 or mail to above.

This checking DOES NOT involve any attachments or changes
to you car.

Simon

    
    
    What's this then, drive past the nearest 30mph GATSO at an indicated
    50mph, any under or or over reading will be notified by post %^)
    
    Graham

    Is this constant speed 0 mph ?
    
    If so my car will fail as I'd don't register for speed less than 10mph
    (or more that 160)
    
    Rik

Any speed.

What I actually have is a 10 channel parallel (sp?) GPS
(Global Positioning System).  So if anyone does indeed
want a check I will gladly do it. 

Simon

    What is the accuracy of GPS tech. these days ? I thought that the US
    milirary (who own the sat.s) deliberaly introduce jitter into the
    LSB(s) ao that the accuracy was not as good as technically possible.
    This would stop the enemy using the US sat.s to mount an attack. If the
    good guys decided to attach then they could set the LSB(s) to be
    accurate.
    
    Rik

    re .76 >"am I really that sad ?".
    
    Yes.
    
    I checked the distance between the phones on the M3 last night in the
    Astra and was surprised to note that I only recorded 9.5 tenths of a 
    mile. 
    
    It seems I have a similar problem to Ian.
    
    Royston (Mr Saddo)

    There is a measured mile on the A33 dual carriageway just South of Dec
    Park Reading.  Look for 4 round markers with red quadrants on a yellow
    background.  These are about 5" diameter a couple of feet off the
    ground and a few feet from the edge of the road.
    
    I suppose you've already checked that your tyres at not at 100 psi?
                                              
    C                       

    Thanks for the pointer.
    
    Rik

Be careful - most insurances exclude 'pace making' - ie using the car 
to pace others (or your own).

So don't own up to 'I was just checking the speedo against mile 
markers' when caught somewhere !

Alan

    Re .88
    
    that could be said if you were checking speed, but I doubt it holds
    true for checking distance recording, where you do not have to hold a
    constant speed despite changing road/traffic conditions.
    
    C
    

    re checking with GPS
    
    Surely this can only work if you travel in a straight line? If it is
    taking time to travel between two readings GPS, or your gadget has to
    assume ATCF?
    
    Andrew

ATCF?

What is ATCF.

With 20 second averaging bends don't make much difference, if any.
It can also be set to 2 minute averaging.
Simon

    
    I made it up - As The Crow Flies
    
    20 seconds is 1/3 mile at 60 so on a motorway or similar I'll agree.
    Checkig 30 mph in a built up area might be significant.
    
    Andrew

    Hi,
    
    Does anyone know if, on an Astra Sport, whether the central locking
    should be able to be unlocked from the hatch back, rather than just the
    [front] passenger doors?
    
    What model in the range, if any, has this facility?
    
    I'm just wondering whether my car should be able to this.
    
    Thanks,
    
    AL.

    re .93
    
    I dont know about the Astra, but on most cars the central locking is
    only controlled from the drivers door (or the driver and front
    passenger doors). It is unusual for the central locking to be
    controlled from the rear doors or tailgate.
    
    Andrew

    re .94
    
    Someone I know had a Renault 21, and I think you could unlock the
    central locking from the boot. 
    
    The manual for the car, in my opinion, seems to imply that you can
    unlock the car from the hatch, but trying it it doesn't work.
    
    If someone has read the section I'm talking about please
    agree/disagree.
    
    Al.

    Oldish Cavalier SRi - the central locking unlocks from the tailgate,
    providing that it has either been locked from the tailgate, or locked 
    to the 'first' locking point at one of the front doors. If, however, it 
    is locked to 'second' position at one of the front doors (i.e. the 
    deadlock and alarm are set), then it cannot be unlocked from the
    tailgate.
    HTH.
    DaveT

	Hi,

	On my Astra Sport the central locking can only be activated
	from the drivers door lock.

	The hatch can be unlocked seperately and can also be left
	in the "open" state independantly of the central locking
	mechanism.

	I don't recall the manual inferring that the central locking
	can be operated from the hatch...but I haven't re-read it
	for quite a while *;-)

	HTH,
	Kevin.

    re: .97
    
    Unlocking and opening the hatch seperately from the rest of the car is
    exactly what I can't do.
    
    You said you can leave, 'it in the "open" state...' Does that mean you
    can open and close the hatch, yet the doors of the car are locked?
    
    So, it does sound like the car may have a problem.
    
    Thanks for your input Kevin.
    
    Cheers,
    
    Alan.

    Alan
    
    Check out if there is a difference between just locking the car at the
    driver's door and 'deadlocking' it.
    
    It may me that the deadlock position is preventing you unlocking the
    boot.
    
    I'll check this out on my Astra estate this evening.
    
    Royston

    Alan,
    
    I checked out the lock on the tailgate of my Astra estate and
    you are able to unlock it and open it even when the car is deadlocked
    by the drivers door. However, it can't be left in an unlocked state.
    
    To unlock it turn the key clockwise as far as it will go and push the
    key (and the button) in. This will open the tailgate. You will
    need to return the key to the original position to remove it. This
    leaves the tailgate locked.
    
    HTH,
    
    Royston

    Royston,
    
    Tried what you suggested yesterday, last night on leaving work.
    I couldn't get the thing to open.
    
    But, reading your note this morning, the bit I was failing to do was
    pushing the key *and* the button in. I'm used to a car where you turn
    the key, remove it, and then press the button.
    
    Thanks for the responses, you've put my mind at rest.
    
    Cheers,
    
    Alan.