The Wife's Vectra-C - The other battle wagon

[vexorg]

I had a few vectra b cars, they looked nice from the front, and did have a cav look towards the backend. I just dont understand how they went from b to c and someone in vauxhall thought "yeah, that looks better"

[Envoy CDX]

Volvo influence design i think.

In terms of next car for me, mk4 astra with Vectra B seats transplanted in I suspect.

[Robsey]

Volvo influence design i think.

I have to say that the Toyota Avensis of that era is the most "similar" looking car to the C.

Saying that though, when I walk the dog at night, the silhouette of the Cavalier hatch and Vectra-C hatch parked next to it are very closely similar looking.

[Mk3alan]

'In terms of next car for me, mk4 astra with Vectra B seats transplanted in I suspect.'

Recommend the mk4! Well built and comfortable as it doesn't use low profile tyres. My 1.8 Auto easily gets high 40's on a run.


Robsey - what about when you walk the dog in the day!!

Alan

[Robsey]

Oh dear....
I thought for a minute that I would try the latest technology.

My wife's Vectra converted to "hover car".



Look mummy - no wheels!!

I have been having ongoing niggles with wobbly wheels and a pull to the left.

And I have to take three of the wife's family to Liverpool airport at 4 in the morning.
I didn't want to put anyone else at risk of a sudden tyre failure - So four new tyres and 4-wheel laser-tracking for the win.

Apparently the tracking was a mile out.

It is the grand-child of the Cavalier, so it looks like it is learning some of the family traits - like being needy for regular attention.

[Envoy CDX]

She is a troublesome teen, acting out, it'll sort Rob!

Still tyres would need doing on any car, and the roads at the minute - tracking is a mercy result.

[Robsey]

She is a troublesome teen, acting out

I am sure it is no different from any car with more than ten years under it's belt.
They all suffer more as they age - just like us owners.
It is a long time since I started popping, banging and farting.

[Envoy CDX]

[Robsey]

For the sake of being ocd and because we all love symmetry.
And also for the numbers people

[chrisp]

That's a palindromic mileage! I think the next one will be at 175571, and then 176671 and so on. So not all that rare, unlike calendar dates when the just gone 22-02-2022 was quite unusual.

[vexorg]

Trip is also palindomic. next photo will need to be 222222

[Robsey]

I have already done that on the Cavalier



I found this one too.
272272...
Sadly the trip let the side down here.

[Robsey]

It was MOT day today - I never look forward to these things.
As you know, our cars get worked hard.
And the Vectra has been plagued with issues this year.

The engine light has been on almost constantly since last April (2021).
I have cleaned the egr valve a few times, which normally sorts it... but not this time



Burst fuel pipe at the end of January,



New tyres at the end of February, one of which was defective and had to be replaced twice.



And finally, I replaced the egr valve with a new Pierburg (original factory spec) part.
I was surprised to find two bolts were quite loose.
"maybe this is why the engine bay is full of soot"

New part fitted and the engine light stayed on - bugger!!

Then the day after it went off - whoop whoop.

Along with the loss of the engine light, it now feels like we have the old car back.
No hesitance when setting off and no big plumes of smoke when accelerating away.

As it happens, I think the soot is leaking from the swirl valve pivots in the inlet manifold, as one was jittering about when the engine was running.



So MOT today, like I said.
Dropped off at 8:45 this morning...
Call at 10:45 - "okay Rob, the car's passed and ready to collect".
By 12:15 it was back home again with a shiny new piece of paper.

Phew !!.
There are four advisories, but I will book the car in for a service in early May.

Time to heave a sigh of relief - haaaaaaa.......

[Envoy CDX]

Great stuff Rob! A pass with advisories is surely better than expected?

[Robsey]

I am sure we are all the same...
Walking the line of just being able to afford stuff.

Had the car failed it's MOT, I have no idea how I would be getting to work next week.

So yes - better than expected.
Hope for the best, expect the worst.

More unexpected was that I still did 11,000 miles in the past 12 months.
Although I shouldn't be shocked considering that I had done 9,400 miles during the main lock-down year.

[Envoy CDX]

more or less miles than you expected to do? 12k for me these days is unheard of.

[ilovedmymantas]

Congrats on the mot, surprise passes are the best!

Something that never seems to change in wage rises is the mileage allowance. That must be seriously eroding any benefit it once was due to the current world madness.
The country's still totally dependent on fossil fuels. Who'd have thought it

[vexorg]

Something that never seems to change in wage rises is the mileage allowance. That must be seriously eroding any benefit it once was due to the current world madness.

It was increased from 40p to 45p a few decades ago, I'm always amazed it never tracked any fuel price or cost of living. Though it's very rarely I use my car for work now.

The country's still totally dependent on fossil fuels. Who'd have thought it

Not totally, there is significant input from nuclear and wind, just not enough.

[chrisp]

But truck haulage of pretty much everything we need to live on IS totally dependent on fossil fuels. So are the construction and civil engineering industries. All depend on diesel or similar fuels and there is no immediate or even medium term prospect of this changing.
So I do get impatient with the eco-fanatics who say they want to ban fossil fuels now and demonise the oil companies on whom we still depend.
I'm reminded of a demonstration stall in the middle of my nearest city with large banners saying "ban fossil fuels now" and someone on a PA system shouting the same thing. I wondered how this was powered so had a look round the back of the stall - and there was a large diesel generator!

[Robsey]

more or less miles than you expected to do? 12k for me these days is unheard of.

A lot more miles than expected, as the wife has only been out about six times on a Saturday in the past 12 months.
Long gone are the day trips all over Cheshire, Yorkshire and the North West.

On the upside, fuel economy is now better than ever.
48.9 mpg...
Normally 47 mpg combined driving.
It had been a dreadful 42 mpg for the past few months prior to the valve change.

[Envoy CDX]

Well, mileage is good!

[chrisp]

That's the downside of running a V6 Cav. I only get around 30 to 33mpg. I guess this wasn't so much an issue when it was made in 1993 but it sure is at the moment, and takes some of the shine off its very smooth, quiet and powerful running.

[3cav3]

Got to admit I miss the mid 90's to early 2000's diesels with no emission controls strangling them. The lad at work has just purchased a 52 plate audi 1.9 diesel that does a genuine 50+mpg.It was only 500 notes, and he only purchased out of desperation as his daily car blew up, but it has already paid for itself in fuel saving.
The newer diesels that I run now tend to do lower 40's. Cant see how using more fuel is better for the environment? Even my 61 plate compared to my 57 plate Astra Van does 8 to the gallon less on the same work,(only replaced due to a boy racer writing it off)one is a euro 4 and the other a euro 5. Your Vectra sounds like its doing great mpg, just don't give into temptation and trade it in for a newer car until you really have to. The best mpg I've ever had was a mk1 caddy pickup that genuinely did 65+mpg, only problem was milk floats used to be able to comfortably overtake it, but it would be awesome for about 90% of my daily running around particularly with the cost fuel at the moment. Great news on the pass, nothing on the advisories seem bad, and at least you should have another year of motoring ahead of you.

[vexorg]

But truck haulage of pretty much everything we need to live on IS totally dependent on fossil fuels.

Electrified rail is the answer to that and more coordinated local distribution, we dont really take any of it that seriouesly, and you can then see the eco warriers out complaining about whatever new alternative there is.

[chrisp]

Electrified rail is a good idea, but everytime a new electrification scheme is mooted, the government first supports it enthusiastically and then some months later vetoes it on grounds of cost. The Midland main line to Sheffield is a good example, not to mention the 1960s closure of the Woodhead Sheffield to Manchester route that was already electrified in the 1950s, and only needed updating to 25kv AC. Mind you, at least half the electricity currently used for the railways will be generated by natural gas, and more than that when the wind isn't blowing.